"I want you to step down," said Axewell.

We were alone in the conference room. After several hours of meeting the staff individually, his hair was more tousled than usual, and his slouch more pronounced.

"Why?"

"What’s the point of this madness? Your staff distrust you and have done nothing under your leadership, not to mention that it’s all but certain you and that distributor were embezzling funds. Also, we finally have court clearance to enter All Asia’s office – damn inconvenient of your friend to kill himself when he did, but never mind."

"What do I get if I step down?"

"We may be somewhat more lenient when we press charges. Don’t forget, the only reason you’ve kept your job is Kit Matthews’s misguided faith in your bloody Ebbers MBA. But we’ll soon show him your true nature, so you may as well make it as easy on yourself as possible."

"Okay, I’ll stay then."

"What?" Axewell leaned forward. He seemed surprised I’d not accepted, as if he’d made an irresistible offer.

"I’ll stay." I grinned.

Although Axewell bore his typical, bullying mien, I was in high spirits. A few hours earlier, after sitting on the toilet for one hour, I’d cautiously emerged from the bathroom to discover no police about. I found an empty conference room with a slit window looking out on the driveway. Below were dozens of cops, and in the midst of them were the four Dutch guys, all handcuffed, who had been installing C. Network. Several cops were busy loading C. Network boxes into a police van. For some reason they seemed particularly interested in examining the Styrofoam bubbles used as packing material for the equipment. As I watched I was surprised to see Cockbottom’s Malaysian friend, Captain Hussein, standing off to one side talking into his mobile phone. Although he held an umbrella to ward off the rain, he was still wearing his mirrored Ray Bans. I had no idea what any of it was about, of course, but it was a relief they weren’t (as yet, anyway) hauling me off to new career being ass raped by gangs of tattooed Chinamen.

Axewell gazed at me skeptically. "Jake, I’ve met with all the staff and none of them have the slightest idea how to demonstrate CWinteractive.com. If they can’t demonstrate it in a relaxed, benevolent environment with me, how can they demonstrate it to clients? I told you from the beginning I wanted everyone proficient on both services, but there has been no progress whatsoever on any of this."

"That’s because Hootens doesn’t have internet on the desktops."

"That has nothing to do with it. I’m not going to have you repeat the same bloody excuses over and over. I just want you to step down."

"But if they can’t get on to the internet, how can they use the service?"

"Jake, this is only a small issue and yet you’ve proved incapable of dealing with it. What of the sexual harassment you actively endorse? I’m very, very concerned about this issue with Kok Heng and Sharon."

I thought for a moment. "What do you mean?"

"What do I mean? Haven’t you been listening to anything? Last Wednesday you divided Sheena and Sharon. Kok Heng, I understand, took Sharon not to an appointment, but to a disgusting hotel room with mirrors on every surface – even the ceiling. He then attempted to use his bogus management position to blackmail her into sexual congress. He threatened to fire her if she didn’t indulge him - fortunately she escaped. But worst of all, you, the manager, conspired with Kok Heng by taking Sheena to that useless sales call with that disgusting American bloke, who does not even have an account with us. If you want to be a pimp, Stratton, the joint venture is not the place for it. Along with the All Asia issue, I will discuss this disgusting scheme with Kit Matthews next week."

"Listen, I’m not fucking responsible for Kok Heng! In fact, I’m a staunch supporter of women’s lib and all that shit. And what of those arrests here a few hours ago? It’s not as if Hootens is exactly a pillar of goodness."

Axewell slammed his bony fist down. "That had nothing to do with Hootens! Those people were external consultants and except for installing C. Network they had nothing to do with this company. The pity of it is that C. Network’s full activation is now delayed. Anyway, where the bloody hell is Kok Heng? We had a meeting at one thirty and he never showed up."

"He’s sick."

"I’m curious to hear his side of this sexual harassment story, even though I know he’s a shark."

"Did Sheena tell you all this?"

"Of course not. She’s far too upset to discuss it openly. I heard it from Alicia."

"Who hasn’t been around for weeks."

"Stop blaming others for your failings!"

"She’s never fucking here!"

"Need I remind you, sir, that profanity will get you nowhere in this organization. It simply won’t be tolerated."

There was no point arguing with him; he would just change the subject or contradict himself.

"One last time before my flight to Malaysia," he said," I want you to step down."

"No. I’ll stay."

"Well then, your days are numbered, Mr. Stratton. Oh yes, your days are numbered."

"Thanks for the support, Peter."

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