Chapter 4
I didn't bother waiting for Emily's answer. I headed downstairs, crossed the hall, and opened the door.
I stood on the steps. The cold air hit me. Michael's car was parked outside.
I pulled open the car door. "To the office," I said.
The car started. In the rearview mirror, I saw Emily chasing after me. She stood at the doorway, her bathrobe billowing in the cold wind.
I looked away. "Michael," I said.
"Here," he answered.
"Contact Legal and initiate the marital asset separation process."
"Now?"
"Now."
"Understood."
The car turned the corner.
My phone buzzed.
It was a message from Mary. [Mr. Sterling, I'm sorry. Mrs. Sterling told me not to say anything.]
I didn't reply.
The city outside the window was still gray. But my mind was starting to clear.
*****
I opened the folder.
The first page had Adam's photo. He was twenty-four, young, good-looking, and ambitious.
Too bad he walked into the wrong world. He thought he was reaching for the high branches, unaware of what lurked beneath.
The second page had a special approval document signed by Emily.
Adam's salary was fifty percent higher than that of others in the same position.
The third page had the reimbursement for their flight to Seaside City.
They flew business class, with tickets priced at 6,900 dollars.
I closed the folder.
"Michael, is everyone from the audit team here?" I asked.
"They're already waiting in the conference room," he replied.
"And Legal?"
"They're ready."
I glanced at the time.
This office had been my base since day one, growing from a tiny cubicle into the whole floor.
Donna had come once, standing at the doorway, too nervous to step inside. She said she was afraid she'd dirty the floor.
I told her, "Mom, this whole building is yours."
She laughed, "No, save it for your wife."
Later, I married Emily.
I gave her the best room. I thought she'd be grateful. But she never showed any gratitude.
She acted like all of this was hers by right. She'd find out soon enough.
*****
At three in the afternoon, seventeen people sat in the conference room at Sterling Enterprises headquarters. They were the department heads of Audit, Legal, HR, and Finance.
There was no hint of celebration, only a heavy, tense silence. As I walked in, everyone stood up.
"Sit," I said.
The projector turned on. The first document appeared on the screen.
It was a list of all the special approvals from the CEO's office over the past year.
The head of the audit department reported, standing up, "Over the past twelve months, Emily, as CEO, has signed off on forty-seven special approvals.
"Of those, twenty-two were HR approvals, fifteen were financial, and ten were contract approvals. All of them exceeded her authority."
"She's just the CEO." I turned to the next page. "Who gave her that kind of authority?
"According to the company charter, the CEO can only approve up to 1.5 million dollars per transaction. Anything more needs the board's approval. Here are six transactions, each over 6 million dollars."
The conference room was so quiet that only the air conditioning hummed.
I kept my cool and turned the page. "Now, let's talk about HR."
The head of HR stood up. "Adam started here last July. He graduated from a lesser-known college, and his major isn't related to the job. Company policy says interns in the CEO's office need a master's from a top school."
"Who signed off on this?"
"Mrs. Sterling."
"What about his salary?"
"His starting salary was 7,500 dollars, while the standard for that position is 4,800 dollars. He was made a full-time employee after three months, and his salary jumped to 12,000 dollars."
"What's the usual probation period?"
"One year."
I closed the file.
"Anyone else sign off on this?" I asked.
No one spoke.
"Legal, where are your review records?" I asked.
The head of Legal stood up, sweat beading on his forehead. "Mrs. Sterling went around us and used the special approval process. We..."
"You didn't know?"
"We received a few documents for the record, but we didn't realize it was an ongoing series."
"Where are the records?"
He opened his folder, his hands trembling.
I took it and flipped through the papers.
Every single one had Emily's name right there as the approver. The reviewer's column remained blank.
"You're the head of Legal, and you signed off on these records with the reviewer section left blank?" I asked.
"Mr. Sterling, Mrs. Sterling said these projects were special," he said nervously.
"So special they didn't need Legal's review?"
He fell silent.
I slammed the file down on the table.
"Effective immediately, all authority from the CEO's office is revoked. Emily is relieved of all her duties."