Chapter 6 - The Shadow of the Past
The transition over the next two weeks was swift, but not everyone was happy with the new regime.
Vance Sterling had not taken his termination quietly. Upset by his ruined corporate reputation and the loss of his six-figure compensation package, he hired a high-profile employment attorney in Charlotte and filed a public wrongful termination lawsuit against Whitaker Holdings.
The headlines hit the local business papers on Friday morning:
TYCOON JULIAN WHITAKER SUED FOR UNFAIR DISMISSAL: FORMER HR HEAD CLAIMS BIZARRE, UNPROFESSIONAL FAVORITISM TOWARD JUNIOR ESTATE STAFF.
In the article, Vance Sterling’s lawyer claimed that Julian had fired Sterling in a "fits of unhinged volatility" to promote an "unqualified nineteen-year-old housekeeper with no formal credentials."
Ellie sat in the breakroom on Friday morning, staring at the newspaper clipping on her tablet. Her hands were shaking slightly.
The feeling of shame that she had worked so hard to bury came rushing back. The article made her sound like a charity case—a pity hire elevated way beyond her capability by a moody billionaire.
The door opened, and Julian walked in. He saw her face and instantly knew what she was reading.
He took the tablet from her hands and set it face down on the table.
"Don't read trash, Ellie," Julian said calmly.
"He's right about one thing, Mr. Whitaker," Ellie whispered, looking down at her hands. "I don't have an engineering degree. I'm nineteen. What if people look at me and just see... a broken girl you took pity on?"
Julian’s face softened, but his voice was iron.
"Ellie, look at me."
She raised her eyes.
"When I looked through that utility room door two weeks ago," Julian said, "I didn't see a broken girl. I saw the toughest, smartest person in this entire county. You were fighting a battle every single day that would have made half my corporate board sit down and cry."
He leaned in closer.
"Vance Sterling thinks a degree makes a man capable. I’ve met hundreds of men with Ivy League degrees who couldn't fix a broken toaster if their life depended on it. You have talent, grit, and integrity. Credentials can be bought. Those things can't."
He stood up, adjusting his coat.
"Besides," Julian added with a dangerous glint in his eye, "Vance Sterling just made the biggest mistake of his life. He made this public."
May you like
"What are you going to do?" Ellie asked.
"I'm holding a press conference at the corporate headquarters at two o'clock," Julian said. "And you're coming with me."
