The conference room on the executive floor was different from the ones downstairs.
Bigger windows. Better furniture. Coffee that actually tasted like coffee instead of burnt water. The kind of space that reminded you exactly where power lived in the building.
Ms. Vargas sat at the head of the table, hands folded in front of her, posture perfect. Across from her sat two people she'd been dreading seeing for weeks.
Richard Chen, Senior Legal Counsel for the Tribune's parent company. Mid-fifties, grey suit, the kind of face that gave nothing away. He'd flown in from New York specifically for this meeting.
And beside him, Laura Keating, VP of Risk Management. Early forties, sharp eyes, a tablet in front of her filled with what Ms. Vargas knew were documented concerns, incident reports, and carefully worded liability assessments.
"Thank you for meeting with us on short notice," Richard said. His voice was pleasant. Professional. The kind of pleasant that meant absolutely nothing good was coming.
"Of course," Ms. Vargas replied.
Laura opened her tablet.
"We need to discuss Delaney Schulz."
Ms. Vargas had known this was coming. Had prepared for it. But hearing the name out loud in this room, with these people, made her stomach tighten anyway.
"What about her?"
"Several concerns have been raised," Richard said. "Regarding her methods, her team's working conditions, and—" he paused, glancing at Laura, "—the recent departure of Rowan Voss."
There it was.
"Rowan resigned," Ms. Vargas said carefully. "HR processed his paperwork. It was voluntary."
"Was it?" Laura's eyes didn't leave her screen. "Because we've received inquiries. Anonymous tips. Questions about the circumstances of his departure."
"From whom?"
"That's not important right now. What's important is that we're seeing a pattern." Laura swiped through her tablet. "Three team members have left Delaney's investigative unit in the past two months. Two citing 'hostile work environment,' one simply disappearing from the roster with no forwarding information."
"Journalism is stressful—"
"We're aware," Richard cut in, not unkindly. "But this goes beyond stress. We've reviewed the HR complaints. The documented concerns from remaining team members. The—" he hesitated, "—security footage gaps from the parking garage on the day Mr. Voss supposedly resigned."
Ms. Vargas's hands tightened slightly.
"What are you suggesting?"
"We're not suggesting anything," Laura said. "We're stating facts. There are irregularities. There are concerns. And there is significant liability exposure for this company if those concerns prove founded."
"Delaney is one of our best investigators—"
"Delaney Schulz is a liability." Richard's pleasant tone didn't waver. "However talented she may be, her methods have created a work environment that exposes us to lawsuits, regulatory scrutiny, and potentially criminal investigation."
The room felt very cold suddenly.
"Criminal investigation," Ms. Vargas repeated slowly.
"Rowan Voss has been missing for two weeks," Laura said. "His car was found cleaned and returned to the garage. His personal effects were removed from his desk. His email account was deactivated. And according to our IT department, someone accessed his computer remotely the night before he 'resigned.'"
"That doesn't mean—"
"It means we have questions," Richard said firmly. "Questions we need answered before they're asked by people with subpoena power."
Ms. Vargas sat very still.
"What do you want from me?"
Laura looked up from her tablet.
"We want you to suspend Delaney Schulz. Effective immediately. Pending a full internal review of her operations, her team structure, and the circumstances surrounding Mr. Voss's departure."
"That will destroy her career."
"That's not our concern," Richard said. "Our concern is protecting this company from legal action and reputational damage. If the review clears her, she can return. If it doesn't—" he shrugged slightly, "—then we've prevented a much larger problem."
"You want me to end her career based on suspicions and anonymous tips."
"We want you to do your job," Laura said, not unkindly. "Which is to manage risk. And right now, Delaney Schulz is the biggest risk this publication faces."
Ms. Vargas looked at them both. At their expensive suits and their tablets full of liability assessments and their calm, professional faces that had already made the decision before walking into this room.
"And if I refuse?"
Richard's expression didn't change.
"Then we'll have this conversation with someone else. Someone who understands that protecting the institution sometimes means making difficult personnel decisions."
The threat was clear. Elegant. Completely professional.
Suspend Delaney, or be removed for failing to do so.
"I need time," Ms. Vargas said. "To review the materials. To speak with HR. To—"
"You have until Monday," Laura said. "We'll need your decision by then. Suspend her, or we'll escalate this to the board."
Richard stood, smoothing his suit.
"We're not the enemy here, Ms. Vargas. We're trying to help you navigate a very difficult situation before it becomes a catastrophic one."
"Of course," Ms. Vargas said automatically.
They gathered their materials. Shook her hand. Left with the same pleasant professionalism they'd arrived with.
The door closed.
Ms. Vargas sat alone in the expensive conference room, staring at nothing.
She'd known this was coming. Had seen it building for weeks. The HR complaints. The team deterioration. Rowan's too-convenient resignation and the questions it raised.
She'd tried to handle it quietly. Sent Rowan to investigate discreetly. Hoped he'd find something concrete enough to act on, or find nothing and confirm her fears were overblown.
Instead, Rowan had vanished. And now corporate legal was involved. And she was being asked to choose between protecting a talented journalist and protecting the institution that employed her.
Her phone buzzed. Text from her assistant:
Assistant
Delaney's downstairs asking to meet with you. Should I schedule?
Ms. Vargas stared at the message.
Delaney. Who'd built a career on relentless investigation and boundary-pushing journalism. Who'd turned a surveillance operation into something that looked increasingly like obsession. Who'd somehow managed to make a junior staff member disappear without leaving enough evidence to prove anything.
And who had no idea that her career was about to end.
Ms. Vargas typed back:
Vargas
Not today. Tell her I'm in meetings all afternoon.
Then she stood, gathered her things, and walked back to her office.
She had until Monday to decide whether to throw Delaney to the wolves, or be thrown to them herself.
Either way, someone was going down.
The only question was who.
Outside her office, the newsroom hummed with its usual energy. People writing. Editing. Chasing stories. Doing the work they'd signed up for.
And somewhere in that chaos, Delaney Schulz sat at her desk, completely unaware that the walls were closing in.
Ms. Vargas closed her office door.
Sat at her desk.
And started drafting the suspension notice.
Because in the end, institutions protected themselves.
They always did.
Even when it meant sacrificing the people who'd built them.
> Chapter complete. Continue to next chapter? [Y/N] █