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Review responses:
cherry-tree-of-life - You have a point! Sometimes the most overlooked people are the most crucial employees to company workflow. More like... Alice and Shun have set aside their differences to focus on a common goal right now.
CookieDecor22 - Me neither! I have experience with coworkers who don't check their work emails at all because they don't really need to. (Some people ignore their password expiration emails until they realize they've been locked out during rush hour.) Shun will actually get quite the unusual compensation later (in the form of an all-expenses paid-for business trip—more details later).
MagicxMusicxMelody - Sorry, same here! I'm sure several dramas out there have a secluded house where the main character (of the day) can visit to clear out disorganized thoughts (e.g. Odette's hut where both Ziva and Eleanor visited in NCIS). Be prepared to see/hear another leaked recording!
Chapter 11: One Hit Disaster
xXx
At the company building's front desk, Shun was drafting emails while Chris used the other computer for other business. "Why are you here instead of working at the warehouse?" the former asked.
"Alice approved my day off today a long time ago before the job shuffle. I just finished my third and final health appointment before I came here."
"You really consolidated all your appointments into one day... But why are you here instead of enjoying the rest of your day off?"
"Nothing can stop me from entering this building and using the computers. Did you know I was in the middle of a huge project right when the job shuffle started?"
"No, but I'm sorry to hear that... Not only did all the design team employees get moved out, but no one was filling the empty positions. None of the outstanding work will get done."
"That didn't make sense to me either, but do I have time to care if I'm working in the warehouses now? After Hydron's terrible press conference he hosted about his solar-charging phone, I'm not surprised that he wants to pause all current design projects so that the entire company can finally focus on his so-called bright idea. Did you also know that his inauguration is happening soon?"
"What does that even mean?"
"It's just a fancy ceremony where Hydron is officially admitted into office as CEO, kind of like a coronation. The thought of it makes me want to throw up."
"That sounds expensive. Imagine how the finance department will react when they see all the expenses."
"I wouldn't be surprised if Zenoheld and Hydron invited all the news stations to air the inauguration on television for publicity."
"But will you attend?"
"Of course not! Nobody has time for that. I'm not sending him a gift in place of my absence, either."
"Agreed... Let's discuss something else instead. If I told you there was a way to get your product design job back, then are you in?"
Chris turned around quickly and squinted at Shun. "What do you know that I don't know about?"
"Answer me—"
"Hold on! My dad's calling me. This is urgent..."
The amethyst-eyed blonde stepped away for a long time to answer the call. While the receptionist continued his regular tasks, Hydron rushed from the elevator to the front desk and tapped the counter impatiently. "I need several time slots blocked off for my upcoming inauguration."
"Do you have a hardcopy list already? Or do I have to sit and type while you stand and talk for the next hour?"
"How rude. Of course, I have a list. I even have a rough draft of the event schedule, if you'd like that." While the raven-haired receptionist executed several computer actions after reading the list, the future CEO suddenly asked, "Are you sure you won't reconsider the offer I made?"
"To terminate me without notice? Why would I?"
"No, I'm referring to offering more than what Alice offered you. I thought you might find it more reliable now that I'm the new CEO and not just making offers out of thin air."
"To be very honest with you... there's someone else in this company that needs your generosity more than I do."
"Are you referring to Alice?"
"Absolutely not. In fact, I don't think you acknowledge this other person's existence, but none of this is my business."
"You're quite the stubborn type..."
"There are actually people worse than those who just talk without doing action. That would be people who don't even think before they talk."
"I beg your pardon?!"
"Just a rant I have about people who cluelessly call or email the help desk. Since you're the new CEO, you're basically on the top of the food chain. You can tell your subordinates to do anything you want, but you might not have someone above you when you need help or mess something up. Take it easy."
"Are you saying that I'm useless? I'll fire you right now."
"And I'll report you to the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement if you do. I'm just saying that you need to keep track of all your new responsibilities as CEO. Anything else I can help you with?"
Hydron snatched the list back without a word and walked back to his office. On the way, he saw Katie running in the opposite direction toward him. "Slow down, Katie. You don't want an accident."
"I'm going to be late! If I don't finish sending the inauguration invites now, then people will be scheduling other events instead of attending. Congratulations, by the way!"
After the PR representative boarded the elevator, the future CEO returned to his office and saw his father sitting in the visitor's chair. "Father, I need help—"
"Didn't you say that last time already?"
"This isn't about anything in particular. Even though I'm the new CEO, people don't listen to me, especially that annoying receptionist. I should've reassigned him to warehouse duty, but then I won't have anyone willing to work at the front desk."
"I'll tell you the same thing I said last time. Just listen to me, and no one will have any objections. I'll take care of any problematic subordinates you have."
"Alright then." Not convinced by that response, Hydron asked, "How do you plan on—"
"One moment, son." The CEO's father answered his phone and greeted, "This is Zenoheld. How may I help you?"
"I ReaLLy don't like boRrowING moNeY frOM othErS, buT wiLL yOu bE AbLE TO heLP me?" asked the caller in a digitized voice.
"My apologies, but you must have the wrong number."
"I'M dEFiNiTELY CaLLing tHe RigHT PERSon, aNd I Know yOu haVe SevEraL miLLiOn HidDen in AN OfFSHore bANk aCCoUNT In ThE tRoPiCs."
"Where did you get that information from?!"
"MY InVESTMENts dIdN'T Go so WeLL, SO now I'm BehiND on MY MoRTGAGe. I'm surE YOu'LL haVE No troubLe LENdInG Me mOnEY. WhaT'S the PoiNT OF LaUnDeRinG MONeY iF you wON't Use It? BeTTEr DOUbLe CHeCK yoUr BaNK stAteMENTS." With that said, the caller hung up first.
"Father, what just happened?" Hydron asked. "You look pale."
"Just an issue that another shareholder brought up," he lied. "I'll see you later at home for dinner."
In the lobby, Shun quickly called Alice after seeing the senior shareholder leave the building in a hurry. "Zenoheld just left. Did you actually call him?"
"I used voice-changing software to call and scare him. I didn't think he'd answer a call from an unknown phone number."
"What do we do now?"
"If I guessed correctly, then his next stop would be going to his local bank to speak with a teller. He might not return to the company building for the rest of the day, but you should keep an eye on Hydron if he passes by your desk."
"Speaking of Hydron, I heard that his inauguration is coming soon, in case you wanted to attend for any reason."
"So it's true... I've never had a formal inauguration because I've always been interim CEO. Can you send the date and time anyway?"
"Of course. But something tells me that if you attend, then you'll end up stealing the spotlight from Hydron."
"He'll still be the center of attention at his inauguration, just not for the reason that he expected. I'll talk to you later."
-x-x-x-x-x-
The former interim CEO was typing on her laptop the next morning when she received a call from the police station. "This is Alice Gehabich."
"Hi, Alice! This is Billy again. I'm calling because my forensics team discovered that the company car that Linus was driving had some critical issues. Both the brake fluid and steering fluid were leaking slowly. Did you say that this specific car hasn't been used since at least two weeks before the accident?"
"That's what our security logs say." Suddenly, the redhead remembered what happened to Shun's motorcycle a while ago and asked, "Was there any water in the gas tank?"
"Not just water, but also rubbing alcohol. I'm still waiting for the lab to analyze other foreign substances."
"Does that mean the traffic collision wasn't an accident at all?"
"That's what it looks like. Someone purposely tampered with this whole vehicle. Do you have any suspects in mind?"
"None that I can think of immediately, but you can obtain security footage of our company vehicles from our security office. You might need a warrant, though. I'm actually on administrative leave."
"I see. Don't worry about the search warrant. Since the car belongs to the company instead of a specific person, the police will need to interrogate all employees. Sorry to hear that you're on leave. We'll call you back later with more updates."
After hanging up, Alice texted the raven-haired receptionist immediately. "The police said that the company car Linus drove was sabotaged."
Seconds later, he replied, "I'm not surprised. Must be Zenoheld and Hydron again. What kind of sabotage?"
"Foreign liquids in the gas tank along with gradual loss of brake and steering fluids. The police will also need to interrogate every employee because Linus was driving a company car rather than a personal car."
"I get that they have their protocol, but interrogating EVERY employee seems excessive."
After a few minutes of typing on her laptop, the redhead replied, "I need to pack some belongings from my office to bring home."
"Be careful. This place isn't what you think it is anymore."
Half an hour later, Alice arrived at the company building and entered via a back entrance from the parking garage. Then she walked upstairs to the third floor instead of using the elevator. The redhead unlocked her office and was surprised to see that everything was untouched. At least nobody changed the locks. Otherwise, I would've come for nothing.
Just as Alice was about to leave after packing all her essentials in a collapsible mobile cart, Katie appeared at the doorway. "What are you doing here while on administrative leave?"
"You never know when the situation could change. I have some personal items in my office that I'd like to bring and keep home until this mess is figured out. I hope you know how to look after yourself."
However, that comment made the creamy blonde spread her hands out to block the doorway. "Say that again?"
"Stop trying to be a people-pleaser, Katie. It won't get you very far."
"Do you realize that I work in public relations? Winning people's attention is my job."
"I'm fully aware of that, but do you remember when I said that I have nothing against you helping Hydron as long as everything is legal? What you did crossed the line, and you know it. That's not something to be proud of, and neither Hydron nor Uncle Zenoheld will appreciate or acknowledge it."
"Who do you think you are? The CEO position isn't yours anymore. When have you ever cared about me or Hydron or his father?"
"The more you let Uncle Zenoheld gaslight you, the higher the likelihood of hurting yourself. Money doesn't solve every problem out there, Katie. Have some self-respect and integrity." With that said, the redhead locked her office and carried her stuff to the stairs.
While loading all the supplies into her car's trunk, Alice accidentally dropped a cardboard box onto the concrete. Among the scattered objects on the ground was a recording device. I don't think this belongs to Shun because his device looks like a pen. This item looks like a virtual keychain pet toy. She removed the battery cover and saw the initials JB on the batteries. How did Joe's recording device end up with my belongings? I might as well power it on and see.
Surprisingly, the batteries still worked, but the device was locked. I hope I remember what his default password is... After successfully unlocking the screen and moving everything into her car, Alice sat in the driver's seat and played the most recent recording. The audio began with fuzzy noises, followed by two familiar male voices arguing with each other. When was this? Nothing from the police report for Joe's accident suggested that he and Hydron saw each other before his time of death. By the time she reached the end of the recording, she became extremely irate. There's no way that Joe's death was an accident. The redhead started her car and dialed Shun's number on speakerphone. This is no different than spreading salt onto old wounds.
"What's going on?" the receptionist asked. "Are you still in the building?"
"No, I'm already back in my car and about to leave. Did Hydron make any changes to the inauguration schedule since the last time we talked about it?"
"No changes to the date and time, but he did invite more people. Are you actually interested in attending?"
"I'm definitely more interested now, especially with a larger audience. Let me know when you get home because I need to tell you about a slight change in plans..."
-x-x-x-x-x-
Hydron's inauguration took place in the ballroom of a local hotel. Among the guests were company employees, previous and current collaborators, shareholders, the board of directors, and even news reporters. After greeting several guests near the front stage, the new CEO saw his second cousin walking through the crowd wearing a lavender dress. "Alice, I thought you'd never come!" he greeted sarcastically.
"Why would I miss such an important event?" The redhead then grabbed a glass of apple cider from a waiter and added, "I know you couldn't wait to see me arrive."
"You know me so well."
"I'm sure you'll need to give a speech at least once during the day, so I won't bother you anymore." Alice walked off and saw her former design team sitting together gloomily at a table. "I didn't expect you all to be here!"
"Dan insisted we come anyway for free food," Runo admitted. "Where have you been, Alice? How long are you on administrative leave for?"
"Since I still get paid and have a lot of free time, I finally caught up on cleaning my house and completing other errands." While chatting with the others, the redhead texted Shun asking, "Are you in the sound control room yet?"
"I'm here, but what am I looking for? You're lucky that I'm alone and wasn't being followed."
"That's why I specifically asked you to help. Find a way to plug the recording device using the USB cable."
"I'll try."
"You didn't listen to the recording yet, right?"
"I couldn't. This thing is password-protected."
"I'll give you the password later. Trust me, this will be the most unforgettable inauguration ever."
Once all the guests gathered and sat down, the first speakers of the day were individual members from the Board of Directors, followed by Zenoheld then Hydron himself. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for attending my inauguration today. It is a pleasure to have the best of the best here to witness this historic moment..."
As the new CEO continued talking, Dan whispered to his tablemates, "How long will this take? The waiters won't bring any additional food over until the speeches are done."
"According to the event schedule, there are still more people scheduled to speak after Hydron's turn," Baron replied. "No offense, but the food tastes—"
Suddenly, everyone covered their ears after hearing static from the ceiling speakers. Once the fuzziness cleared, a blurry voice echoed from the speakers on the ceiling. "It's still early... We can go back and pretend that you never tried to bribe me..."
"Joe, you don't understand... If anyone else finds out about this, then I'll be done with..."
All the guests whispered amongst themselves in response to the bizarre recording. "Is it just me, or does that sound like Hydron?" asked Dan.
"And even though I haven't heard his voice in a long time, the other person is definitely Joe," Chris confirmed.
Several people rushed forward to the stage to demand answers from Hydron, but the recording continued playing. "Hydron, I'm not going to aid and abet you... Your mistake got me in trouble for something that I had nothing to do with..."
"You work in IT... I'm sure making this all go away will be a piece of cake for you..."
"Covering this up will only make me even more guilty when I'm not even at fault..."
"Joe, I'm begging you... Give me some time to ask my father what's going first..."
"With all due respect, you and your father are more capable of insider trading than I'd ever be... Hey, what are you doing...?"
"Maybe we should talk about this in a more private location... There must be something that I can offer you..."
"Hydron, you can't do this...!" After that exclamation, some ruffling noises echoed before a loud impact sound.
The new CEO gasped as he recalled the event from at least a year ago."What's going on?! Where is this audio coming from?!"
Just when all eyes were on the new CEO, several police officers arrived on the ballroom floor. "Sorry for disrupting, but I'm Billy Gilbert from Bayview Police. Hydron Gehabich, you're arrested on the charge of involuntary manslaughter."
Zenoheld stood up and pounded his table. "This is ludicrous! Hydron, you stay silent. I'm going to call our lawyer to help you and sue the police in return for false accusations."
When the officers finally subdued the resisting suspect and took him off stage, they escorted him down an aisle of tables as Alice waved casually. "This isn't over!" the blond screamed.
Meanwhile, Shun exited the sound control room just in time to see the mess and approached the redhead. "So that's why you were more than eager to attend Hydron's inauguration... But do you think playing this recording and having him arrested in front of a huge audience is the best idea?"
"Since he can't differentiate what's right or wrong, it's up to me to get justice for the people who deserve it."
Me: Not me mentioning the concept of "justice" shortly after Dreamcatcher concluded their promotions for "JUSTICE"... ;~;
Shun: They'll likely record more performances at other venues despite other major channels canceling their regular shows to cover the Paris Olympics.
Me: I know... The Olympics take place every 4 years, and other artists know not to schedule any (major) comebacks during this—
Dan: Sorry I'm late! There was super bad traffic on the way from the bakery to here.
Runo: I told you to leave earlier so that you can at least come back "on time" if not any earlier. Anyway, happy birthday—
Shun: Not this again...
Me: I'll end the program early if you announce the preview for the next chapter!
Shun: (sighs) Fine... Next chapter will feature Russian cuisine courtesy of Alice and someone unintentionally listening to a very scathing dinner conversation... also courtesy of Alice.
Alice: (drops a whole box of pastries) What did I do this time? :O
Me: Nothing! We'll see you all next month!