Chapter 6 - The Cracks in the Empire
By 2:00 PM that afternoon, the fallout from the boardroom meeting had completely obliterated my family’s remaining stability.
Apex Media Group didn't just cancel Vanessa’s reinstated position—Gregory Vance personally fired her on the spot in the Meridian lobby, citing gross misrepresentation of client relationships and corporate liability. Furthermore, Apex’s legal team threatened to sue Vanessa for civil fraud after discovering she had promised Gregory a guaranteed contract renewal in exchange for her re-hiring.
My phone, which had been set to do-not-disturb all morning, began vibrating continuously on my desk.
Thirty-two missed calls from Mom. Fourteen missed calls from Vanessa. Eight text messages from my mother’s new, unblocked phone line.
I clicked on the text thread while sipping my lunch espresso.
Mom (12:14 PM): Claire! What did you do to Vanessa’s job?! Her boss just escorted her out of the building by security! She is crying hysterically in her car! How could you be so evil?!
Mom (12:35 PM): Answer me right now! You ruined your sister’s career! You canceled our home internet and cell phones! Your father had to spend two hundred dollars at the Verizon store today just to get us reconnected! You are acting like a sociopath!
Mom (1:15 PM): If you don't call me back in ten minutes, your father and I are coming down to your corporate office to speak to your CEO directly! We will tell him what kind of cold-blooded monster he hired!
I looked at the last text message and let out a dry, quiet laugh.
Coming down to speak to my CEO.
They truly believed that corporate America functioned like a middle-school PTA meeting where a mother could march into the principal's office and demand her daughter be treated better.
I picked up my desk phone and dialed internal extension 104.
“Security Desk, this is Chief Security Officer Miller,” a deep voice answered.
“Chief Miller, this is Claire Harrison from the forty-second floor,” I said. “I have reason to believe two individuals—Margaret Harrison and Vanessa Harrison—may attempt to enter the building lobby this afternoon without credentials.”
“Understood, Chief Harrison. Are they on a restricted list?”
“Issue a formal trespass advisory for both individuals,” I instructed calmly. “If they step onto the property, have them detained by private security and handed over to the Columbus Police Department immediately.”
“Copy that, Chief. Their photos are being uploaded to the lobby facial-recognition system right now.”
I hung up the phone and returned to coding my quantum routing protocols.
At 3:45 PM, my office intercom chimed.
“Claire,” Marcus’s voice came through the speaker. “You might want to take a look at the live lobby security feed on monitor three.”
I switched my second desktop screen to the lobby feed.
Down on the ground floor, standing outside the bulletproof glass double doors of the Meridian spire, were my mother and Vanessa.
Mom was banging her fist against the heavy glass door, screaming at the two uniformed security officers standing inside. Vanessa was standing beside her, holding a poster-board sign she had hastily painted in the car: MERIDIAN DYNAMICS PROTECTS CORRUPT EXECUTIVES WHO ABANDON FAMILY!
A small crowd of downtown commuters had gathered on the sidewalk, taking videos with their phones.
Within two minutes, a white-and-blue Columbus Police cruiser pulled up to the curb, blue lights flashing. Two officers stepped out, spoke briefly to the building’s security manager, and then walked over to my mother and sister.
I watched on crystal-clear 4K surveillance as the officers placed my mother’s hands behind her back, clicking silver handcuffs around her wrists for criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct. Vanessa screamed, trying to pull away from the second officer, only to be promptly forced onto the hood of the cruiser and handcuffed as well.
I sat back in my plush executive chair, taking a slow sip of my coffee.
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They had wanted a scene at my graduation. They had wanted a scene at my workplace.
Now, they were getting their scene on the 5:00 PM local news.
