Around her, clusters of employees whispered and pointed. Derek's voice carried from a nearby table where he entertained three department heads. Honestly, I don't know what HR was thinking. We're running a business, not a charity. His audience chuckled appreciatively.
The girl can barely handle coffee orders. How's she supposed to understand complex financial instruments? Department head Sarah Chen, no relation to Maya, nodded along. The board's pressure for diversity hiring is getting out of hand. We need qualified candidates, not social experiments.
Maya's pen moved across her notebook. Names, quotes, witnesses, a precise record of systematic discrimination. Her phone vibrated with another message. Board meeting moved to 6:00 p. M.
Sharp. All materials ready. Will you need the private elevator, James? She glanced around the cafeteria, then typed back, "Regular elevator is fine. Maintaining cover until tonight.
" At a table across the room, Jennifer was still live streaming, her phone propped against a water bottle. The chat was now filled with betting odds on how long Maya would last. But hidden in the far corner, someone else was watching. Security guard Marcus Thompson had worked building security for 8 years. He recognized Maya from somewhere, though he couldn't place where.
Something about her calm confidence in the face of humiliation seemed familiar. His shift supervisor approached. "Everything quiet up here. " "Yeah, " Marcus replied, still studying Maya, just keeping an eye on things. The clock on the cafeteria wall ticked toward 1:00 p.
M. 5 hours until Maya's real purpose would be revealed. 1:15 p. M. 4 hours and 45 minutes remaining.
The afternoon brought fresh humiliation. Derek had assembled what he called an educational demonstration in the main conference room. 23 employees crowded around the glass table, including the three department heads and several junior associates eager to curry favor. Today, we're going to review basic financial concepts, " Derek announced, his eyes fixed on Maya. "Starting with our intern's understanding of fundamental principles.
" Jennifer positioned her phone for optimal streaming angles. Her viewer count had swelled to 3,500 with comments flying, "This is brutal. Someone stop this. Corporate bullying gone viral. " Maya, can you explain what ROI means?
Derek's question was a trap designed to embarrass. Return on investment. The ratio of net profit to cost of investment typically expressed as a percentage. Maya's answer was precise. Textbook perfect.
Derek's smile tightened. Lucky guess. How about EBITDA? Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization. A measure of operational profitability.
The room grew quieter. Maya's responses weren't what Derek expected. Market capitalization, total dollar market value of all outstanding shares, calculated by multiplying shares outstanding by current market price per share. Jennifer's live stream chat shifted. Wait, she actually knows this stuff.
Plot twist incoming. Derek looks shook, but Derek wasn't finished. He opened his laptop and projected a complex financial statement onto the wall screen. Since you're so confident, walk us through this quarterly report. Explain the cash flow statement to everyone here.