“No.”
Richard looked directly at him.
“Forty-eight hours before the client walks.”
Ethan's stomach tightened.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I was hoping we could get this done before anyone knew.”
“And now?”
“Now six hundred employees know.”
Ethan nodded.
Richard turned to leave.
Then he stopped.
“You're not the only person trying to save this place.”
Ethan looked at him.
Richard walked away.
For several minutes, Ethan stood alone.
Then he returned to his truck.
At home, Emma was asleep.
Ethan sat at the kitchen table.
He opened his laptop.
A message from the company appeared in his inbox.
Subject: Final Contract Revision.
He opened it.
The revised document was attached.
Ethan read carefully.
At first, it looked promising.
Then he reached the final section.
A paragraph had been added.
Employee representatives would acknowledge that all operational decisions remained at the sole discretion of management.
Ethan read it twice.
That sentence could destroy everything.
It essentially gave management the power to override the safeguards in the rest of the agreement.
He printed the page.
Then he noticed something else.
A digital signature block had already been prepared.
His name was there.
Waiting.
Ethan stared at it.
They had prepared the contract as though he had already agreed.
He closed the laptop.
The next morning, Ethan entered the conference room carrying a single sheet of paper.
Patricia Sloan was there.
So was the president.
Richard sat at the far end.
“You've reviewed the revision?” Patricia asked.
“Yes.”
“And?”
Ethan placed the paper on the table.
“No.”
Patricia sighed.
“We've given you everything you asked for.”
“No.”
“You asked for independent review.”
“You added a clause that allows management to override the review.”
“You're misreading it.”
“I don't think I am.”
Patricia's expression hardened.
“You are one employee.”
Ethan nodded.
“Yes.”
“You are holding an entire organization hostage.”
“No.”
He looked toward the president.
“You're holding six hundred jobs hostage.”
Silence.
Ethan stood.
“If the contract is good, you don't need my signature to hide anything.”
He pushed the document toward them.
“If the contract is safe, make it safe.”
Patricia looked furious.
But the president didn't.
He looked thoughtful.
“Give us until tomorrow,” he said.
Ethan shook his head.
“You have until tonight.”
The president raised an eyebrow.
“Why?”
“Because tomorrow morning, I am going to tell everyone exactly what is in this contract.”
For the first time, the room became completely silent.
Ethan walked out.
Chapter 5
The Meeting After Midnight
At 6:00 p.m., Ethan received a message from the plant manager.
Emergency meeting.
All department representatives.
Conference room.
8:00 p.m.
No explanations.
Ethan arrived early.
He expected twenty people.
More than fifty were there.
Supervisors.
Technicians.
Quality inspectors.
Union representatives.
Several engineers.
Even employees who normally avoided management meetings had shown up.
Richard stood at the front.
The president sat beside him.
Patricia was not there.
That surprised Ethan.
Richard cleared his throat.
“We have a situation.”
Someone laughed bitterly.
“We've had one for weeks.”
Richard ignored it.
“The client has moved the deadline forward.”
A murmur went through the room.
“How far?”
“Tomorrow at noon.”
The room erupted.
“That wasn't the agreement!”
“Why are we hearing this now?”
“What happens if we don't sign?”
Richard raised his hand.
“Let me finish.”
The room quieted.
“If we don't have an agreement by noon, the client can withdraw the offer.”
Someone shouted:
“And then?”
Richard looked around.
“The company has told me there will be immediate restructuring.”
Everyone understood what that meant.
Layoffs.
Maybe closure.
The room became silent.
Ethan stood.
“What exactly did the client object to?”
Richard handed him a document.
Ethan read it.
Then he frowned.
“This isn't from the client.”
“What?”
“This is internal.”
Richard looked confused.
Ethan turned the page.
“The client requested a maintenance certification.”
He looked up.
“They didn't reject our safety conditions.”
Richard stared at the document.
“That's what corporate told me.”
Ethan's pulse quickened.
“Who told you?”
“Patricia.”
“Where is she?”
Richard looked at his watch.
“She left.”
A murmur spread through the room.
Ethan looked again at the document.
Something didn't make sense.
The client had not rejected the safety provisions.
Someone inside Briar Ridge had represented the client's position incorrectly.
But why?
Ethan turned to the engineers.
“Has anyone contacted the client directly?”
Nobody answered.
Richard shook his head.
“We're not supposed to.”
“Why?”
“Corporate handles negotiations.”
Ethan looked around the room.
“What if corporate is wrong?”
Nobody answered.
A quality engineer named Maria stood.
“Then we need to know.”
Richard looked at her.
“We can't just call them.”
“Why not?”
“Because the contract is being negotiated at the corporate level.”
Maria folded her arms.
“And six hundred people work here.”
Another employee stood.
“I want to know too.”
Then another.
Soon, nearly everyone in the room was talking.
The atmosphere became chaotic.
Ethan raised his voice.
“Stop.”
The room quieted.
He looked at Richard.
“Do you trust me?”
Richard hesitated.
“Yes.”
“Then let me ask one question.”
Richard nodded.
“Have you personally spoken to the client?”
“No.”
“Then you don't know whether they rejected our conditions.”
Richard's expression changed.
Ethan turned to the engineers.
“Does anyone here have the technical contact information?”
A young engineer raised his hand.
“I do.”
Richard looked at him.
“Where did you get that?”
“From a previous project.”
Ethan nodded.
“Call.”
The engineer hesitated.
“Now?”
“Now.”
The room became completely still.
The call was placed on speaker.
It rang once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then a man's voice answered.
“Hello?”
The engineer introduced himself.
He explained the situation.
The voice on the other end became confused.
“What safety provisions?”
Ethan looked at Richard.
The color drained from his face.
The engineer continued.
The client representative listened.
Then said:
“No. We have not rejected your maintenance conditions.”
Nobody in the room moved.
The engineer asked:
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Then why were we told that?”