“More or less. Dad, if someone you didn’t know came into one of your meetings to inform you one of your supervisors was sorely mistreating a subordinate, what would you do?”
“Find out who that person was and see if there was any truth to the claim.”
“And if you found out that the supervisor was in fact verbally abusive and making said employee do his or her work?”
Andrew sighed like the answer was obvious. “Fired.”
“And if I, your own son, was that supervisor.”
“Still fired. Are we getting to the point, son?”
“Almost, and if you found out that one of your suppliers had that exact scenario and opted to fire the victim and her witness instead of the family member?”
“Cancelled. I don’t need to do business with that type of person or company.”
Lester turned whiter than he already was. “Last question, Dad. What if that abused employee was Cayla?”
Andrew’s inquisitive face went hostile. His eyes darkened with anger. He yanked off his glasses and stared at Dex.
“Cayla as in my daughter-in-law, Kalilah’s, little sister? My honorary baby girl who’s practically a Sinclair? That Cayla?”
Dex smiled when Cayla peeked around him and waved at the camera. Andrew stood and leaned on his desk.
“Cayla? Darling, are you being mistreated? Who do I need to fire? Or what company do I need to purchase and dismantle?” Andrew stomped off camera and returned shrugging into his suit jacket. “Lester, I don’t know what in the hell is going on over there…”
“Uh, nothing, Mr. Sinclair. Everything is fine,” he sputtered like the idiot his nephew accused Cayla of being.
“Cayla?” Andrew was done listening to his answer. “Were you being verbally abused, and if so by whom?” Dex knew why Cayla hesitated, she didn’t like being a victim. Felix; however, had no qualms with snitching.
Felix nudged Craig into Andrew’s line of sight. His complaint came out rushed. “He’s right here, Mr. Sinclair. His name is Craig, and he’s Lester’s nephew. He yelled at her in front of the entire floor. He said her work was trash. It’s the same work my supervisor said was excellent. He also told her maybe she could use her looks to marry rich. That way he didn’t have be BLINDED by her idiocy, yet she’s been doing all of his work since he became her supervisor.” Andrew’s face scrunched in pure rage as he eyeballed Craig. “And that was just today, sir. I have a whole list right here of different insults, dates, and times over the last few months.”
“Craig,” Andrew growled, his voice is low and deadly. “You are fired. Grab your shit and leave. NOW!”
“I…I don’t work for you.” Craig tried his last shred of defiance.
“If you don’t leave now, NO ONE WILL WORK FOR TECH’S TEC! Do you understand what I’m saying, or are you slow?”
“Just go Craig,” Lester implored, his lip trembling. Craig scurried out like the bitch he was while Lester tried to mend fences. “Mr. Sinclair…
”
“Not now, Lester. I will be there in 30 minutes. We will talk in your office…”
“It’s okay, Dad. Don’t alter your schedule.” Dex looked down to address Lester. “Lucky for you, I believe in second chances, but I have a few demands. You will lay off Cayla and Felix,” Dex commanded. “You will give them a lovely severance package of six-month’s worth of pay plus the vacation and sick days they haven’t used. Since Justin is the only one who is diplomatic and objective enough to believe me when I stormed in, I want him to write their letters of recommendation. If any future employer ever calls to check their references, you better give them glowing recommendations. You will not hire Craig back under any circumstance or umbrella. Not even as your damn maid. You will restructure your leadership by hiring a new HR manager. I don’t care what position you give your son, he just cannot have any power over anyone. The new HR Manager will not be related to you in any form since you aren’t capable of punishing family members. AM I CLEAR?”
Dex waited for Lester to respond. “Yes.” His answer was soft and defeated.
“Did you write that all down?” His eyes settled on Lester’s sour-faced assistant and waited for her nod. “Now, read it back to me, because God help you all if my conditions are not met…”
Once he was satisfied with the list he looked at Lester. “Don’t try to blame anyone other than your nephew and your lack of leadership skills for the mess you’ve found yourself in today. You are supposed to be a leader, not a bully. You are supposed to protect and encourage your employees, not break their spirits.”
Dex looked around the room taking in all the stunned faces. He still didn’t trust them. “I’ll be sending my brother in here randomly for the next six months for supplier audits to make sure you’ve gotten your shit together. Trust me when I say you’d rather deal with him than me or my dad. Don’t try to bullshit him; he’s a genius. If and only IF you get his seal of approval, Sinclair Industries will consider renewing your contract. Understand?”
The look he gave the room didn’t give them the opportunity to protest. Dex returned his attention to the screen. His dad’s face turned from shock to fatherly pride. “I couldn’t have said it better. Dex, you know there’s still a spot here for you.”
“I know Dad, but owning The Woodland’s best restaurant is time consuming.” He looked at Darrin for emphasis. “I shouldn’t have left during the lunch rush, but my gut told me I needed to find out what was going on here.”
“Thank you for getting to the bottom of it. I guess I’ll wait to see how it pans out with Nick. Be happy Dex was there, gentleman. He’s a lot nicer than me.”