Part 4: The Missing Piece
By Friday afternoon, the corporate office felt unusually tense. I walked through the executive suites on the thirty-second floor, nodding to managers who smiled too quickly and looked away too fast.
My chief operating officer, Marcus, intercepted me near the conference room doors. His tailored Italian suit fit impeccably, contrasting sharply with the internal turmoil I was currently wrestling with.
“Arthur, about the quarterly review meeting next Wednesday,” Marcus began smoothly, holding a sleek tablet against his chest. “We need your final sign-off on the renewed vendor contracts. Apex Services has proposed a twelve percent rate increase across all four properties due to rising operational costs.”
I stopped in my tracks. I turned slowly to face him, studying the subtle twitch in his left eye—a microscopic tell I had ignored for years.
“Twelve percent?” I asked evenly. “On top of the millions they already bill us annually?”
“Inflation, Arthur. You know how the market is,” Marcus chuckled lightly, waving a hand dismissively. “Besides, they provide bulletproof service. We never have complaints.”
Never have complaints.
The words echoed in my head, instantly reminding me of Maria’s exhausted face, the eviction notice pinned to her rattling refrigerator, and the stolen millions funneled through ghost billing.
“Let’s hold off on signing the renewal, Marcus,” I said quietly, watching his expression carefully.
Marcus’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second before he smoothly recovered. “Hold off? Arthur, the current contract expires at the end of the month. If we don't sign today, facility operations could face severe disruptions.”
“Then let them disrupt,” I replied coldly, turning on my heel and walking into my office without another word.
