Chapter 4 - The Unraveling Web
By 10:00 AM, the executive floor of Whitmore Dynamics was in lockdown. Marcus Vance had been escorted from the premises by three corporate security officers, his personal effects packed into two cardboard boxes. News of his sudden termination sent shockwaves through the financial markets, causing Whitmore Dynamics stock to dip three percent within the first hour of trading.
In his office, Grant sat behind his desk. Across from him sat Arthur Vance and Ruth Delgado, the overnight supervisor who had helped rescue Rachel.
"NorthStar’s legal team is threatening a breach-of-contract lawsuit," Arthur reported, looking up from his tablet. "They claim we are unilaterally canceling a five-year service agreement without the required ninety-day cure period."
"Tell them to sue," Grant replied coldly. "And inform them that our legal team is simultaneously filing a class-action fraud and human rights violation suit against their corporate officers on behalf of every sub-contracted worker in this state. Let’s see which lawsuit reaches discovery first."
Ruth Delgado cleared her throat softly. She was still wearing her blue supervisor scrubs. "Mr. Whitmore, I just came from the hospital. Rachel has regained consciousness."
Grant immediately stood up from his desk. "How is she?"
"The antibiotics are starting to work, but her pneumonia is severe. The doctors say she was days away from total respiratory failure," Ruth said, her voice filled with emotion. "When she woke up, she panicked. She thought she had been fired and that her children were in state care. It took three nurses to keep her in bed until we showed her Emma."
Grant grabbed his coat. "Is she able to speak?"
"She can talk, but she’s weak," Ruth said. "Mr. Whitmore... when she found out you were the one who brought Emma and Sophie to the hospital, she didn't look relieved. She looked terrified."
Grant paused, his hand on the door handle. "Why?"
"Because of Mr. Alvarez," Ruth said quietly.
"Who is Alvarez?" Grant recalled Emma mentioning the name the night before.
"He’s the regional operations director for NorthStar," Ruth explained. "And he’s also the landlord of the tenement building where Rachel and dozens of other low-wage NorthStar workers live. He controls their jobs and their housing. If they complain about working conditions, he fires them from NorthStar, which instantly gives him legal grounds to evict them under the conditional housing clauses in their leases."
Grant’s eyes grew dark. "A company town in the middle of downtown Chicago."
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"It’s worse than that," Ruth continued. "Alvarez knows Rachel is in the hospital. My contacts at the building say his men were seen at Rachel’s apartment two hours ago. They’re changing the locks."
Grant’s knuckles turned white against the brass door handle. "Arthur, get the head of corporate security. We’re going to taking a drive."
