outrageous!” Bruce yelled. “I told you private investigators are
lowlifes.”
“I agree,” Crystal replied with a sharp
nod. “Since we are not paying that
scam artist another cent, we need to act fast. I think we should reveal the photos at
faculty council meeting tomorrow. I
can add them into my quarterly HR presentation.”
“Excellent idea, cupcake,” Bruce said with a
grin. “It doesn’t have the wow factor I was going for, but it’s
very effective. After the big
reveal, I can move for an immediate vote to terminate Cole’s appointment.”
“Then they will finally realize you should
have been appointed Dean, not Cole Armstrong.”
“Precisely. I’ll magnanimously offer to assist the
council in cleaning up the mess resulting from Cole’s affair. We’ll terminate Sophie from the
Residency program and provide her with a modest settlement. Cole will be offered a payout as well,
but only if he signs a gag order and adheres to his non-compete agreement. He’ll have to move out of state if he
wants to practice medicine. Finally, after everything is wrapped up, I’ll ascend to my rightful
position as Dean of the School of Medicine.”
****
Samantha Walberg flushed beet red and broke
out into a nervous sweat. She was
desperately trying not to eavesdrop on Crystal and Dr. Mapleton’s conversation,
but their loud voices carried through the closed office door. She wrung her hands in
consternation. Sam couldn’t believe
they were trying to get Dean Armstrong fired! He was the nicest man. Dean Armstrong always took the time to
chat with Sam and indulge in the chocolate bars she set aside for him.
Crystal’s office door opened, startling
her. Sam stifled a squeak. Dr. Mapleton walked out and exited the
suite without even acknowledging her presence. Crystal stepped out of her office and barked,
“Assemble my slides for the HR presentation tomorrow. I need you to compile all of the reports
and graphics. Leave room at the end
of the presentation for an impromptu revelation.”
“Yes, Ms. Bridges,” Sam replied. “I’ll get on it right away.”
“Make sure you do Sam,” Crystal replied with
a frown. “Keep in mind, you are
currently on probation due to your failure to adequately review my paperwork.”
Crystal slammed her door. Sam felt anxious tears prick the corners
of her eyes, and blinked them back. “No crying at work,” she mentally admonished herself. Sam stared at Crystal’s closed door for
a minute before opening up her desk drawer and gathering her purse. She was NOT going to let Crystal and Dr.
Mapleton ruin the Dean’s career. Sam stood up and marched out of the office. If Crystal wanted to fire Sam for
abandoning her desk, so be it. She
could take the job and shove it!
Chapter
Fourteen
“As you can see from this chart, state
funding decreased 5% this quarter and research funding was up 7.5%. This is the result of an increase in
funding to our institution, as well as a strengthening of the overall state
economy. Based on my projections,
this will become an ongoing trend,” the finance presenter said.
Crystal looked away from the screen and out
on the audience. The majority of
the faculty in attendance were either sleeping, surfing the internet ,
or texting on their phones. She
resisted the impulse to snap at them. Didn’t they realize this information was important?
Crystal smiled to herself. They would be paying attention soon
enough when they got an eyeful of Dean Armstrong’s indiscretions.
She looked around the room. Bruce was at the front of the room, as
always. He had his laptop open
pretending to take notes, but Crystal knew he was really reviewing university
code so that he’d be ready to cite the books when making the argument for
Cole’s firing.
On the other side of the
lowlifes.”
“I agree,” Crystal replied with a sharp
nod. “Since we are not paying that
scam artist another cent, we need to act fast. I think we should reveal the photos at
faculty council meeting tomorrow. I
can add them into my quarterly HR presentation.”
“Excellent idea, cupcake,” Bruce said with a
grin. “It doesn’t have the wow factor I was going for, but it’s
very effective. After the big
reveal, I can move for an immediate vote to terminate Cole’s appointment.”
“Then they will finally realize you should
have been appointed Dean, not Cole Armstrong.”
“Precisely. I’ll magnanimously offer to assist the
council in cleaning up the mess resulting from Cole’s affair. We’ll terminate Sophie from the
Residency program and provide her with a modest settlement. Cole will be offered a payout as well,
but only if he signs a gag order and adheres to his non-compete agreement. He’ll have to move out of state if he
wants to practice medicine. Finally, after everything is wrapped up, I’ll ascend to my rightful
position as Dean of the School of Medicine.”
****
Samantha Walberg flushed beet red and broke
out into a nervous sweat. She was
desperately trying not to eavesdrop on Crystal and Dr. Mapleton’s conversation,
but their loud voices carried through the closed office door. She wrung her hands in
consternation. Sam couldn’t believe
they were trying to get Dean Armstrong fired! He was the nicest man. Dean Armstrong always took the time to
chat with Sam and indulge in the chocolate bars she set aside for him.
Crystal’s office door opened, startling
her. Sam stifled a squeak. Dr. Mapleton walked out and exited the
suite without even acknowledging her presence. Crystal stepped out of her office and barked,
“Assemble my slides for the HR presentation tomorrow. I need you to compile all of the reports
and graphics. Leave room at the end
of the presentation for an impromptu revelation.”
“Yes, Ms. Bridges,” Sam replied. “I’ll get on it right away.”
“Make sure you do Sam,” Crystal replied with
a frown. “Keep in mind, you are
currently on probation due to your failure to adequately review my paperwork.”
Crystal slammed her door. Sam felt anxious tears prick the corners
of her eyes, and blinked them back. “No crying at work,” she mentally admonished herself. Sam stared at Crystal’s closed door for
a minute before opening up her desk drawer and gathering her purse. She was NOT going to let Crystal and Dr.
Mapleton ruin the Dean’s career. Sam stood up and marched out of the office. If Crystal wanted to fire Sam for
abandoning her desk, so be it. She
could take the job and shove it!
Chapter
Fourteen
“As you can see from this chart, state
funding decreased 5% this quarter and research funding was up 7.5%. This is the result of an increase in
funding to our institution, as well as a strengthening of the overall state
economy. Based on my projections,
this will become an ongoing trend,” the finance presenter said.
Crystal looked away from the screen and out
on the audience. The majority of
the faculty in attendance were either sleeping, surfing the internet ,
or texting on their phones. She
resisted the impulse to snap at them. Didn’t they realize this information was important?
Crystal smiled to herself. They would be paying attention soon
enough when they got an eyeful of Dean Armstrong’s indiscretions.
She looked around the room. Bruce was at the front of the room, as
always. He had his laptop open
pretending to take notes, but Crystal knew he was really reviewing university
code so that he’d be ready to cite the books when making the argument for
Cole’s firing.
On the other side of the
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