Chapter 45 The Carrot-And-Stick Approach
Athena had skillfully employed a carrot-and-stick approach.
First, she used Carlos as an example to frighten the others. His arrest had already sent ripples of fear through the group, making them panic about the possibility of ending up in jail. The mere mention of Carlos was enough to make them tremble.
Then, she presented her idea. The strategy was clear, and it encouraged the group to start returning the money.
Gideon watched her with quiet admiration. He couldn’t help but applaud Athena in his mind. She had handled the mess with precision, retrieving about 30 million dollars in the process.
While Athena remained calm and composed, the others stared at her with a mix of wariness and respect. Most of them returned the money according to the amounts listed by Carlos.
However, Athena wasn’t convinced that everything was accounted for. Brothers may share a bond, but there were always things they didn’t know about each other. How could Carlos possibly know every detail of each person’s embezzlement?
Athena paused for a moment, then raised her eyes, scanning the room. “Everyone, are you sure this is all the embezzled money?”
A few of them shifted uncomfortably. Some had guilty expressions, while others, unable to hide the truth, spoke up, admitting their mistakes.
Athena twirled the pen in her hand, her gaze sharp. “You’d better think carefully. If other senior leaders find out you’re lying, it’ll be much harder to deal with.”
A man at the back hesitated before reluctantly admitting, “I seem to have undercalculated by seven million dollars. I didn’t include it in my report.”
Athena raised an eyebrow, smiling slightly. “Are you joking? You’re greedy enough to embezzle money, but now you’re saying it wasn’t in your account?”
The man’s face turned red, and he fell silent, clearly embarrassed.
Soon after, three or four others, their faces pale, quickly revised their figures and added more to their chits. It wasn’t a small amount either.
By the end of it, the total had increased to a staggering forty-five million dollars.
Matt, one of the men, cleared his throat and spoke up cautiously. “Miss Newton, about our jobs…”
He was nervous, having just written a chit for more than one million dollars. Losing his position would be disastrous.
Athena looked at him with a calm expression. “As I said earlier, Carlos led you into this. I still recognize your work capability.”
She had already slapped them with the truth, and now she softened her tone, offering a way out. “So, I’ll speak to the president on your behalf. You can continue working, but be cautious. If you make any more mistakes, there will be consequences.”
Matt’s eyes brightened as he quickly responded, “Miss Newton, you are so generous and understanding!”
Athena smiled faintly. “We’re all working people. It’s not easy for any of us. Let’s just focus on doing our best from now on.”
Although these people had cost a lot of trouble, they left with a sense of relief, exchanging glances with each other. Some even cursed Carlos under their breath.
“What a son of a bitch. He should be dead. How dare he frame us like this!”
“I second that! The most money I had to pay was because of him. He wasted it on food, drinks, and women. I can’t let him get away with it!”
“If he gets out, I’ll make sure to skin him alive!”
Athena tidied up the documents, placed them neatly in a file folder, and handed it over to Gideon, who had been watching her with interest.
“Mr. Hale, I’m giving these chits to you to manage the remaining embezzled funds.”
Gideon raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “You want me to intercede with Byron?”
Athena quickly packed up her computer, papers, and pen, then shook her head. “How could I? Mr. Crawford won’t concern himself with these details. He only cares about results.”
“That’s true.” Gideon smiled, leaning back in his chair. “So, Miss Newton, you really just used the carrot-and-stick approach?”
Athena glanced at him with a playful squint. “You know about that?”
“I graduated from Columbia University,” Gideon replied with a grin. “But you let them off easy. You’re just going to let them keep working?”
Athena shrugged. “What else should I do? The project is at a critical juncture, and it’s already been delayed by a month because of these people. If I fire them now and bring in replacements, the delay would be even worse.”
Time was money, especially in the construction industry, and Athena knew it all too well.