Chapter 6
There was a long silence.
"Ryan, what do you want?" Victor asked.
"Mr. Shaw, I'm not up to anything. I'm just on vacation," I replied.
"You think I don't know what you're up to?" His voice suddenly turned cold. "You want to see me make a fool of myself, don't you?"
"Mr. Shaw, you're reading too much into this," I said.
"Let me tell you, even if they find something, don't celebrate too soon. This industry isn't that big. After you stir things up, how are you going to survive?" Victor said.
I pulled the phone away from my ear and checked the screen.
Then I said calmly:
"Mr. Shaw, go ahead and investigate," I said.
I hung up.
Susan had been listening the whole time. She asked, "Did he threaten you?"
"Yeah," I replied.
"Are you scared?" she asked.
"Not at all." I showed her the BrightEdge offer letter. "Even if things go south, I've got a backup plan."
She read the letter and looked up at me.
"Ryan, no matter what you choose, I'll support you," she said.
I gave her a small nod.
Now, all I could do was wait for the results of Mr. Fenton's investigation.
At the earliest, it would be in the next few days.
On the twenty-second day of my vacation.
At ten in the morning, my phone rang.
The caller ID showed it was Mr. Fenton's assistant.
"Hello, Mr. Forrest. This is James Young, Mr. Fenton's assistant. Mr. Fenton would like to meet with you in person. Would you be available tomorrow at 3 PM?" James asked.
"That works for me," I replied.
"Great. The meeting will be in the conference room on the eighth floor. Mr. Fenton will be waiting for you there," James said.
I hung up, my heart skipping a beat.
The Chairman himself had asked to meet with me.
That meant the investigation was over.
That night, I reviewed everything one more time, client emails, project changes, contact lists, and the breakdown comparing year-end bonuses to actual results.
Susan ironed my shirt for me and hung it up.
"Are you nervous?" Susan asked.
"A little," I admitted.
"No matter what happens..." she said softly.
"I know," I replied.
The next day, at 2:50 PM, I walked into the office building.
The receptionist was visibly taken aback when she saw me.
"Ryan? I thought you were on vacation?" she asked.
"I'm here to see Mr. Fenton," I replied.
"Oh, he's on the eighth floor. He's already waiting for you," she said.
In the elevator, I ran into Joey. He froze when he saw me.
"Ryan?" Joey blurted out, surprise written all over his face.
I nodded at him and kept moving.
The conference room door on the eighth floor was open, and three people were inside.
Mr. Fenton was sitting at the head of the table. He was in his early sixties, with gray hair but still looked sharp.
Next to him was Lily, the HR director.
Across from them was Director.
Director's expression shifted the moment I walked in, surprise flickering across his face.
He never expected I'd actually show up here.
Mr. Fenton stood up.
"Ryan, come on in and have a seat," he said.
He pointed to the seat across from Director.
I walked over and sat down, facing Director.
Director wouldn't even look at me.
Mr. Fenton sat back down and adjusted his glasses.
"Ryan, I asked you here today because there are a few matters we need to confirm with you in person," he said.
"Please, go ahead, Mr. Fenton," I replied.
Mr. Fenton opened the folder in front of him, revealing a thick stack of documents.
"Here's what the investigation team pulled together over the last two weeks. We've double-checked everything, the real client contacts, the main proposal creators, and all the client maintenance logs for Marketing Division Three's top-tier clients from the past three years," he said.
He looked up, first at Director, then at me.
"Ryan, I'm sorry for what the company put you through," Mr. Fenton said.
Director's hands were clenched tightly under the table.
Mr. Fenton spoke quietly, but you could feel the seriousness in every word.
"Over the past three years, you've done way more for the company than what you got back. The investigation shows you were the real person behind all nine top-tier projects in Marketing Division Three. But when it came to the official paperwork..." Mr. Fenton said.
Mr. Fenton turned to Director.
"Victor, is there anything you want to explain?" he asked.
Director finally looked up, his lips moving as if he wanted to speak.
"Mr. Fenton, there's been a misunderstanding. I, " Victor began.
Just then, the conference room door swung open.
Someone stood in the doorway.
It was Mr. Parker from Sunrise Holdings.
Two people followed behind him, both wearing company IDs from Sunrise.
Mr. Parker glanced around the room, then walked straight up to Mr. Fenton.
"Mr. Fenton, sorry for barging in, but I've got something to say," he said.
He pulled a document out of his briefcase and slapped it down on the table.
"Sunrise Holdings won't be renewing our partnership with your company," he announced.
Mr. Fenton's brow furrowed.
Mr. Parker turned to me.
"Ryan, there's another reason I'm here today," he said.
He pulled another document out of his bag.
"This is an offer letter for the director of the newly established Brand Strategy Department at Sunrise Holdings," he said.
He slid the document across the table to me.