Chapter 5 - The Audit Begins
On Monday morning at 7:30 AM, I stepped off the executive elevator onto the forty-second floor of Meridian Dynamics’ corporate headquarters.
The building was a gleaming spire of glass, brushed steel, and polished white marble. My new office sat at the corner of the floor, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows with panoramic views of the city skyline, a custom standing desk setup, and a private glass conference room.
Standing outside my glass door was a young man in his late twenties holding a tablet and a steaming cup of dark roast coffee.
“Good morning, Chief Harrison,” he said, extending his hand with crisp professionalism. “I’m Marcus Vance, your executive assistant. Mr. Pendelton instructed me to have your security clearance badges, quantum server keys, and administrative budget files ready by eight.”
“Thank you, Marcus,” I said, taking the coffee and shaking his hand. “Call me Claire.”
“Understood, Claire. Your first official meeting is at 9:00 AM—a quarterly budget review with our external marketing and public relations contractors.”
I set my coffee down on my desk, leaning against the glass edge. “Which contractors are on the schedule today?”
Marcus tapped his tablet screen. “Apex Media Group holds our primary branding account. Their Managing Director, Mr. Harrison, along with their senior account executive, requested an emergency meeting last Friday to discuss renewing their three-million-dollar retainer.”
A cold, razor-thin smile touched my lips. “Apex Media. Perfect.”
At 8:55 AM, I walked into the main executive boardroom. The room featured a twenty-foot mahogany table surrounded by leather chairs, with a massive digital display wall showing real-time corporate metrics.
Sitting on one side of the table were three representatives from Apex Media.
At the head of their team sat Gregory Vance—no relation to my assistant—a slick, fifty-year-old executive wearing a fifteen-hundred-dollar suit. Sitting beside him, looking pale and deeply anxious in a stiff formal blouse, was my sister, Vanessa.
She had clearly pulled strings with her former employer over the weekend, begging for her job back by promising that her "insider family connection" at Meridian Dynamics would guarantee the renewal of their multi-million-dollar contract.
When the boardroom door opened and I walked in wearing a tailored navy blazer, high-waisted trousers, and my chief executive badge clipped to my lapel, Gregory Vance immediately jumped to his feet.
“Miss Harrison! What an absolute honor,” Gregory beamed, holding out his hand. “We were thrilled to hear about your brilliant appointment on Friday! As you know, Apex Media has managed Meridian’s public image for four years. And of course, you already know your sister, Vanessa, who we have recently reinstated as our Senior Corporate Liaison!”
Vanessa forced a tight, terrified smile, standing up beside her boss. Her knuckles were white where she gripped her leather notebook.
“Hello, Claire,” Vanessa said, her voice high and strained. “It’s... it’s great to see you in your new element.”
I didn't take Gregory’s hand. I didn't smile at my sister.
I walked to the head of the table, pulled out the high-backed leather executive chair, and sat down. Marcus slid a thick black binder in front of me.
“Sit down, Mr. Vance,” I said smoothly.
Gregory blinked, surprised by my flat tone, but quickly sat back down. “Of course. We’ve prepared a thirty-page presentation outlining our proposed digital strategy for next quarter—”
“I’ve already reviewed your performance metrics for the last twelve months, Mr. Vance,” I interrupted, opening the binder. “And I’m afraid Apex Media’s deliverables are severely lacking.”
Vanessa leaned forward frantically. “Claire—I mean, Chief Harrison! Apex has dedicated hundreds of hours to Meridian’s brand awareness! My team worked tirelessly on the Q2 campaign!”
I raised my eyes, locking them onto Vanessa’s frantic face.
“Your Q2 campaign missed three core deployment deadlines, Vanessa,” I said coldly, citing the exact performance records from my binder. “The media analytics were improperly audited, resulting in a four-hundred-thousand-dollar ad-spend leak. And according to internal exit reports, the primary account manager on that campaign was terminated for gross negligence before being mysteriously re-hired this morning.”
Gregory Vance turned his head slowly toward Vanessa, his eyes narrowing in sudden realization. “Vanessa... what is she talking about?”
“She’s lying!” Vanessa panicked, her voice cracking. “She’s just saying that because she has a personal grudge against me!”
“Personal grudge?” I raised an eyebrow, leaning back in my chair. I tapped a button on the table console.
The twenty-foot digital display wall behind me lit up.
Displayed across the massive screen was high-definition security footage from the university commencement hall on Friday night. The video clearly showed Vanessa snatching my paper offer letter, tearing it into shreds, and throwing it in my face while my mother restrained me.
The entire boardroom went dead, suffocatingly quiet.
Gregory Vance stared at the wall screen, his jaw practically hitting the mahogany table.
“My decision regarding Meridian’s commercial contracts,” I said, my voice cutting through the silent room like a scalpel, “is based entirely on ethics, competence, and reliability. Individuals who destroy corporate legal documents in public outbursts are not qualified to manage a three-dollar coffee budget, let alone a three-million-dollar marketing retainer.”
I closed the binder with a sharp SNAP.
“Meridian Dynamics is officially terminating its contract with Apex Media Group effective immediately. You have forty-eight hours to clear your equipment from our regional offices.”
May you like
I stood up, adjusted my jacket, and looked at Gregory.
“Good day, gentlemen.”
