He already had reviewed the report handed to him by his secretary when the three entered his office, proceeding in the long cushion on the other side of his room.
He had just finished debating with the board about a new project, and he felt drained. He could have asked the human resource to handle this little dispute, but he wanted to deal with these three personally.
"Will someone explain to me what happened?" The boss asked the three who were presently sitting silently before him. He waited, sitting on the other single chair, but nobody seemed to want to be the one to start. Then.
"She started it..."
"He should have..."
The two opposite parties began shouting against each other, trying to outdo the other. Nobody could barely understand what they were saying. Probably not even them.
They might be seated on opposite ends, but it did not stop them from expressing their sentiments against each other. They would have likely repeated the scenario earlier if not for the man who sat between them.
"Stop!" He loudly shouted, overpowering their voices, effectively stopping the two from fighting. "Nobody will speak unless I point my fingers at you." He said exasperatedly.
He ran his fingers at his nape, suddenly regretting meddling in this situation. He could still send them to the other department but decided to end it here.
The two returned to their proper position, but he could still feel the tension between them. He knew that the conflict was far from over.
"You." He pointed to the man who had been silent, just sitting in the middle trying to referee the situation. "Mr. Maximillian Oswald."
"Sir, me?" He questioned nervously, pointing to himself, unsure if he was referring to him. It was, of course, his name that his boss called.
But when he nodded, he swallowed hard before continuing. "Mr. Hawking, just call me Max. Nobody ever calls me by that name anymore, except my mother."
He could not help himself. He could feel his palm sweating even if the room was freezing cold. He looked at his partner, who was still fuming at his side, and then the big boss, who was impatiently waiting.
"I do not have the whole day. So, spill it out." Liam said with a restrained temper as he tried to retain his patience with this bunch.
He took a deep breath and admitted what happened, pointing the blame at him. "All of this is my fault. If you have to fire someone, it should be me."
"What do you mean?" Liam asked, surprised at the turn of events. He stopped the two from interrupting when they were about to speak.
He was confused if the young man was at fault for the situation since he was the one stopping it earlier. He might be saying it to protect his partner in this.
"Well, you see, Sir." He scratched his head, thinking of a better way to say it. "I was running late, so I ran towards the building when I accidentally bumped into Mr. Alvarez."
The manager fell flat on the floor, feeling humiliated in the process. Max offered his hand to help the older man into his feet, but he swiped his hands away.
Then, when he stood up on his own, he started shouting at him, telling him that he was incompetent. He was even saying that he was stupid and trash, insulting his name and family.
"I did not plan to fight back because I need this job, but Gav would not allow him to take advantage of people like me." Max looked at his boss, who always had his back.
"I admit that it was my fault, but it was an accident, and I was willing to say I was sorry. But Gav does not deserve to take the punishment for what I did." Max finished his narration, looking down at his hand, still shaking.
"Is there any truth in this claim?" The big boss held his hand, shutting the manager, who was about to air his side.
"Yes, Sir. Max is telling the truth." A woman's voice was heard behind them. She was the receptionist who witnessed the entire situation.
Besides his testimony and her confirmation, he also asked the security to pull out some surveillance video of the lobby during that time, showing him the entire scenario.
Based on all evidence, it all pointed out that it was entirely the manager's fault. The reporter only defended his partner from the bullying of the manager.
"Max and Ms. Sinclair, can you go out for a minute, but do not leave yet. Wait until I call you back." Liam signaled his secretary to assist them outside, leaving the manager alone with him.
"Sir, if you will only allow me to explain." The manager finally spoke up.
He nodded, allowing him to tell his side. "Go on." He leaned into his chair as he waited.
"They were lying. Those were incompetent people. It was not what happened. " The manager said, but he stopped him from continuing his lies.
He had already received several complaints about this particular manager. But he never had the chance to deal with those issues until today. He guessed the opportunity just presented itself.
"I am sorry, but I think it is time for me to let you go, Mr. Alvarez. Please pack up your things and leave the premises immediately." Liam said, not sorry at all to let him go.
He did not need an employee, even if he was good at his job, to keep working for him if he could maltreat his subordinates. That was against his company's policy and his own belief.
He watched the man's face drop, realizing he had just lost his job. A man like him would be hard to change, and he did not want his other employees to suffer in his hands.
He did not deserve a second chance in his book. He did not feel sorry for the man for losing his job, but he pitied him for the scratches covering his face.
When the man walked out of the room, he wondered about the two waiting outside. Especially the blonde girl that seemed to have the blood of a wild cat.