"I—I do not understand." Genevieve flipped through the file, heart pounding and hands trembling. "This is coming as a surprise to me." She raised pleading eyes to the four people seated in the conference room. Raymond Dominic sat at the head of the table; Tina, the head of finance, sat at his right, and to his left were two unfamiliar severe-looking men.
"What's there not to understand? Do you know how much was lost in that—" Raymond stopped mid-sentence. Resting his elbows on the glossy surface of the table, he swiped at the tablet screen in front of him. He appeared exhausted with his sleeves folded up his forearms, his tie loosened, and tired lines around his eyes. With a sigh, he looked up. There was resolve in his gaze.
"We have decided to—"
"Please," Genevieve dropped the flat file and clasped both hands before her chest, "do not say what you are about to say."
They had called her along with a few other staff to report at the conference room on the top floor, something about a last-minute panel set up to tackle a mistake from some departments. Nothing in a million years would have prepared her for the shit storm she stepped into. The panel had questioned three staff before her; all came out shaken.
Eight months ago, her department had been put in charge of finding a company that supplies memory chips. They had done a thorough job and ended up with a small distribution company in India that had an excellent track record on computer chip supply. When she was called in to face the panel, she was bombarded with questions, slides upon slides of numbers that didn't compute. Then the morning papers too. From what she was seeing, the distribution company was not clean.
"J-just give me some time to go through the documents. Something isn't right. The company we approved was—is genuine. There must be a mistake somewhere."
Tina wouldn't even meet her gaze. That wasn't the case with Raymond though. His stare was an intense mix of exhaustion and annoyance.
"Miss Johnson–"
Genevieve went on talking. She could not afford to get fired. "I am certain of it. If you could just read through all the company's files, you'd see they're clean. I know because–"
"Miss Johnson—"
"No, please." She cut in, desperate to save herself. "Two months before you came, they made a delivery. If you'd allow me to get the file, you'd see that—"
"Stop!" He gestured at the flat file. "This is fraud. Do you understand the seriousness of your mistake? Admit that you did not do a thorough job. I read the file; I saw the numbers. Do you know how much we lost?"
"But I do not work in—"
"Let me finish, Miss Johnson," he smoothly cut in.
Genevieve swallowed her reply.
"I know you do not work in the Accounting Department but the records show the team you head suggested the company. Am I wrong?"
"No." She was in a bad spot.
Fraud. Fraud.
The words banged in her head, scrambling her thoughts, making her think a mile a minute. Scenarios flashed, making cold sweat form on her brow. If this gets out, she could kiss getting a good-paying job goodbye. And her mum... Jesus. Genevieve's heart rate doubled.
Raymond held her gaze. Genevieve was tempted to look away, but she forced herself not to.
I am not guilty. I'm not a criminal.
"The only reason I'm not firing you this instant is because of some useless clauses in your employment contract."
Useless? Genevieve frowned, her manic worry giving way to irritation. What a toad.
"But..." He retrieved a sheet of paper. Genevieve couldn't tell its content from where she stood. "Normally, this should have been handled by HR but I had to personally see to it. Understand that this decision is not limited to you alone.
"You are suspended, effective immediately." He signed the letter with a quick sweep of his hand and pushed it forward with the tip of two fingers.
Genevieve gaped.
"Further investigation will be carried out on all the employees involved," he continued, "I hope your hands are clean, Miss Johnson. Cause if it isn't," his lips thinned, "your suspension will be made permanent."
Still caught in a fog of disbelief, Genevieve blinked thrice in a row.
He tapped the letter. "Take this. And your pay will be reduced accordingly."
"But—but..."
"Leave, Miss Johnson," he said with smooth dismissal, "and kindly call in the next staff on your way out."
It was impossible to move. Rising anger and stunned disbelief fused Genevieve to the spot. She observed the gathering. Tiana still wouldn't meet her gaze. The two unfamiliar men gave off undercover-EFCC-official vibes with their ill-fitting suits and hardened faces. Genevieve was confident there was foul play somewhere but Raymond lacked the patience to properly carry out a thorough investigation before dishing angst and suspension letters.
Stepping forward to take the letter, an idea struck Genevieve. A very stupid idea.
Don't do it.
I am going to do it.
You would lose your job if you do.
I don't care.
She was angry and sad and probably insane judging from what happened this morning with the child. Now, this? This was too much.
"Mr. Demonic—"
Raymond frowned, grip tightening around his pen. "It's Dominic."
You think I don't know that?
"I apologize." Genevieve forced a smile. "But I think a suspension and cut on my pay seems..."
His expression turned flat. "Leave before I call security."
To hell with this.
Genevieve slapped her palm on the table. Someone gasped in the background but she was too far gone to care. "Are you saying the time and dedication I poured into this company is not enough to convince you to give me a day to make my findings?"
Why did you hit the poor table? Why is your voice raised? Are you crazy?
Maybe I am.
He looked up, surprise and anger clear in his eyes. "Do you want to get fired?"
"Listen for a moment you...you conceited nit-wit."
Oh, God. You are dead now. It's over.
"Do not bully me with threats of losing my job; I know my rights." Gosh, to say all that to his face was liberating.
Raymond's frown remained as he crossed his arms and leaned into his chair. The Grinch would have been drop-dead gorgeous if not for the horns she kept envisioning each time she saw him.
"First of all, that captured your little display of aggression." Raymond nodded at the CCTV camera in the corner of the conference room. "You are the bully here."
He lifted a dark eyebrow, his gaze challenging her to contradict him. Genevieve grew quiet, regret replacing her anger. She had made a mistake.
"And secondly, you are fired. Leave before you're escorted out."
Genevieve's mind spun.
"Standing there wouldn't change my mind."
"Fine." Genevieve nodded as another irrational thought struck her. Since she was already screwed, might as well put a cute bow on it. Smiling sweetly, she retrieved the suspension letter and squeezed it into a ball.
"You are firing me over an angry outburst—firing me without considering the dedication and effort I've put into my job!" Genevieve allowed a bitter laugh as she fought to keep her tears at bay. But gosh, they were pushing hard to make an appearance.
"I think you are a despicable human being, Mr. Dominic." She ignored the tingle that shot up her arm when she gripped his hand and rammed the balled-up paper into his palm. When she closed his fingers over it, she patted his fist. "I can do better than this. Shove your employment."
________________________________________________________________________________
Yep, Genevieve had a mental breakdown.
Have you ever had one? I have... *cringes and hides*
Next chapter coming soon.
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