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Of Corporate Scandals
Chapter 30. Mis(take/understanding)
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The door shut with a gentle click as Calypso prowled into Percy's office, clutching the manila folder.
"Hmm, where shall Percy find these?" She muttered to herself as she stalked behind the desk. She smirked as she saw the hastily put away work of Annabeth's filing still sprawled across the desk. Calypso lifted up the corner of a binder and shoved the manila folder under the pile, a corner peeking out.
"Oh dear Annabeth, you really should be more careful with the type of important files you just leave around," Calypso sighed.
"Morning, Mr. Jackson," the doorman greeted, tipping his hat.
"Good morning," Percy greeted, distractedly hurrying into the building off of the Manhattan streets, "Has Annabeth arrived yet?" Percy cleared his throat, trying to appear nonchalant.
The doorman looked at Percy with a puzzled expression. For the past several weeks, Percy and Annabeth arrived at work together, considering how they lived together, "No sir, not yet. Though, I could've just not noticed her. You could ask reception."
Percy nodded, muttering a quick thanks before going up to the front desk, "Hey Lacey."
"Good morning, Mr. Jackson. What can I do for you?"
"Is Annabeth here yet?"
He received the same look from the receptionist that the doorman gave him.
"Um, I haven't seen her this morning, but I can check if she swiped her key card to get elevator access."
"If you would. Please."
It was a moment of silence as Lacey typed and clicked away on the computer behind her. "Um, nope, she hasn't swiped in this morning. The last time she swiped was about ten o'clock last night."
Percy grimaced, so she was here last night.
"Alright, thanks, Lacey." Percy stalked to the elevator as he pulled out his phone. He hit the first number on his speed dial. Straight to voicemail.
Percy lowered his voice since he wasn't alone in the elevator, "Hey, it's me again. Call me back please." He'd tried her cell several times since she hadn't come back until late last night and was gone when he awoke this morning.
Percy hung up just as the elevator doors opened to the twelfth floor.
As soon as he stepped into the office, he was rushed by young girl with thick-framed glasses. An intern.
"Mr. Jackson!"
"Good morning," Percy felt like an ass for not knowing her name.
"So I don't have the notes for your morning meeting typed up yet, Annabeth was supposed to send them to me—not that I'm blaming her! I just don't—"
"That's fine," he interjected, taking the coffee that was in her outstretched hand that he assumed was for him, "I'll take care of it."
"Really? Are you sure? I know I was suppo—"
"Really," Percy didn't stick around. Instead, beelining straight to his office before anyone else could stop him. He pushed open the frosted glass doors.
She wasn't there. Percy collapsed in his desk chair. He had a small hope that she'd be there, but alas. He sighed, surveying the mess of papers strewn across his dress.
Huh. She didn't finish her excessive filing after a late night. That added to the list of anomalies in Annabeth's behaviors as of late: not finishing a task. He leafed through the papers — just his regular schedules, meeting notes, project files. A manila folder stuck out from a pile of building permits. It seemed out of place amongst the blue, plastic folders Annabeth usually used to file his papers.
Percy picked it up and browsed through the papers. They seemed to be...invoices? But what for? Percy's eyes scanned the page quicker and quicker as he realized he did not recognize whatever project or purchase these invoices were for.
Percy's eyes widened as he read the records of mass amounts of money being transacted and transferred. Everything on the paper was unfamiliar, and had obscure names on it. Whatever these files were for, Percy could tell from the data that none of these were on any tax records. After scanning a few more pages, he realized they weren't even under his name. They were billed to Poseidon. If these were what he thought they were, years of records showing some criminal embezzling under his dad's name.
Percy flipped through page after page, his growing concern being why Annabeth had these. He scrambled around his desk, rummaging for his phone. He grabbed it, struggling to dial her number.
Knock, knock. Percy's door flung open, "Mr. Jackson?"
Percy frowned, barely looking up, "I thought you were stationed at the uptown office?"
"I'm back! My Uncle Atlas sent me to work for you again. I started yesterday afternoon when you left for your meeting."
"Fine. Do you need anything?" Percy said, dialing Annabeth's number again, still clutching the folder.
"Just wanted to see if you need any help, I noticed Annabeth wasn't here yet," Calypso said, moving closer, "I could help you file those. She had me print them yesterday, not sure what for, but I'm sure I could help."
Percy's gaze snapped to her. He held up the folder, "Annabeth had you print these?"
Calypso leaned her hip against his desk, nodding, "She gave me a flash drive and told me to print them all."
"Could you give me a minute?"
"Alright, are you sure you don't need me?"
"Yeah, thanks."
Calypso turned on her heel and exited with a smirk.
Annabeth placed her sunglasses on top of her head as she entered the Open Seas Inc. building. She hoped to the gods that no one in the lobby stopped her as she walked straight to the elevator.
The encounter with her mother had her on edge. She was a mess, unshowered, frazzled, showing up to work hours late.
She entered the elevator, and immediately hit the "door close" button, but a hand shot in between the closing doors before she could.
"Oh, hey, Annabeth!"
Annabeth feigned a weak smile, "Hi, Lacey."
"Mr. Jackson was looking for you this morning."
"Oh, really?" Annabeth grimaced, that's what she was worried about. She cleared her throat, "He must've forgotten that I, um, had a site visit this morning."
"Exciting, a site visit, for what project?"
"Um, you know, all of them."
"All of them? What-"
"Well, this is my floor, nice talking to you."
"Annabeth, this is floor nine-"
Annabeth exited as soon as the doors opened. She'd never been on the ninth floor before. The elevator opened up to a nondescript, gray-carpeted hallway with doors on both sides. Annabeth peered into each door until she found the one she was looking for: the stairwell.
With the height of the Open Seas building, no one ever took the stairs except for fire drills. Three flights of stairs in exchange for solitude was a price Annabeth was willing to pay.
The click clack echo of her heels against the concrete was joined by another pair of footsteps on their way down.
"Annabeth?"
"Percy?"
"What are you doing in the staircase?"
"What are you doing in the staircase?"
"Avoiding people."
"Same."
Annabeth opened her mouth to speak, but words failed her as she looked up at her boyfriend. Percy stood a flight above, and he looked equally at a loss for words.
"I—" "Annabeth—"
Silence fell on them again. Percy took a step down, "Where have you been?"
As he descended the steps towards her, Annabeth's voice left her throat.
There was something wrong.
Percy's hair was unkempt, not in his usual curls, but because it looked like he kept running his handn through them when he was stressed. Dark bags under his eyes, he hadn't slept well. He hadn't shaved this morning either.
She let her foot fall back onto the step below her as Percy took another step.
She finally noticed Percy was clutching a manila folder; he knew.
Percy held up the folder, "What is this?" His voice cracked, "What the fuck is this?"
"Percy," Annabeth began.
"Because what it looks like," his voice hardens, "is enough evidence to prove embezzlement, that could destroy this company. My company." Percy's eye flashed, he was furious.
"Percy, just let me explain—"
"Why—how could you even get a hold of these? And why, why. That's the question I keep asking myself, and I can't figure out why you would want to do this to me."
"Just let me—"
"I'm not done, Annabeth." Never had he sounded so defeated."I took this shit to legal this morning. They're fake. They're fabricated. The only reason papers like this exist is for sabotage. Is this why you didn't come home last night? Is this what you were planning to do to me—"
"Listen to me!"Annabeth took a step towards him, bringing her closer to eye level, "How could I? Why do I have these?' If you would just listen to me for five seconds you could let me explain myself—" Annabeth felt her eyes begin to sting.
"I don't want to hear any more lies or excuses. Do you know how worried I've been? You haven't answered a single one of my calls. All for this."
"For your information," she spat, "I saw my mother last night. She heard about my goddamn promotion, and asked me to plant them on you. And honestly right now I think you'd be surprised to know I refused. I told her to go fuck herself. I can't believe—"
"Oh yeah, like the mother you never even told me about—"
"Oh my gods. You can't possibly believe I'd betray you like that."
"I don't know what to believe! How should I have known when I see papers like this on your desk? Legal told me these records had been fabricated, they were already in their records because someone had tried to plant them before—"
"I'm the one who went to legal and told them to look for fabricated invoices."
Percy was stunned, "Annabeth, I—"
"It's my turn to talk," her voice echoed in the stairwell. It magnified the space, both physical and metaphorical, in between her and Percy. "It's like you're waiting, wanting me to fail. To hurt you, to make a mistake. Everyone, my mother, the press, every goddamn employee in this entire building is just holding their breath waiting for me to fuck this up."
"I—"
"You jumped at the chance to go at my throat."
Annabeth turned ready to go down all the flights of stairs.
"Wait."
"No, Percy. I'm through with waiting."
She turned and left.
He didn't follow.
A/N: (Revised February 2023)
Hey, guys! Busy, busy trying to pack my life away before I move to college, but here's a chapter for you. Fun fact: I've been slowly working on this chapter since January lmao.