The Employees Behind The Glass
Chapter 05 - The Employees Behind The Glass
Nobody inside the showroom knew whether to celebrate.
Derek had controlled schedules, bonuses, promotions, and dismissals. Claire now controlled the trust, but employees had watched enough powerful families to understand that one surname could replace another without changing anything.
Claire saw their uncertainty through the glass.
She unlocked the main doors.
Derek moved first, trying to enter.
The security system denied his badge.
Claire used a temporary access panel to let everyone else out.
Technicians gathered near the coupe. Sales staff stood apart. The receptionist, Maya Chen, held a box containing Claire’s personal belongings.
Claire climbed out of Meridian.
“I’m not asking anyone to choose sides,” she said. “I’m asking you to preserve records and tell the truth.”
A senior mechanic named Samuel Ortiz stepped forward.
“We told management about the fake recall repairs.”
“When?”
“Last year. Derek said we would be fired for accusing the company without proof.”
Two technicians nodded.
Another employee began crying. She had altered digital dates after a manager threatened to cancel her medical insurance.
Claire looked at Derek.
“This was not one dishonest employee.”
He crossed his arms.
“You don’t know how dealerships survive. Manufacturers delay reimbursements. Customers demand free repairs. We moved numbers to keep people employed.”
Samuel’s voice hardened.
“You moved broken cars back onto roads.”
A customer near the entrance heard him.
Within minutes, phones were recording.
Claire ordered no public speech. She asked Maya to close new sales, keep the service department open only for safety emergencies, and provide every worker with independent legal contacts.
Derek laughed.
“You cannot run a company from a parking lot.”
Claire looked at the employees.
“No.”
May you like
Then she pointed toward the showroom.
“We will run it from the records you were told to ignore.”
