Victoria looked at him.
“I know how important your numbers were.”
A pause.
“But I also know what you did to people.”
Richard’s smile disappeared.
“Careful.”
Victoria held his gaze.
“No.”
Her voice shook slightly.
“But I should have said this a long time ago.”
The room became silent.
“I allowed your behavior to continue because I thought protecting the company’s profits mattered more than confronting you.”
She swallowed.
“I was wrong.”
Richard stared at her.
“You’re choosing her?”
Victoria answered quietly.
“I’m choosing the company.”
Jessica opened another folder.
“This is not only about workplace behavior.”
She pushed a document toward the board.
“These are communication records.”
Richard’s eyes moved quickly across the page.
Then stopped.
A small crack appeared in his confidence.
Diane spoke.
“These records show repeated attempts by you to contact former employees and encourage them to undermine Pinnacle Tech after your termination.”
Richard immediately responded.
“That proves nothing.”
Jessica nodded.
“You’re right.”
“It proves nothing by itself.”
She looked at Diane.
“Play the recording.”
Diane connected a laptop.
The screen displayed a hotel conference room.
Richard’s own voice filled the boardroom.
“I have the Westfield financial models.”
Silence.
The board members looked at each other.
Richard’s face changed.
The recording continued.
“Trade secrets.”
“Strategic plans.”
“Internal projections.”
“I can provide everything.”
The room felt colder.
Richard quickly stood.
“This is illegal.”
Jessica looked at him.
“No.”
“You made a choice.”
“A choice to sell information belonging to the company you were paid to protect.”
Richard’s anger exploded.
“You think you’re better than me?”
His voice echoed through the room.
“You think because you built this company decades ago, you understand how business works today?”
Jessica remained seated.
“I understand something you forgot.”
“What?”
She looked directly at him.
“Trust is the most valuable asset a company owns.”
Richard slammed his hand on the table.
“I made this company profitable!”
Jessica answered immediately.
“You helped increase revenue.”
A pause.
“But you damaged the foundation.”
She pointed around the room.
“These people.”
“The employees.”
“The teams.”
“The young people who believed their work mattered.”
“That is what you destroyed.”
Richard laughed bitterly.
“You’re being emotional.”
Jessica looked at him.
“No.”
“I’m being responsible.”
The board members began speaking.
One by one.
A director who had worked at Pinnacle for 15 years spoke first.
“I cannot support Mr. Collins continuing in any leadership position.”
Another nodded.
“Neither can I.”
Richard looked around.
The realization finally arrived.
The room was not his anymore.
The people who once followed him were no longer afraid.
Jessica waited until everyone had spoken.
Then she stood.
“Richard Collins.”
He looked at her.
“Effective immediately, your employment with Pinnacle Tech is terminated.”
His face turned red.
“You can’t do that.”
Jessica remained calm.
“Yes, I can.”
“As the founder and majority shareholder, I have both the authority and responsibility to protect this company.”