Chapter 3
“What do you think, Nate?” I asked.
My voice came out calmer than I expected.
Nate avoided my gaze.
“The photos speak for themselves. Diana, you’ve been with us since the beginning, and we’re friends, but policy is policy. We have to separate the personal from the professional. That’s a fundamental principle.”
He paused, then settled into the tone of a man pretending morality while calculating gain.
“Here’s how we’ll handle this. You’ll hand over the keys immediately. From now on, the vehicle will be managed strictly by the administration department. Additionally, the finance team will calculate the fuel and depreciation costs Madison outlined and deduct them from your next paycheck.”
Madison’s lips curled into a triumphant smile.
“Thank you, Nate. That’s very fair. Also, I think a formal apology in front of the whole staff is necessary. This kind of behavior rots company culture.”
Nate hesitated, glanced at me once, then nodded.
“We’ll skip the speech. A company-wide memo detailing the disciplinary action will suffice.”
Company-wide memo.
Docked pay.
Confiscation of my own keys.
I looked at Nate’s familiar face and realized I didn’t recognize him at all.
It was my car.
But I didn’t argue.
I didn’t scream.
I didn’t reach into my bag, pull out the title, and throw it in his face.
Because I saw the naked ambition in Madison’s eyes.
And I saw the calculated greed in Nate’s.
She wanted to use me as a stepping stone.
He wanted to seize the chance to finally claim the company limo as his own, permanently turning my generosity into his asset.
Two years is a long time.
Long enough for people to develop the delusion that what they’ve been allowed to use actually belongs to them.
“Fine,” I said.
I stood up, reached into my bag, and pulled out the heavy leather key fob. Then I set it down gently on the conference table.
The thud it made was small, but it felt like a gavel coming down.
“There are the keys. But skip the memo.” I looked at Nate, a slight knowing smile touching my lips. “I hope this car brings the company all the luck it deserves.”
Nate clearly hadn’t expected me to fold so easily. Relief flashed across his face, followed quickly by greed.
“I’m glad you understand, Diana. It’s for the good of the firm.”
Madison snatched the keys off the table as if she’d just won a prize.
“See? If you’d just been honest from the start, it wouldn’t have come to this.”
I looked at her with nothing but pity.
She had no idea what she was holding.
She thought she had seized power.
In reality, she had just grabbed a live grenade.