Claire pointed toward the elevators.
“Come with me.”
“Where?”
“HR.”
Simone almost laughed.
“Why?”
“Because I am going to find out which contractor hired you.”
“And then?”
“Have you removed.”
Simone met her gaze.
“For what?”
“Insubordination.”
“You've never established that I report to you.”
“You're cleaning staff.”
“You keep saying that.”
“Because you are.”
Simone tilted her head.
“Why are you so certain?”
Claire opened her mouth.
Then stopped.
For the first time, she seemed to realize there was no evidence supporting her assumption.
Simone continued.
“My clothes?”
Claire said nothing.
“My shoes?”
Silence.
“The fact that I was standing in a restroom?”
Claire's face reddened.
“Your cleaning supplies.”
“You handed them to me.”
Claire's expression shifted.
The logic had finally reached her.
But pride arrived before apology.
“You accepted them.”
“I did.”
“Then what exactly are you doing here?”
Simone smiled.
“Learning.”
Claire looked irritated.
“Learning what?”
Simone looked beyond her toward the glass conference room where senior executives were beginning to gather.
“How people behave when they think someone doesn't matter.”
Claire froze.
For one brief second, uncertainty crossed her face.
Then Richard Keller appeared.
“Claire.”
He saw Simone.
His expression darkened.
“You again.”
Simone turned.
Richard pointed toward the elevators.
“I warned you.”
Claire looked between them.
“You know her?”
Richard laughed.
“She keeps wandering around pretending she belongs here.”
Simone said nothing.
Richard stepped toward her.
“I'm calling security.”
“Please do.”
He stopped.
The answer unsettled him.
Claire stared at Simone.
“Who are you?”
Before Simone could answer, the elevator doors opened.
Ethan Cole stepped out.
Behind him were three members of the Meridian Axis board and the company's general counsel.
Richard immediately straightened.
Claire smiled.
“Mr. Cole.”
Ethan barely looked at her.
His eyes went directly to Simone.
“Sorry we're early.”
Silence.
Richard frowned.
Claire's smile disappeared.
Ethan continued.
“The board is ready whenever you are.”
Simone looked at her watch.
“Good.”
One board member, Jonathan Hale, approached.
“Dr. Carter.”
Claire went pale.
Richard stared.
Simone slowly opened her portfolio.
She removed the black card.
Silver letters caught the light.
- SIMONE CARTER
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
She clipped it to her jacket.
No one spoke.
Simone looked first at Claire.
Then Richard.
Then the board.
“Since everyone is here,” she said calmly, “I think we should begin.”
Claire's lips moved.
Nothing came out.
Simone walked toward the conference room.
Then stopped.
She turned back.
“Oh, Claire.”
Claire looked at her.
Simone's expression was calm.
Almost gentle.
“You were right about one thing this morning.”
Claire swallowed.
“What?”
“Everything needed to be perfect before the new CEO arrived.”
Simone looked around the executive floor.
“But I'm afraid the restroom was the least of our problems.”
No one sat down until Simone did.
That fact alone transformed the room.
Three hours earlier, Claire Whitmore had ordered her onto her knees with a toilet brush.
Richard Keller had threatened to have security remove her.
Now both sat across a polished conference table waiting for Simone to speak.
Claire's hands were clasped so tightly that her knuckles had turned white.
Richard looked angry rather than embarrassed.
That interested Simone.
Embarrassment suggested self-awareness.
Anger suggested he believed the real injustice was being exposed.
Jonathan Hale cleared his throat.
“Dr. Carter, perhaps we should begin with introductions.”
Simone looked at him.
“I think introductions can wait.”
The room became silent.
She opened her leather portfolio.
She removed a notebook.
Not the CEO badge.
Not the acquisition documents.
The notebook containing what she had observed that morning.
“I arrived at 8:47.”
Claire looked down.
Simone continued.
“I entered through the public lobby without an assistant.”
She turned toward the board.
“My photograph had not yet been distributed internally because I wanted to observe this company before my arrival influenced people's behavior.”
One director nodded slowly.
Simone continued.
“In approximately four hours, I was mistaken for maintenance personnel six times.”
Richard shifted.
“That was an understandable—”
Simone raised one hand.
Richard stopped.
“I wasn't finished.”
His jaw tightened.
Simone looked down at her notes.
“The first person to make that assumption was the Senior Vice President of People and Culture.”
Claire's face flushed.
Simone looked directly at her.
“She ordered me to clean the executive restroom.”
Claire spoke quickly.
“I had been told a new contractor started today.”
“Did you ask my name?”
Claire froze.
Simone waited.
“No.”
“Did you ask who employed me?”
“No.”
“Did you verify that I was part of the contractor team?”
“No.”
“Did you ask whether I was assigned to clean the restroom?”
Claire stared at the table.
“No.”
Simone nodded.
“Instead, you handed me cleaning supplies.”
Claire swallowed.
“I apologize.”
Simone studied her.
“Why?”
Claire looked confused.
“For the misunderstanding.”
“That isn't what I'm asking.”
Simone leaned forward.
“If I were actually a cleaner, would your behavior have been acceptable?”
Claire opened her mouth.
No answer came.
Simone continued.
“You told me that if I did not clean the restroom properly, I could be replaced.”
Claire glanced toward the board.
Simone's voice remained calm.
“You told me executives earn the right to make mistakes.”
Jonathan Hale looked at Claire.
“Did you say that?”
Claire's face turned red.
“It was taken out of context.”
Simone nodded slowly.
“What context makes it appropriate?”
Claire went silent.
Simone turned toward Richard.
“Mr. Keller.”
He sat straighter.
“You encountered me twice.”
Richard nodded.
“You told me I didn't belong in an executive conference room.”
“Yes, because—”
“And threatened to have security remove me.”
“I believed you were violating access protocol.”
“Did you check my identification?”
Richard paused.
“No.”
“Did you ask whether I had authorization?”
“No.”
“Then what protocol did you believe I violated?”
Richard looked toward general counsel.
Simone noticed.
“Please answer.”
“I believed you were maintenance staff.”
“You believed.”
“Yes.”
“Based on?”
Richard stopped.
Simone waited.
His silence became an answer.
She moved on.
“At approximately 10:10, I met Data Security Analyst Tasha Greene.”
Gregory Dale shifted at the far end of the table.
Simone noticed that too.
“Tasha described a harassment complaint involving inappropriate comments and unwanted touching.”
Gregory's face changed.
Claire immediately spoke.
“That matter was resolved.”
Simone turned toward her.
“Was it?”
“Yes.”
“Was there a written determination?”
Claire hesitated.
“We handled it internally.”
“Was Tasha given the outcome?”
“I don't know.”
“Did the accused manager remain her direct supervisor?”
Claire remained silent.
Simone looked toward Gregory.
He spoke for the first time.
“This is ridiculous.”
Simone turned.
“Is it?”
“Tasha exaggerated an innocent interaction.”
“You touched her hair?”
Gregory's face reddened.
“It was friendly.”
“Did she give you permission?”
Silence.
“Did she ask you to stop?”
He looked away.
Simone nodded.
“Thank you.”
Gregory frowned.
“For what?”
“For answering.”
“I didn't answer.”
“You did.”
Simone turned a page.
“Next: Denise Harper.”
Richard suddenly leaned forward.
“This has nothing to do with corporate leadership.”
Simone looked at him.
“It has everything to do with corporate leadership.”
He stared.
She continued.
“Denise worked in this building for almost nine years.”
Claire interrupted.