Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
I n the few weeks since I became Neil’s secretary, I had avoided my old colleagues from the comms department, but I knew I couldn’t avoid them forever.
“Milly!” came a voice from across the cafeteria.
I looked up from my table and saw Ellen squeezing through the lunch crowd. Her blonde curls bounced as she bounded towards me. “Oh, hey.” I forced a smile, though my insides knotted.
How much does she know?
Neil claimed to have swept the Amelia Crook situation under the rug, but my sudden termination, followed by my elevated new position, must have raised a few eyebrows.
“Can I sit here?” Ellen asked.
“Of course.”
She plopped into the chair opposite me and planted her number on the table. “Where have you been hiding all this time? We’ve been waiting for you to drop by the fifth floor and give us the goss.”
I aimed for a casual tone. “It’s just been hectic, settling into my new job and everything.”
“One minute you’re with our team, the next minute you’re laid off, then somehow you’re the CEO’s secretary. What’s up with that? We’re all curious.”
I sat up straighter. “No one told you anything?”
“Brendon said there was a mix-up during the restructure. Something about Mr. Kingston having to let you go because you were supposed to get laid off but got the wrong notice in error. We all thought that was totally unfair. Why should you get punished for a mistake that HR made? But then, Mr. Kingston rehired you as his secretary…”
“Yep. That’s pretty much what happened.” I wasn’t about to illuminate the other aspects of the story.
Ellen knitted her brow. “But why did he rehire you? He already laid off so many capable staff and didn’t offer the role to any of them—as far as I know. Not saying you don’t deserve it or anything. I’m just confused.”
“That’s understandable. I was confused too. Then I found out that his former secretary encouraged him to do it.”
I recounted how I had helped Christine during her pregnancy ordeal.
“Wow. That’s quite the story,” Ellen said. “It sounds like everything worked out for you in the end. I’m happy for you,” she exhaled a sigh, “but I really wish we still had you in our team. It’s been so stressful.”
I winced. “It’s that bad, huh?”
She nodded. “And not just our department. The entire head office is suffering. To cut staff and expect the rest of us to pick up the slack… It’s a shambles.”
“It must be tough.”
“Everyone’s fed up. Someone started a petition—” She bit her tongue and clapped her hand over her mouth.
“What petition?” I asked, my brain whirring.
Ellen frowned. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“Why? Is it a secret?”
“No, it’s just… you work for him, don’t you? If he loses his job, you’d lose your job as well.”
“Lose his job? What’s this about?”
Ellen clamped her mouth shut, but I could tell she was struggling. She couldn’t resist the allure of spreading gossip.
“Ellen,” I pressed.
She sighed. “You didn’t hear this from me, okay?”
“Just tell me.”
“There’s a petition by the head office staff to have Neil Kingston removed as CEO.”
The revelation sank to the pit of my gut. The staff wanted Neil gone. They were trying to oust him. “They can do that?”
“No guarantees, but if the petition gets enough signatures, and we can get it in front of the media—and even to the big boss in Singapore—we might be able to get him to resign.”
I looked at my lap, not knowing what to think. A few weeks ago, I would have given my full support to such a petition. Now, I wasn’t sure. Where did my loyalties lie? With Neil? My old coworkers? Or just me?
“You could be collateral damage,” Ellen said. “Sorry. It’s nothing personal.”
I groaned. “At least you’ve given me a warning.”
“Are you going to tell him?”
“I’ll have to.”
“I suppose he would have found out sooner or later.” She took a bite from her grilled panini sandwich.
I had been so wrapped up in the conversation, I hadn’t noticed her food arrive, nor had I remembered to eat mine. My soup and sandwich were almost cold, but I forced myself to finish them, lest hunger pangs distract me later.
After swallowing the last spoonful, I excused myself. “I better get back to work.”
“Hope I haven’t upset you.”
I shook my head. “It’s fine. I’m glad I know now.”
“Don’t be a stranger, okay? Just because you’re Mr. Kingston’s lackey now, it doesn’t mean you’re not still one of us.”
I laughed half-heartedly.
One of them? It didn’t feel like that to me. Not anymore.
When I got to my office, Neil’s door was closed, but I didn’t think twice about knocking. No response. I pushed the door open anyway. Neil looked up at me from behind his desk as I approached. “What?” he barked.
“I have news.”
“This better be important.”
I sensed his threshold for importance was higher than mine, but I continued regardless. “Do you know about the petition?”
He leaned back and folded his arms, giving me his full attention. “Enlighten me.”
“I’ve just heard that there’s a petition going around the head office. A petition to have you removed as CEO.”
I didn’t know what I expected, but some kind of reaction, at least. Instead, I got nothing.
“Is that all?” Neil asked.
“Well, yes. Is it not a concern for you?”
“Let me explain something, Amelia.” He motioned for me to sit in the chair opposite his desk. “Putting it bluntly, your colleagues downstairs are fortunate that Luxmore as they know it even continues to exist.”
“What do you mean?”
Neil got up and crossed to the front of his desk, then reclined against it, facing me. From this new angle, he loomed above me, radiating his signature brand of quiet dominance. I held my breath.
“Zelthia’s master plan was a merger, not a mere restructure,” he said at last. “Flerotech was going to take over the company.”
“Flerotech… The Chinese appliance company?”
“Correct.”
I digested this new piece of information. “So Luxmore would have moved to China, and the New Zealand staff would have lost their jobs?”
“More or less.”
I shot to my feet. “But that’s ludicrous! Luxmore’s entire brand identity is based on being a New Zealand company. That’s why people buy our products. Why would we become part of Flerotech?”
“In the end, what matters most is that people want cheap goods.”
He had me there. “So what happened? Why didn’t the merger go ahead?”
“Because I decided to take Luxmore on as a pet project.”
I blinked. “A pet project ? That’s what Luxmore is to you?”
“It would have been a shame for Flerotech to take over. Don’t you agree?”
“You’re telling me that the only reason Luxmore is still going is because it’s your pet project?”
“Yes.”
No wonder he was so nonplussed about a pathetic little petition. How was anyone going to oust the man who was the sole reason the business was still operating? The sheer ignorance. Still, there was one thing I couldn’t wrap my head around. “Where does Alex Patterson fit into this? I thought you became CEO because he died.”
Something shifted in Neil’s demeanour, a fleeting unease. “Patterson’s death had little bearing. Everything was in the works long before he passed. I came here over a year ago to oversee the audit, exert some pressure on Patterson to resign, then take over. That was my directive.”
“But why did he…”
“Kill himself?” A pallor washed over Neil’s face. He rubbed his temples. “That I do not know. The audit was damning, but I never anticipated this outcome.”
My eyes flicked to the locked filing cabinet where he had stashed his Alex Patterson file. Did he really not know?
I felt Neil follow my gaze and quickly looked away. Time for a change of tack. “Okay, so you’re not worried about a petition, but what about staff morale?”
Neil ran his tongue over the back of his teeth. “It’s true they haven’t bounced back from the restructure as quickly as I thought they would.”
“So, what can we do about it?”
“There’s a simple fix.”
“Oh?”
“Increase pay.”
“You don’t beat around the bush.”
“Of course not. What did you expect me to say? Free pizza lunch on Fridays?”
“A lot of bosses think like that.”
“Yes, and I’m not one of them.”
He had me lost for words for a second.
“You seem surprised,” he said.
“Pleasantly surprised. A boss who thinks increasing pay is a good idea… That’s a new one.”
“I’m glad I’m keeping you on your toes.”
“You certainly are.”
A faint smile crossed Neil’s lips, and I found myself fixated on it, like it was a treat I wanted to savour…
I cleared my throat, willing myself to snap out of whatever had just come over me. “So, this hypothetical pay rise—where will the money come from?”
Neil turned serious again. “Ah. Now that’s the tricky part.” He straightened his posture and began to pace the floor alongside his desk, hands grasped behind his back. “The restructure freed up funds, but not enough. I have prioritised the factory staff getting an increase, and I stand by that decision. Meanwhile, head office salaries are already in line with market rates. I can’t offer anything more at this stage.”
“But you just said you would?—”
“I said it was the simplest fix. But nothing’s simple.”
“Then what else can we do?”
“I can promise pay rises in the next financial year and offer something non-monetary for now. Flexible hours and work-from-home options. That should suffice.”
“I think we should publicise that you saved the company from a merger?—”
His reaction was swift. “No.”
“Why not?”
“Because the merger could still go ahead if I can’t turn the business around in a timely fashion.”
“But shouldn’t the staff know about this?”
“I don’t want them to operate in an environment of fear. This is my burden to shoulder.”
He had a point, even if it seemed like a wasted opportunity.
He retreated behind his desk and sat down. “The information I just shared with you is confidential, understood?”
“Yes. Of course.”
“Good. Now leave. You’ve stalled me long enough.” He shooed me from his office with a wave of his hand.
I had learned by now not to take offence at his brusqueness. Instead, I felt satisfied that we had just engaged in a productive discussion.
Progress.
I shut Neil’s door. Rather than returning to my desk, I visited the kitchen to make a cup of tea. My thoughts lingered on the conversation with Neil as the tea brewed. He had saved the company from a merger… He was trying to turn the business around…
“Hey, Milly.” James entered the room, carrying a coffee mug.
“Hey.”
He strode to the microwave and put the mug on the turntable with a thunk.
“Forgot to drink your coffee?” I asked.
“You got it.”
He pressed some buttons, and the microwave whirred to life. “Any plans for the weekend?” he asked.
I was about to answer “no” automatically, then I recalled I did, in fact, have plans. “I have a hen party tomorrow night.”
“Oooh. Fun! What are you going to do? Men of Steel?”
I laughed. “No. I think it’s going to be pretty low-key. We’re having drinks and nibbles at a bar, then going clubbing.”
“Perfect. I’m jelly.”
“Yeah. I’m looking forward to it.”
“And the wedding? When will that be?”
“Late next month, at a vineyard on Waiheke Island.”
“Nice! I love weddings. Need a plus-one? Fake boyfriend?”
I grinned. “Don’t think so, but thanks for the offer.”
“Shame.”
The microwave beeped, and James collected his reheated drink. “Have fun at the hen’s,” he said on his way out.
“Thanks.”
I couldn’t think about the hen party. My thoughts were stuck on Neil.
“I don’t want them to operate in an environment of fear. This is my burden to shoulder.”
I stirred my tea as Neil’s voice echoed in my head.
Something was becoming clear. Neil wasn’t the man I thought he was.