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“That’s hardly a reason, Ms. DeCarlo.”
“It’s precisely my reason, Harold.” I hold his gaze, refusing to look away.
“What is it you’re here for?” Rhonda asks, breaking the staring match between me and ol’ Harry.
The smile I give her is entirely without mirth. “I want my job back, Rhonda. You fired me, knowing I was having a hard time. If the press finds out you fired a female employee after she was sexually harassed—”
“Now, wait just a moment there, Ms. DeCarlo. There’s no need to get the press involved, especially considering you never formally filed a single complaint against this person,” Harold says, quickly, evenly. Almost as if he’s practiced it.
“Oh, but I did, Harold. Every time Brad interrupted my workday, I noted it on my timesheet. Every single time he made an inappropriate comment, I input it verbatim into the notes of the timesheet. I didn’t file a complaint with you, but everyone who had eyes on my timesheet knew what was going on. Everyone. No one reached out. No one bothered to see if I was OK.”
Harold leans back, smug look on his face. “Well, Ms. DeCarlo, without a formal—”
“Harry, let me just stop you right there. I don’t give one crooked demon horn about your formal complaint process. It’s broken, and it doesn’t serve the people it’s meant for. So here’s what we’re going to do about it.
“First off, you’re giving me my job back and putting me on the new top tier asset division. Second,” I pause, reaching into my bag to pull out the hard copies of every one of my timesheets, and thus every gross thing Brad ever said to me. “You’re going to wade through this stack of paper and file whatever needs to be filed to get Brad fired. And third, you’re going to work on a new system so that a person being harassed doesn’t end up feeling like the one who did something wrong.”
Harold takes the stack of papers from me and gives me a single nod.
“I want it in writing by the end of business today,” I say and walk the hell out, almost body slamming into an eavesdropping Michelle.
“You’re my new hero,” she says, slipping her arm in mine as she walks me to my old desk.
Not ten minutes after I’m there, Rhonda stops by.
“I never saw your timesheets, Lily. They go right to accounts payable and upper management.”
“So everyone in upper management knew, then?” I ask.
“Maybe? I don’t know. But I want you to know that until he’s let go, Brad won’t come anywhere near you. I saw some of the vile things he said over Harold’s shoulder. I’m so sorry it went on so long.”
“Thank you,” I say and turn my attention back to the screen I can’t actually access yet.
“Here are your new login credentials. You’ll be the first in the new division, so you’ll get to dictate whatever new protocols or procedures work best for you.” Rhonda hands me an ID card and a slip of paper. “The new position also comes with a twenty percent pay increase, which Harold was more than happy to sign into existence once I pushed the proper paperwork under his nose.”
I smile at her. I wasn’t expecting a pay increase. “Thank you, Rhonda. I’m happy to know you’re still on my side even after seeing the trouble I caused. And thanks for setting up the meeting on such short notice.”
“Trouble? Lily, you stood your ground, fought an unjust policy, and won. That’s not trouble. That’s confidence.”
“Yeah,” Michelle says, standing to peer at me over the cubicle wall. “And it looks pretty damn good on ya.”
I had to agree. Now all I have to do is wait for Typhon to show up and tell him the good news.
The horde now has unfettered access to our highest risk clients in two continents.
Chapter19
Typhon
Iapologize, Lily. Explain it one more time. What exactly is an insurance policy?
Lily’s pacing, much like Rhygel, as she lays it out once again.
What isn’t important. It’s what it does that matters. Barbas explained that souls have different values, different amounts of energy, and that some souls are worth way more than others.
Right. I’m with you so far.
And what kind of person has the most valuable soul?
