Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 115308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
I’d already called ahead to ask to meet with Christina and Hilary, so I went straight to Hilary’s office. Her assistant let me in, and I gritted my teeth at the sight of Becky. I didn’t look at her. I couldn’t. Instead, I greeted my bosses and took the seat they gestured to.
Informing them that I wanted to end the campaign was probably going to end my career.
“So, we should start with this morning’s latest article and how it impacts the company,” Becky announced in a no-nonsense tone.
I stiffened. Not looking at her, I turned to Christina. “What article?”
“You don’t know?”
Oh God. What now? I shook my head, sweat prickling under my arms.
“It seems that someone found out about your father’s time in prison,” Hilary offered quietly.
The room tunneled around me.
No.
No!
My immediate thought was about Dad and Grace and Lockie. And fuck, Aunt Shannon! Their private business plastered all over the national news. I was instantly sick to my stomach.
“I … I n-need to call my dad.” I moved to stand, but Christina squeezed my arm.
“You will. Please sit. I was going to call a meeting myself, and I wanted Becky to be here.”
It was a struggle to process my boss’s words because I had to get to my family. To apologize. Oh my God. Had they called this morning? I had so many missed calls I … fuck!
“Maia, are you okay?” Hilary asked.
“I think the better question is, is Pennington’s okay now that the sweetheart of our campaign has a history that’s quite frankly scandalized the country?” Becky sucked in a breath. “I’m so sorry to be blunt, Maia, but we have to treat this situation factually for the sake of the business.”
“We do, Becky,” Christina agreed. “Which is why it is of great concern to Pennington’s that one of our own marketing managers would sabotage our campaign by sabotaging her colleague.”
Wait.
What?
The worry for my family was momentarily put to one side as I gaped at Christina. What was she talking about?
Hilary looked deeply uncomfortable as she straightened from her desk. “Usually this wouldn’t be done in front of an audience, but your actions directly impact Maia, so we felt it was only right she was here in the room so you might explain yourself.”
I looked at Becky.
She was chalk white as she stared wide-eyed at our bosses. “What are you talking about?”
Christina narrowed her eyes. “A colleague anonymously confessed that you were the one who reached out to Craig Bennet, the tabloid journalist, about where to find Maryanne Lewis. So, the tech department logged into your emails, and we discovered for ourselves that it was true. If you’re going to sabotage the company you work for, Becky, you probably should have used your personal computer to email Bennet.”
Oh my fucking …
Becky shook her head frantically. “No … no … I …”
Hilary waved an abrupt hand. “There’s no denying it. The evidence is there. We have all the emails you exchanged with Bennet, including the encouragement to look into Maia’s father’s past. Why would you do that? You seemed to value your position here, so it beggars belief.”
My heart pounded as I searched Becky’s face for answers. I knew she disliked me. I didn’t know why. However, I couldn’t imagine what I’d possibly done to her that she’d jeopardize her own career to hurt me like this.
The panic in her eyes hardened and she stood to her feet. “I’m pretty sure this, in front of other members of staff, is against regulations. I don’t have to answer your questions, especially if I’m already fired.”
Hilary heaved a disappointed sigh. “Unfortunately, we can’t employ someone who would do such public damage to the company.”
Her lips pinched together, tears brightening her eyes. But Becky lifted her chin defiantly and moved to march past me. I stood, blocking her path, and she glared at me with such hatred, it made me flinch.
“What did I do?” I asked softly. “Just tell me.”
Becky sneered. “You’re pathetic, you know that.”
Then she was gone, leaving me as confused as ever.
It was Christina who broke the silence. “When I started out in my career, I had a colleague whom, for reasons I never discovered, took an immediate dislike to me. She bullied me. It was passive aggressive, where other colleagues couldn’t see. But slowly she started manipulating people, telling them things about me behind my back, until my colleagues isolated me. It got to the point I was so sick with the stress that I was physically ill, and I decided to leave that job.” Christina’s expression remained neutral, stoic. “I wish I’d fought harder, but sometimes these situations become untenable. It took a lot for me to gain my confidence back and decide to never let that happen again. The problem is bullying is insidious and sometimes very hard to prove. Unless you have a boss who recognizes the signs.”