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Will clears his throat. “He’s right, though. Olivia, you weren’t supposed to have these problems at this stage.”
“I… there were some issues,” I can barely hear myself. Oh, God, they’re all looking at me now, and I feel tiny and awful and literally on fire from the inside out. I hate the disappointment in Will’s eyes. I hate that I’m the cause for his dismay, and I hate that I can’t bring myself to tell on Max and Nathan like I should’ve before I even started the demo. “I should’ve told you before, I’m sorry.”
But how could I tell him that I was having trouble with his employees, my colleagues. How could I tell him that I couldn’t get those people to respect me enough in order to help me all the way through like Will expected. The last thing I need right now is to cause tension between him and two of the industry’s best engineers. Those guys have been in this field for over a decade. Me, I just fell off the faculty bench.
“Olivia, what is going on?” Will asks, and I can sense the frustration in his voice. He keeps stealing glances at the executives while I struggle to find the words. When I’m unable to explain, he takes me by the arm and gently pulls me away from the table so as not to be overheard. “Talk to me.”
“I don’t know what you want me to tell you. It’s literally the first demo…”
“Max and Nathan were supposed to stop these glitches from happening. They’re elementary aspects for guys like them.”
“Will, I really don’t want to get anyone in trouble here.”
That just makes him mad. “Are you telling me they refused to help you with this?”
“They said they didn’t have to give me any more of their time. They’re mad you took my project into consideration over theirs.” I sigh in defeat. What’s the point in protecting people who will gladly let me take the fall in front of Will and the entire frickin’ executive board, anyway? “I don’t think they meant any harm by it, but… they’re not happy I came here.”
Will thinks about it for a second, then turns to face the board. “Okay, folks. We’re gonna cut this demo short and have you check in next month. There are kinks that still need ironing out and we’re not comfortable with going ahead with the presentation at this point. Hope you don’t mind. I’ll see you all tonight at the club. Drinks will be on me.”
There are murmurs of discontent, but ultimately the execs all accept his response and gradually exit the conference room. I watch in heavy silence as the air thins in their absence, then I try to leave as well but Will stops me.
“You stay,” he says and reaches for the intercom, quickly pressing one of the buttons. “Alina, send Max and Nathan in here right away, please.”
“Sure thing, boss,” her voice comes through with a slight crackle.
I give Will a worried look. “What are you doing?”
“Setting things right. You should’ve come to me sooner.”
“And told you what? That I can’t handle your star engineers? I’m the new girl, Will. I’m in no way eager to start conflicts here.”
He shakes his head. “But you’re willing to see you project suffer because you can’t stand up for yourself?”
“That’s harsh.”
“It’s also true.”
I suck in a breath as Max and Nathan come in. They seem confused until they see me.
Max doesn’t waste any time. “You complained about us to the boss? Seriously?”
“No, actually, she went ahead with a faulty demo and tried to cover your asses,” Will replies harshly. “Do you realize the damage you could’ve done to this company? And for what reason, exactly? Because you’re miffed I didn’t choose your projects for development?”
“It’s more complex than that,” Nathan tries to say, but Will raises a hand to silence him.
“No. It’s not. You could’ve talked to me about it. You could’ve steered clear of the high-school-level snickering I’ve seen on this floor whenever Olivia’s around. I get it. Most of you are annoyed that this new girl has gotten so much of my attention and resources. You’ve fostered a toxic work culture while I was literally trying to help you all achieve a healthy life-work balance. And you couldn’t bring yourselves to walk into my office and address your issues with me?”
Max tries to defend himself. “She’s constantly asking us for help! We have other work to do as well. You should’ve told us that this would be a long-term assignment.”
“I said we had six months for development before we put a bid in with FEMA,” Will shoots back. “You’re both exceptionally capable engineers. You can’t tell me you didn’t know it would be a long-term collaboration. No, this is about my refusal to grant funding for your own projects. Instead of working it out with me like adults, however, you chose to make Olivia’s life harder and ultimately risked causing my company significant prejudice. And you know what? You’re not irreplaceable. I’m putting you both on a month’s notice, but our work together is done. Finish whatever it is you’re doing today, then call HR to do a full handover to the rest of the engineering team.”
Shock washes over them, the color draining from their faces.
“Are you seriously firing them?” I croak, horrified.
“Stay out of this,” Will says, and I damn near swallow my tongue. “Thank you both. Maybe next time use your heads, not your egos. You know how I work. You know how much I value ethics in this place.”
“You can’t do this,” Nathan gasps.
