C231 She Resigned

Meanwhile... At Lucia Goods Headquarters... The atmosphere inside the executive floor was completely different. Employees who had heard that Director Alicia Smith had returned to work immediately straightened their backs. Yesterday, the Vice Director had already suppressed the supervisors' objections. Today... The Director herself had returned.

Many employees quietly whispered among themselves. "Didn't they say she was not feeling well?" "She was only absent for one day." "I heard she's already back." "Who would return to work this quickly?" "I don't know..." "But I heard she's very strict." The whispers stopped the moment Alicia walked through the main entrance. Dressed in a simple but elegant business suit, she walked confidently through the lobby. I followed a few steps behind carrying several files.

Faith, the receptionist, immediately stood up. "Good morning, Director Smith." "Good morning, Vice Director Smith." Alicia smiled politely. "Morning, Faith." "I hope the morning hasn't been too troublesome." Faith hesitated before answering. "It has been... a little busy." Alicia nodded. "I'll take care of it." She continued walking before suddenly stopping. "Oh..." She turned around. "Faith." "Yes, Director?" "Please ask Finance Manager Charlie Kinlore to prepare every financial report from the last two years."

Vice Director said only the director can ask so here i am asking. "I want every income statement." "Every expense." "Every rejected order." "Every supplier payment." "And every audit report." Faith quickly wrote everything down. "Yes, Director." "I'll notify her immediately." Alicia smiled. "Thank you." Faith immediately picked up the office phone. Inside the Director's office... I closed the door behind us before placing the files onto Alicia's desk. She removed her blazer and slowly sat down.

I looked at her worriedly. "Wife..." She smiled. "I'm alright." I walked closer. "You've only just been discharged." "You shouldn't be stressing yourself." She leaned back in her chair. "I'm not stressed." "I'm angry." I couldn't help smiling. "I noticed." She looked toward me. "Yesterday they challenged you." "They challenged my decision." "They even wanted to vote against me." "I can't ignore that." I gently held her hand. "I know." "But remember what the doctor said." "No unnecessary stress."

She sighed. "I know..." "I'll try." Before she could continue... The office telephone rang. She pressed the speaker button. "Director Smith speaking." Faith's nervous voice came through the speaker. "Director..." "There is... a problem." Alicia immediately frowned. "What happened?" Faith hesitated for a moment. "I've just spoken with the Finance Department." "They informed me that Finance Manager Charlie Kinlore isn't at work today." Alicia remained calm. "And?" Faith swallowed nervously. "Director..." "Yesterday afternoon..." "She submitted her resignation letter." Silence filled the office.

I slowly looked toward Alicia. Even she appeared genuinely surprised. "What do you mean she resigned?" Faith answered honestly. "The resignation was submitted late yesterday." "Human Resources only processed it this morning." "We didn't expect her to resign so suddenly." Alicia slowly leaned back into her chair. Her eyes narrowed. "When exactly was the resignation submitted?" "Around four-thirty yesterday afternoon, Director."

That was... Almost after work. Alicia and I exchanged glances. Neither of us spoke. But we were clearly thinking the same thing. It couldn't be a coincidence. Finally Alicia spoke. "It's alright." "Find someone from Finance who can access those reports." "I still want every financial record delivered to my office." Faith answered immediately. "Yes, Director." "I'll arrange it right away." The call ended. Silence filled the office once again.

After nearly a minute... Alicia slowly looked at me. "Charlie resigned..." I nodded. "And she resigned after I requested financial transparency." Alicia slowly tapped her fingers against the desk. "Either she saw the danger coming..." "...or..." I completed her sentence. "...someone warned her." She nodded. "Exactly." I folded my arms. "Do you think Thomas Becker and Edward McCarthy know that she resigned?" Alicia stood up and slowly walked toward the office window overlooking the company grounds. "I don't know ." "But one thing is becoming clearer."

She crossed her arms. "The resistance yesterday wasn't random." "They were protecting something." I walked beside her. "Wife..." "What are you thinking?" Without taking her eyes off the window, she answered quietly, "I'm thinking..." "...that the people opposing us..." "...may be far more connected than we first believed." She slowly turned toward me. "And if that's true..." Her determined eyes shone with confidence. "Then today..." "...our investigation truly begins."

Charlie Kinlore's sudden resignation had disrupted every plan Alicia had prepared that morning. Instead of panicking, she calmly picked up the office telephone once more and dialed the Human Resources department. The call connected after only two rings. "Human Resources, Faith speaking." Alicia's expression immediately became serious. "Faith, please arrange an executive board meeting for today." Faith quickly picked up her notebook. "Yes, Director. What time should I schedule it?" "Exactly twelve o'clock."

Faith Asked "The main boardroom?" "Yes." "I want every department head, every supervisor and every executive manager present." Faith nodded even though Alicia could not see her. "I understand, Director." "I'll send out the meeting notices immediately." "Thank you." The call ended. Alicia gently placed the receiver down before leaning back in her chair. She remained silent for several moments. I quietly watched her. I knew that whenever my wife became this quiet... Her mind was working faster than anyone else's.

Finally, she spoke. "Husband..." "Hmm?" "Let's think this through together." I smiled. "I'm listening." She folded her hands on the desk. "Yesterday, my first thought was to dismiss Thomas Becker and Edward McCarthy immediately." She paused. "But..." "I'm starting to think that would be the biggest mistake I could make." I looked at her curiously. "You've changed your mind?" She nodded. "You told me yesterday that Charlie Kinlore openly supported them during the meeting." "Now she suddenly resigns the very moment you request the company's financial reports."

She slowly tapped the desk with one finger. "That isn't a coincidence." "If Charlie was protecting something inside the Finance Department..." "...then Thomas and Edward may also be protecting something inside Development and Production." She slowly looked into my eyes. "If I fire them now..." "They'll simply disappear." "Along with whatever evidence they're hiding."