Chapter 17 - Confrontation on the Executive Floor|
For the next twelve hours, Ethan and Hannah remained locked inside his office alongside a hired independent cybersecurity analyst.
Outside in the hallway, Marlene Price walked quietly toward the executive copy room holding a fresh box of paper. As she passed Marcus Vance’s corner office, she noticed the door was cracked open an inch.
Marcus was talking hushedly into his phone. "Is the shipment secured at the Atlanta facility?... Good. Once the board votes to terminate Ethan tomorrow morning for incompetence, we can release the inventory and claim it was a system glitch."
Marlene’s heart pounded in her chest. She backed away slowly, pulled out her phone, and pressed the record button.
Twenty minutes later, the door to Ethan’s office opened.
Marcus Vance walked in unannounced, accompanied by Eleanor Whitmore and three senior board directors.
"Time is up, Ethan," Eleanor announced coldly. "The board has convened an emergency vote. We cannot allow an unvetted employee to jeopardize our distribution contracts. Miss Mercer must leave the building now."
"I agree," Marcus chimed in smoothly. "It's a tragic mistake, but corporate security must be maintained."
"I have a guest who would like to speak first," Hannah said quietly, standing up from behind Ethan's desk.
She opened the door to the adjoining conference room. Marlene stepped out, holding her cell phone connected to the room's master audio speakers.
Marlene pressed play.
Marcus’s own voice echoed crystal-clear through the room speakers: "...Once the board votes to terminate Ethan tomorrow morning for incompetence, we can release the inventory..."
The room plunged into absolute, suffocating silence.
Eleanor Whitmore turned slowly, her face pale with shock as she stared at Marcus. The three board members glared at him with icy fury.
Marcus stumbled backward, his hands shaking violently as he reached for his tie. "That... that recording is fabricated! It’s a trick!"
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"The cybersecurity team traced the IP address five minutes ago, Marcus," Ethan said, his voice dropping into a lethal, quiet calm. "You logged into Hannah's computer using a keylogger device you installed on her keyboard three days ago."
Ethan stepped forward, pointing toward the door. "Security is waiting in the lobby, Marcus. You have five minutes to leave my building before the police arrest you for corporate fraud."
