30. She Works Hard for the Money
She Works Hard for the Money
C assie barely had time to set her coffee down before the call with the new client began. She and Alex were already dialed in, seated side by side in the conference room, both looking far more alert than a typical Monday morning allowed.
The client’s team was thorough… asking smart questions, walking them through goals and deliverables, clarifying expectations for timelines, creative scope, and KPIs.
Cassie handled the social and campaign strategy questions with ease, with Alex chiming in on the interactive experience.
By the end of the call, they had a clear picture of the project rollout: soft launch in three months, full campaign five months out. Plenty to do between now and then.
As they hung up, Kellan slid into the room with their laptop already open.
“Morning, dream team. Quick update. I’ve got three people from the existing staff who are interested in switching teams so to speak,” they said, throwing in a wink.
“Two coordinators and a designer. All strong candidates for social or interactive.”
Cassie perked up, straightening in her chair. “Do they have relevant experience?”
Kellan rocked back slightly, fingers drumming idly on their laptop. “Some,” they admitted. “But more importantly, they’re excited. And smart. We train them up, they’ll be assets.”
Alex nodded. “Let’s get them scheduled for interviews. Internal moves first, then we’ll start pulling in the freelance talent. I’ve already got a shortlist from the agency.”
Cassie looked between them. “You think we can onboard and train everyone in time?”
Alex smiled faintly. “We’ve got three months before anything goes live. That gives us enough runway… especially if we use freelancers as a buffer while we hire full-time.”
Kellan tapped out a note on their keyboard, nodding to themselves. “I’ll accelerate the interview process for the permanent roles. Let’s aim to have a shortlist in three weeks.”
Cassie arched a brow. “Ambitious.”
“You say ambitious,” Kellan said, flashing a grin. “I say... caffeine-fueled optimism.”
Alex chuckled. “We’ll take it.”
With a few more notes exchanged, the meeting broke up. Cassie pushed back from the table, gathering her notebook as she headed toward her office, already mentally organizing the next steps. Kellan following behind her.
Alex, however, lingered, tapping a knuckle against the conference table as they watched the two of them leave. They exhaled slowly, then took a careful look down the hallway. Once it had cleared, they turned on their heel and made their way to Leah’s office .
Leah was mid-call but caught sight of them and waved them in. Alex stepped inside, waiting as she wrapped up her conversation. She finished quickly, removing her headset with a knowing smile. “I figured you’d stop by today.”
Alex sat down in the guest chair in front of Leah’s desk, their arms loosely crossed as she ended the call.
“We just finished our kick-off meeting with Horizon Media,” they said once she set her headset down.
“The scope is huge, but manageable. I’m thrilled.
Cassie’s a natural. The internal team’s excited. ”
Leah gave a small nod, her expression calm but focused. “That’s good to hear.”
A beat of silence settled between them. Alex adjusted in the chair, then finally asked, voice lower now, “When does her promotion go into effect?”
Leah exhaled, leaning back in her chair with a look that said she didn’t love the answer she was about to give. “I talked to Eddie this morning. We have to wait until the contract is signed.”
Alex’s brow furrowed, the frustration evident in their features. “That could take weeks.”
“I know. I pushed back. Hard,” Leah said, her tone resolute. “And I got one win: when it is signed, the promotion will be retroactive to the day of the pitch.”
Alex’s jaw tightened, but they nodded slowly. It wasn’t ideal, but it was something. “That helps. She deserves to know she’s not being strung along.”
“She’s not,” Leah said firmly. “But I understand how it feels. I was getting ready to pay her a visit… give her an update. I don’t want her blindsided. Not again.”
“No. I’ll do it. ”
“Are you sure?” Leah asked, understanding lacing her words. “I don’t mind.”
Alex met her eyes, steady and certain. “It should come from me.”
Alex left Leah’s office, taking the stairs down to the third floor.
Exiting the stairwell, they headed down the hall, pausing outside Cassie’s office.
The door was cracked open, and through the glass, Alex could see her at her desk, brow furrowed in concentration, focused on her laptop.
They knocked lightly on the doorframe, their knuckles barely making a sound.
Cassie looked up, her expression softening when she saw them. A half-smile tugged at her lips. “Hey. What’s up?”
Alex stepped inside and quietly closed the door behind them. “Got a minute?”
Cassie pushed her laptop aside and leaned back in her chair, studying Alex’s face. “Sure. You look serious.”
Alex didn’t sit. Their hands were in their pockets, shoulders squared and tense. “I talked to Leah.”
Cassie straightened immediately. “About the promotion?”
Alex nodded. “It’s happening. But there’s a catch.” They exhaled, obviously frustrated. “We have to wait until the contract is officially signed before it can be made official.”
Cassie let out a quiet breath, her expression falling just slightly. “So, maybe a few more weeks.”
“Maybe,” Alex said. “But Leah got permission to make it retroactive to the day of the pitch. So your title, pay, everything, will be backdated.”
Cassie blinked in surprise, her lips parting. “Seriously?”
Alex gave a small nod. “She really pushed for it. She wasn’t happy about the delay either. ”
Cassie leaned back again, arms folding loosely across her chest as she absorbed the news. “Okay… That’s actually a big deal.”
Alex nodded, their voice low but steady. “I still hate that it’s not immediate. You’ve earned this a hundred times over. You shouldn’t have to wait.”
Cassie studied them for a long moment, her gaze softening. Then she shook her head. “This isn’t your fault, Alex. I know that. You’ve done everything you can. And getting it backdated? That’s a win.”
Some of the tightness in Alex’s posture eased, though the guilt hadn’t fully left their eyes.
Cassie stood and crossed the small space between them, the tension in the air giving way to something gentler. She offered a small, genuine smile. “Thank you… for telling me right away.”
Alex returned the smile, honest and sincere. “I said I wouldn’t keep anything from you. I meant it.”
Cassie held their gaze for a long second… steady, clear… before finally nodding. “Okay. Then let’s go make this expansion happen.”
***
The office had transformed over the last few weeks. Literally and figuratively. The constant buzz of power tools blended with the usual rhythm of phones ringing, keyboards clacking, and laughter filtering through the open floor plan.
Cubicles were steadily being added to the once-underutilized open space on the far side of the office.
A pair of empty offices had been retrofitted with new, top-of-the-line audio and video editing equipment, soundproofing lining the walls.
Another set of offices was in the process of being combined into a conference room, bigger than the current one and better suited for collaborative brainstorms and project planning.
Cassie and Alex handle it all with a natural, steady leadership…balancing their existing creative workload with interviews, onboarding new hires, and the increased excitement that came with rapid expansion.
HR handled the initial screening calls with freelancers and full-time applicants, then passed along their top picks to Kellan, who scheduled a steady stream of in-person interviews for Cassie and Alex.
They also met with current employees who had expressed interest in joining the new social and interactive teams.
Cassie had taken the lead with internal interviews, while Alex worked closely with Kellan and HR to vet freelancers for immediate staffing needs. Together, the trio had begun shaping a team that felt like the future of the office.
Everywhere, there was movement — new faces being introduced, desks being assembled, equipment being tested.
Even the energy of the longtime employees had shifted.
Where Frank had once hovered distantly, Leah was present, engaged.
She stopped by desks with questions, asked about progress, tossed in ideas during brainstorms. It was clear to everyone she’d been doing the job for years without the title, and now that she had it, she was thriving.
At the end of the staff meeting that Tuesday morning, Leah stepped forward with a smile that hinted she had something big to share. “Before we wrap up,” she said, glancing at Cassie and Alex, “I wanted to share some great news. The contract with Horizon Media has officially been signed.”
Cheers erupted across the room.
Leah raised her hand, letting the excitement settle before continuing.
“This expansion wouldn’t have happened without the hard work and creativity of this entire team, but I think I speak for everyone when I say that we owe this moment to these two.
” She motioned to Cassie and Alex. “So, thank you. The next few months are going to be busy, but they’re going to be incredible. ”
Cassie felt her face flush as the room applauded again. Alex gave her a little side smile. Proud. Happy. And for once, Cassie allowed herself to feel it too. This was exactly what they’d been working toward.
***