The Prison-Made Queen novel Chapter 989

989 /1005

Determined to get to the bottom of this so he could actually find a job, Josiah asked his old college buddy out for coffee.

When the time came, his friend was nowhere to be seen.

Mark Judson arrived a full ten minutes late, sweating profusely.

"Sorry, man. Traffic was insane," Mark said, loosening his tie. He couldn't quite meet Josiah's eyes. "How have things been?"

"Terrible." Josiah set his coffee cup down on the saucer with a sharp clink. "Mark, we've known each other for years. Don't play games with me. Just tell me straight—is someone putting out hits on my career?"

Mark choked on his coffee, grabbing a napkin to wipe his mouth. "Come on, you're overthinking it... the economy is just bad right now..."

"I had three interviews this week. Two flaked at the last second, and one was going perfectly until she got a phone call." Josiah leaned forward, his voice hard. "It's Fitch Sherwood, isn't it?"

Mark froze. His eyes darted around the café before he let out a heavy sigh, dropping his voice to a whisper. "Josiah, man... I really didn't know how to tell you. The Sherwood Group put the word out. Nobody in the industry dares touch you right now. Last week, Cedric Watson's company wanted to bring you on as a consultant. Fitch's people went straight to their office and threatened to sever their supply chain next quarter if they hired you."

Josiah’s knuckles turned white as he gripped his coffee spoon. "Just because of Yvonne? Is Fitch really going to drive me to the grave over that?"

"It's not just about Yvonne." Mark leaned in closer. "The Sherwoods are actively swallowing up the remains of the Sloan Group. He wants to wipe you guys off the map. Rumor has it Fitch flat-out said at a dinner party that anyone who gives you a paycheck is declaring war on him."

He paused, seemingly remembering something else. "Even that interview you had at Sinova Technologies today. That phone call the HR director got? It was a warning directly from Fitch's assistant."