Chapter 5: The Woman Who Held Everything Together

Three days after Derrick discovered Yara's resignation, the cracks inside Wantrell Corporation began to show.

They weren't dramatic at first.

A delayed report.

A missed client call.

An incorrectly scheduled board meeting.

Small mistakes.

The kind most executives ignored.

But by Friday morning, those small mistakes had become impossible to overlook.

"Mr. Cromwell."

His executive secretary knocked cautiously before entering.

"The Shanghai investors have postponed today's meeting."

Derrick looked up from his laptop.

"Why?"

"Apparently... no one confirmed yesterday's presentation materials."

He frowned.

"Who was responsible?"

The secretary hesitated.

"Ms. Carter used to handle international confirmations personally."

Silence settled across the office.

Derrick closed the document he had been reading.

"Fine. Reschedule it."

"Yes, sir."

Before she reached the door, another employee rushed inside.

"Sir, Finance is looking for the revised budget projections."

"Ask Molly."

"She said Ms. Carter always prepared those files herself."

Another pause.

"I'll look into it."

The employee left.

Five minutes later...

Someone else knocked.

"The legal department needs approval on the Morgan acquisition."

"Didn't Molly organize it?"

"She doesn't know where the final documents are."

Derrick pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I'll handle it."

By lunchtime, he had answered more operational questions than he normally dealt with in an entire week.

His phone rang constantly.

Every department seemed to be searching for something.

Every answer somehow ended the same way.

"Ms. Carter used to know."

"Ms. Carter handled that."

"Only Ms. Carter had access."

"Please ask Ms. Carter..."

Each sentence irritated him a little more.

It wasn't possible.

One employee couldn't be that important.

Could she?

Across the hallway, Molly sat confidently inside the strategy department, determined to prove she could replace Yara.

"Bring me the Henderson project," she instructed.

One of the analysts looked uncomfortable.

"Which version?"

"The latest one."

"There are six versions."

"Then... bring all of them."

Ten minutes later, six thick folders landed on her desk.

Molly stared at them blankly.

"Why are there so many?"

"Ms. Carter separated them by negotiation stage."

"..."

"Only she knew which version each client needed."

Molly forced a smile.

"I'll figure it out."

She didn't.

That afternoon, she accidentally emailed outdated financial projections to one of Wantrell's largest clients.

The mistake wasn't discovered until the client questioned why the numbers didn't match the contract.

"Who sent this?" Derrick asked sharply during the emergency meeting.

Everyone slowly looked toward Molly.

"I... I thought they were the newest files."

"You thought?"

"The folders weren't labeled clearly."

An analyst quietly cleared his throat.

"Actually... they were."

He pointed toward the colored tabs.

"Blue meant draft.

Green meant client-approved.

Gold meant executive version."

"Ms. Carter created the system two years ago."

Molly's face flushed.

"I wasn't told."

The analyst almost laughed.

"Everyone was told."

The conference room fell silent.

Derrick said nothing.

He simply closed the folder.

"Meeting adjourned."

As employees filed out, two junior staff members whispered near the elevator.

"I didn't realize how much Ms. Carter actually did."

"Neither did Mr. Cromwell."

"He probably thought everything magically organized itself."

"Apparently."

Their voices faded as the elevator doors closed.

Derrick stood alone inside the conference room.

His eyes drifted toward the empty chair Yara used to occupy during meetings.

She rarely spoke unless necessary.

But whenever discussions became chaotic...

She quietly summarized everyone's ideas into practical solutions.

No drama.

No attention seeking.

She simply solved problems.

How had he never noticed?

That evening, Derrick unlocked his apartment once again.

The silence greeted him immediately.

He walked into the kitchen.

No dinner waiting.

No handwritten note reminding him to eat.

The refrigerator contained bottled water, energy drinks, and leftover takeout.

Nothing else.

For years, he had assumed groceries simply appeared.

Fresh coffee somehow refilled itself.

Clean clothes returned to the wardrobe.

Appointments never overlapped.

Birthdays were never forgotten.

His parents always received anniversary gifts.

His grandmother's medication always arrived before she asked.

None of it had happened automatically.

Yara had quietly handled every detail.

Without asking for recognition.

His phone rang.

"Mom" appeared on the screen.

"Derrick, are you coming for dinner tomorrow?"

"Maybe."

"Bring Yara. I haven't seen her in weeks."

He remained silent.

"Derrick?"

"She... moved out."

"You argued again?"

"She left."

"What do you mean she left?"

"She ended the engagement."

The silence on the other end lasted several seconds.

"What did you do this time?"

"Why does everyone assume it's my fault?"

"Because every time I visited your apartment, Yara was the one taking care of everyone while you answered work calls."

"Mom..."

"Did you even try stopping her?"

He didn't answer.

"I thought so."

She sighed deeply before hanging up.

Derrick placed the phone on the table.

His mother's disappointment somehow felt heavier than anger.

The next morning, another surprise waited for him.

"Mr. Cromwell," HR reported, "three senior employees submitted transfer requests."

"Why?"

"They're unhappy."

"About what?"

"They believe promotions are no longer based on performance."

He knew exactly what they meant.

No one needed to say Molly's name.

"Reject the requests."

"We can... but two of them already have outside offers."

His expression darkened.

"Who?"

"The finance supervisor... and Ethan Lawson."

"Ethan?"

"Yes."

Derrick leaned back slowly.

Ethan had worked beside Yara for years.

If he left too...

The strategy division would lose almost every experienced leader.

"Set up a meeting with him."

"This afternoon?"

"Immediately."

As HR left, Derrick looked through the glass wall surrounding his office.

Employees moved quietly between departments.

They still respected him.

But something had changed.

The atmosphere no longer felt loyal.

It felt uncertain.

For the first time since becoming CEO...

Derrick wondered whether he had mistaken authority for leadership.

And somewhere across the city...

Yara walked into Vanguard Holdings for her final interview.

Completely unaware that the company she had quietly held together was beginning to collapse without her.