Chapter 4
Chapter Four
GAbrIEL
My initial confusion at the young woman’s reaction shifted quickly into recognition. She looked older now, with her features fuller and played up by makeup. Her height was more noticeable now than when she’d been a teenager, but there was no mistaking her identity.
“Olivia? Olivia Roberts?”
She laughed, eyes bright. “Yeah, it’s me. Hard to believe, right? What’s it been? Like nine or ten years?”
She turned toward Charlotte, eager to explain. “I used to babysit for Mr. and Mrs. Chambers. How’s Samantha, by the way? She’s got to be, what, almost a teenager?”
Heat pricked the back of my neck. The last thing I wanted was my personal life laid out in front of my new boss, but Olivia’s earnestness was disarming. She’d always been a ray of sunshine, and I wasn’t about to dim that with a curt response.
“Yes, Samantha’s about to turn thirteen in a couple of weeks.” I cleared my throat, shifting uncomfortably. “How about I show you pictures later, and we can catch up then?”
“I’d love that so much. So, um, I’m supposed to show you your new office, but I can come back when you two are finished. I’m seated right outside in the cube between your offices.”
“Great. I’ll come find you once we’re finished.”
“Small world,” Charlotte murmured once the door clicked shut.
Something about the sudden quiet, just the two of us in her office, felt…charged. It shouldn’t have. But nothing about this woman had felt straightforward since the moment she’d caught my eye in the conference room.
Crossing to her desk, unease stirred low in my gut.
A folder lay open, the neat rows of a spreadsheet impossible to miss.
Not only numbers, but rankings of names I recognized from Juniper.
My annoyance snapped awake. Before I could get a better look, she slid a hand over the page, tucking it beneath the folder with practiced ease.
My jaw tightened. “Ranking the new members?”
If I hadn’t been watching her closely, I might have missed the faint flush creeping up her neck.
She recovered quickly, shoulders straightening, her voice smooth but edged with authority.
“I’m ranking everyone, not just Juniper.
It’s important I understand who’s coming in and review performance from the current staff. ”
My irritation spiked. “Or you’re preparing for layoffs and choosing to hide that fact from your new chief of operations.”
For a beat, I thought she might bristle or deflect. Instead, her expression didn’t so much as flicker. “Given I just met you this morning,” she started evenly, “and we’ve yet to have a formal one-on-one to discuss such matters, you can set aside the suspicion that I’m keeping things from you.”
A flicker of respect stirred, tangled with something I didn’t care to name. So I focused on my irritation.
Mainly because layoffs were two weeks too late. The owners should have made this kind of decision before the team bothered with onboarding. Why waste the time, money, and resources merging the companies if the ax was going to fall so soon after?
“Why wouldn’t the owners have done staff cuts as part of the merger?” I tried to watch my tone, but a bite still crept through.
Her brow lifted, landing like a warning as she took her seat behind the massive desk.
“It’s a fair question that I don’t have an answer for except to say I think the owners want the executive team to have some time to evaluate everyone.”
“How many are they looking to cut?” I turned toward the window overlooking the harbor.
“Five percent. I’ve yet to tell the other chiefs, but planned to this afternoon. I’m doing some preliminary work to get my arms around the numbers.”
I had no doubt most of those numbers would come from Juniper’s side, given she was the acting CEO. I forced my temper down as I stared out over the water.
“I’m hoping we can be fair across both companies,” I stated, finally turning toward her. I didn’t know her well enough to trust her judgment, but it wasn’t hard to guess where her loyalties would fall.
She studied me for a long moment, and I half expected the usual lecture: something about trust, process, knowing my place, or launching into her feelings on fairness.
Instead, a flash of irritation lit her eyes, and she only answered with, “Of course. Now, then, you came by to see me. What’s on your mind? ”
“What’s on my mind now are the layoffs.”
I half expected her to sigh or to tell me to get out, and she’d talk about it later, but instead she pulled out the bios of Juniper’s leadership. I could see mine was on top. “Okay. Let’s start by talking about your management team and the value they provide.”
I wondered how many she’d target for the cuts but kept my tone neutral. “All right. What do you want to know?”
“Everything. Especially those who might find integration more difficult than others.”
I couldn’t tell if she was alluding to John’s “girl boss” comment from this morning or if she was speaking more generally. In fact, I’d originally come to her office to address John’s inappropriate comment, but the layoffs had thrown me off my game.
“Speaking of which, I want to apologize for John’s remark this morning. He’s had a rough time with the demotion and the transition.”
She tilted her head slightly, her gaze steady and unblinking.
“Something tells me this merger and his demotion have very little to do with his views on a woman being the boss.”
I didn’t push back. In tech, women at her level were rare, but that didn’t excuse John’s careless words. “He’s a hard worker,” I offered instead, “and I’ve spoken with him about his attitude.”
Her expression softened but only slightly. “I’m glad to hear it. Talent has value, but respect is nonnegotiable. And frankly, if we’re speaking about layoffs, then those who’d rather not be here should be on the list. I need people who are all in.”
The COO role was built on the principle of making sure the gears of the company turned smoothly and quietly, without unnecessary friction, and ensuring people were always giving their all.
My job was to anticipate problems before they reached her desk, to handle personnel issues, workflows, and systems, so she could focus on steering the larger ship. At least until the ship was mine to captain.
I sank into the visitor’s chair, catching the faint trace of her perfume as I did so. It was floral with an exotic edge. Distracting. As if her looks weren’t enough to sidetrack me, now she smelled incredible, too. I forced myself back to the conversation. “Fire away with your questions.”
“Who are your rising stars?”
“Rhys Mandell,” I answered without hesitation. “Senior manager. Sharp, quick on his feet, and never hesitates to roll up his sleeves with his team.”
I went on and listed a number of other directors and senior managers, painting everyone in a favorable light but not sugarcoating things. Nobody respected a leader who thought everyone was a rock star.
She flipped open Rhys’s bio, scanning with practiced efficiency. “Good. And what about problem employees? Anyone I should know about?”
I pasted on a pacifying smile, not about to start putting people on the chopping block. “Nothing I can’t handle.”
A flicker of irritation passed through her eyes, though her voice stayed cool. “If someone’s a problem, I expect to be informed. This isn’t just about evaluating for layoffs; it’s about morale and ensuring we don’t have any issues.”
I leaned back slightly, studying her. “Because you don’t trust me to deal with it?” My tone was mild despite my annoyance brewing yet again.
“Not unless you give me a reason to distrust you,” she retorted. “What you should know about me is I don’t like surprises. If HR calls me about an issue I haven’t heard about from you first, then you and I will have a problem.”
I held her gaze, recognizing the line she was drawing. She was setting boundaries, as any strong CEO should. And while I respected it, part of me couldn’t help testing the edges.
“Fair enough,” I relented at last, letting a faint smile curve my mouth. “I’m happy to manage up. Maybe we should schedule a weekly meeting.”
“Actually, as we start out and navigate the integration and these impending cuts, I’d like us to meet twice a day,” Charlotte supplied.
“Once in the morning to cover priorities, and once in the late afternoon to recap anything I need to know or to pass on to you. Both can be brief, fifteen minutes or so. Then we’ll also schedule a weekly one-hour meeting for strategy. ”
“Twice a day?” My brows lifted. At Juniper, I’d been lucky if the CEO carved out an hour a month for me. Most of the time, he forwarded emails, and I handled them without oversight. I didn’t like being micromanaged.
She offered a calm, almost placating smile. “If you need more than fifteen minutes twice a day, I’m happy to carve out extra time. You have a lot to learn about the company and the culture, and I want to ensure you have what you need to succeed.”
She’d purposefully sidestepped my point, bending it into some sort of reassurance as if I were the one nervous about keeping up.
Aggravation flickered hot in my chest, though I kept my voice level.
“Twice a day will be more than enough. I’m surprised you have time to meet with all your chiefs daily. ”
I didn’t need to be checked in on like some rookie climbing the ranks. I was here to run operations, not fill my calendar with needless meetings.
“You are the chief of operations which means we need to be aligned. And since this relationship is new, and I was the previous COO, these meetings are critical to ensure we’re on the same page, and I’ve been effective in knowledge transfer.
I have no doubt that in a few weeks we can cut down on the frequency. ”
One day, when the office was mine, I’d put an end to this kind of time drain for good.
“I’ll work with Olivia to get on your schedule.”