Hush money
It was a scandal that threatened to rock the very foundation of the prestigious company. One of the top executives, a rising star within the organization, had been caught embezzling millions of dollars from the corporate coffers. The evidence was damning, and the fallout threatened to tarnish the company's carefully cultivated reputation.
Rather than risk a public trial and the inevitable media frenzy, the company's board of directors decided to quietly settle the matter out of court. They offered the executive a hefty sum of "hush money" in exchange for his silence and a swift resignation from the company. It was an undignified solution, but one that allowed the firm to avoid the glare of unwanted scrutiny.
The executives breathed a collective sigh of relief as the matter was swiftly buried, their reputations and the company's standing intact. But the bitter taste of having to resort to hush money lingered, a reminder that sometimes the price of preserving one's image can be too high.
為了緘默而支付的金錢
這是一起危及這家著名公司根基的醜聞。公司內部的一位高級主管,這家公司的明日之星,被發現從公司資金中挪用了數百萬美元。證據確鑿,這起事件所造成的後果有可能損害公司精心維護的聲譽。
為了避免公開審理和不可避免的媒體狂潮,公司董事會決定私下解決這件事。他們向這名高管提供了一大筆"緘金"作為交換,要求他保持沉默並迅速辭職離開公司。這是一種不體面的解決方案,但卻讓公司得以避免受到不必要的審查。
高管們集體鬆了一口氣,因為這件事被迅速掩蓋,他們的聲譽和公司地位得以保住。但不得不使用緘金的苦澀滋味仍然存在,提醒著他們有時為了維護自己的形象所付出的代價可能太高了。