His Favorite Mistake

Chapter 14

I stood in the middle of my office with the phone still pressed to my ear long after the line went dead. The voice had been calm. Too calm. It knew the Eastbridge-Meridian documents had just left with Sienna. It knew things it should not have known.

Who the hell was that?

I lowered the phone and stared at the dark screen. A private number. No name. No trace. Only the last words still hanging in the quiet room.

Someone who knows exactly how big you’re messing with the organisation.

My jaw worked once. I locked the phone and dropped it on the desk. The sound cracked sharp against the wood. The phone bounced once and settled near the edge.

I told myself it was nothing. A bluff. Someone trying to rattle me before the next transfer went through. People had tried before I got here. None of them had succeeded. I was smarter than whatever game they were playing. I did not know who this was or how many of them there were, but one thing I knew for sure: I was always a thousand steps ahead. I had built Vance Holdings from the ground up. No anonymous voice on a phone was going to change that.

Still, the words refused to leave. They sat in the room with me, heavy and quiet.

Daniel knocked and stepped in.

“Sir, a reminder that the Finance meeting will soon hold. Conference Room B, Perly Gates.”

Perly Gates.

I looked up from the desk. My fingers paused on the edge of the tablet. Why that place? The question sat behind my eyes, but I did not speak it. I only straightened my cuffs, one after the other, and picked the tablet up.

“This is just eleven fifty-nine. I’m still early, so don’t worry about coming to check or remind me. I’ll leave for the meeting the moment it suits me.”

Daniel’s shoulders stayed straight. He gave a short nod, careful not to add another word.

“Do you know if they have been there yet?”

“I think so, sir. They notified me first about the meeting. I believe they should be there.”

“How long?”

“I can’t really tell how long they have been there. I just got a message that your attention is needed.”

I nodded once.

“You can go.”

“Yes, sir.”

He turned and walked out. The door closed behind him with a soft click. The sound left the office quieter than before.

I remained in the chair. The tablet rested on my knee. Minutes passed. I did not move toward the door. Questions waited in that room. A lot of whys. Looks across the table. I stayed where I was, eyes on the skyline beyond the glass, until the clock forced me up.

Fifteen minutes late, I finally stood, took the tablet, and left the office.

In the lobby, I met Daniel coming back inside. He had stepped out to buy food from the street. He never liked the meals the office supplier brought. A small plastic bag hung from his hand.

“Let me help you get that, sir.”

He moved quickly toward the car as I pressed the remote. The lights flashed twice. He reached for the driver’s door.

“Don’t worry. This is not the time to show your competence. Get out of the way.”

Daniel stepped back at once. His face stayed even. He treated the words as ordinary instruction from his boss and simply moved aside.

I opened the door myself, sat behind the wheel, and started the engine. Before I pulled out, I rolled the window down and called him back.

“Daniel.”

He turned.

I tapped the air once with two fingers. He came at a short run.

“Sir.”

“I might not return to the office. Any deals should be handled with care. Tell the rest of the staff.”

“Alright, sir.”

I nodded, raised the window, and drove out.

I kept the speed steady. No rush. Traffic lights. Slow lanes. Anything that stretched the drive. The longer the road, the longer I stayed away from the questions waiting at Perly Gates. Even so, the building appeared ahead of me sooner than I wanted. I turned in through the gate and followed the signs.

I entered Perly Gates and walked the corridor to Conference Room B. The door stood open. Inside, rows of empty chairs faced an empty table. No folders. No laptops. No people. No sound except the low hum of the air system.

I stood in the doorway. Heat rose under my collar. My fingers tightened around the tablet. They had told me to come. They had sent the reminder. And the room was empty. People testing for a reaction. Rubbish. I turned to leave, jaw set, already done with the whole thing.

A voice stopped me.

“Oh! Mr. Vance, you came already.”

Mr. Bennett from Finance stood a few steps down the corridor. He had gone to his car to get something and was on his way back inside when he saw me standing at the empty Conference Room B.

I did not answer at once. My shoulders stayed rigid. My hand remained tight around the tablet. The silence stretched between us.

After a short moment, Mr. Bennett spoke again.

“We are already in the meeting and waiting for you to join us before we start fully.”

“I just came out of Conference B. I didn’t see anybody there.”

“Yeah. Sorry about that. The exact location was changed because the Perly Gate manager instructed late that the place will be used by them. I didn’t pay full attention to the notice. It doesn’t concern us.”

“So where is the new hall?”

“Follow me. I’m going there.”

He turned and started walking. I followed, steps measured.

“Sorry we didn’t inform you about the change of venue earlier. We had Mr. Graves send a message across to you.”

Graves.

The name landed cold. The man never kept a straight face around me. Every exchange carried the same edge. I kept my expression flat and continued walking behind Mr. Bennett.

I know I don't arrive early to meetings. I know how much I used to delay them. But I believe he did this on purpose just to get a reaction.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and fixed my gaze on the screen while I was behind Mr. Bennett as he led the way. A message from Daniel.

Forwarded

Mr. Graves: Venue Change - Finance Meeting has been moved to Conference Room D, Perly Gates. Conference Room B is no longer available.

I locked the screen and put the phone away without comment.

Mr. Bennett stopped in front of a different door, two doors after the Conference B entrance, and pushed it open as he walked in.

I joined him.