CHAPTER 5: The buried file
1018 Words
The Thursday morning meeting was mandatory. The calendar said ‘all analyst, conference room B 9AM’ for someone who in their professional life needed to use the word mandatory because his presence alone was enough to make attendance a conclusion.
Amelia arrived at eight fifty-eight with her notebook and her coffee,she found the conference room half full. Marcus Webb was at the table sorting through papers. Four senior analysts Amelia recognised by face.
She took a seat near the middle.
Viv slid into the chair beside her thirty seconds later with her coffee and a breakfast sandwich. She was already eating.
“Morning” Viv said through a mouthful.
“Morning," Amelia said.
“You look like you slept fine," Viv said.
“I slept fine,Viv” Amelia said.
"Mm." Viv took another bite. “Of course you did." Viv smirked.
“i look like I didn't sleep fine because I didn't. I was up until two in the morning thinking about the fact that Chad Henderson summoned you to his office at ten o'clock,then you had the audacity to go home without calling me" Viv said sarcastically.
Amelia kept her eyes forward,her cheeks became a little reddish.
“i came back looking perfectly normal” she said.
“I need you to understand that I notice the difference every time.” Viv said.
Marcus Webb cleared his throat at the table,the room settled in.
“Orlando acquisition is off the table” Marcus said.
“Mr Henderson pulled it last night, a new pipeline will be opened on Monday. Details to follow by the end of the day." He looked around the table. “Rossi"
Amelia looked up.
" Good work on the file” he said
Amelia nodded,she felt the senior analysts shift slightly on their other side of the table.
" Thank you,” Amelia said, finally.
Marcus moved on. She felt Viv's elbow find her ribs gently. A smile crept on Amelia's lips but she did look at Viv.
The meeting ended at nine forty seven.
People filtered out, carefully. Small casual conversations were heard, phones were checked, the senior analyst moving towards the coffee station at the far end of the floor.
Amelia was gathering her notebook when Viv appeared at her elbow and touched her arm. Amelia looked at her.
The once cheerful Vivienne,Amelia met this morning was now different.
The warm brown eyes that were usually amused were not now.
“Walk with me," Viv said quietly.
They went to the far end of the fourteenth floor where the supply room sat between two unused offices.
Viv stopped outside the supply room door and looked both ways down the corridor,then she looked at Amelia.
" I need to tell you something.” she said.
Amelia stared at Viv with intent and curiosity.
“I have been trying to figure out how to say this since your first day..” Viv said. Her voice was low and controlled, Viv was working hard to keep still.
“I keep telling myself it's not my business,that it doesn't involve me,I keep telling myself that…” she stopped.
" But you're my friend..” Viv said
“ Viv,” Amelia said gently. “Just say it"
Vivienne looked at her for a long moment.
She breathed out a sigh.
" There's a file,” she said.
" A file I found eighteen months ago during an internal audit. It was buried and I mean deliberately buried”
She said.
" The file was about five years ago,a small investment firm, it was a fraud,Amelia,and it was signed. The signature on it was…." She paused
Amelia looked at Viv for a moment, five years ago was exactly when Amelia's father died.
“Vivienne" a voice called.
Both of them went still. The voice came from behind Amelia from the direction of the corridor.
Amelia turned around and found Victor Hale who stood at the end of the corridor with his hands in his pockets and his pale grey eyes moving against the two of them.
" Mr Henderson needs the Q2 variance report” he said to Viv with a neutral voice.
" He asked for you,specifically in his office,now” he said again.
Vivienne looked at Amelia.
Amelia felt the urgency of what Viv was just about to reveal to her and the fear in her eyes.
They both straightened up themselves.
“Of course, I'll be right up," Viv said.
Victor didn't move immediately when they left,he looked at Amelia with those grey eyes.
He turned and walked away.
Viv turned to Amelia and whispered.
" Tonight,my place,eight o'clock,” she said.
Her hands found Amelia's wrist and held it for some brief seconds. He held it in a way that shows the urgency of what was about to happen.
“Don't be late, and don't mention this to anyone in this building,not Marcus Webb, no one at all." She warned.
She let go of her wrist and straightened up her jacket and left.
Amelia was left standing alone in the corridor. She then walked back to her office and sat down on her desk.
She stared at her monitor without seeing it.
“Five years ago. A small investment firm.
The words moved through her head in a loop she couldn't stop.
Around Five years ago was the year Henderson Capital made its biggest acquisition. She had read it in the company profile on her first day, a milestone deal that had doubled Henderson Capital's portfolio overnight and cemented Chad Henderson's reputation as the most aggressive operator in Miami finance.
Five years ago was also the year her father lost everything.
The year Marco Rossi shut the doors of Rossi Investment Group for the last time.
That year he came home and sat at the kitchen table and didn't speak for three days.
Her office phone rang,she looked at it for a moment,then she answered the phone.
"Rossi." Chad's voice was heard.
"My office,now."
The line went dead,she set the phone down.
She stood up, smoothed her jacket, and walked to the elevator.
- Writer
