Chapter 3 - The CC FieldAt 8:30 a.m., I sat in the back of my private town car as it glided through the morning traffic toward the financial district.
I opened my laptop and drafted a new email.
I did not send it from a burner account. I did not hide behind anonymity. I used my official corporate email address: [email protected]. As the primary architect of Alexander's recent acquisitions, I held a board seat that he frequently forgot about because I rarely used it to speak over him.
To: Marcus Sterling (Managing Partner, Vanguard Communications); Helen Ross (Head of HR, Vanguard)
CC: The Board of Directors (Pierce Enterprises); Legal Compliance (Pierce Enterprises)
Subject: URGENT: Conflict of Interest & Contractual Violation Regarding Vanguard Retainer
Dear Marcus and Helen,
As a board member of Pierce Enterprises, it is my fiduciary duty to ensure all our vendors adhere to the strict ethical guidelines outlined in our corporate agreements. It has come to my attention that a junior executive at your firm, Ms. Isabella Montgomery, has initiated an undisclosed, highly inappropriate personal relationship with our CEO, Alexander Pierce.
Ms. Montgomery sent the attached photographic evidence to my personal phone at 12:17 a.m. this morning. Please note that the location of this photograph is my personal residence, and the garment she is wearing was removed from my private wardrobe.
Given Vanguard’s strict morality clauses, and the obvious leverage this creates over Pierce Enterprises' leadership, I cannot in good conscience authorize the signing of today's retainer. We will be pausing all negotiations pending a full HR investigation into Ms. Montgomery's conduct.
Regards,
Victoria Sterling Pierce
I attached the three photos.
I attached the screenshot of her calling me a "dead fish."
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I read the email twice, admiring the surgical, emotionless precision of the text. There were no insults. There were no exclamation points. It was a corporate guillotine, polished and ready to drop.
I pressed send.
