Chapter 4 #2
I’d had a whole raft of talent proposals to put forward before Pietro took me off the account.
My favorite was bringing in Taylor Swift and creating the tagline Look What You Made Me Brew, a flip on one of Taylor’s song titles, which would have delighted my sister to no end.
Another idea I’d had was bringing in Mariah Carey and her now infamous It’s Time videos to kick off the start of Christmas season.
Mariah could have smashed up the pumpkin-spice lattes to reveal the Christmas line of Brewed’s beverages.
Both singers have much wider artist recognition with Brewed’s target audience and have longer careers than Sabrina Carpenter. But I’d be damned before I shared my ideas with Tony.
Instead, I’ve nodded politely in meetings, agreeing with each idea Tony has had over the last two months. Biding my time. Waiting for him to falter.
“The shoot is just over a week away, and you’re telling me we don’t have a backup plan?” Pietro’s nostrils flare as he balls his fists.
Tony rapidly flicks through his notebook, landing on a page before looking back up at Pietro.
“Sara’s been working with me all morning to find solutions, and we’ve already landed on three replacements we think Brewed would be more than happy with.”
“Go on.” Pietro’s ice-cold tone is short and curt.
“The first is Adele. Everyone in the US knows her name. Using the opening line of her song Hello would be perfect to introduce a new line of Brewed drinks. I’ve emailed her agent at William Morris Endeavor to gauge interest.” Tony’s pupils are now dilated as he looks at Pietro for any hint of approval.
Pietro’s gaze drifts briefly to me and we share a knowing look. Neither of us say what we know to be true. Adele doesn’t do brand deals.
Tony continues as Pietro’s silence becomes deafening.
“The second is Glen Powell. He’s been everywhere ever since the films Anyone But You and Twisters pushed him into heartthrob status. His comedic charm could be perfect for Brewed. I’ve left a message with Joey Stanton at CAA to get back to me.”
“Is that all you’ve got?” Fear spreads across Tony’s face as Pietro yawns.
Tony reaches up to rub the back of his neck as I doodle a picture of a sunset on my notepad. I’m getting bored with Tony’s lack of originality.
“We’ve already heard back from the final option I identified. Alexander Morgan.”
My heart drops to my feet as the pen simultaneously falls from my hand. Everyone’s gaze drifts from Tony over to me before they look back at him.
What the actual fuck!
No way.
It takes everything within me to fight off my emotions. To prevent my body from lurching forward and wringing Tony’s neck for the mere suggestion. I pick up the pen and grab one of the stress balls on the desk, squeezing it as Tony continues.
“Not only has Alexander Morgan been number one for the last nine weeks, but he’s shooting a film that’s picked up a lot of buzz already.
Sara’s looked at his stats and his demographic has a much wider range than Sabrina’s, given that he’s been in the spotlight for over a decade.
And apparently, according to his agent Kirk at WME, he’s an avid coffee drinker.
Kirk is going to run it past management and get back to me this morning. ”
This cannot be happening.
My chest tightens along with my grip on the stress ball.
“Good job, Tony. Keep me posted when you hear back.” Pietro glances at his watch and grimaces. “Damn, I’ve got to head to another meeting. Christopher, let’s catch up on your projects separately.”
I force a smile through gritted teeth, the best I can do, as Pietro heads to the door.
I want to stall Tony’s pursuit of Alexander and suggest why it’s a bad idea, but there’s nothing I can say. Nothing I can do without revealing the secret I’ve been forced to keep.
“Oh, and Christopher?” Pietro stops as he pulls open the door. “Can you pop into HR? Jo wants to meet with you.”
The room starts to spin as a wry smile forms on Tony’s face.
I’d thought Pietro’s HR meeting was about Tony and Sara, not anything to do with me.
I’m not due for my review with HR and Pietro for another three weeks yet.
And I’ve been nothing but an exemplary employee since I got the verbal warning back in June.
I’ve turned up early to work, stayed late.
Going above and beyond to prove I’m worthy of my role.
Moments later, I find myself seated across from Jo, the HR director. She’s dressed formally in a white blouse and black skirt.
My palms begin to sweat as she reaches for her pen and opens her notebook. Being able to see out of the small glass-bowl meeting room does nothing to ease the feeling of being trapped.
“Before we begin, I want to reassure you that the contents of what we discuss today will remain strictly confidential.”
“Okay.”
I rub my hands on my jeans underneath the table to remove the clamminess.
This doesn’t feel like it’s about my work.
“Do you have any reason to believe that Tony Neil is having a relationship with your assistant, Sara Jacobs?”
I don’t bother fighting back a smile.
“I’ll take that smile as a yes.” Jo searches my eyes for an answer.
Julie was right. They do know. This must be some kind of formal investigation into the accusations.
“I do, yes.” I let out a deep exhale.
“When did you begin to believe this relationship might be happening?” Her voice is soft and measured.
Do I go to town on the pair, or do I play it more factual? Either way, I need to play this carefully. I can’t be seen as seeking revenge on Tony.
“I can’t recall exact dates and times, but I can attest to the fact that over the last six months, I’ve noticed a significant shift in Sara’s ability to assist me.” My voice is thick with conviction. My gaze is drawn to Jo’s pen as she takes notes.
“I see.” She tucks her brown locks behind her left ear.
“Tasks I’ve needed support with have been delayed or forgotten about, to the point where I no longer ask Sara for support and instead choose to do the work myself.” I try to keep my voice detached and clinical.
“You’re saying Sara’s ability to support you as department assistant has given you reason to believe she and Tony may be engaged in a romantic relationship?”
“Partly, yes. But I’ve noticed that her attention has pretty much become solely focused on Tony. She’s at his beck and call, overly eager to help him. Their level of physical intimacy is beyond what I would expect from colleagues.”
Jo stops writing and looks up from her notebook.
“You mean from Sara?”
“From both of them,” I say. “Tony leans over to look down her top while he massages her shoulders. Sara pinches his bum when she thinks no one’s looking.
One lunch time, I saw them both coming back slightly disheveled.
Tony walked in a minute behind her. He was tucking his shirt in as he made his way back to his desk, and Sara’s lipstick looked smudged. ”
I rifle through all the mental files I’ve stored away for this very moment.
All of it is true. And Jo should be able to corroborate what I’ve said with other employees in the building.
“I see. And do you think this alleged relationship could be classified as an abuse of power?” Jo puts her pen down, crosses her arms, and studies me intensely.
I need to choose my words carefully here.
How can I frame it in a way that shows I care about the well-being of the company and the team, rather than my own interests?
“I do worry about what would happen if their relationship, whatever it may be, comes to an end. If Tony will be compromised in his treatment toward Sara. Or whether Sara might file a harassment complaint against Tony.”
“Harassment?” Jo’s voice is pinched in her first true display of emotion.
I’ve hit something and decide to run with it.
“I’m just speculating, but maybe Sara would complain that she was coerced into a relationship by Tony with a promise to further her career. You hear a lot of these stories coming out in the post-MeToo era. Male bosses that take advantage of their assistants.”
An alert goes off on my phone; my impending 11 a.m. meeting with one of our advertising agencies halts my speculation.
“Sorry, I’ve got another meeting I need to head to. Do you need anything else from me?”
“That should be enough for now, but I might need to follow up with a few more questions, if that’s okay?” Jo returns the cap to her pen.
“Sure,” I say as I get up from the chair.
“And Christopher.” Jo stops me in my tracks as I start to leave. “If you can keep the contents of this conversation to yourself while we continue this investigation…”
“You got it,” I say, cutting her off. I nod in agreement as I shake her hand.
“Thank you,” Jo says, getting up and opening the door to let me out.
“Do you think they’ll fire him?” Julie asks, digging into her Caesar salad. The waiter leans over us, refilling our waters.
“Well, based on what you shared and what I’ve said, that should be enough evidence to at least have a disciplinary proceeding carried out,” I say, pulling a mint leaf out of my teeth. The sight of the chewed leaf instantly makes me regret choosing the chicken mango salad.
Thankfully, my lunch at the office will last until tomorrow. This conversation was too important to have there with prying ears about.
“And what about Sara?” Julie asks, leaning forward.
“I think she’d follow him out the door. But she’s cunning. She’ll play it smart to save her own ass.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if she throws Tony under the bus.” Julie puts her fork down. “She used to brag about how she had various guys on the go, and even though she acts like a sick puppy around Tony, I get the sense he’s more into her than the other way round.”
Julie’s phone lights up and she reaches for it, always needing to be available in case Pietro needs something. My phone goes off at the same time with an email from Tony.
From: Tony
To: Pietro, Christoper
Cc: Sara, Julie
Subject: Alexander Morgan
Hi all,
Just heard back from Kirk at WME. Looks like we might be able to get Alexander Morgan to replace Sabrina Carpenter in the Brewed campaign.
I’ve sent over all the campaign details, and Alexander’s team wants to meet with us and the Brewed team tomorrow afternoon to go through all the details. Calendar invite to follow.
Tony
PS: Julie, could you book the boardroom for four please, and contact the IT team to be on hand to help in case there are any technical issues?
A piece of chicken gets wedged in my windpipe as I reread the second line, and I drop my phone to the table.
“Chris, are you okay?”
Julie drops her phone and races round to me, whacking my back as I gasp for air. Her third whack dislodges the chicken.
“Thank you,” I say as air refills my lungs. I reach for my glass of water.
“Who does Tony think he is, asking me to help him. As if I’m his assistant.” Julie’s face starts to turn red. “I have a right mind to go back to him and say get your lover to help you instead.”
I can tell Julie is trying to force a laugh from me, but I can’t shake the dread flooding my body. It looks like Tony may have found a silver bullet to salvage this campaign. At the same time, it will put me in front of the two people I now despise now more than my mother: Paul and Connie.
Maybe I should call in sick?
It’s not like they need me in the meeting anyway.