27
If Jia thought her walk out of the Bakerson’s Group offices was a walk of shame, she clearly didn’t know how awful it would
be to be walking back in.
She didn’t notice back then how sterile the offices were. No color. No life. No soul. Did everyone always dress this bland?
Did everyone always look this miserable? Maybe she hadn’t realized how she never quite belonged here because she’d never actually
experienced what it felt like to fit in anywhere . . . until she’d made her way to The Sunset.
It was quiet, too quiet, and the click of her kitten heels felt too loud in the space. A tingle crept up Jia’s spine like
she wanted to turn around and run out of this place. But she wouldn’t. She was here for the others. And she was here for herself.
Jia had stopped by Lizzy and Darcy’s new apartment to pick up an outfit to wear to the meeting.
The emerald-green sheath dress with a ruffle hem was hers.
When she put it on, it felt too tight. Too stiff.
Foreign. But it was the most appropriate outfit she had for something like this.
At least she hoped so. She’d been in Mimi’s clothes for a month now and had grown to love the freedom to still wear bright colors and patterns, fits that weren’t trying to impress anyone except herself.
A head peeked out of the main conference room, and Jia recognized the face of their attorney, Helena Wimberley, a woman she
had Zoomed with along with Stephanie Novak and Taylor Ann Graff about the lawsuit. Helena had been very detailed and matter-of-fact
about what they had ahead of them. It was a wrongful termination suit by the three women who had all been in the same position
at the company, worked for the same man, and been terminated in ways that all felt off, never once being shown proof of their
errors.
There were questionable ways about the way they’d been treated at the company as well. But the attorney decided to not take
that route, since those things—creepy comments and looks and general discomfort from their skeevy boss—were harder to prove.
If this didn’t say everything about how broken the system was, Jia didn’t know what would.
Jia had hesitated in agreeing to the lawsuit. She wasn’t sure she wanted to participate. Was this something she was willing
to fight for? There were times Jia would fight the world, like for the residents of The Sunset. But she found it harder to
fight for herself. It was only when the lawyer made it clear that they were stronger as three plaintiffs than alone, that
the other women were counting on her, that she agreed.
There was also the Henry factor.
Jia had been surprised to find that, as the one whose signature was on the termination paperwork, Henry was also listed on
the lawsuit. And it was what gave Jia the most pause of all.
But Henry, in his own follow-the-rules way, had basically encouraged her to do this, to do what was right for her. Knowing Henry supported her in this meant so much to her. She just hoped it didn’t come at a cost to him.
Jia wasn’t doing this to get her job back. She wasn’t even doing it for any kind of justice or a settlement. She was doing
it to be heard. She wanted her voice and the truth to be known.
Jia entered the room and took a seat next to Taylor Ann. She’d never met either of the two others before their phone calls,
before their Zoom meeting. But she’d felt a kindred connection to them. She squeezed her hand and smiled over her to Stephanie
as well. They were in this together.
Jia wasn’t sure what this was or all that it would entail. But Mimi also encouraged her to do it for all the other girls that would get hired after
her. Those that might not have a safe place to land like she had at Sunset Hills. That was what eventually sealed the deal
for Jia to take part in the complaint.
Jia’s hands shook, and she found it hard to swallow for some reason. She crossed her leg and uncrossed it because her foot
wouldn’t stop moving. Truth be told, she was terrified. Terrified of coming back to this office that had always made her feel
inadequate. Terrified of facing her boss who always made her feel stupid and like a piece of meat. And maybe what she was
most terrified of was seeing Henry.
She didn’t want any of this to blow back on him.
But from what her lawyer had told her, as the one signing the termination contracts, both Henry and Genevieve Gordon could
be liable and it was standard to include these roles in wrongful termination suits. But Helena Wimberley had pretty much guaranteed
they wouldn’t end up even getting that far. The risk of going to trial for the company was too great for them to not at least
try to reach a settlement. And that was the goal.
For Jia, she hoped for redemption.
The team from Bakerson’s Group entered the conference room. A man Jia didn’t recognize came in first, holding a bunch of files
under his arm. He immediately shook hands with Jia’s attorney and ignored the rest of them. He was followed by Steven Sword,
the general counsel for Bakerson’s Group, Edison Wainwright, the accused, and behind them all, taking a seat directly across
from Jia at the long mahogany conference table, was Henry.
Henry’s expression was stern, his face shuttered. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen this version of him. She
barely recognized him. Was this the mask he put on every day when coming to work?
He gave nothing away, and Jia reminded herself that she expected this. She knew he was great at his job. And this was Henry
doing just that. His job. Hadn’t she been on this side before? The recipient of Henry’s no-nonsense, just-the-facts way of
looking at life? When he’d first arrived at Sunset Hills? When they’d butted heads all along the way? When he’d signed his
name to her termination paperwork?
But that was before. Jia knew a different side of Henry now. And she just couldn’t, wouldn’t believe he was out for blood.
And then she saw it, the smallest tick in his jaw, a sign that this was hard for him or maybe even that he wished he wasn’t
here going against her. That was what she hoped it meant.
A part of her wanted to cry . . . for him. For this impossible position he was in.
But the other part of her? She let her mouth curl up into the smallest smile, trying to convey that it was okay. That she
was okay. That maybe, just maybe, they would be okay.
“Thank you all for joining us today,” the unknown man began. “We’ve reviewed all the claims of the complaint and have determined that there are no grounds, no validity, and most of all no proof to any of them.”
“Well, that’s unfortunate. You must not have read closely enough. Or maybe take off the lens of misogyny you were reading
it through, and we can discuss what you see in the documents then.” Damn, Helena was good. Jia was impressed.
Jia had never seen her parents at work. But she could imagine that her dad with his loud, booming voice, always sounding a
bit put-out with a slight air of disapproval, could shut any opposition down.
Her mom? A softer approach, a kinder tone, until you realized she was waiting with ten facts collected to make you feel small
and beaten.
Being in this scenario, watching and listening to these lawyers go back and forth, felt a bit like pulling the curtain back
on the wizard. It all was an act to come out on top. And maybe that was what everyone did in this world, especially in the
workplace. They put on an act to get the job done and then went home at the end of the day, trying to remind themselves who
they really were.
Jia knew she couldn’t live like that.
“And Ms. Jia Chung had a number of clerical errors. She spent more time flirting with and distracting the staff than she did
her actual job. She violated company dress code. She spent entirely too long in the kitchen each morning. And she raised questions
where she had no business even addressing.”
Jia’s attention was brought back to the conference room and the voice of Mr. Wainwright.
He wouldn’t look at her as he accused her of behaviors that just weren’t true.
He didn’t even acknowledge her presence.
That was what they were all doing, trying to make the women feel small, unseen, insignificant.
“I see you . . .” Henry’s words echoed in her ears.
Jia put both hands on the table and got to defending herself. “I was never made aware of a company dress code, nor did anyone
ever make it known that I was breaking one. I spent time in the kitchen to unload the dishwasher every morning so that people
would have clean mugs for their coffees, since no one else would do it. And though I never flirted with anyone in this office—”
she scrunched her face thinking of all the swarmy men who worked at Bakerson’s Group, and the only one worth even considering
was obviously Henry, and she’d never even met him while employed at the company “—I did make small talk with other employees
to help lighten the mood, since everyone was always so miserable at work. And as far as clerical errors go, I can attest that
the only time my work was called into question was regarding an expense report—”
“Enough.” Steven Sword’s icy voice silenced Jia in her tracks. “This is not a sorority. This is a financial institution. All
of this is nonsense. We don’t pay you to chitchat and unload the dishwasher.”
Jia folded into herself. This whole time she’d thought she was doing a good job because she tried to help people. But clearly
that wasn’t important at all—at least, it wasn’t what they wanted from her. They just wanted her to sit and be quiet and fill
out forms and do as she was told. She lowered her head.
“Just to be clear, there is nothing in the documentation or information we gathered to substantiate any claims of Ms. Chung
flirting with and distracting the staff. And it’s not part of the complaint filed against the company.”
Jia turned her attention back to Henry. She’d wondered earlier if the wide conference table, one so big that even if they both reached their arms out they wouldn’t be able to connect, symbolized a divide that they couldn’t overcome.
“Let’s keep these proceedings to the facts at hand. The plaintiffs filed a wrongful termination case. But New York is an at-will
state. And unless they can prove illegal misconduct, which,” Henry said and looked down at his stack of papers, sifting through
them in what Jia could see was clearly a dramatic pause, “I don’t see anything here that will stand in court, then I see no
reason for all of us to be here today. This is not a case you can win.”
This time, Henry looked directly at Jia.
They held each other’s gaze.
You did so well, she wanted to tell him.
You’ll get hurt if you keep this up, she thought she saw in his eyes.
I have to at least try, to state my piece, she tried to convey through her expression.
His eyes narrowed the slightest. You won’t win this. I’m too good at my job.
She knew it was true. And she was actually so proud of him.
“Look, Shin is right. You can’t win this. But we also don’t want a PR mess on our hands. So let’s just cut some checks and
be done with it. How much, girls? How much to make it all go away?” Edison Wainwright said across the table. The man was such
a prick.
Jia hated this whole thing. Was there a price tag for her dignity?
For fairness? For respect in the workplace?
To bury her truth? She just wanted to be back in Palm Springs.
She wanted to get all her stuff and leave New York behind.
She didn’t want to be here among these dregs of the earth who couldn’t appreciate that all she’d ever done at this job was try to help people be okay during a miserable workday.
And she was over being treated like dirt.
“Sir,” Henry said, trying to stop him.
“Are you saying you want to settle?” Helena asked. “If so, make the offer by midnight, and I’ll discuss with my clients. But
I’m warning you, do not insult us with the number.”
Jia felt the two women next to her fidget in their seats. Their lawyer had made it clear to them that they probably could
not win this case. She had mentioned, just as Henry had, that New York was an at-will state. But she said their goal was not
to take this to court but to get a healthy settlement for their silence.
Jia didn’t feel great about that.
But she was in a bind financially, and it seemed like something she could do.
Sitting here now, watching it all play out, she wasn’t so sure. They might not be able to win, but taking money to be silenced
left a boulder in her throat and a sourness in her belly.
She looked back up, meeting eyes with Henry. His softened. He saw the struggle she was going through. Could it be possible
that the two of them had had some of their most intense conversation here in the middle of a heated legal discussion, without
even saying one word?
She wanted to climb into his lap and put her head on his shoulder and comfort him after a long, hard day . . . to be comforted
by him after the emotional toil of the meeting.
She wanted a future with Henry.
And she hoped that he’d want that too, even though she couldn’t possibly see how.