Chapter 7 - The Apex Confrontation
By two o'clock that afternoon, word of Madison Pierce’s dramatic arrest had spread through the downtown business district like wildfire. But the fallout was far from over.
Grant and Emma sat in the opulent dining room of an upscale steakhouse four blocks from Northstar tower, eating lunch with Marcus Vance. Between bites of dry-aged ribeye, Grant monitored his phone, which had been buzzing nonstop for the past forty-five minutes.
""Carter Hayes has called my cell seven times,"" Grant noted, sliding the screen across the white tablecloth for Emma to see. ""He's leaving voicemails claiming this is all a massive misunderstanding and begging for an off-the-record meeting.""
""Let him sweat another hour,"" Emma said, sipping her sparkling water. ""The city procurement committee officially opens the sealed bids at three-thirty. Once they review Apex's submission, Carter will realize that his 'guaranteed victory' is actually a breach-of-contract lawsuit waiting to happen.""
Right on cue, the restaurant's heavy oak doors swung open, and Carter Hayes stormed into the dining room. Carter was forty-five, impeccably groomed, with silver-threaded hair and an arrogance that matched Madison’s. His eyes scanned the room until they locked onto Grant.
Carter marched straight toward their table, ignoring the startled maître d' trailing behind him.
""Caldwell!"" Carter hissed, slamming both palms down onto the table, rattling the silverware. ""What the hell did you do? Why are federal investigators at my downtown office asking questions about stolen Northstar server files?""
Grant didn't even look up from his steak. He carefully cut a piece of meat, chewed it, and swallowed before speaking. ""Carter. You remember my wife, Emma, don't you? Oh, wait, forgive me—you’ve spent so much time taking my former assistant to L'Avenue that you probably forgot what an actual corporate executive looks like.""
Carter’s face went purple. ""You set me up! That girl came to me! She said she had your master files!""
""She did have files,"" Emma interjected, her voice cutting through Carter’s frantic bluster. ""She had preliminary drafts that were intentionally archived because the engineering specifications were unviable. But instead of conducting your own due diligence like a legitimate firm, you chose to bribe an administrative assistant and copy our trade secrets word for word.""
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Carter swallowed hard, his eyes darting frantically between Emma and Grant. ""Emma, please. We've known each other for a decade. This will destroy Apex. If the city council disqualifies us for espionage, my partners will liquidate the company.""
""Then I suggest you call your lawyers and start drafting the liquidation paperwork,"" Emma said coolly. ""Because twenty minutes ago, Northstar submitted an amended, fully verified proposal to the mayor's office, accompanied by a sworn affidavit from our IT forensics team detailing your unauthorized access. You made your bed, Carter. Enjoy sleeping in it.""
