Kapitel 176: The Crane
"Settle down! We'll be starting the welcoming of the new acting chairman of Todd Designs with Mr. Azure," Mr. Chambers announced over the microphone to the crowded hall. The event was being live-streamed to over 14,000 employees, some in the hall, others in break rooms, at their desks, or at home. Everyone was watching me.
I knew I could nail this, but my nerves were still getting the best of me. A sea of faces in suits stared at me, some confused after hearing Mr. Azure's name instead of mine. They expected him, not me.
"Before I say anything, I'd like to express my thanks to all the board members for their past work. I'm happy to receive this title. My name is Alexander Azure, first son of Jean-Pierre Azure," I began. The few who seemed above it all started to listen. It sickened me that it took using Mr. Azure's name to get their attention. I had some progress to make. "Things are going to change around here drastically starting today. With the new generation, evolution is very much needed, and at the center of that evolution are the employees. As of now, all contract and irregular workers will be converted to full-time positions."
A large group of people didn't look happy, but a smaller, louder group began clapping and cheering.
"I'm also implementing a reporting system throughout the group. If there are any underground dealings, workplace discrimination, or other crimes, anything at all, it will be reviewed. Everything reported will be dealt with swiftly and appropriately. To ensure a peaceful transition, I'll be placing anonymous inspectors in random sectors throughout each group. This will ensure a better working environment for all," I continued, trying to make it clear that compliance was not optional. "Bribery and underground dealings are things of the past. I promise that as long as an effort has been made, the responsibility of failure won't fall solely on the employees. However, if anyone dares to use past examples to justify bad behavior, they will be dealt with accordingly. My employees are important, and if you're happy, so are the customers. Let's all get along. Thank you."
For a few seconds, the room was silent, but then a roar of applause spread throughout the hall. People actually stood up for me and I still felt like I was going to throw up.
I looked back at Mr. Chambers, Mr. Wallace, and Marissa, who sat behind me clapping with big smiles. Behind them, Jasper gave me two thumbs up.
I did it. And for a few days, things went smoothly. Marissa let Mr. Wallace help her with the restructuring efforts, surprisingly allowing him to take the lead. Todd Corporation acquiring Todd Designs and my speech were the talk of the business world and some of the public interested in working for me. My speech even got mentioned in the evening news, with speculation about whether I would succeed or if my lack of experience would be my downfall.
The reporting system received over 300 emails with incriminating evidence: board members of subsidiary companies involved in bribery, workplace discrimination, unannounced price adjustments, and more. As promised, people were being dealt with accordingly. The response was far beyond what I had expected.
As I sat in the car driven home by Mr. Tang, I felt drained. I hadn't heard from Cherry in days, but she was good friends with the Chen family and many at Chen Construction. They didn't like me much but weren't powerful enough to retaliate, so they might have recruited her. I'd have to watch out for whatever that stupid woman tried to do after I fucked her over.
Hopefully she won't be a pain and do what I think she will.
My phone rang, startling me out of my thoughts. It was Mr. Wallace. Did he want a favor? Was he reported? Was it about Cherry?
"Hello, Mr. Wallace."
""Alex! There's been an accident with the crane at the apartment construction site!"" he said frantically. ""The support for the upper portion of the crane broke and bent. However, the incident was reported on some online sites a few minutes before it happened. And the media is there!""
"Anyone hurt?"
""A crane operator is stuck inside. 911 is there, but they're having trouble getting the guy out,"" he said.
Just my luck! This smelled of sabotage. And since the media wanted a story so badly, I was going to give them just that.
"Mr. Tang, take me to the construction site. As quickly as possible," I said. Luckily, Jasper wasn't here to stop me from doing a thing.
"Yes, sir!" Mr. Tang made a quick illegal U-turn and sped down the road, weaving through cars like they weren't even there.
In less than five minutes, I arrived at the chaotic scene: spectators, news media, police, firefighters, and ambulances. I sprinted out of the car to see what was happening for myself.
"Oh, it seems the CEO of Todd Corporation has arrived at the scene! Rumors of inhumane work schedules seem to point to him as the cause of this incident," an excited reporter said. "Many groups are fiercely asking for him to be punished."
I get it! I impulsively rushed here, and I'm the most powerful person present, so if anyone gets hurt, naturally the blame falls on me. Nice play, Cherry.
"Sir, the crane operator's wife wants to speak to you!" Mr. Tang walked a distressed lady over to me in front of the cameras. Oh, he's good! I needed to look sympathetic.
The distressed older woman could barely get her words out. "My husband... please... my husband... save him!"
"First, I'd like to apologize for this accident," I said. "I'll do everything in my power to get him back to you, ma'am."
She nodded, and I followed Mr. Tang closer to the site. "Sir, the crane is continuing to deform, and the rescue team doesn't seem very focused tonight."
"They're just standing and watching?" I asked.
"It could be they have no plan."
"Or?"
"They must have been heavily paid off," Mr. Tang rationalized. "It's not uncommon for this to happen. As of now, the only way to save him is to climb the crane, grab the operator, and jump to the roof of the apartment. The distance is very manageable."
"Okay then, let's go," I said, throwing down my blazer.
"Don't tell me you're going to try and... Sir, with all due respect, I can't allow you to do something this dangerous. I'll do it," Mr. Tang said frantically.
"If anything happens here today, I'll take a substantial hit I most likely won't be able to afford. Everything I've worked for is at risk right now, Mr. Tang. If I don't do the extreme myself, there's no chance of recovery," I said. "On top of that, time is a factor, and you're too old to climb anything."
"Sir, the crane is in a precarious position. It isn't safe! If it were, there would already be people up there. It's not safe."
"I'm going to grab what I can since the truck is unattended, and you just get things ready to catch me in case I fall. Make sure all the cameras are on me when I start climbing. My life is in your hands, Mr. Tang," I said, sprinting away from him as quickly as I could so he couldn't argue more.
Time was of the essence. As soon as I was sure all the firefighters and police were distracted discussing what to do like rookies, I grabbed a rope off the fire truck and sprinted toward the crane. The metallic sound was loud as the crane continued to deform right before me, but I ignored it and started climbing.
Climbing was a natural talent for me, as I'd discovered with Jasper during our workout sessions. He had been so flustered that I was a better indoor rock climber than him that he sulked for twenty minutes. I made it a point to keep up with it, and it was paying off!
Thanks to my increased stamina, I climbed quickly and far without stopping. The higher I climbed, the more adrenaline rushed through me.
It had been so long since I put myself in danger, and it was exhilarating! As I climbed higher, the buzzing of a drone and a light flashing right on me almost blinded me. It followed me all the way up, annoying me to no end, and I did my best to ignore it.
I reached the halfway mark and saw where the crane was deformed. Just as I climbed a bit higher, the crane started to bend and shake, and my feet slipped, leaving me dangling securely by just my arms.
Thank you, calisthenics!
Involuntarily, I looked down and saw how far away everything looked feeling my heart drop into my ass. The people looked like ants already. Maybe I should have let Mr. Tang do this, but it was too late now. I pulled myself up and cursed my shoes. I missed wearing non slip sneakers everyday; these expensive loafers were too slippery, and the wind was incredibly strong and volatile.
I climbed the curved part of the crane quickly and saw the operator booth. I had finally made it! Suddenly, I didn't feel so tired anymore, though I was out of breath. I got closer and grabbed the door handle. "Hello?"
"Sa... save me!" a man whimpered. "Can you hear me? Please help me!"
I pulled on the door with everything I had, but it wouldn't budge. The door frame was bent and jammed. "Can you open the door from inside?"
"It won't open!" he cried harder. I tied the rope to one of the bars. Just as I knotted it, the crane bent again, causing me to lose my footing completely and start falling.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein