Page 22 of The Last Morgan

Who would’ve thought that Lucy Morgan’s “normal” would be getting ready for a simple day at the office?

After the chaos of the weekend — bloody fights, gunshots, betrayals, and revelations —

the idea of sitting at a desk, taking meetings, and handling mundane business felt almost... relaxing.

Almost.

Lucy zipped up her sharp black suit jacket, grimacing slightly as she pulled it over the healing cut on her side.

She had chosen a rich ash-black fabric deliberately — if any of her wounds decided to bleed through, she wouldn’t risk ruining lighter clothes.

She stood in front of the mirror, smoothing her lapels down, adjusting the chain around her neck. Today was about making things right, and one person in particular was about to experience what comes with ‘Making it right’.

Rufus.

Just the thought of him had her jaw tightening.

"Soon," she thought grimly. "Soon you'll see what real consequences feel like."

Like clockwork, Davina’s sleek black company car pulled up outside the estate gates.

Lucy smiled as she spotted her — bright, efficient, a tiny light in the storm that had become her life.

When the car door opened, Davina practically bounced out, holding a tray with Lucy’s favorite:

Iced chai latte and a cinnamon bun.

Lucy’s stomach rumbled appreciatively.

"What a way to start the day," she hummed to herself, sliding into the backseat.

She scooted across the leather bench seat, getting comfortable as Davina immediately launched into her daily rundown.

"Okay, Miss Morgan," Davina chirped, tapping her tablet. "You’ve got three internal meetings today — finance, logistics, and HR — plus a lunch booked with the head of PR, and then some desk time to go through the files you requested from Deza."

Lucy nodded, half-listening as she sipped her drink and savored the cinnamon bun.

Just as Davina was listing the finer points of the HR restructure, the opposite door opened, and Byron slid into the seat next to Lucy.

Davina stuttered mid-sentence, her eyes wide.

"E-Erm...hello," she said, blinking up at him.

Byron gave her a slow nod, his mouth tugging into what might have been a polite smile...or just a baring of teeth.

"Hello, Davina," he rumbled.

Lucy smirked at the interaction.

"This is Byron," she said lightly, reaching over to pat his knee — because of course Lucy would test fate like that. "He’s my personal security."

Byron leaned in slightly, "I’m a little more than that, Davina. But we move."

Davina flushed scarlet, snapping her eyes back to her tablet in pure panic.

Lucy bit back a laugh.

Without missing a beat, Byron reached up and tapped the roof of the car, signaling to the driver it was time to go.

The SUV purred to life, rolling smoothly down the driveway.

Lucy shifted, her mind snapping back into business mode.

"Davina, when we get to the office, I want you to clear all my non-priority meetings. Then arrange private meetings with all female staff members affected by Rufus."

Davina’s stylus froze mid-tap.

Her eyes shot up to meet Lucy’s.

"I thought you forgot," she said.

Lucy’s face hardened, her tone sharp but warm.

"Never; how could I forget something that important?"

Davina swallowed hard, then nodded, her hands moving quickly over her tablet to make the changes.

Byron watched the exchange with mild approval, the smallest ghost of a smile playing at the corner of his mouth.

This wasn’t just the woman he guarded. This was a leader.

The city blurred past the tinted windows.

Lucy stared out at it, coffee in hand, feeling the power thrumming in her veins.

Arriving at the office, it was a battlefield in disguise.

People huddled together, whispering, throwing glances at Lucy like she was the eye of a hurricane.

Lucy strode through it all, calm and precise, Byron a silent shadow behind her, his sharp gaze scanning every movement.

What happened to Peter?

Why was he dragged out like a criminal? I wonder who will be next?

The questions clung to the walls like smoke.

Lucy ignored it all.

"Davina," she said smoothly, stepping into the elevator. "We need to debrief the leadership. Fear feeds on silence."

Davina nodded seriously, typing rapidly on her tablet.

The ride up was quiet but tense. Today wasn't about Peter. It was about the women this company had failed.

Inside Lucy’s office, the air felt heavy. Davina moved efficiently, setting up the room for privacy.

"I’ll bring them one by one," Davina said softly.

"Good," Lucy said. "No more silence. Not today.

One by one, Davina brought the women into the office. Each shared their harrowing experiences with Rufus. Emily spoke of how Rufus had promised to mentor her, only to turn his advances into threats about her career, with HR doing nothing but moving her to a different department.

Jenna described how she fought him off after he grabbed her, only to have HR dismiss her claims for lack of evidence and threaten her with slander. Sofia recounted being locked in a room and assaulted by Rufus, only to be punished by HR and sent home for a month.

Karen arrived with a binder full of documented complaints—every report that had been ignored which left every woman vulnerable. She insisted that the company’s corruption ran deeper than just Rufus, and his enablers needed to be held accountable.

Finally, Aria revealed how Rufus used her brother's financial troubles to blackmail her into compliance, while HR told her to be grateful for his attention and implied she was misreading the situation.

Despite their courage to speak up, HR had failed them all, brushing off their concerns and protecting the perpetrator. But now, they had a chance to make things right.

"Five women. Five different stories. All ignored. And this list of women of who have come and gone at the hands of Rufus is ridiculous" Lucy said.

Davina stepped forward, hesitating.

"HR has buried dozens of complaints for years."

Lucy’s stomach twisted.

"Bring me the Head of HR. Now."

Davina nodded and disappeared.

Five minutes later, a weary, nervous-looking man shuffled into Lucy’s office.

"Ms. Morgan? You wanted to see me?"

Lucy’s voice was ice.

"Sit. Now."

He did.

"Explain," she said softly. "Why were all complaints about Rufus ignored?"

He stammered, sweating.

"We thought it was best for the company. Protect the brand, avoid lawsuits—"

Lucy slammed her hand down on the desk. The man jumped.

"You sacrificed women for profit. You protected a predator. Before I fire you, who are we?" Mr. Dowell's, lifted his head, “well Rufus and I spoke at detail, I told him I wasn't happy, but he insisted he was not to blame and that the women were opportunists! I had no reason not to believe him.”

“Opportunists? Lucy screamed! “They didn't come asking for money, they came looking for help and you ignored them”. Lucy almost had a tear in her eye, looking at Byron he gave her the energy she needed to complete the task at hand. “You’re fired; any personal items left at your desk will be delivered to the address we have on file.” And with that she called for security to remove him from the building.

"I would like to see Rufus now please Davina."

Davina nodded with a small grin on her face; the moment she was waiting for was arriving. She rushed back into the room within seconds,

"He’s refusing to come." She said

Lucy’s smile was razor-sharp. "Byron. Can you do the honors? “She said playfully.

Byron’s smile was slow and deadly.

"With pleasure."

Lucy stood behind her desk, hands pressed firmly to the polished surface, the cold marble grounding her.

And then—The door burst open. Byron entered, dragging Rufus Hale behind him like a disobedient dog.

The older man stumbled, his tie askew, his mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for air.

"Get your damn hands off me!" Rufus barked. "Do you know who I am?"

Byron remained stoic, his hand tightening slightly around Rufus’s arm.

"Sit." Lucy said, her voice low and cold.

Rufus sneered, straightening his jacket like it could somehow armor him against what was coming.

"You don't give me orders, little girl. I've been running this company since before you even knew how to spell your name."

Byron shoved him none-too-gently into the chair.

Lucy stared him down.

"You’re done here, Rufus."

He laughed — an ugly, barking sound.

"Done? Please. You're nothing but a child playing dress-up in daddy's empire. You don't even know how this world works."

"Enlighten me." Lucy said softly, leaning back against her desk.

Rufus smirked, mistaking her calm for weakness.

"This company thrives because of people like me. We know how to handle employees. We know how to... motivate them."

Lucy tilted her head.

"Motivate?"

"Yes, motivate!" Rufus snapped, emboldened by her silence. "When you dangle a promotion or a raise in front of a pretty little thing, they’ll do anything. They know the game. They started it."

Byron shifted, a muscle ticking in his jaw.

Lucy lifted one hand slightly — a silent command for him to stand down.

"So you’re saying the women you harassed... wanted it?"

Rufus leaned back in his chair, arrogance oozing from him.

"Half the time they begged for it. You think those little smiles and giggles were innocent? You think leaning over my desk asking me for something with their tits hanging out was an accident? Please. They knew exactly what they were doing. I just... played along."

Lucy remained perfectly still.

Behind Rufus, unnoticed, two police officers slipped into the room and stood silently by the door.

Rufus ranted on, oblivious.

"I built this company, Lucy. Not your father. Or your uncle to be precise. Men like me made it strong." He spat the words. "And now you come in here with your righteous attitude, thinking you can tear it all down because some interns got their knickers in a twist."

He laughed again — louder, more manic.

"Women are too emotional to run a company anyway. You’ll see. It’ll fall apart without men like me keeping it together."

Lucy’s face didn’t change.

"You seem very proud of your behavior." she said coolly.

Rufus sneered.

"Proud? I’m realistic. This is how the world works. Always has, always will. A smile here, a compliment there, a little touch now and then — it’s all part of the dance. If they didn’t like it, they would’ve left. They stayed because they needed me. They needed what I could give them."

Lucy gave a slow nod.

"So, just to be clear, you used your position to solicit favors from female employees in exchange for career advancement?"

For the first time, Rufus hesitated, realizing the noose tightening around his neck.

"I didn’t— I mean—"

Lucy moved forward, placing a small black recorder on the desk.

"This entire conversation has been recorded."

Rufus's face turned an interesting shade of purple.

"You set me up." he hissed.

Lucy smiled.

"No, Rufus. You set yourself up. I just gave you the microphone."

She nodded once.

The police officers stepped forward.

"Rufus Hale, you are under arrest for multiple counts of sexual assault and harassment. You have the right to remain silent—"

"You can’t do this!" Rufus bellowed, struggling against the officers' grip.

"I already have." Lucy said simply.

They hauled him to his feet.

"You think you’ve won?" Rufus shouted over his shoulder. "You’ll ruin this company! You’ll ruin everything!"

"No," Lucy said quietly. "I'm saving it."

The door slammed shut behind them.

Davina, standing just outside the glass wall of the office, wiped a tear from her cheek.

She had watched the entire thing.

Lucy let out a slow, controlled breath.

Thirty minutes later, the women — Davina, Emily, Jenna, Sofia, Karen, and Aria — gathered in Lucy’s office.

They entered hesitantly, their bodies tense, ready for another disappointment.

Lucy rose to meet them.

"First," she said, her voice thick with emotion, "I want to say I'm sorry. I'm sorry it took this long. I'm sorry you were made to feel powerless, and I'm sorry no one listened until now."

The women shifted, emotions warring on their faces.

"Today," Lucy continued, "Rufus Hale was arrested and he will face charges.

Lucy gestured to the folders Davina placed on the table.

"Inside, you'll find a compensation offer: one million dollars each, with no gag order attached. You can tell your stories. You can shout them from the rooftops if you want. This is not to buy your silence. This is to acknowledge your pain."

Karen stepped forward, voice shaking.

"We fought for years. And you took him down in one day."

Lucy smiled, sad and proud all at once.

"You shouldn't have had to fight at all. Never again."

The women looked at each other.

One by one, they signed.

When they finished, they looked lighter. Brighter. Like chains had been cut.

Lucy rose and shook each of their hands.

"Thank you for your strength." she said.

"No," Sofia whispered. "Thank you for believing us."

When the room cleared, Byron approached her. "You did good." he said.

Lucy let herself sag into the chair, the exhaustion finally hitting her.

"It’s only the beginning." she said.

Byron knelt in front of her, surprising her.

"It’s a hell of a beginning."

He kissed the back of her hand lightly, sending a shiver up her spine.

Lucy smiled, a real, tired, beautiful smile.