Office Showdown

"Oh dear, Mr. Brown, this is too much trouble. What If...? you don't know anything, just delegate the authority to each supervisor. Wouldn't that make your life much easier? Even if I gave you the key to the archives, how long would it take you to learn? A year?"

Two years?"

The administrative director still gave a lukewarm response, refusing to budge.

From the perspective of the administrative director, Henry's excuse was quite unreasonable. Therefore, he refused.

What If...? the intention was to encourage the new CEO to get down to business, such a refusal would be understandable. However, the reason he said no today was not out of goodwill; it was simply a matter of disrespect!

After all, office politics doesn't always follow logic. Just give a plausible reason, everyone saves face, and the job gets done.

For some unknown reason, this director wanted to test the mettle of this newly appointed executive director.

There was nothing that could be done, because Henry's resume with the personnel department was too bizarre. The education section was completely blank; he couldn't even produce an elementary school graduation certificate.

The qualifications section only lists three experiences: fisherman on a crab boat, Hollywood extra, and assistant to a washed-up star.

How could a young man in his early twenties become the CEO of Stark Studios? Anyone who saw that resume would have that question. Some might even wonder, can he read? Can he spell?

No one could have imagined that Henry actually had a way of learning through extensive reading in a short period of time. And the administrative director's blatantly provocative behavior also annoyed him.

It seems that the young Stark's reputation is not as great as the Old Man Stark's.

The administrative director was also present at the inauguration banquet last night. Could it be that his pleasant conversation with Tony Stark was interpreted by these people as him getting to his position by selling his body?

So, you'll still have to do it yourself.

Although Tony threw a party to cheer him on, he didn't say anyone couldn't be fired. He couldn't easily find an excuse to cause trouble; someone was practically offering their neck, so why not chop them off? He wasn't in a position where he could back down so easily anymore.

Henry picked up the phone on his desk and dialed. "Hello, finance? This is CEO Henry Brown. Please settle the executive director John Snipe's salary up to today."

"Pfft, another John. Do you know how many John I know? Oh, don't mind me, I was just talking to myself. Also, what's the severance pay for dismissing employees? Six months? Okay, please settle that too."

The second call. "Hello, security? This is CEO Henry Brown. Please send someone to oversee the dismissal of the employee, former administrative director John Snipe, packing his personal belongings and escorting him out of the company. Send someone over immediately."

After making the two phone calls, Henry looked at the dumbfounded administrative director and said with a smile, "You can find a box and get ready to pack your things."

"You—you're going to fire me!"

"Under California law, employers can terminate employment at any time. As the company's CEO, I naturally have the authority to make personnel decisions. Furthermore, I am adhering to the original contract you signed when you joined the company and am paying you an additional six months' severance pay. Is there anything wrong with that?"

"You—" The administrative director, who had been suddenly fired, was furious. He jumped up and yelled, "You damn freaking brat who didn't even graduate from college! I might have been working hard at the company before you were even born!"

"What right do you have to fire me! Do you know how many resources I control in the company? Without me, do you think you can find the film's copyright documents? Do you know where to find the equipment's patent documents?"

"The quantity of equipment in the warehouse? The equipment rental situation? Every single one of these company assets—which one isn't under my control! If I don't want to hand it over, believe me, even you, the CEO, can't get it!"

Henry was stunned by the scolding. With a helpless sigh, he made a regretful expression and picked up the phone to make another call.

"Hello, finance? This is Henry Brown. John Snipe's salary and severance pay don't need to be settled. That's all."

"Hello, legal department? This is CEO Henry Brown. Send someone over here. There's some bastard embezzling company assets! I need to thoroughly audit the company's accounts."

"If you don't have enough manpower, contact the group's legal team and ask them to send someone to support me. I just took office and this is the first thing you've done! Are you trying to make me take the blame?"

"If there are any problems with the accounts, sue me if you must, and demand every penny of compensation. Company assets belong to the company, not to any private individual, and they won't just disappear if someone is missing!"

After venting his frustration over the phone, Henry hung up with a sigh of relief. He'd known about all this trouble beforehand, and hadn't had to make two phone calls and retract his original orders. What a waste of breath!

He was puzzled; why would anyone reveal such a thing? Unhappy at home, a wife who was too annoying, so he wanted to go to jail to avoid the limelight?

Just then, the film studio's security personnel nervously entered the office, looking at the young and ambitious new CEO and the terrified old administrative director.

Henry wasn't going to stop there. He stood at the office door, facing the entire administration department, and whistled loudly, causing all the department staff, who had already quieted down, to look up at him.

"Julianne, who is the deputy in the administrative department?"

The equally terrified Black woman pointed blankly at a much larger, overweight Black woman. "What's your full name, madam?" Wendy Henry asked sternly, looking at the woman who had been called.

"Wendy, Wendy Ingrid, Mr."

Lowering his voice, Henry said, "Very well, Mrs. Ingrid. From now on, you are the head of administration. You all heard the conversation in the office just now, didn't you?"

A sudden promotion seems like a good thing. But considering what just happened and what's about to happen, it seems a bit ominous. This made the overweight Black woman give a wry smile, but she still nodded.

Henry continued, "Now you have two tasks to perform immediately. First, wait for the company's legal personnel to arrive and accompany them to inventory the company assets that the former administrative director should hand over, making sure nothing is missing."

"And in cooperation with legal personnel, conduct a comprehensive audit of the administrative department's accounts and assets. My bottom line is that the accounts must match, and that the bastard inside must return everything he embezzled. How long do you need for this, and can you give me a result?"

"Hmm, three days----?" the fat Black woman asked tentatively.

"I'm giving you two days. What If...? you can't do it, I'm sure someone in this office can."

The supervisor position will be filled by someone else. Do you understand what I mean?

"Yes, sir."

"Secondly, I need the key to the archives. Please find it now and give it to me."

"Yes, sir." The plump Black woman replied, but remained standing there dumbfounded.

Seeing this, Henry clapped his hands loudly. "Get moving! Get moving! This is a workplace, not a movie theater. Nobody can stand around watching a bunch of idiots act on the big screen."

The claim that layoffs have affected major arteries only indicates that the successor hasn't been paid enough. With enough money, even major arteries can be bypassed!

Only a stingy boss would send a broken blood vessel straight to the morgue. But Tony Stark's target was to avoid bankruptcy; why would Henry be afraid of a mere old retainer getting angry?