Chapter 24 #2
“I’ve already covered this with Piotr. We agreed he’d do it my way. He’s obviously trying to sneak this in now that I’m gone. You’re going to have to call him on it. It might even be a test, to see if you’re on the ball.”
Great. That’s all I need. Some inflated ego chancing their arm just to see if they can get away with it. I take him through the other issues of the day, but I don’t mention Wobbegong’s possible poaching. Why worry him until we have something to worry about?
“Anything else?” he asks at the end, clearly itching to go.
I screw my courage to the sticking point. “Why is Imogen there?”
“Because my mother called her.” Which answers one question and creates countless more.
“Why did your mom call her?”
“Because she was trying to get hold of me. She thought Imogen might know where I was.”
“I’m sorry. Why would she know where you were?
” I can’t help apologising because it feels like I’m badgering him.
I can’t work it out. Is this Anders being evasive or does he think all this is obvious?
I thought I knew him well-enough to determine but I can’t tell if I’m being fobbed off. “You and Imogen split up months ago.”
“But Mom didn’t know that.” And as if he hasn’t just dropped a bombshell, he ends, “I’ll speak to you tomorrow.”
The screen closes. I flop back onto my bed to pick apart that last statement.
Or rather, the whole call. Because there were no endearments, nothing personal at all.
How he felt, how he was coping, all that was missing.
Unlike his last email, there wasn’t any reference to love.
It was absolutely a call between a boss and his underling, even at the end. Especially at the end.
Talking of which, why hadn’t he told his parents he and Imogen were over?
I know he talks to them regularly, so it wasn’t that he hadn’t had the chance.
He made a choice not to tell them. Why? Because he hoped to get back with her?
Or was he embarrassed? But Anders isn’t embarrassed by anything.
Things that make me cringe, he shrugs off.
And it was his choice to walk away from Imogen because they wanted different futures. So it can’t be that.
I know his mother liked her. Understandable really. She was the package: smart, beautiful, gracious. And so, so elegant. I was surprised to learn they had split; his mother would have had so much more invested. Maybe that’s it? It's that simple. He didn’t want to upset his mum.
I turn it over in my mind. The fatalist in me comes down on the side of reconciliation with Imogen. It stands to reason. If she’s there, it must be because she wants him back. Enough to agree to children? Yes. You don’t run off to Nowheresville, Wisconsin if you’re not prepared to make big changes.
Stupid, stupid Cora. You just had to get involved with your boss, who was bouncing around looking for a rebound.
He was with her for years and you’ve been with him for a month.
There’s no contest. And just like Ginny, you’re going to have to suck it up and keep working with him when he returns. If he returns.
First thing in the morning, I email Piotr and ask him to come to Anders's office later. I had considered just dropping by his desk but I’m sending a message by summoning him.
I had plenty of time while trying to get to sleep last night to work out what to say. When Piotr turns up, I choose my words carefully, with particular attention to the pronouns.
“I spoke to Anders last night. Now that we have a budget, he would like to get our marketing campaign for launch day up and running. We would like your finalised plan by the end of the week. I’ll review it and send it to Anders for his approval.
He asked me to remind you of his priorities for spend with our promotion partners. ”
“Bravo,” Piotr says, mockingly. “Scarlett squealed, didn’t she?”
“The directive came from Anders, not Scarlett.” I sidestep his question. I’m not throwing Scarlett under the bus to earn his favour.
“Fair enough. I’ll get you something by Friday.” He levers himself out of the chair.
I let him go.
The pace of work remains frantic all week, but there’s a note in my diary to remind me to chase Piotr if I haven’t received his marketing strategy and budget allocations. When Friday morning rolls around and there’s nothing from him in my inbox, I’m not happy. This time, I go to him.
I don’t waste time on pleasantries. “Where is it?” I ask.
Piotr looks up. “I was just waiting for you to get in,” he says. Is that a bit of snark I detect?
“I don’t have a strategy for you,” he continues.
I open my mouth, but he holds up a finger to pre-empt me. “Because there’s nothing to buy.”
I frown. “What do you mean there’s nothing to buy?”
“All the advertising slots in the two weeks before our launch day are gone.”
“Gone?”
He nods. “Everything significant.”
“But they can’t be! It’s the height of summer. No one else is launching. Why would anyone else be wasting advertising spend?”
“I don’t know, but everyone I’ve approached is booked.
YouTubers, Steam curators, game bloggers.
Of course, there are tiny little outlets and guys with a few thousand followers, but all the big hitters are bust. Maybe someone worked out that this time of year is cheap and has decided on a push.
If Anders hadn’t stolen my budget, I’d have had them locked down ages ago. ”
“Who got them?”
He shrugs. “Does it matter?”
“What do you suggest we do?” I ask.
“I don’t know. I’ve never had this before, so I’ll have to think about it. I’m not sure what we can do. There’s still Twitch and social media ads, but they’re not going to make the big splash we were hoping for.”
I huff out my breath and try to think. But nothing comes. Zero. I’ve got zilch.
But one thing I do know just as well as Piotr. Without any marketing, The Obsidian Sigil and Cerium are fucked.