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 whyweare 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.
Chapter 43
Ellie
AssoonasIhear the front door open, I run down the stairs to find Patrick.
Before I can even ask, he pulls me into a tight embrace and kisses the top of my head. “Fuck, I missed you so much, El.”
“You are so ridiculous. You’ve only been gone for three hours.” Squeezing him, I find myself laughing at his confession. “Now, tell me what happened?!”
Beaming up at him, I have a feeling I already know what the answer is by the way he greeted me.
He pulls me onto the couch into his lap and walks me through the whole meeting, and it is so much better, and worse, than I thought it was going to be.
There was no doubt that Greg was a bad guy, but how did all of it go unnoticed for so long? When Patrick was describing Greg’s reaction to all of the accusations, I wish I could’ve seen the look on his face. In my opinion, he deserves much worse than what he got, and it makes me sick to my stomach to think about our final interaction.
“Eight?! Really?” I say, completely shocked.
