CHAPTER 3 – THE ORDER THAT SHOOK THE EMPIRE
CHAPTER 3 – THE ORDER THAT SHOOK THE EMPIRE
The first rays of dawn had barely touched the skyline of Chicago when the top floor of Vance Corporation came alive.
Phones rang.
Assistants hurried through hallways.
Department heads checked their calendars in confusion.
At exactly 7:00 a.m., every vice president, director, and regional manager received the same message.
Mandatory Executive Meeting. Attendance Required. No Exceptions.
No agenda.
No explanation.
Only one line beneath Liam Vance's electronic signature.
Bring the last three years of employee performance records.
David Collins stared at the email while sipping coffee in his office.
He frowned.
"Performance records?"
His assistant peeked inside.
"Mr. Collins, everyone seems nervous."
David shrugged.
"They always are whenever Mr. Vance calls a meeting."
He leaned back confidently.
"My department has the best productivity numbers in the company."
He had nothing to worry about.
Or so he believed.
Meanwhile...
Emily woke again inside the medical room.
The IV bag was nearly empty.
She instinctively reached for her phone.
Thirty-two missed emails.
Nine missed calls.
Four messages from coworkers.
The first message read:
Where are you? David is furious.
The second:
He says if you're not at your desk by eight, don't bother coming back.
Emily sighed.
Even after collapsing...
She was still worried about being late.
She slowly removed the blanket.
Before her feet touched the floor—
The door opened.
Liam entered carrying two paper cups and a small bakery bag.
Emily blinked.
The CEO...
Was carrying breakfast.
"For me?" she asked.
He nodded.
"You haven't eaten properly in days."
"I..."
"I checked the medical report."
Her face flushed with embarrassment.
"I'm sorry for causing trouble."
"You almost died."
His answer was calm.
"That's not trouble."
"It's failure."
She looked at him, confused.
"My failure."
Across the city...
The boardroom on the fiftieth floor filled with executives.
Conversations stopped the moment Liam entered.
He placed a single blue paper flower on the polished conference table.
Nobody understood why.
Then he spoke.
"Tell me something."
Silence.
"How many employees worked overtime last month?"
The Chief Operations Officer answered.
"Approximately forty-three percent."
"How many exceeded eighty hours of overtime?"
The HR Vice President checked his tablet.
"Four hundred eighteen."
Liam looked toward Karen Whitmore.
"How many required medical treatment because of exhaustion?"
Karen hesitated.
"We... don't track that specifically."
Liam's eyes hardened.
"You don't?"
"No, sir."
"And yet we track printer expenses down to the cent."
Nobody spoke.
He pressed a button.
The giant screen behind him lit up.
Employee Number:
EC-4172
Emily Carter.
Photos appeared.
Security footage.
11:53 p.m.
11:47 p.m.
11:58 p.m.
Every night.
For months.
Always leaving after nearly everyone else.
Another slide.
Timecard records.
Ninety-one consecutive days without a single day off.
Gasps filled the room.
Another slide.
Project logs.
Designs officially credited to—
David Collins.
The room became silent.
David's confident smile disappeared.
"There must be some misunderstanding."
Liam ignored him.
Another slide appeared.
Metadata.
Original file creator:
Emily Carter.
Modification history.
Submission timestamps.
Approval signatures.
Every major award-winning project from David's department had originated on Emily's computer.
Someone whispered,
"My God..."
Liam finally looked directly at David.
"Would you like to explain?"
David forced a laugh.
"She's a junior designer."
"She assists the team."
"So the files naturally—"
Liam interrupted.
"You submitted her work."
"It was departmental collaboration."
"You removed her name."
"It simplified—"
"You took credit."
David swallowed.
"It happens everywhere."
Those four words changed everything.
Liam slowly stood.
"It happens everywhere."
He repeated them quietly.
"So you admit it."
David realized his mistake too late.
"I didn't mean—"
Liam slammed both hands onto the conference table.
The sound echoed like thunder.
"No."
His voice was terrifyingly calm.
"You meant exactly what you said."
The room froze.
In twelve years...
Nobody had ever seen Liam Vance lose control.
He looked toward Corporate Legal.
"Effective immediately..."
"David Collins is suspended."
Security entered almost instantly.
David laughed nervously.
"You can't do this over one employee."
Liam stared at him.
"I'm not doing this because of one employee."
"I'm doing this because you've been stealing from hundreds."
Security stepped forward.
David's confidence shattered.
"You don't understand!"
"I made this department profitable!"
"You need me!"
Liam answered with one sentence.
"No company needs a man without integrity."
The guards escorted David out.
May you like
The boardroom remained silent.
Everyone knew this was only the beginning.
