They laughed at the man in the wheelchair scrubbing floors — until three black

Bryce wasn’t done. He snatched the ID badge off my chest and flung it across the polished floor, where it skidded under the turnstiles. “Go fetch, wheels. Crawl if you have to — the boys upstairs need a laugh before the 9 a.m.” A few nervous chuckles rippled through the lobby. An older woman near the coffee cart opened her mouth, then looked away. Nobody moved. Nobody helped. I felt the old heat crawl up my neck, but I kept my hands folded in my lap and watched the revolving doors. At exactly 8:47, three matte-black SUVs pulled hard against the curb outside, tires kissing the granite. Doors opened in unison. Six men in charcoal suits and earpieces stepped out in a diamond formation and pushed straight through the revolving doors without breaking stride. The lead agent — silver hair, jaw like a shelf — scanned the lobby once, locked on me, and the entire team pivoted. They didn’t stop at reception. They walked past Bryce like he was furniture. The agent knelt beside my chair, pressed a folded handkerchief into my hand for the coffee stain on my sleeve, and said quietly, “Sir, the board is assembled on forty-two. They’ve been waiting eleven minutes.” Bryce’s smirk slid off his face in slow motion. His eyes darted from the earpieces to the handkerchief to the way every agent had angled their body to shield mine. “Sir?” he whispered. “Wait — sir? Who — who are you?” The silver-haired agent finally turned to him, expression flat as concrete. “Mr. Vale is the majority shareholder conducting a six-week floor-level review of hostile management culture. Your name, badge number, and every second of the last six weeks is on the lobby cameras.” He tapped his earpiece. “HR, we have our first name.” Bryce’s legs actually buckled. He grabbed the security desk to stay upright, mouth opening and closing like a landed fish. I finally lifted my head, met his eyes, and rolled forward one slow inch. “Bryce,” I said softly, “you might want to sit down. My chair’s taken.”