That seemed to annoy him more.
Security walked me to the elevator, embarrassed.
On the way out, I passed the founder’s portrait in the lobby: Arthur Tennant, standing in front of the first factory with his sleeves rolled up and sawdust on his boots.
My grandfather.
The man who taught me never to sign something angry and never reveal power until it had a purpose.
Martin had never asked my maiden name.
At 10:03, my phone rang.
It was Nina, whispering.
“Clara, he’s in the boardroom. Legal just opened your file. He’s yelling, ‘Clara Tennant — who is she?!’”
I smiled at the cardboard box in my lap.
“Tell him,” I said, “I’m the woman he needed permission to fire.”
Part 2: The Sound of Glass Breaking
By 10:15 a.m., the panic on the eighth floor had reached a pitch that could be heard through the heavy mahogany doors of the executive boardroom.
