Unfortunately, greed had provoked Matt to engage in unethical business practices. Time to put the brakes on him.
“Hey, guys.” Matt shook Dakota’s hand, then sat across from Juanita. “I’m guessing you’re about to tell me I won Realtor of the Year, but I should act surprised at the banquet.” He waggled his eyebrows. “I’m right, aren’t I?”
Dakota eased into the plush chair at the head of the table. “You had a strong year, Matt.”
Matt smiled. “What can I say? I’m good at what I do.”
Opening her laptop, Juanita spun the device toward Matt. “It’s been brought to our attention that you’ve been taking kickbacks from a mortgage broker.”
“What!? That’s insane.” Matt’s cheeks reddened while he squinted to read an email. “Oh, c’mon. That’s so not true.”
“Matt, what you did is a violation of RESPA rules,” Dakota said. “You’ve exposed the company and yourself to lawsuits.”
“Aw, c’mon. Everybody does it. It’s no biggie.”
Dakota steeled his spine. “No, everyone doesnotdo it and our company ethics policy makes this clear. You’ve left us no choice but to let you go.”
Matt jumped up. “Screw you, man!”
Juanita and Dakota exchanged glances. “Sit down, Matt.” Juanita kept her voice low.
“You can go to hell. You both sit in your offices counting your goddamn money thatwebust our asses to make, andyouhave the nerve to accusemeof doing something unethical. You’re the ones stealing from us. That’s way worse.”
As Matt continued ranting, several realtors stopped to watch through the wall of glass lining the conference room. The last thing they needed was an audience.
Dakota rose. “I need your keycard.”
Matt tossed it on the conference table.
“Clear out your desk,” Dakota said.
“You do it,” Matt said. “I’m outa here. I can do way better than this shithole.” Matt pointed his finger at Dakota. “You’re going to regret firing me.”
“Stop taking kickbacks,” Juanita warned.
“Assholes,” Matt muttered as he left the room.
Dakota followed him out, ensuring he left the building, then returned to the conference room. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.” She pulled her laptop over. “I’ll draft a letter to send to the affected clients, indicating that we’ll be conducting an investigation and providing appropriate consideration to anyone who might have been impacted by Matt’s actions.”
“He got greedy.”
“And he was making good money without the kickbacks.” Juanita shook her head. “Moving on, let’s discuss tonight’s agenda.”
Dakota sat back down. One of the reasons he appreciated Juanita so much was because she handled things and moved on. No dwelling, no discussion. She was a damn good business partner. The best, as far as he was concerned.
“Matt was slated to win Realtor of the Year,” Juanita continued. “I’ll check the stats and we’ll award the person who came in second.”
“Thanks for doing that,” Dakota said. “I’m going to make an announcement to the realtors who are here. Can you send out a company-wide email?”
“Of course. Thanks for co-hosting with me tonight.”
“It’ll be fun.”
That made her laugh. “Standing in front of hundreds of people isnotmy idea of fun.”
After their meeting ended, Dakota walked into the bullpen. He stood there a moment while agents finished their conversations and phone calls. Once all eyes were on him, he said, “Matt Hastings no longer works for Goode-Luck.”
