Victoria laughed.
“You don't have authority to tell me how HR works.”
“No,” Walter said quietly. “But you should probably wait before making another decision.”
Several employees looked at their screens, pretending not to listen.
No one was pretending very well.
Victoria pulled out her own phone.
She called executive security.
No answer.
She tried again.
Still nothing.
Then the private elevator light changed.
A small indicator above the doors illuminated.
AUTHORIZED.
Victoria saw it.
So did everyone else.
Walter walked toward the elevator.
Not hurriedly.
Not triumphantly.
He simply pushed his cleaning cart against the wall, leaned the mop beside it, and crossed the floor.
Emily watched him.
At the elevator, Walter pressed his thumb to the biometric panel.
The doors opened.
No executive stepped out.
No assistant greeted him.
Walter entered alone.
Before the doors closed, he looked back toward Emily.
“Stay here.”
Then the doors shut.
The elevator rose.
No one spoke for nearly ten seconds.
Victoria turned around.
Her face had become pale beneath carefully applied makeup.
“What exactly was that?”
Nobody answered.
“Does anyone know him?”
Silence.
Victoria pointed toward an analyst.
“You.”
The analyst stiffened.
“Me?”
“You've worked here four years. Who is he?”
“I thought he was facilities.”
“You thought?”
“Yes.”
“Find out.”
The analyst sat quickly and opened internal directories.
Emily remained standing beside Walter’s abandoned cleaning cart.
Her thoughts moved too quickly to hold.
Maybe he had once been an executive.
Maybe he knew someone on the board.
Maybe this was some elaborate security audit.
Whatever the truth was, Emily could not understand why he had been cleaning floors for seven months.
Victoria walked toward her.
“Don't misunderstand what just happened.”
Emily looked up.
“You're still terminated.”
Emily felt fear return.
“You can’t know that.”
Victoria's eyes narrowed.
“I signed your internship approval. I can end it.”
“Then why are you afraid?”
The words escaped before Emily could stop them.
Victoria's face hardened.
“I am not afraid.”
Emily looked toward the private elevator.
“Okay.”
That calm answer cut deeper than an argument.
Victoria stepped closer.
“People like you make a mistake when they enter companies like this.”
Emily remained silent.
“You think morality is a substitute for judgment.”
“No.”
“You don't understand hierarchy.”
“I understand hierarchy.”
“Clearly not.”
Emily looked at Walter's mop.
Then at Victoria.
“I just don't think hierarchy gives you permission to humiliate people.”
Victoria smiled coldly.
“And that attitude is exactly why you won't last.”
A voice from behind them interrupted.
“Victoria.”
It was Daniel Price, a vice president from compliance.
He had been standing near the far conference room throughout the confrontation.
Victoria turned.
Daniel rarely challenged her publicly.
Now he looked uncomfortable.
“What?”
“You should stop.”
Victoria stared at him.
“Excuse me?”
“You should stop talking.”
Daniel's phone was in his hand.
Victoria noticed his expression.
“What happened?”
He hesitated.
Then held the screen toward her.
An internal calendar notification had appeared.
BOARD SESSION — EMERGENCY ATTENDANCE REQUIRED.
Time: 6:47 p.m.
Location: Executive Boardroom.
Attendees included the chief executive officer, chief operating officer, general counsel, chief financial officer, chair of risk, and all available independent directors.
At the bottom was a final line:
Requested by: W. Bennett.
Victoria read it twice.
Her hand moved toward the table for support.
Emily saw it too.
But the notification answered almost nothing.
Who was Walter Bennett?
The analyst searching the directory suddenly spoke.
“Ms. Collins?”
Victoria turned sharply.
“What?”
“I can't find him.”
“What do you mean?”
“There's no facilities profile under Walter Bennett.”
“Search contractors.”
“I did.”
“Halpern.”
“I did.”
“And?”
“Nothing.”
Victoria moved toward the desk.
“Let me see.”
The analyst rotated his monitor.
Employee directory.
Contractor directory.
Security access roster.
Walter Bennett did not appear.
Victoria's breathing changed.
Emily noticed.
So did Daniel.
Then another employee spoke.
“I found something.”
Everyone turned.
A young associate named Marcus had searched archived internal news releases.
“What?”
Marcus hesitated.
“There are too many Walter Bennetts online, but there's an old reference in a board governance document.”