5 Important business ? About my interview answers ? Had my criticisms - the ones that struck at the very heart of the Rhodes Corporation's rot - actually hit their mark ? Or ... did he remember , too ? The thought flashed through my mind like lightning , but I quickly suppressed it . Whether he remembered or not , this situation was to my advantage . I glanced at the frantic , scrolling captions , the words " thief , " " die , " and " scheming bitch " standing out in sharp relief . Fine . The louder you scream now , the harder you'll cry later . Taking a deep breath , I pushed down the turbulent emotions and gave Grant a calm , even nod . " Alright . " " Audrey Claire shrieked , lunging forward . " You can't- " 10:11 Chapter 2 " Ms. Covington , " an assistant materialized at her side , politely but firmly blocking her path . His smile was corporate plastic . " If you could please wait for your official notification over here . Or you are free to leave the premises . " Claire was trapped , forced to watch as Grant gestured for me to precede him down the hall toward his executive office . I walked past her without a single glance , but I could feel her stare burning into my back . And the comments , if possible , grew even more hysterical . " She's going in ! She's actually going into his office ! " " It's over ! History is repeating itself ! " " GRANT , WHAT DO YOU SEE IN HER ? IS IT BECAUSE SHE'S A GOOD THIEF ? " " CLAIRE , DO SOMETHING ! " " I'm literally crying ! This is so unfair ! " The heavy office door clicked shut behind me , sealing out the noise and the chaos . Grant's office was a study in minimalist cool tones . A floor - to - ceiling window offered a breathtaking panorama of the city skyline . The air smelled faintly of cedarwood and cold ambition . He walked behind his massive desk but didn't sit . He turned , bracing his hands on the polished surface , and leaned forward slightly . His dark eyes drilled into me , as if trying to see straight through to my soul . * Audrey , " he began , his voice low and laced with a strange certainty . " What you said in that interview . About the internal factionali- sm crippling decision - making . About the misallocated R & D budget that made us miss the last tech boom . About the erosion of our upstream supply chain leverage ... How did you know all that ? " My heart skipped a beat . There it was . He remembered . Otherwise , how could a fresh college graduate so precisely diagnose the core diseases that would only become apparent within Rhodes Corp years down the line ? But I kept my expression neutral , even raising an eyebrow in carefully calibrated surprise . " How did I know ? I countered , my tone breezy and confident . " Mr. Rhodes , aren't those issues rather obvious ? Anyone who does a deep dive into your company's public financials and business structure , and cross - references it with current market trends , could draw the same conclusions . " I let the silence hang for a beat before twisting the knife . " Or ... has the situation at your company become so dire that even an outs- ider like me can see the cracks from a mile away? "