Chapter 254 You’re Fired
Author’s POV
It was the first time Claudine Tucker had set foot in Hanson Group headquarters. Her purpose, of course, was to see her son. She was dressed like old money, all tailored elegance and sharp edges, and she went straight to the executive floor reception area.
At this hour, only a few staff sat at their desks. Lily Adams, who had recently transferred from marketing to become Scott’s executive assistant, looked up from her computer and stood. "Good afternoon. Can I help you with something?"
"Where is Scott Hanson?"
"Mr. Hanson is in a meeting. Is there something I can help you with?"
"Where is his office? I’ll wait for him there."
Lily hesitated a moment, then gestured politely toward a sleek waiting lounge near the windows. "I’m sorry, ma’am, but Mr. Hanson doesn’t allow guests to wait in his office unattended. Company policy. You’re welcome to wait here, though. Can I get you anything? Water? Coffee?"
Claudine’s face darkened. "Do you know who I am?"
Lily stayed professional, though she felt a flicker of unease. "I don’t, but company policy applies to everyone. No exceptions."
"Policy?" Claudine laughed coldly. "How interesting. You seem awfully familiar with Scott’s preferences. What exactly is your relationship with my son?"
Lily blinked. "We’re colleagues. I’m his executive assistant."
Claudine snorted, her eyes raking over Lily from head to toe.
"Assistant. Right. You sound more like a possessive girlfriend to me." She paused, her smile thin. "Though if that’s the case, I have to say Scott’s taste has really taken a nosedive."
Lily’s jaw tightened. She’d handled difficult clients before, but this woman was on another level. Still, she wasn’t about to back down. "You don’t seem like someone with time to waste," she said evenly, "so maybe we should stop guessing at other people’s relationships and get back to why you’re actually here."
She turned to head back to her desk.
"Stop right there."
Lily stopped, her shoulders squaring. She turned back slowly. "Is there something else I can help you with?"
"Make me a cup of coffee."
"I’m sorry, but I have work to finish for Mr. Hanson. If you’d like coffee, there’s a café on the ground floor. They do excellent lattes."
"You—"
Claudine flushed with anger. She wasn’t used to being brushed off, least of all by someone she thought beneath her. Her eyes flicked to the name badge on Lily’s blazer. Lily Adams. She filed it away.
She pulled out her phone and dialed her son. When he picked up, her voice was ice. "Scott. Get back to your office. Now. Your mother is being mistreated by your staff."
Scott Hanson, wrapping up a quarterly review three floors down, went cold. "What? Mom, what are you talking about?"
"Just get up here."
The line went dead.
Scott excused himself from the meeting, his mind racing. His mother showing up unannounced was never a good sign. He took the elevator up, his face carefully blank, and found her standing in reception like a queen surveying a disappointing kingdom.
"Which ignorant person dared to mistreat the elegant, sophisticated Claudine Tucker?" he asked lightly.
"Follow me."
Claudine strode toward the assistant desks, and Scott followed. When she stopped in front of Lily’s desk and pointed straight at her, his heart sank.
"Ask her," Claudine said sharply, "whether I’m allowed into your office or not."
Lily stood slowly, her face blank. Around them, the other assistants and staff had gone quiet, eyes darting between the three of them.
Scott took a slow breath. He looked at Lily, who met his gaze without flinching, and he understood at once what must have happened.
"Mom," he said calmly, "I think there’s been a misunderstanding. You can’t blame Lily. That’s standard protocol. I tell her to enforce it with everyone."
"Don’t defend her," Claudine snapped. "Do you also have her send your guests down to the café for coffee like some errand girl?"
"That’s because you were rude first," Lily said, her voice steady but cold.
Claudine’s eyes flashed. "Rude? I simply wanted to wait in my son’s office. How is that rude?"
Lily’s stomach dropped. She stared at the older woman, and the truth hit her cold. Scott’s mother. Oh, hell.
She shouldn’t have pushed back. She shouldn’t have talked back. Scott already kept her at arm’s length, and now she’d insulted his mother. This was career suicide.
"You never mentioned you were Scott’s mother," Lily said quietly.
"I asked if you knew who I was," Claudine shot back. "And you said it didn’t matter. That everyone gets treated equally." Her smile was razor-sharp.
"How noble. But here’s the thing, Miss Adams. I’m not just Scott’s mother. I’m also the majority shareholder of Hanson Group. And as of right now, you’re fired. Pack your things and get out."
The air seemed to freeze. Everyone within earshot went still. The major shareholder of Hanson Group was a mystery to most employees, a name buried in corporate filings and whispered about in break rooms. No one had guessed it was Scott’s mother.
Lily paled, but she didn’t move. She just stood there, waiting for Scott to say something. Anything.
Scott exhaled slowly and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Mom. You’re being unreasonable."
Claudine’s head snapped toward him. "Excuse me?"
"She was doing her job," Scott said firmly. "She didn’t do anything wrong. You can’t fire someone for following company policy."
"I can fire whoever I want."
"No, actually, you can’t." His voice stayed calm, but there was steel under it. "Employees are hired on qualifications and performance. As long as they haven’t broken company rules or any laws, no one has the right to fire them without cause. Not even you."
Claudine stared at him as if he’d slapped her. "Are you seriously taking her side over mine?"
"I’m taking the side of fairness."
"Fairness?" Claudine laughed bitterly. "Fine. If you won’t fire her officially, I have other ways of handling this."