Shenine's grip tightened. Kiana raised a hand to free herself as Shenine slapped at her face. Maya stepped between them, trying to end the struggle, but Shenine struck at Maya as well. Maya reacted with one open-handed slap before security separated them. The room erupted, not in celebration but in alarm. Ellen was on her feet, ordering everyone to step back while the security officer checked whether anyone needed medical attention.
"She hit me!" Shenine cried, pointing at Maya. "You all saw that!"
"We saw what happened," Margaret said, her voice sharp. "Both of you stop. The recording will be preserved. Nobody gets to use this room for threats or retaliation."
Maya stood breathing fast, stunned by the way she had reacted when Shenine lashed out again. Kiana's hands were trembling, and the younger woman began to cry as Maya moved beside her. Both knew that the struggle would now be examined alongside everything else, and neither wanted its noise to hide the underlying evidence.
Ellen watched security escort Shenine into a separate waiting room. She did not enjoy the sight. For days she had imagined the moment when somebody finally stopped the woman who had turned humiliation into a routine part of work. Now that it had arrived, she felt only the weight of how many people had been hurt before the institution acted.
After the recess, the directors voted on the findings that had been sufficiently established for employment decisions. Derek Shaw was removed from financial approval authority immediately and terminated for serious misconduct, subject to final documentation and the protections required by his contract. His access to company financial systems was revoked. Counsel instructed him to surrender company devices and preserve all relevant records, and he was told that the company intended to seek recovery for losses his approvals had helped cause.
"I've got a mortgage," Derek said when the decision was announced.
Otis, invited to speak as a facilities witness, looked at him without anger. "The cleaners have rent. You tried to take a week of pay from them without checking if they owed a cent."
Derek looked away. For the first time, the real faces behind his payroll entries had become part of the same room as the people who signed his checks.
Shenine was recalled with counsel present. Margaret explained that the board had approved termination of her employment for serious misconduct and had authorized cooperation with an independent criminal investigation into the invoices, approvals, and alleged assaults. The board was not pretending to convict her of crimes. It was ending an employment relationship based on the conduct the company had substantiated and referring the evidence to authorities with responsibility for determining criminal charges.
"You can't fire me," Shenine said, staring at Jamal. "I'm practically family."
Ellen's gaze was steady. "Family is not a company policy. And being close to someone in leadership does not make the company's money yours."
Shenine pulled her company badge from her jacket and threw it onto the table. Security requested the keys to the company-leased vehicle and the corporate card issued for launch expenses. She hesitated, then placed them beside the badge.