Chapter 12
I brought up the organization chart Mason had helped me put into one of the Microsoft Office products. I forgot which one.
“For the purpose of the seven of us, we’re putting Heavenly Entertainment and Heavenly Properties into one ‘corporate’ bucket,” I explained.
“And the German government separately. We’ll all be council.
Rita, Joshua, and Natalia will be corporate.
Ally and Arthur will be Germany. Elijah and I will be both. ”
“All subject to change and adjusting because some of these seem fairly light for us,” Joshua muttered as he pointed between Rita and himself.
Elijah and I shared a look and he snorted and I had trouble not laughing.
“How many properties are we up to?” Rita sighed.
“Six thousand is our best guess,” Elijah admitted, the others having an array of reactions to that news.
Arthur’s was the best as the bite he’d taken reaching the other side of the large conference room table when he’d choked on it.
“Yes, and some of them we’re probably losing from someone else buying taxes and blah, blah, blah,” I admitted.
“But I want some of what Arthur and Ally will do to kick back directly to you both. So just—yes, subject to change. Corporate was always going to be the cover for what else we were doing and to make money.”
“We’re with you, child,” Ally said gently. “You’ve always had the vision and gotten us this far. Tell us what’s next and we’ll iron it out as we should.”
She was such a rock of confidence that it always helped me when I had to stand in front of six ancients and tell them how we were going to do things.
I started with Rita since we’d mostly discussed her already.
“You will be acquisitions, construction, and property management. Acquisitions meaning handling of new clubs and properties any of the investigations bring in or anything else we develop, any companies we absorb, or any sort of assets will be for you to redistribute and handle.”
“So one ancient demon director for that and the list of what that entails,” she muttered, nodding along as she jotted things down. “I would think that could mean—do you mean talent as well?”
“Yes.” I chuckled when everyone else froze. “I’ll get back to that.”
“Of course you’d be so layered,” Elijah muttered, not sounding as if he was sure if it was a compliment or a slight.
“Construction—which you’ve already given that director position to Chun—means new construction, renovations, and anything structural falls under that.
Inspections, roofs—however that works out, but the actual building shit is all that.
” I even made my arms move, gesturing to the building around us as if that wasn’t clear enough which amused everyone.
So at least that was something.
“Last is property management,” I continued.
“That means taxes, rents, utilities—whatever adulting we have to do for the clubs. Also, for these properties as Heavenly Properties—leases to rent them out, property management if we expand to allow our people or others to hire us to manage their investment properties, and everything that falls under that.”
“Condo board, tenant shit, customer service parts,” she muttered, nodding when I did and jotting it all down.
“Good, that adds a lot of potential jobs too. Especially with so many more now. I’m going to make Melissa junior director under the property management director. She is aces with all that bureaucracy.”
“There’s no one better,” I agreed. “As long as we keep making it clear that we’re putting ancients in the director positions—or at least officially—to shield our very loyal employees.”
“Yes, but also Melissa wouldn’t want the big title and headache,” Rita said with a smile. “She prefers the quiet and the efficiency of less meetings.”
That was also very true.
I focused on Joshua next. “You are interiors, vendors, and personnel, that is all personnel not corporate, dancers or security.”
“So much split on personnel is my only concern,” he admitted.
“Hear her out because I did and it makes sense,” Natalia cut in. “I thought so too, but—she’s right. It will be tricky to start, but then it will be—we’ve managed much worse dancing.”
I gave her a grateful look before focusing back on him. “Interiors is anything not handyman, painting, or contractor work. That’s Rita and under renovations. You are furniture—”
“Anything we outsource,” he muttered, already jotting down.
“Poles. Lights are through that one company we have the contract with. Yeah, furniture, but also the safes and—stuff for the kitchen. Got it. Goes with vendors but also not because that’s also food, booze, and…
” He slowly looked up at me and blinked.
“Okay, I take back what I said about my job being small.”
I snorted and nodded. “Yes, you’re going to need to learn about paint, building materials, drywall—all the buying shit.
Chu is going to—there will be crossover, but you’re the money and books guy.
You always have been. Now you also get the personnel part.
You’re going to be the HR for not just the club but the property people. ”
“So we’re—yeah, makes sense,” Rita muttered. “And harder for anything to get by both of us if we’re back and forth. But also, there’s no need for two accounting and vendor departments just because they’re different types of vendors or yeah, HR.”
“Exactly,” I confirmed. “And Rita will be doing the onboarding more while you do the HR and managing so—”
“And that will tie into whatever you have planned with Ally and Arthur, but also to you getting more IDs for people and Elijah’s legal department,” Joshua said with a sigh.
“Also me,” Natalia chuckled, giving me a wink. “Hit me, you sexy woman.”
“You’re the face of the companies. Now and always,” I told her easily to start.
“You’re guest relations. You’re the PR and marketing with that.
Big picture and any issues. So you are corporate.
Corporate training and anything corporate day-to-day.
You are also handling club calendars, events, promotions, and menus so there is never any bullshit like what we found. All uniform.”
“I promise we won’t have another problem like that,” she said gently, knowing how upset I still was about that.
“We will,” I sighed. “We’re not perfect. We’re getting more help and—no one died.” I snorted. “Well, the bitch and a few others did. Whatever. Big picture it’s okay.” I nodded when several couldn’t hide their shock. “Yes, yes, I’m learning. Okay? I’m trying to see the wins more.”
“Jasmine, we’ve pulled off a miracle and it’s because of your leadership,” Ally reminded me, gesturing between them. “We never did it. Many have tried. You formed the team, but you were the leader and visionary that was needed. We’re with you until the end.”
I smiled when they all nodded and encouraged me.
“I am investigations, security, and personnel of security and dancers as the only dancer of us.”
“And the only one of us who understands any of the blasted tech,” Elijah grumbled.
“I’m getting better,” Arthur defended.
Ally smacked him upside the head hard enough that if he’d been human, his head could have come clean off. “You finally figured out how to do Face ID for your fucking phone. That’s not remotely getting better at technology. Don’t be a fucking idiot.”
I wasn’t the only one who blinked at her several times.
Arthur cleared his throat. “We may need an excuse for us to be apart for a bit. It’s been weeks of constantly at each other’s side for the government covers, and while we adore each other, it’s been a bit much.”
“Honestly, I might need someone to switch out with me in the next five years for a five-year break before I lose my fucking mind,” Ally admitted. She hurried to assure us she was fine for now when she sensed all of our desires freaking out. “Things have just gotten rougher.”
“Okay then, let’s get Arthur switched in as your vice-chancellor now so he can start stepping up more to take pressure off of you for when he takes the next leadership role in a few years,” I suggested. “We can get a different ancient demon to play your husband. That should help significantly.”
“Yes,” she agreed after a moment, sharing a look with Arthur. “Yes, it is about time anyways. Good, good. Thank you.”
“And I’m sorry,” Arthur muttered.
“No, it’s not you or—we all let it get too piled on,” Ally accepted. “We are stubborn old fools and should have called in for help much sooner.”
I took the hint and moved on. “Orion is my shield and we will get others. Kyle will be the director who handles investigations and the security personnel. Investigations for murders—”
“Do we still need to do those now with ISLE being of use?” Joshua hedged, wincing at whatever was on my face. “I’m just—we need to all be honest here, Jasmine.”
“No, you’re right, of course,” I accepted.
“Yes,” Rita, Natalia, and Arthur said firmly, Natalia continuing. “The goal was always to help those who no one else would and who were in bad places like we’ve all been. It wasn’t just to help demons who were in shit places. It was all of us—people of this planet.”
“Agreed,” Elijah muttered, Ally nodding as well.
“I don’t disagree, nor think we should just abandon that principle and only care about demons,” Joshua defended.
“No, we know,” I said gently. “You see it as one of the ways to scale back before we drown.” I was glad when he nodded. “We don’t go looking right now and I start training. It’s going to—just let me finish.”
“Never interrupt genius at work,” he chuckled. “I apologize profusely, my sweet lady.”
We all chuckled when Elijah cracked him one.
“Back to Kyle,” I said trying to focus on my flow again. “Investigations for murders, background checks for corporate, anything for our council stuff, and all our extra spies I’m going to put in place. German and more.”
“‘And more?’” Ally muttered.