Chapter 37
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Sofia
I had less than seven minutes before Andrew arrived.
Seven minutes before I had to present my ideas for changing Verity, Inc.
back into the publication it had been in its heyday.
If that wasn’t enough, I had to do it without having slept since Andrew ended things between us.
I was almost dizzy with a combination of fatigue, adrenaline, and frustration.
Obsessing about Andrew and how he’d managed to walk away from us without a second glance was another reason why I hadn’t gotten around to reading my employment contract until now.
I’d run out of time. I was supposed to hand it to Douglas when he arrived with Andrew.
I scanned the papers again. This couldn’t be right.
I punched the HR director’s number into the desk phone.
“Hi, Wendy, it’s Sofia. I have a couple of questions on my contract. Mostly around salary and bonuses.”
“It wasn’t what you expected?”
It was far more than I’d been expecting.
My salary meant that not only was I able to save every month—even with the astronomical rent I was paying and my student loan payments—but I was going to be able to put a dent in the fifty grand for my mother’s operation.
If my father didn’t end up paying out, then within a couple of years, I might be able to pay for her procedure myself.
“I just wanted to check how this works. The bonus is on top of the annual salary, right?”
“Yes, you have an annual bonus and a rolling three-year-long term bonus.”
“Two bonuses? That’s normal?”
“Yes. You’ve got a very typical executive compensation plan. It’s the same across everyone at your level at Blake Enterprises. Obviously, you have to be employed in the company in three years for the long-term bonus to pay out.”
If my mom could hold out until I got my annual bonus, I could definitely afford her knee replacement. Maybe I could even pay her some money every month so she didn’t have to work two jobs.
It was a dream come true. There’d been too many recently.
First Andrew, then the job offer, now the bonus. I kept telling myself that it made sense that Andrew and I hadn’t lasted. I couldn’t expect too much. A job and a prospect of some savings was what I’d needed when I’d come to London. Wanting more was just tempting fate.
My assistant popped her head around the door and pointed animatedly in the direction of the Verity meeting room.
Apparently, Andrew had arrived.
“Thanks, Wendy. Gotta go.”
I scooped up my papers and sped along the corridor.
I took a deep breath and opened the meeting room door. “Andrew, Douglas, how are you both?”
It had been just over a week since I’d last seen or heard from Andrew. He’d been true to his word and hadn’t been in touch at all since he’d offered me the Verity job. I’d even stopped by Noble Rot the first three days after my promotion to see if James made an appearance, but he’d disappeared too.
I was equal parts angry at and grateful to Andrew. I understood that sleeping with the boss was a cliché and that he, more than most people, had an incentive to keep walls up between his worlds. But wasn’t it worth a shot? Weren’t we worth it?
I thought so.
Seeing him made my stomach rock like I was on a row boat in the middle of the Atlantic.
How had we shared so much in such a small space of time and now, sitting opposite each other across a boardroom table that felt wider than an ocean, it was like we’d never been anything more than professional colleagues.
My mom was right when she told me that there was no such thing as a free lunch. This was my sacrifice: I’d given up Andrew for this job. A man for my mother’s health. What other choice was there?
“What have you got for us?” True to form, Andrew didn’t want to waste time chitchatting. I wasn’t going to argue.
“My plan is to go from zero to sixty in two-point-five seconds. We want a big-bang launch. The readers, advertisers, and staff needed for Verity, Inc. going forward is so completely different to what we have now, there’s no soft launch. We go in big and we go in hard.”
Andrew’s expression was completely blank. I wasn’t fazed. I’d rehearsed this presentation fifty times before today. I was confident in my subject and my decisions, and I couldn’t wait to get Andrew excited about my plans. Even if he didn’t show it.
I talked them through the research I’d found, some of the market measures and relevant statistics, and a few of the branding ideas I’d been working on.
“So an entirely new team?” Andrew asked.
“I’ve read in three key creative people about our plans. They’re enthusiastic and talented. I want to keep them. Some of the back office can stay if they’re on board, but unless people have the skills and experience we need for the future, keeping them on is just prolonging the agony.”
Still no reaction.
“Moving on, I’ve put October first in the diary as the launch day.
Key for launch is getting free advertising from other media.
We want to go out and talk about your grandmother and her legacy.
We’ll need to have tight communications on why we’re switching from celebrity gossip back to real news.
So that’s also what we’re going to be talking about in the first issue—the rise of celebrity gossip and its impact on politics, power, and the real news media. Hopefully we can get people talking.”
Andrew didn’t so much as nod throughout my hour-long presentation. Douglas spent most of the meeting with his head down, scribbling notes.
Had I expected anything else?
As I wrapped up my presentation, Andrew checked his watch. He asked a couple of questions on the financial model and then stood.
“I’d like a sensitivity analysis on the cost exposure. Work with Douglas.”
He swept out, and Douglas pulled his papers together and scurried after him. Before he closed the door, he turned. “Great job.”
I’d take that from Douglas, especially since it was more than I’d ever get from Andrew.
I’d have Andrew’s verdict based on whether or not I had a job next week.
At least I knew how he operated. Still, I couldn’t help but focus on the rush of air from my deflating heart as I stared at the back of the door.