Chapter 3 - Receipts from the Past
The silence in the atrium was absolute. You could have dropped an envelope onto the marble floor and heard the impact.
Madison felt the blood rushing to her ears, a roaring sound like a freight train barreling down an empty tunnel. Her manicured hands began to tremble so violently that the cardboard coffee cup she held crumpled under her grip, lukewarm latte dripping down her fingers and splattering across her expensive beige pumps. She didn't even notice.
""W-Wife?"" Madison choked out, her gaze darting frantically toward the cluster of senior executives who had followed Grant down from the boardroom. None of them looked at her with sympathy. In fact, Chief Operating Officer Marcus Vance—a man Madison had repeatedly snubbed over the past two weeks—was watching her with an expression of grim, cold satisfaction.
""You told me your husband owned this company,"" Emma stated, stepping forward until she stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Grant. Emma stood tall, her presence commanding and effortless. She looked Madison directly in the eyes. ""Tell me, Madison, when exactly did you two tie the knot? Was it before or after he spent twelve hours in the emergency room with me when our daughter was born? Or perhaps you married him during the three years we lived in a cramped two-bedroom flat, putting every single dime of my inheritance into buying the patents that keep this firm alive?""
Madison’s knees buckled slightly. ""I... I was joking! It was just a figure of speech! She was being rude to me, Mr. Caldwell! I was only trying to protect your office from unwanted visitors! She looked like... she didn't look like an executive!""
""She doesn't have to look like anything to deserve basic human decency,"" Grant snapped, his voice vibrating with disgust. ""And for your information, Emma holds sixty percent of the voting shares of Northstar. I run the day-to-day operations, but legally speaking, she doesn't just own this building—she owns every desk, every computer, and every single paycheck that has ever cleared your bank account.""
Grant turned toward Marcus Vance. ""Marcus.""
""Yes, Grant?"" the COO responded instantly, stepping out from the crowd.
""Call building security. Revoke Ms. Pierce’s keycard, disable her network credentials immediately, and have two guards escort her upstairs to pack her personal belongings under direct supervision. She is terminated, effective thirty seconds ago, for gross misconduct, harassment, and impersonating corporate ownership.""
""Wait! No! Please!"" Madison shrieked, the panic finally overriding her shock. She lunged forward, attempting to grab Grant's sleeve, but Frank and Marcus, the security guards, instantly stepped in, forming an impenetrable barrier between her and the Caldwells. ""Grant, you can't do this to me! You know how hard I work for you! What about dinner last Thursday? What about the promises you made in your office?""
A collective gasp echoed across the lobby.
Several employees pulled out their phones, pretending to check messages while secretly filming the fallout. Grant didn't flinch, but his eyes narrowed to cold slits. He turned his head toward Emma, his voice steady. ""I have never had dinner with this woman in my life, Emma. Not once.""
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""Oh, really?"" Madison yelled, tears of humiliation and rage streaking her heavy foundation. ""Tell her about the reservation at L'Avenue! Tell her about the messages on your personal cell! If you fire me, Grant, I'll burn this whole place down! I know things! I have leverage, and I will sue Northstar for every penny you stole from me!""
Emma raised her hand slightly, silencing the screaming assistant. Her expression wasn't angry; it was clinical. ""Leverage? My dear girl, you’ve been here for twenty-one days. Let’s go up to the boardroom, Grant. I think it’s time we inspect the books your 'brilliant' new hire has been working on.""
