« You heard the consultant. »
Bradley rapped his hands on the table.
« You can’t fire me! This company belongs to my family! »
« Your family owns shares, » Eleanor corrected. « Which quickly lose all their value. »
Bradley’s face twitched.
Eleanor continued, unperturbed.
« I just got off the phone with your uncle. He is very interested in preserving the remaining value of his shares. He has accepted our conditions. »
Bradley’s voice dropped to a whisper.
« What are the conditions? »
« Immediate change of direction, » Eleanor said. « Effective now. »
Then she looked at me again.
« Thomas, if you agree to return as vice president of operations for the merged entity, we will proceed with the acquisition at the adjusted price. Otherwise, we will withdraw and Vertex will declare bankruptcy by Friday. »
I watched Bradley.
The arrogance had disappeared.
In its place, there was terror and disbelief, the face of a man realizing that the world does not bend simply because it has never been told no.
« I will accept the position, » I said, « on two conditions. »
« Name them, » said Eleanor.
“First,” I said, “my severance pay from last week will be paid to me in full—plus interest—as consultant fees for today.”
« It’s done, » Eleanor replied without flinching.
« Two, » I said calmly, « Bradley leaves the building immediately. Without warning. Without transition. He leaves his badge, phone, and laptop on this table. Security escorts him to the exit. One hour. »
Bradley was speechless.
« It’s… » he stammered. « It’s humiliating! »
« It’s a restructuring, » I said, echoing his tone. « We’re changing course. We need skills. You’re a heavyweight, Bradley. We’re cutting unnecessary expenses. »
The silence that followed was dense and gentle.
Then Bradley slowly put his hand in his pocket.
He took out his phone.
I placed it on the mahogany table.
Then his badge.
He didn’t look at me as he walked towards the door.
The moment his hand touched the handle, I called softly.
« Oh, Bradley. »
He froze.
I left it hanging for a moment.
« Don’t worry, » I said. « I’m sure the algorithm can help you find a new job. »
Bradley slammed the door behind him.
Eleanor allowed herself a tiny, professional smile.
« Welcome aboard Ironclad, Thomas. »
I opened my notebook.
« I know, » I said. « Let’s start with Hamburg. »
Epilogue
It took me three weeks to clean up the mess Bradley had made in six days.
Vertex survived — bruised, humiliated, but standing.
The merger was completed at the adjusted price. Ironclad got what it wanted: a high-performing logistics machine. I got what I deserved: a corner office, a salary that made my old one look paltry, and a team that finally listened to me.
Sarah kept her job. Most of her colleagues did too. Eleanor had made sure of it. She wasn’t sentimental, but she understood the importance of infrastructure. You don’t sacrifice the people who keep the system running.
A few months later, I ran into a former colleague at a logistics conference. We were in a bar, ice cubes were clinking in glasses, and we were enveloped by the hubbub of conversations from the sector.
« Hey, » he said, leaning towards him. « Have you heard of Bradley Holloway? »
I took a sip of scotch. « No. »
My colleague smiled.
« He tried to launch a tech startup. Automated supply chain management. »
I gave a slow, faint smile. « Let me guess. »
« It failed, » he said, laughing. « Worse still, he was prosecuted for fraud. It turns out he was selling software that didn’t exist. »
I nodded once, watching the ice melt.
« And now? » I asked, already knowing the form of the answer.
« He works at his father’s car dealership, » my colleague told me. « A salesman. »
I did not applaud. I did not rejoice.
I simply felt the sweet satisfaction of a restored balance.
Because titles, costumes, and arrogance won’t get you goods across an ocean.
When the storm rages, when customs blocks, when the monsoon season turns everything upside down, there is only one thing that matters.
Can you move the box from point A to point B?
My phone vibrated.
Notification from the Port Authority of Singapore:
Customs cleared shipment. Arrived ahead of schedule.
I smiled, put away my phone and went back to the conference, then to work.
Because that’s what I’ve always been.
Not dead weight.
The engine.
END
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