Single Dad Janitor Burst In: “Don’t Sign the $4.2B Deal” – What the CEO Did Next Left Everyone Frozen…
Chapter 2: The Secret Truth and the Penthouse Meeting
The morning of the signing arrived with media fanfare. Security was tight, but as a familiar face in maintenance, Daniel slipped through the service entrance unquestioned.
He changed into his uniform in the small locker room. His fingers trembled slightly as he buttoned his shirt.
In his pocket, he carried the employee roster he printed from the maintenance computer. it showed families, years of service, and medical dependence.
It showed the human cost behind the numbers. Would it matter to someone like Alexis Monroe?
Probably not, but he had to try for Ava and for himself. He did it for the part of him that died when he chose silence once before.
When he entered the boardroom, timed precisely five minutes before the signing, nobody even glanced his way. The invisibility of service workers played in his favor now.
He positioned himself by the water cooler, watching board members and executives congratulate each other. Cameras were flashing outside.
Alexis sat at the head of the table, impeccable in a tailored navy suit. Her signature copper hair was pulled back severely.
She looked confident, but Daniel noticed the tension in her shoulders. Her eyes darted occasionally to her CFO, James Bennett, who hovered nearby like an anxious shadow.
When the documents were placed before her, something in her hesitation gave Daniel the final push he needed. He stepped forward into the silence that fell as Alexis lifted her pen.
After her command emptied the room, Daniel stood facing Alexis across the polished table. Security guards were waiting just outside the door.
The contract lay between them, unsigned.
“You have exactly one minute,” she said, her voice low and controlled, “to explain why I shouldn’t have you arrested for disrupting this meeting.”
Daniel met her gaze steadily.
“Because you already know something’s wrong with this deal. I saw your hesitation.”
He placed the employee roster on the table.
“4,722 people. Not numbers on a spreadsheet. People with families, medical needs, mortgages.”
“The projections Bennett showed you are manipulated. The cost savings come entirely from gutting the workforce while inflating executive compensation packages.”
He watched her eyes narrow, calculating.
“How would a janitor know that?”
Daniel swallowed hard.
“Because before I cleaned offices, I analyzed mergers for Goldman Sachs until I refused to sign off on a deal like this one three years ago.”
Alexis’s expression shifted almost imperceptibly. She reached for the employee roster, scanning it quickly.
“Even if what you’re saying is true, the board has unanimously approved this acquisition. The papers are waiting for my signature.”
Daniel held her gaze.
“Do the real financial models show TechVision is overvalued by at least 30%? Their innovation pipeline is empty.”
“I found their R&D reports in the recycling bin. They’re selling you a shell, and your board knows it.”
The color drained from Alexis’s face.
“That’s a serious accusation.”
Daniel nodded.
“One that’s worth losing my job over, apparently.”
A tense silence stretched between them. Finally, Alexis pressed the intercom.
“Tell everyone the signing is postponed for 24 hours due to a technical matter. No questions.”
She turned back to Daniel.
“My penthouse, 8:00 tonight. Bring whatever evidence you have.”
“If you’re wasting my time, I’ll make sure you never work in this city again.”
As security escorted him from the building, Daniel felt the weight of what he’d done settle on his shoulders. He’d likely lost his job regardless of what happened next.
On the bus ride home, he called Mrs. Jenkins to ask if she could watch Ava for a few more hours tonight. The elderly woman agreed.
However, her concerned questions about his early return from work were harder to deflect. At his small apartment, Daniel dug through the storage boxes he’d never fully unpacked.
He found his old financial analysis software on a dusty laptop. Three years had passed, but some skills never left you.
By 7:30, he had compiled enough analysis to support his claims. He changed into the only decent clothes he still owned.
He wore a white shirt and navy slacks that hung slightly loose on his frame and headed to the address Alexis had provided. Her penthouse occupied the top floor of a sleek downtown high-rise.
The security guard called up, and Daniel was surprised when Alexis herself answered, instructing them to send him up immediately. The elevator ride gave him time to doubt everything.
He doubted his analysis, his decision, and his sanity for confronting one of the most powerful women in Chicago business. When the doors opened directly into her penthouse, he stepped into a space that was simultaneously breathtaking and strangely empty.
Floor-to-ceiling windows offered a panoramic view of the city lights. But the minimal furniture and lack of personal touches made it feel more like a hotel suite than a home.
Alexis stood by the windows, still in her business attire, a glass of amber liquid in her hand.
“Right on time,” she noted, gesturing toward the dining table where several monitors were set up.
“Show me what you have.”
Without pleasantries, they dove into the numbers. Daniel explained the discrepancies he’d found, the hidden liabilities, and the inflated projections.
As he walked her through his analysis, he saw her sharp mind at work. She was questioning, challenging, and connecting dots.
Two hours passed in an intense discussion during which Daniel almost forgot the vast gulf that separated their current lives. He almost forgot until his phone rang.
“Mrs. Jenkins?” Her voice sounded worried.
