“Congratulations Shavon!”
“Way to go!”
What is going on?
I walked into my office from lunch to see all of my coworkers in my unit clapping. To say I’m confused would be an understatement.
“Ummm…can someone clue me in?”
Diedra, my assistant, walks over to me.
“For the record, I didn’t know anything about this until five minutes ago. I’ll run you the deets once it’s over.”
I nod.
“Shavon, the uppers sent out an email that you secured the Tansell account,” my co-worker Deacon said. “So many firms have been courting them, but your charm and wit prevailed.”
I’m sure I’m blushing.
“Awww, thank you Deacon.”
“No, thank you. If we didn’t get this account, things would’ve gone real…”
“Party’s over everyone!” Diedra announces. “We’ve got tons to do now.”
Awkward.
Folks head out, giving me hugs and pats on the back as they leave. I glance at Diedra. Her jaw is clenched but her eyes are warm. When the last person leaves, Diedra closes the door. She takes a seat at the table across from my desk.
“That was a lot,” I said, plopping into my desk chair. I take off my pumps, giving the balls of my feet a good rub.
“I agree,” Diedra says.
“So fill me in.”
“Earlier this week, the other assistants and I went to dinner. While we waited for our food, the finance assistants got chatty over shots of tequila.”
I raise my eyebrow.
“Vital info was omitted from the final report from the audit a few months ago. The auditors ordered an independent investigation so the uppers wouldn’t know about the investigation or its results.”
“Really?”
“Yes! At least one of the uppers have been making back end deals with three of the contractors we use. Some of the contract money was skimmed off the top and diverted into an LLC that one of the uppers in question had a stake in.”
I lean forward in my chair and motion for her to come closer. She gets up and moves her chair beside me.
“What I’m about to tell you is between us.”
“Got it.”
“I discovered discrepancies within three of our contracts last year. I had a suspicion that at least one of the uppers were involved, so I went above them and went directly to the audit division.”
Diedra’s jaw drops.
“So you…you…”
“Yes. I blew the whistle.”