It means I’ll be okay for spending-money for a couple of weeks, but without a full-time job I’ll never get out of my brother’s guest room. It’s only a matter of time before one of his dates turns into more than a date.
If only I could find another role here. Surely there’s someone in a company of five-hundred who needs help and has the budget to back it up? I’d prefer not to have to tell my parents the truth.
A deep voice cuts through the air, disrupting my spiralling thoughts, and I turn to see the source.
Oh, a rare treat. In my five weeks here, I’ve only seen him a couple of times.
Mark Becker, Infinio Games CEO and co-founder, is down from his secluded top-floor office. Doing one of the infamous ‘pop-ins’, it seems. Nia’s HR consultant is there too. Poor Mark, does he know she’s documenting and reporting his every move?
“What’s your role?” he asks, making the young brown-haired man it’s directed at a shade paler.
I’ve never seen Mark up close in person, but in photos he looks a little too handsome, to be honest. Why he didn’t want to be the face of the company before beats me.
His back is to me as he talks to the group. Broad shouldersfill out the expensive-looking navy suit. His dark blond, perfectly styled head is well above most of the team members; as if his baritone voice and direct approach weren’t intimidating enough, he has to tower over them as well.
“I-I’m the development lead for pod four,” the now ashen-faced man answers.
“Exactly. So why can’t you answer my question?”
His voice is low, but it’s no less threatening.
“It’s not so easy.”
“Noteasy? I sure as hell hope not. I’m not paying you for easy. We’re in a highly competitive industry where you need to stick to the popular and successful Infinio style. I don’t want to see new, I don’t want to see different, and I definitely do not want to seeeasy.” He waves a long, muscular arm towards the smart board with lots of scribbles and diagrams I’ll never understand. “Sort it out or get the hell out.”
Yikes.
Alright, Mark could use some lessons in human interaction, it seems. Wonder what Mum would say if she saw he’s not aswonderfulas he looks.
I shuffle past quietly, sending sympathy to the poor dev lead.
When I enter Nia’s private office at the far end of the long building, she bounces off her chair.
“Good morning! Are you okay?”
“Yep, why wouldn’t I be?”
“Well, I didn’t manage to make you permanent.” She pouts. “Seems like your mum really wants you to work here.”
I shrug. “It’s not your fault. And thanks for not saying anything to Mum.”
Her shoulders relax. “I know better than to make her look bad in front of her sisters.” She grimaces. “You looked like you were upset about something, though.”
“Oh, right.” I wave toward the situation I just witnessed and recount what I heard.
Nia winces. “Ouch, yeah, Mark has the quarterly board meeting coming up in a week. It puts him on edge.”
I imagine those meetings must be tough post-Damian.
“He doesn’t have to take it out on his staff, though,” I say, not sharing the shred of empathy I have for him.
“Yeah, I know. He’ll find his way, I’m sure.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Does he know you’re reporting on him to the board, by the way?”
A hint of red appears on the tops of her high cheekbones, and she scrunches up her mouth. “He will eventually. But he’s fine. My report to the board is clear; he has done nothing that resembles Damian’s patterns or behaviour, and they don’t need to worry.”
I crash down on the blue, fluffy beanbag chair in front of Nia’s desk and lean back.
