Hello guest! (Level: guest) Log in

You can change the width of the story text shown below:
Use how much percent of the screen width?

[ default ] [ 10% ] [ 20% ] [ 30% ] [ 40% ] [ 50% ] [ 60% ] [ 70% ] [ 80% ] [ 90% ] [ 100% ]

Options: Plain text or PDF (fanclub only!) version  |  Mark story  |  Mark author

Don't forget to vote for this story, in the yellow voting box below the story!

Hannah arrived at Zurich airport for her flight home. Settling into a quiet corner near her gate, she pulled out her phone and typed a text to Rossi. "Any news?"

She had spoken to him the previous night, and he'd been positive about securing the agreement of the consortium to the terms she'd secured, but had warned her that all members of the consortium had to be consulted, as well as its lawyers. In view of that conversation, she ought to have been patient and waited to hear from him, but there was no harm in asking.

She didn't have to wait long for his reply. "It's a done deal," Rossi's text blinked onto her screen. "Consortium accepted. Just waiting for the legalities. You've done it."

Relief washed over Hannah, thick and warm. She leaned back against the hard airport chair, the synthetic fabric cool against her neck. Her sacrifice in Steiner's conference room had been worthwhile and bought tangible victory. Now the formal proposal could be made to Rivera.

So much had happened to her in the last few months. She thought about her termination from Layton Moreby. Now she was orchestrating a complex multimillion dollar deal across continents. She could only wait for Rivera's decision to inform her on what came next.

Her phone buzzed. Not Rossi. Clare Buchanan. Hannah stared at the name, a cold prickle running down her spine. Why would Clare be calling now? She hadn't spoken to her since her termination. Hannah hesitated, then answered, keeping her voice neutral. "Ms. Buchanan?"

"Hannah." Clare's tone was clipped, devoid of its usual polished warmth. "I need to see you. Can you make it tomorrow morning? My office. Nine sharp."

The abruptness stunned Hannah. "Ms. Buchanan, I'm currently—"

"It's important," Clare interrupted, her voice brittle.

Hannah hesitated a moment. "Nine AM? Yes, I'll be there."

"Good. See you then." The line went dead before Hannah could ask why.

When she was home, jet lag compelled her to take an early night, so she woke early the following day, giving her plenty of time to make it to Layton Moreby for nine.

Her phone buzzed with a text. Alessandro Rossi. "Legalities now sorted. Everything signed and sealed."

Hannah smiled to herself contentedly, the tension of the last few days lifting completely. She'd well and truly done it, and the full proposal for DLE would now be on the way to Bolivia.

The elevator doors slid open at Layton Moreby's executive floor and Hannah stepped out. Clare's secretary, Joanne, recognized her and waved her in without a word, knocking on Clare's door. Hannah calmly smoothed her skirt as Joanne announced her.

Clare sat behind her desk, her expression unreadable. "Sit down, Hannah." Hannah took the chair opposite, posture perfect. The air hummed with tension, thick as Zurich's cigar smoke.

Clare slid a document across the desk. "Tanaka's board approved Layton's restructuring plan last month. Keller's spin-off launches next month." Her gaze sharpened. "Both deals bear your fingerprints, yet you were terminated for misconduct."

Hannah kept her expression neutral. "I acted in Layton Moreby's best interests."

"Did you?" Clare tapped the document. "Tanaka's recovery relied on data you stole from Keller Biotech. The SEC is investigating. They've subpoenaed Alex." Hannah's stomach dropped. Alex - who'd run the validation under her pressure. Clare leaned forward. "They know about your... dealings with shares in Veredian."

Click here to read the rest of this story (721 more lines)

Options: Plain text or PDF (fanclub only!) version for easy saving or printing

ESmail: Click here to send a private message to jackmarlowe (with ESmail, the site's internal message system)

Authors appreciate feedback! Please vote, and write to the authors to tell them what you liked or didn't like about the story!

Profile for jackmarlowe, incl. 1 stories Email: jmarlowe@camsvillage.com Add this author to your favorite author list Add this story to your favorite story list Send this story to me through email

Give your opinion about this part: (You can vote for each part separately) select here 1 (terrible) 2 .. 3 .. 4 .. 5 (reasonable) 6 .. 7 .. 8 .. 9 .. 10 (excellent)

Send feedback to this author: Your name: Your message to jackmarlowe:     (You are not logged in, so you can't send private messages) Public: post this message in the public feedback below