Alan sighed and looked at the lists, "Getting rid of these people may save the company money, but who will do their jobs? How will we make a profit if we don't have any employees to do the work?"

"I didn't think of that," she said.

​​

Alan rubbed his temples, "Besides, if we suddenly fire all those people, they could sue us. A costly legal battle would absolutely destroy the company."

She felt her heart sink, "Oh."

"Listen," he said. "I know you're eager to make changes, but we can't rush into anything. Just take the next few days to learn more about the company, and I'll see if I can find a way to get rid of some of these employees—at least the worst ones. Okay?"

She nodded miserably and left his office. Back in her own windowless office, she paced the carpeted floor, feeling like a caged animal. If she fired the employees, the company would fail, but if she didn't fire them, they'd continue like parasites, slowly killing it. There was barely enough money to pay them anyway.

She stopped pacing and smiled. She grabbed the phone off her desk and punched in the direct extension for the manager of HR.

"Good afternoon," she said to the manager. "This is Catherine Blair—I'm about to read you a list of names. I want all of those people to be laid off by the end of the day."

"But—" the manager began.

"Do it," Catherine said. She took a deep breath, hating herself for the words she knew she'd say next. "Do it, or I'll have Sean Blair call you personally. You don't want that, do you?"

"No," the manager said.

"Good," Catherine replied. "Now, the first name is Cici Long."

She read the entire list and made the manager repeat the names back to her.

"Any questions?" she asked the manager.

"You do realize that some of these people are Melanie Stewart's relatives, right?" the manager asked.

"Yes," she replied. "Lay them off first. And tell them that if they have any problems, they can come directly to me."

As soon as she hung up with the HR manager, her phone began to ring again.

"Yes?" she asked.

"What have you just done?" Alan asked, sounding distressed. "I just got a very urgent email from the HR Department. They said you ordered them to lay off over 30 people."

"I did," she replied. "I'm sure once the Finance Department checks the numbers, they'll see that we're not able to afford them."

Alan groaned, "I'm sure they will, but this is risky, Cathy."

"Well, someone around here has to take risks," she snapped. "How come on my first day here I found this? What has Andy Jones been doing all this time?"

"He's just finished checking the numbers, reassuring the investors, and reasoning with the suppliers," Alan replied. "He can't do everything around here."

"Well, good thing I'm here," she replied.

A deep sigh crackled through the telephone.

"I have to go, Alan," she said. "I have a call on another line. But don't worry about me—I'm sure this is the right choice."

She hung up the call and clicked the flickering green light indicating another call.

"Catherine Blair, intern," she said.

"What the hell are you thinking?" screeched Melanie's shrill voice. "How dare you lay off Jack? Are you trying to ruin this entire family?"

Catherine sighed and held the phone a foot away from her ear.

"Jack has contributed nothing of any worth to this company," she replied. She grabbed his file and leafed through the pages, "He graduated university after six years with a degree in Sports Broadcasting and an unimpressive GPA. He has contributed nothing to the company but has embezzled several thousand pounds. You're lucky I'm not calling the police."

"He's my brother," Melanie screeched. "And you're throwing him out onto the pavement. You know, if you want to take your revenge against Lawson and me, that's one thing, but this is completely unfair."

"Unfair?" Catherine asked. "You mean unfair, like Lawson forcing the company to hire Jack? Or unfair like Lawson looking the other way when he stole money? Or unfair like promoting Jack even though three of his coworkers complained he harassed them?"

"How dare you," Melanie screeched. "On your first day in the office, you think you can waltz in and start firing people left and right just because you feel like it? You know nothing about the company."

"Actually, they're not fired—they're laid off," she said. "And if you have any issue with that, I suggest you contact HR. Or Sean."

"You little bitch," Melanie hissed. "You think you can play us just because you have Sean wrapped around your little finger. Well, think again. We won't stand for this. And I'm sure the other employees you just let go of will agree. If you want a fight, you'll get one."

"I have work to do," Catherine said flatly. "Goodbye, Melanie."

She clicked the phone down on the receiver and sighed. Her temples throbbed, and her eyes burned from reading all the files.

A knock sounded at her office door. Expecting another fight, she took a deep breath before answering.

"Come in," she finally called.

The door swung open, revealing Alan. He carried the potted palm from his office against his chest, and he smiled at her through the leafy fronds.

"I thought you could use something to brighten up your office," he said. "I also wanted to tell you that I'm behind you."

"You are?" she asked.

"I am," he replied. "What you're doing is a bit risky for a cautious old-timer like me, but I think your father would be proud of you."

"Really?" she asked.

"Yes," he said. "You've become a confident, smart young woman. You're going to have a long battle ahead of you, but I think we might stand a chance. Anyway, you've done enough for today. Go home and rest for tomorrow—things are going to get a lot worse before they get better."

"Thanks," she said.

She stared at the plant for a while after he left. She reached for her phone and checked the time: 6:15. She cursed quietly—she hadn't realized how late it had gotten. She shut down her computer, grabbed her purse, and rushed down to the parking garage, wondering why Geoffrey hadn't called her yet.