Page 94 of Corporate Escapades

Chase paced back and forth. “Tell me about it. I’m too antsy for this sort of suspense.”

Vic leaned back against the wall and let his body slide to the floor. “I’ve seen this before. You may as well get comfortable. This could take a while.”

Paris joined him on the floor. “I don’t understand. What are they discussing? Do they think we’re to blame for this?”

“We did nothing illegal,” replied Vic. “I don’t see how they could blame us. They’re probably discussing the best way to handle Tom and Angela, and they don’t want us present while they figure out the legal aspects and what to do about the jobs they currently occupy. Who knows? There could be many factors we’re unaware of.”

“Like what?” asked Paris.

“The future they want for the company,” said Chase.

Paris turned to Mya. “Is that what they’re discussing? What do you know?”

“I’m not at liberty to discuss this,” she replied. “I’m sorry, Paris. Chase shouldn’t have said that.”

“Mya! What aren’t you telling us?” demanded Paris.

Vic placed his hand on Paris’s chin and turned her to face him. “Listen, you need to let her be. She can’t help it if the board asked her to maintain confidentiality regarding the company’s future. We can wait this out. I’m sure everything will be revealed soon enough.”

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right, but I didn’t think they’d give her and Chase that type of information and leave us in the dark.”

Vic shook his head. “Can you blame them? They didn’t know if we’d pull our shit together for this company or not.”

“I know, but we have,” Paris said.

The foursome waited for thirty-five minutes before the door finally opened again. Paris bounced up from the floor and hoisted Vic to his feet.

“You may come back in,” said Dom. “Sorry that took so long.”

The group filed back into the room and took their seats at the table.

“This whole situation comes as a shock to us,” commented Nicola. Shaking her head, she continued, “We’re deeply saddened by the realization that two of our own would stoop to such lows to hurt you. As you know, Angela and Tom have been with the company for many years. We’re ashamed that such an incident has taken place under ADG’s roof.”

Pulling at the corner of his mustache, Mikel said, “We debated whether to give you the option to press charges, but in the end, we’ve decided ADG must move forward with the strictest of action. We can’t let word get out that our company would allow such misconduct to go unpunished.”

“Furthermore,” said Cristo, “we’d like to extend our deepest apologies for what’s happened here, and to offer you the next week off with pay, so that you may process. That said, take as much time as needed to deal with this terrible ordeal.”

“We’re also offering counseling to help you sort through the emotional strain Tom and Angela have put you through,” added Jessamine. “I strongly suggest you explore how this may have affected you and your peer relationships.”

“Thank you,” replied Paris. “I think I speak for us both when I say the extra time won’t be necessary.” She turned to look at Vic, who nodded in response. “But we will take you up on the counseling, as we’re both learning that it’s better to get our feelings out, rather than to hold them in.”

Turning her attention to the board, Jessamine’s face contorted into a frown and she said, “On a similar subject, ADG has never had a rule that its employees couldn’t date since two sets of couples formed the company. Do we need to explore this concept more thoroughly and create strict boundaries regarding deterring future misconduct within our company?”

“No,” replied Cristo. “I don’t think it’s necessary. This is an isolated incident, and it’s so heinous that I can’t imagine it would ever happen again within company walls.”

“Hold on,” said Dom. “Maybe it’s not a bad idea to set some boundaries to protect employee relationships. Our company is all about people and their lives. Living and loving. I think it makes sense to discuss things further at a later date.”

“Agreed,” said Nikola. “We’ll table it until our next board meeting.”

Turning back to the foursome, Dom said, “Thank you all for bringing the situation with Angela and Tom to our attention. We want you to know that we stand behind you one hundred percent. Regarding your positions within the company, we intend to give you further information at our meeting next Monday. Until then, please take care of yourselves, and reach out if you need to discuss anything further.”

Getting up from his chair, Vic said, “Thank you.” His friends nodded and followed him out of the room.

The door had barely closed behind them, and Chase let out a silent scream. “Does anyone else feel like they’re about to freak out?” he asked.

“A little,” said Mya. “I’m glad that’s over.”

“I can’t even think about it. I’m still upset,” said Paris. “I need to head back to my office to grab some files, but I wouldn’t mind seeing Tom and Angela escorted from the building.”

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