Olivia leaned toward her while the directors reviewed the next item. "Sarah Johnson has been sitting downstairs trying not to cry," she said quietly. "Thomas has a written account of what he saw. The younger guard who touched your arm is asking whether he needs a lawyer."
"He should be told he can obtain advice," Madison answered. "He also needs to know that telling the truth is safer than inventing an explanation. Please make certain nobody pressures him. And I want Sarah and Thomas offered support before anyone discusses promotions or publicity with them. They helped because it was right, not because they were auditioning for a role."
Olivia nodded. "I thought you would say that."
"Then you know me better than most of this building does."
The first executive to collect his belongings was Richard Brown. He stood in his office looking at framed sales awards and photographs of charity galas where he had shaken hands with clients who admired him. The security officer assigned to accompany him was respectful and nearly silent. Richard placed his awards in a cardboard box with a series of quick, embarrassed movements, as though speed might make the situation less real.
Katherine asked a secretary to help pack her handbags and personal files. The secretary, a woman named Elena Ruiz who had worked for Katherine for six years, declined to touch the files until counsel had identified which documents belonged to the company. Katherine called the answer disloyal. Elena remained calm, and for the first time in years she realized that Katherine's displeasure no longer had the power to erase her job.
Gregory's departure took longer. He stood in his corner office looking at a framed photograph of his grandfather beside the original building. He had grown up being told the institution would always be his family's responsibility. Now he was faced with the possibility that he had mistaken responsibility for ownership, and ownership for permission. He packed the photograph himself.
On the way out, Gregory passed Thomas in the hallway. Their eyes met briefly. Thomas moved aside so that the former executive could pass without obstruction, exactly as he would for anyone leaving a workplace. Gregory looked as though he expected mockery, but none came. The absence of humiliation seemed to unsettle him almost more than humiliation would have.
By early afternoon the six former executives had left the building. Several employees had seen them pass the lobby bench where Madison had spent the morning, and a few had taken photographs. Madison asked communications not to encourage a public spectacle or release personal employment documents. An excerpt of a bystander's video nevertheless appeared online, followed by conflicting accounts of what had happened.
By four o'clock, the story had spread widely. By evening, one compilation carried millions of views, and posts identified Gregory Whitman and several other executives by name. Some viewers celebrated the reversal with a kind of fierce pleasure. Others complained that a woman with billions in influence had used her wealth to destroy people's livelihoods. A few accurately pointed out that the treatment would have been unacceptable even if Madison had been a job applicant with no connections at all.