The door closed. The executive poured me tea himself.
"Mrs. Fox, why don't you just forgive Clement and Mildred and let this go?"
My hand froze around the cup. "After what they've done, you're asking me to forgive them?"
"Look, I know Clement went a bit too far, and Mildred was out of line too.
"But Clement is the backbone of this company. Every major project has his name on it.
"You have to think about the bigger picture here, don't you?"
I couldn't speak.
The executive smiled at me. "How about this: I'll put a formal warning on both Clement's and Mildred's records. And for you, I can arrange a settlement. A generous one.
"What happened to your daughter, I'm truly sorry. But you and Clement can always have another child. You're still married, after all.
"Clement's career is only going up. As Mrs. Delgado, you'll want for nothing."
I was so furious I laughed. "Fine, protect him. But why are you protecting Mildred too?"
The executive paused.
"You didn't know? She was personally recommended by him. He vouched for her."
I nearly dropped my cup.
I had submitted my resume to this company three times.
Each time, it vanished without a trace. No explanation.