Chapter 6 - The Chicago Connection
The following afternoon, at 2:00 PM, a black luxury sedan pulled up to the curb outside Excel Fitness.
The driver, a tall man wearing a dark grey suit, black leather gloves, and a silver tie, stepped out into the rain. His name was Victor Vance—Brandon Vance's older brother, and the Chief Compliance Officer for Vanguard Financial Services, the parent corporation that owned the Excel Fitness chain.
Victor stepped into the gym lobby, his heavy leather shoes clicking sharply against the tile floor.
The gym was busy with afternoon exercisers, but the front desk was currently managed by a young college student who looked nervous as Victor approached, displaying an official corporate badge.
"Where is Maya Lin?" Victor asked, his voice low, commanding, and smooth as polished glass.
"She... she's in the manager's office, sir," the clerk stammered. "She said she was finishing the monthly audit reports."
Victor didn't wait for an invitation. He walked down the narrow corridor, opened the door to the manager's office without knocking, and stepped inside, shutting the door firmly behind him.
Maya was sitting at her desk, typing on her laptop. She didn't look surprised to see him.
"You took your time getting here from Chicago, Victor," Maya said smoothly, shutting her laptop screen halfway.
Victor walked over to her desk, leaning his heavy hands on the wood, glaring down at her with cold, dark eyes.
"My brother called me crying last night," Victor hissed. "He said you humiliated him in front of fifty people, fired him on the spot, and issued a manual override refund to an account that was supposed to remain frozen."
May you like
Maya smiled faintly, leaning back in her leather chair. "Your brother is an arrogant idiot, Victor. He was drawing attention to the branch. He was threatening an old man who happens to be a retired federal inspector."
Victor’s jaw tightened. "I don't care who the old man is. That account was locked under Protocol 9. No refunds, no overrides, no manual activity. Do you have any idea what you've done by executing that ledger change?"
