Chapter 42
Patrick
When I left my house this morning, Ellie was wrapped up in my covers, and all I want to do is go back and be with her.
We spent all weekend in my bed, and she was just as enthused as I was to be with each other again. Luckily, she was able to switch her shift this morning with another coworker because I can’t get enough of her now that she’s mine.
God, it feels so good to finally be able to say that and mean it.
I thought I would be more nervous walking back into the office, but it still feels natural. The only person I have ever had issues with is Greg, and I know exactly where he is.
Walking towards the conference room, I find Wes, Tom, and Natalie working at their desks.
My office remains empty, and I find it funny that Wes has not tried to stake claim to it yet.
Knowing Wes, he has definitely thought about it, but he’s loyal to a fault and knows that I have a plan.
As soon as everything was lined up, I filled him in, so he is not surprised to see me stroll up to his desk.
“How has he been doing?” Nodding towards the conference room, I take a seat on the corner of his desk and give a tiny smirk.
Wes is wearing a full-on shit-eating grin, and by the way Natalie and Tom look, I already know that Wes has let them in on the secret. “Oh, he’s been freaking the fuck out since they got here, following them around like a lost puppy. He has no idea why they’re all here.”
Standing up, I smooth my hands down my shirt. “This should be interesting.”
I take a look at my watch. They should all be ready right about now, so I decide to make my way over. Giving Wes a pat on the shoulder, he shrugs me off, but he whispers, “Good luck!”
“Thanks, bud. I’ll let you know what happens.”
If I could record the look on Greg’s face when I walked into the room, I would probably watch it back a thousand times.
Going around the table, I shake the hands of the four founding members of ERI.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen most of them, but a short six years ago, we were all working together in this office.
I’m glad they’re all happy to see me, and we exchange pleasantries for a few minutes.
They already know why we are all here—the only one left out is Greg.
And, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t enjoying watching him sweat right now.
I’ve spent the last three weeks of unemployment planning this out. It wasn’t too hard to reach out to the founders, and once I gave them all of the information about the incident, the only setback was finding a time that worked for everyone.
When I had told them that I had quit, they all were outraged.
Not at me, but about what could’ve gone on to make that happen.
I didn’t spare any detail when I told them about the immoral behaviors that Greg had been displaying in and out of the office, and they told me not to worry about it, saying they would figure it out.
It has taken a few weeks for everything to line up correctly, but I didn’t realize how perfectly it was falling into place.
One of the main things that Greg underestimated about me was how deep the rapport between coworkers stems when you’ve been working at a place for as long as I’ve been here.
I made sure there were no specifics spread about Ellie and the incident, but Wes and Natalie told me about a nasty ‘rumor’ going around about how Greg treats people outside of the office.
Any bonds that he had built since starting have already been unofficially broken.
The other part of it was the security cameras, which are strategically located around the office.
Almost everyone knows about them, but only a few people have access to the footage for privacy reasons.
When I came in to gather my stuff the day after the incident, I asked Jonathan, our security guard, to see if there was any evidence of foul play.
Luckily, he was able to get back to me within a few days.
While there was nothing that explicitly showed Greg doing anything malicious since it occurred inside my office, it did show Ellie walking into the office, Greg following her in and shutting the door, then Ellie frantically running out.
With the rest of the information, the footage was enough to help with our case.
With everything else, there was no need to bring Ellie in for her direct testimony. And, I didn’t want Ellie to have to relive it, recalling every single detail of that day, especially after she was so shaken up about it.
Although when I told her about my plan last night, she asked if it would be helpful if she made a statement, and we decided that it couldn’t hurt. My girl is so strong that she was more than happy to add her testimony to the file.
It’s funny to watch Greg pretend he is not panicking since it’s obvious that he is. He might be dumb enough to feign ignorance and not realize exactly what is going on, but it’s clear he knows that something is up.
Wes told me when Greg heard that the higher ups from ERI were stopping by for a visit, he thought that it was going to be to check-in for how he has been doing as manager.
He has been running around for the past few days, trying to get everything in tip top shape.
Apparently, he made everyone prepare a summary of their work since he started to show how the office has improved.
Everyone ended up complying, but not without some resistance, which is one of the reasons that Greg has been on edge today.
He reaches over to shake my hand, and I take his hand in mine. “Patrick, good to see you.”
“I wish I could say the same.” His fake smile fades into a straight line.
If he doesn’t already know what’s about to happen, he knows now.
Taking a seat across the conference room, I listen as the interrogation begins. John is the first one to speak. “So, Gregory, how have you been liking working here so far?”
“Oh, um, it’s been really great. You guys have a really wonderful company, and I love the work that you are doing. I’m glad I get to be a part of it.”
This is the first time I’ve heard Greg sound soft-spoken. He usually likes to play the big boss role, but at least, he knows his place right now.
“That’s great to hear,” John says with fake enthusiasm. He stands up from his seat, walking around the table so he is directly in front of Greg. “Do you know why we are all here today?”
“I can’t say I do.” Greg continues to play the innocent act, and I can’t wait to watch him get ripped apart.
Even though it shouldn’t have taken very long, it took the better part of an hour to go through all of the evidence they had on the incident with Ellie since Greg was so adamant to defend himself at every turn.
What I didn’t know is that there were multiple other complaints against Greg that were being brought up.
As I sit there absorbing the information, I realize that this is so much bigger than I thought.
These complaints start small with Greg putting off a disrespectful air around the office, but they move into bigger complaints.
Not surprisingly, his words and actions were making people uncomfortable, specifically the women.
There are eight formal complaints—not including the Ellie incident—and that’s also not counting the passive ones that didn't make it through the HR process.
It makes me feel better that this was Greg was getting fired whether I was here or not, but I know I made the right decision standing up for Ellie.
All of the evidence doesn’t stop Greg from trying to argue against every single thing, saying it is all hearsay, but the founders are not having it.
As soon as he realized his docile act was not working, he became aggressive and irrational, refusing to believe that any of it was said about him.
He tries to backtrack and blame other employees, but it doesn’t help his case.
By the time the founders say that his termination is immediate, he looks downright pathetic. If I didn’t know what a scumbag he was, I might actually feel sorry for him.
I don’t know if it was out of precaution or just for appearances, but our security guard comes in to escort him out.
Looking out the conference room window, every face in the office looks like they are trying to hide their enthusiasm.
Despite the attempts to act professional, they are a sea of gossiping amusement by the time Greg is formally escorted out.
When I look back to the founders sitting at the table, they gesture for me to sit down. They look serious, but I have an idea about what they want to talk to me about.