Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 67355 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67355 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
I point to the reports in question. “Go ahead and take a look through the last three months. I want you pay special attention to the budget versus profit lines for each department and explain the discrepancies to me.”
He eyes the reports on my desk before looking at me as if needed additional permission.
“Go on. Take them.”
He approaches my desk and picks up the documents with trembling hands. Langston then makes a show of flipping through the pages as if he’s actually going through them with some precision even though I see the panic in his eyes and sweat gleaming on his forehead.
The rapid rise and fall of his chest indicates he’s on the verge of breaking and I’m enjoying every second of it.
“Well, if you look at last month’s quarterly report, you’ll see that everything balances out. One of the other accountants must have made a miscalculation that I must have missed when I looked over the reports and I take full responsibility for that. I should have brought this to your attention when it happened but I didn’t want that person to get in trouble, or worse lose their job.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose and squeeze my eyes shut because I’m on the verge of popping a blood vessel. Just when I thought it wasn’t possible for this asshole to dig himself deeper into the hole, he’s already in he does. I’ve underestimated the depth of his self-preservation skill.
How he’s related to someone as selfless as Zora is beyond me but then again, we can’t choose the families we’re born into. No one understands that lesson better than me.
“The only job you should be worried about is your own, Knight. In fact, you should be worried about your freedom as well. Usually, I’d have our HR Department handle this matter but I’m the one responsible for bringing you on. You clearly took me for a fool if you thought you could get away with this.
“Wait a minute, what do you mean, my freedom? If we go over these reports together, I’m sure I can explain everything to you.”
“There’s no need. The forensic accounting team I’ve hired will be able to do that. Despite this being an at will state, I can’t fire you according to your contract, without just cause but I can suspend you while an investigation takes place if malfeasance is suspected.”
His shoulders sag and he hangs his head.
Got you, motherfucker.
“I can resign. Do we really have to get the authorities involved? Once the books are audited, you’ll see that the company has been made whole.”
A smile curves my lips but I feel no humor. “You have absolutely no shame do you? I took a chance on you because I believe I saw something in you that would make you a good fit for this company. Not to mention, we have a connection of being from the same town.”
He nods his head and he grins like the fool that he is. “Yes, we’re both from Champion. I never brought it up, but you would have graduated around the same year as my sister. Perhaps you might have had a couple of classes with her, although I’m sure the two of you wouldn’t be in the same social circles, she’s not on your level.”
I jump to my feet and move around my desk so quickly, I take even myself by surprise so I know Langston couldn’t have expected my next move.
I grip the tie he’d meticulously adjusted so many times and wrap it around my fist until my knuckles pressed in the underside of his chin. “Do you think that loose connection will bail you out of trouble you’re in? I figured you were a snake, but you’re not going to talk down on your sister.”
His eyes widen. “I…I’m sorry. Please…I can’t breathe.”
“If you can talk, you can breathe. I’m just wondering what kind of person you are because you’re not a man. You steal from this company and think you can make it right just because you put it back? And what about the next time when you don’t hit at the casino or you can’t borrow money from your father you’ll probably never pay back?”
“How did you…?”
I snicker at his wide-eyed shock. “I’m very thorough when I want to find something out. Did you think I wouldn’t have you have someone investigate your background when I realized you were stealing from me? Some might say I was an idiot for giving you a chance without conducting one in the first place but like you said, we did have a connection through our mutual town of origin. However, I realize just how idiotic I was when I dug a little deeper into your past.”
“I can explain, my father hasn’t been in the best of health and—”