Chapter 2 - The Protocol at 10:38 PM
“Elena…?”
Brandon’s voice was cracked, stripped of all its former arrogant swagger. Behind him, I could hear the background chatter of the bustling dining room at Ocean Prime, the clink of silverware, and the sharp, anxious voice of the restaurant manager.
“Elena, what the hell is happening?!” Brandon stammered, trying and failing to force an authoritative tone into his panic. “The waiter just came back with our bill. The corporate Centurion Black card declined. Then I gave him my personal Visa, and that declined too! Adelaide’s platinum card didn’t even go through! We’re sitting in front of a four-thousand-dollar seafood tab and the manager is threatening to call the police!”
I adjusted the soft cotton blanket around my sleeping daughter Maya, keeping my breathing slow and steady.
“Why are you calling me, Brandon?” I asked softly. “I thought you told me to figure things out on my own.”
“Elena, stop playing games!” Brandon hissed into the phone, his voice dropping to a desperate whisper. “This isn’t funny! I have six business associates sitting at this table! Fix the banking authorization right now!”
“There are no authorizations left to fix, Brandon,” I replied with chilling serenity. “You are using corporate credit facilities owned 100% by Sterling-Miller Enterprises. Since you decided my daughter and I were not worth your presence tonight, I decided your dinner was not worth my balance sheet.”
“Elena! You can’t do this! I am the Vice President of this company!”
“You were a nominal signatory on my family’s trust, Brandon,” I said, each word landing with the weight of an iron anchor. “As of 10:30 PM, the board convened under emergency decree. Your title has been terminated, your security clearance revoked, and your corporate cards liquidated. Pay for your mother’s lobster with your own salary.”
May you like
I ended the call before he could scream.
I set the phone on the bedside table, looked down at my baby girl’s peaceful face, and felt the heavy, suffocating chains of the last three years shatter into dust.
