Chapter 38: A Change in Fortune

Chapter 38: Chapter 38: A Change in Fortune

Daniel’s expression became more serious, a hint of something deeper in his gaze. "I was told, quite directly, that the order came from the very top. Directly from Mr. Grant himself, which surprised me greatly."

Iris looked at him, truly shocked now. "The CEO? The Alexander Grant? The one who you said, Intimidates everyone at Grant Enterprise and who barely acknowledges anyone below senior VP level?"

"Yes," Daniel confirmed, a note of awe in his voice.

"Why?" Iris blurted out, unable to contain her curiosity. "What prompted such a sudden, direct intervention from him?"

"I honestly don’t know the full story, sweet pea." Daniel leaned back in his chair, a thoughtful look on his face.

"When his executive vice president called me into his office, out of the blue, my heart dropped into my stomach. I truly thought I’d done something terribly wrong, or that perhaps the company was letting people go.

Then he just... he told me that my performance had been under review, a comprehensive one at that, and that my dedication and expertise had been noticed at the highest levels. And that I was being promoted."

Sophia looked utterly astonished, her jaw slack. "To what position, Daniel? Don’t keep us guessing like this!"

Daniel’s smile returned, wider and prouder this time. "Head of the financial department."

The room went silent again, a stunned, joyous quiet. Iris’s mouth fell open, a silent "Wow!" forming on her lips. Sophia’s eyes widened to comical proportions.

"Daniel!" Sophia exclaimed, her voice a mixture of awe and pure elation.

"Congratulations, Dad!" Iris burst out, practically bouncing in her seat.

Both women spoke almost simultaneously, their voices overlapping in a crescendo of excitement.

Daniel laughed, a genuine, hearty sound that filled the kitchen. "Thank you, thank you my wonderful ladies. It’s certainly been a day, and It still feels quite surreal, I assure you."

Sophia reached across the table, her hand finding his and squeezing it tightly, her eyes shining with pride. "Oh, darling! After all these years, all your hard work, you finally get the position you deserved all along. This is absolutely wonderful news."

"I didn’t even know I was being considered for it, not even in the remotest possibility did I think of it. And I did not even hear a whisper about it." Daniel confessed, still shaking his head slightly in disbelief.

"That’s because you never complain," Sophia said, her tone both loving and slightly chiding.

"You’ve spent years just quietly going to work, doing your job meticulously, coming home, and pretending you don’t care that everyone seemingly beneath you seems to get promoted before you, or that your ideas get adopted by others. I know it bothered you."

Daniel chuckled, a small, wry smile. "Well, I cared, of course I did. Anyone would. I just didn’t want to say anything and sound bitter, you know? It’s not a good look, and frankly, I had my pride."

Iris smiled, a warm glow spreading through her chest. "That’s my dad, alright. Always the stoic, quietly brilliant one, and quiet achiever."

Daniel pointed a finger at her, a playful twinkle in his eye. "Exactly. Your mother, on the other hand, would have already started a full-blown, public campaign against Grant Enterprise, picketing their headquarters with a very persuasive, very loud sign."

Sophia laughed, a rich, full sound. "I absolutely would have! And probably rallied the neighbors too. For justice!"

Iris looked between them, enjoying the easy banter, the familiar comfort of her parents. "So, wait," she interjected, a practical question forming. "What happened to the person who was already head of the department? Mr. Cane, wasn’t it?"

"Yes, that’s right," Sophia chimed in, "Mr. Arcane, or something like that? What was his name again, darling? He always seemed so... self-important when you talked about him."

"His name is Albert Cane," Daniel corrected gently, his expression sobering slightly. "And yes, he was, shall we say, quite a very difficult man to work under."

"Yes, Cane," Sophia repeated. "What will happen to him now that you’ve been promoted to his position? I imagine he won’t be too pleased about being replaced."

Daniel’s expression hardened, a grim line forming on his lips. "I heard he was dismissed. Effective immediately."

"Dismissed? Why?" Iris asked, surprised. Such a high-ranking dismissal would usually involve a longer process.

"They discovered that he’d been systematically siphoning money from the company for years," Daniel explained, his voice low, a hint of outrage in his tone.

Sophia’s eyes widened, her hand flying to her mouth. "Oh my god, Daniel! How much? We’re talking thousands, or... more?"

Daniel shook his head slowly, a deep sigh escaping him. "I don’t know the exact figure, but apparently it was substantial. Immensely so. He had been diverting company funds into private accounts, cleverly manipulating financial records and audit trails to cover his tracks. It was quite an intricate scheme, from what I understand."

Iris frowned, a sense of disbelief coloring her thoughts. "But how did nobody notice this for so long? I mean, Grant Enterprise isn’t some small corner store. They have internal audits, surely?"

"Apparently, he was very, very good at hiding it," Daniel clarified, picking up his glass of water and taking a slow sip. "That’s precisely why they were conducting all those intensive financial reviews I mentioned, the ones Mr. Grant was personally overseeing. They weren’t just routine; they were specifically looking through old transactions, digging into every single anomaly, every discrepancy that might have been overlooked."

Iris nodded slowly, a dawning realization. "So, the promotion wasn’t entirely random after all. Your expertise must have been instrumental in uncovering all of this."

"No," Daniel agreed, a small, knowing smile returning. "I suppose someone finally noticed that I’ve been doing my job properly, not just going through the motions. Though I did notice some discrepancies, bits and pieces that didn’t quite add up, even a while back.

But every time I brought it up to him, to Cane, he always dismissed it, waved it away as minor errors or simply ’different accounting methods.’