And I suspect the board meeting next week will not be a pleasant one. My investor and friend, Sebastian, shared that the board unofficially discussed replacing me in case I’ll make a mess like Damian did.
I will never.
This ismycompany.
I’ve proven I had nothing to do with his atrocious behaviour. Should I have noticed? I trusted him like a brother for half my life. I was blind.
Five months since the big blow-up in the media, and we’re still feeling the pain. Still working on rebuilding what he tore down. At least the court cases are over, and Damian is no longer a part of my life.
I will never let this happen again.
The group of new starters sees me. They recognise me and seem to understand my presence calls for attention as they all go quiet.
Well, not all of them seem to get it.
There’s one girl in a bright yellow dress with her back to me who’s still talking.
I’ve spotted her before.
She’s hard to miss.
Although she’s not the only person in colourful clothes and tattoos, it’s the combination of that with her wild, dark hair, her loud voice, and constant high energy, which makes her impossible to ignore. Pair that with the fact that she’s one of HR’s board report spies, which Sebastian also hinted about, and she’s on my radar.
What the hell is Nia playing at sending her here, talking to my new talent?
I’m sick of being treated like I’m about to step out of line, as if a man in power can’t keep his dick in his pants justbecause there are opportunities aplenty. Some of us have self-control and actually give a flying fuck about this company.
I wait for her to shut the fuck up, but my patience is waning.
Finally, she stops yapping and turns to me. That bright smile fades immediately as our eyes meet.
Yeah, you know you’re unwanted here, don’t you?
I probably shouldn’t tell her to get fucked back to HR in front of the new talent pool.
And our recently hired art director has just sidled up next to me as well. Where’s Frank?
I take a breath and put on the enthusiastic voice I know Damian would have pushed for as I welcome them all.
“You are here to form the next generation of Infinio Games. It’s an honour to have you. You are here because of your extraordinary skill, your achievements, and your accolades to date. Some of you are fresh out of university but have accomplished more than others twice your age, and some of you have a few years under your belt and have shown exceptional talent. Talent we are proud of having here, and together we will make sure Infinio gets back to being the top live services game provider in the world.”
It bothers me it’s the HR girl’s eyes I keep sticking on. I force my gaze back across the group of diverse and eager-looking young adults, and then it falls back on her large brown eyes. She’s just standing there, brazenly obvious in her loud outfit. At least the other HR spies had the decency to pretend to fade into the shadows. This one’s right in front, taking up space. Taunting me with her presence.
I rub a hand over my jaw, trying not to show my frustration. I never used to have stress and irritation this close to the surface. But it turns out that’s not a huge feat when life’s easy. And life has been a smooth ride for me, until last year when the blog came out,followed by the storm of news articles, then the police-involvement, ending with Damian being forced out—and I took on the role as the main man. Nowadays, it’s a real effort to keep my heart rate stable, stay calm and collected, and focus on the task at hand.
And don’t get me started on dealing with people. People fucking annoy me more often than not.
Right now, that girl and what she represents are annoying me.
“Horace,” I say, leaning close to the man next to me.
“Yes?”
“Can you please escort the HR rep away? She’s not meant to be here.”
“Which one’s that?” he asks.
“The one in yellow.”
