He gave two names.
Neither surprised her.
Private equity representatives.
They had pushed harder growth targets for two years.
Maya still held controlling voting power.
But the board had become more financially aggressive.
“Keep going.”
Richard said:
“High-profile client retention became a metric.”
“How high?”
“Ten percent of executive performance bonus.”
Maya almost laughed.
“Of course.”
Eric looked confused.
“What?”
Maya shook her head.
“Nothing.”
Then:
“Who created the gold flag?”
Eric answered.
“Corporate customer experience.”
“Who leads that?”
“Nolan oversees.”
Maya took out phone.
Sent one message to her chief legal officer.
FREEZE ALL DOCUMENT RETENTION RELATED TO VIP FLAGGING, COMPLAINT ESCALATION, MEDICAL OVERRIDES, AND EXECUTIVE BONUSES.
No explanation.
The reply came seconds later.
DONE.
Maya put phone down.
Richard watched.
“What are you doing?”
“Finding out whether this is bad judgment or governance failure.”
He went pale.
A second knock.
Dr. Price stepped in.
Maya stood instantly.
“Oliver?”
“Stable.”
Victoria appeared behind him.
Her face was blotchy from crying.
Jamal looked toward Maya.
“Chest imaging suggests pulmonary edema.”
“We started medication.”
“Patel is with him now.”
“Prognosis?”
“Guarded, but good response so far.”
Maya nodded.
“Thank you.”
Victoria looked at her.
“Can I speak to you?”
Richard began to stand.
Victoria shook her head.
“Not him.”
“Maya.”
Maya studied her.
Then nodded toward hallway.
They stepped outside.
Victoria held her phone with both hands now.
No longer like a weapon.
“I owe you an apology.”
Maya said nothing.
Victoria continued.
“I was scared.”
Maya looked at her.
“That explains some things.”
“Not what I said.”
“No.”
Victoria swallowed.
“I treated you like you were beneath me.”
“Yes.”
“I shouldn't have.”
“No.”
“I’m sorry.”
Maya waited.
Victoria’s eyes filled.
“You don't have to make this difficult.”
Maya almost smiled.
“I'm not.”
“You're just…”