"Thanksgiving weekend, you said? Before Mr. Kade asked her to be his girlfriend?" A pause. "Interesting. And she hasn't contacted you since?"
Another pause.
"No, I agree. It's unfortunate that the information came to light after the board vote. If we'd known earlier, we could have used it to remove Mr. Kade entirely." Patricia's voice is cool, professional. "But at least we've successfully ended their relationship. That was the primary objective."
I open my office door very quietly.
Patricia is standing near the conference room, phone to her ear, completely unaware that I'm fifteen feet away.
"Yes, the StreamEats-FoodFirst partnership is still on track," she continues. "Once Victor is removed—and he will be removed eventually—I'll be positioned to take over as interim CEO. Then we can move forward with the merger."
My hands curl into fists.
"Alexei? Oh, he's been very helpful. Turns out he was trying to save the CulinaryVision deal, not sabotage it. He wanted to warn Victor about the ambush at the yacht dinner, but Richard Francis wouldn't let him." Patricia laughs. "Poor man. Trying to make amends with his brother and getting punched in the face for his trouble."
The pieces click into place with devastating clarity.
Patricia sent the screenshots to herself. From Vanessa Chu. Who she's been working with all along.
The CulinaryVision-FoodFirst partnership wasn't a result of my walking away from the deal. It was planned. Orchestrated.
Patricia is the mole.
And Alexei—my brother, who I punched and haven't spoken to in two years—was trying to help me.
"I need to go," Patricia says suddenly. "Someone just entered the building. I'll call you Monday to finalize the details."
She hangs up and turns….and instantly spots me.
If I didn’t know Patricia Franklin any better, one would assume that she’s expressionless, unbothered by my presence.
But I do know her.
And only I can catch the wince she makes when she notices my face.
"Victor. I didn't realize you'd be in the office today."
"Clearly."
"I was just?—"
"Working with FoodFirst to orchestrate a merger that would remove me as CEO and position you as my replacement?"
Silence.
"I see," Patricia says finally. "You heard."
"Every word."
"Then I suppose there's no point in pretending." She smooths her jacket. "Yes, I've been working with Vanessa Chu. Yes, I sent you those screenshots. Yes, I orchestrated the entire situation to damage your relationship with Ms. Beaumont and weaken your position with the board."
My fists clench at my sides, my heartbeat trapped inside my throat.
I step forward. “Why?"
"Because you're too emotional, Victor. Too unpredictable. You walked away from a hundred-million-dollar deal because your brother showed up. You prioritized a relationship with a junior employee over company optics. You let your personal life interfere with business decisions." She pauses. "StreamEats needs stable leadership. Not a CEO who makes choices based on feelings."
"So you decided to stage a coup."
