The acquisitions committee convened in Claire Corporation's largest conference room at 2 PM Thursday. Charlie sat in the back row, designated observer seating, watching Emily Torres arrange her presentation materials with acute precision. Marcus Blackwood sat at the head of the table, flanked by Perry Stone and four other senior executives.Emily's presentation was systematic She walked through Riverside Manufacturing's financials, operational challenges, and growth potential with relentless thoroughness. Charlie had contributed significantly, the cash flow projections, competitive positioning, risk assessment, but Emily presented it as a unified whole. No personal attributions, just professional competence."Our recommendation," Emily concluded, "is acquisition at $47 million, structured as seventy percent cash, thirty percent stock. This valuation reflects corrected depreciation assumptions, conservative growth projections, and accounts for working capital requirements."Marcus nod

The emergency meeting was called for seven a.m., which told Charlie everything he needed to know before anyone spoke. Emily stood at the head of the conference room, her expression harder than he'd seen in weeks."Blackstone Acquisitions just filed preliminary interest paperwork for Riverside Manufacturing," she said without preamble. "Nathan Cross is leading the bid."Charlie watched the color drain from Marcus's face."Cross," Marcus repeated, the name landing like a stone. "How certain are we?""Completely. Their letter of intent went to Riverside's board yesterday evening." Emily pulled up a photograph on the screen, a man in his early forties with sharp features and a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "For those who don't know him, Nathan Cross specializes in what he calls 'value extraction.' What that actually means is buying companies, liquidating their assets, and selling the pieces for profit.""What about the workforce?" Charlie asked.Emily's jaw tightened. "If Cross gets R

At seven-fifteen, Charlie’s phone was vibrating off his nightstand. He had snoozed the alarm he set for 6 A.M twice but the constant sounds from his phone forced him up. The first he saw when he opened his phone was a news headline. The headline read: “Claire Corporation’s Controversial Wunderkind: College Student Wields Power Over Major Acquisitions.”Charlie sat on the edge of his bed, reading with growing dread. The piece opened with the Grant party, the photos and videos from the event and the social media speculations by Angela and Jerry Stone's group. Then it shifted to questions about his age, his qualifications, and whether someone still in college should influence deals worth tens of millions.The worst part came near the end: “According to unnamed sources within Claire Corporation, there is significant internal disagreement about Maxwell’s role in the firm.”Nepotism. They didn’t use the word, but the implication lingered like smoke.His phone buzzed again. Daniel in the

The video call connected at eight, all four faces popping into the familiar little grid. Everything looked normal, but something in the air felt tight, a kind of tension none of them acknowledged at first. “So,” Jacy said when the greetings faded. “I have news. I’m taking a gap semester. Rebecca offered me a full-time position through fall, and… I’m accepting it.”Silence dropped over the call like a blanket.“That’s great,” Charlie said, genuinely meaning it, even though something beneath his words seemed to shift, like a floorboard giving way.“I’m staying in Thailand through fall,” Cindy added, voice soft. “The microfinance project got extended funding. They want me to help launch two new programs.”Daniel looked between the screens. “Guess it’s just Charlie and me going back to Yorkers in September.”“Yeah,” Charlie said. “Just us.”The little grid suddenly felt like a map, California, Thailand, Connecticut, New York. Four corners of a life that no longer lined up the way it used

Emily called Charlie into her office Monday morning. He expected another assignment, probably more Riverside work or something tied to the deal pipeline. Instead, she looked tense, almost irritated in a controlled way that made him straighten in his chair before she even spoke.“You’re rotating to Finance,” she finally said. Charlie blinked. “What? I thought I was staying with Acquisitions for the rest of the program.”“I wanted you to stay,” Emily said, cutting him off with a small, frustrated sigh. “But senior leadership insisted rotations be enforced for every participant. They want broader exposure and standardized training across divisions.” Her jaw tightened. “I argued against it. I lost.”Charlie exhaled slowly. “So when do I start?”“Today,” Emily said. “Two p.m. Diana Reeves is expecting you.”He’d heard about Diana, the CFO known for precision, spotless discipline, and expecting perfection without ever raising her voice. Where Emily intimidated through presence, Diana intim