After a moment, he glances at me, his voice cautious. “Seventeen minutes past one.”
I lean back in my chair. “It’s my understanding that the finance department head is responsible for verifying the reports from the other departments.” Robert nods, his face white. “And I assume you never bothered to do so. Do I need to check reports received from the other departments as well, Mr. Dean?”
“If you give me a day, Mr. Wilder, I’ll verify them all?—”
“If I have to supervise you doing your job, you’re not competent enough to do it.”
The man is shaking. “Sir?—”
“Do you know what I spent last night doing, Robert?” I ask, my voice calm. “I went over every expense report from each department. I then cross-referenced those with the finance reports included and the receipts from the departments logging their expenses. I just got done with it all an hour ago. Would you like to know what I found?”
From the look on the man’s face, he clearly does not. “If you give me an hour, Sir?—”
“An hour?” I smile coldly. “To do what I did in 10 hours? Or to cover your tracks?”
“It’s not what you think, Mr. Wilder.” Robert is panicking.
I press the intercom button. “Clarice, send in Miss Thorne.”
The door opens, and Natalie walks in. When she sees Robert, her body tenses. The confident woman from moments ago shifts into professional mode, her shoulders squaring.
“Mr. Wilder?” Her tone is professional, as if she didn’t just threaten me with bodily harm a few minutes ago in her office.
“Miss Thorne, you are here purely out of courtesy. I am planning to do a restructuring of this company, starting with Mr. Dean.”
“What?” Natalie looks bewildered. “Robert’s been with the company for years.”
“He’s also too busy taking long lunches and ignoring his responsibilities. You can see for yourself.”
I gesture towards my screen and she walks around the desk to come stand beside me. I’ve created an entire spreadsheet detailing each discrepancy down to the last detail. Natalie has to bend down to move the cursor, and she’s so intent on reading that she doesn’t seem to realize how close she’s standing to me.
She smells like lavender soap with a hint of vanilla today. Even back then, she never liked to wear perfumes. It seems that this part about her has not changed.
As she scrolls down, her generous chest nearly brushes against my face. I took her to bed only once, but the shape of her body, every curve and dip is imprinted on my memory. I never understood what it was about her that arrested me, why amongst the sea of women, she was the only one who has managed to hold my attention.
She must have sensed my gaze because her eyes suddenly dart towards me, and I see the flare of heat in them before she reins it in abruptly. It doesn’t hide the flush of red on her pale skin as she straightens up and steps away from me.
Clearing my throat, I look towards the head of the Finance Department. “You have never verified any of the reports given to you, have you? I checked your resume, Robert. You were an executive at your father’s firm before you joined this company as a department head. You were not even a manager. Quite the leap, wouldn’t you agree?”
Robert’s jaw clenches. “I was hired because Mr. Thompson saw talent in me that my father never did.”
“Ah, talent.” I pick up the paper that contains the email I was sent early this morning, the same one I had been reading in Natalie’s office. “Your old supervisor, Adam, wouldn’t agree. I reached out to him. I know him, you see. He was more than happy to tell me why you were unable to get a promotion when you were working in your father’s firm.”
There’s a flash of anger in Robert’s eyes. “You had no right?—”
“I had every right to know why the head of the Finance Department of my company is so incapable,” I say sharply, cutting him off. “You play golf with Braxton Thompson, don’t you? The two of you are also drinking buddies.”
Robert bristles, and I continue, my voice steely and ruthless. “You were hired without letters of recommendation. You would spend your lunches with Braxton playing golf. You arrive at the office late. You leave an hour before the working day ends. So you can understand why I feel the need to terminate your contract.”
“Terminate?” Robert’s face grows red. “You can’t fire me! I’ve been with this company for years! Braxton would never allow it?—”
“Braxton isn’t here anymore, as you can see. He fled a sinking ship, and he left you behind to drown,” I reply scathingly.
His hands are trembling. “This is a misunderstanding, Mr. Wilder. I’ve given years to this company.”
“Clearly.” My voice is cold. “You’ve been with the company for years, and not once have you provided any benefit. In fact, you’ve made it easier for the departments to skim money because you’re too lazy to do your job. Miss Thorne, please prepare Mr. Dean’s termination papers immediately.”
Natalie nods her head, but as she walks past Robert, he reaches out to grab her wrist, his voice furious. “Don’t you dare.”
