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Now I’m starting to worry. What could be happening to me?
I take a little time to recuperate, and then I flush, clean up and fix myself up as best as I can. I walk back to my office and not to the general room. I’m in no mood to start thinking up an explanation for dashing out like that.
I have to brace myself and get some answers. However scary they may be, I just need to know. I’m sure I must have eaten something bad, or I’m coming down with something really serious, or maybe I’m physically reacting to the awfully stressful situation. Whatever it is, I still have to seek answers.
Solid answers.
Harrison
It’s almost ten in the morning and Wade still hasn’t shown up for work. He’s been extra tardy these days and I’m not liking it.
Today seems like a good day to get an update on the Garfield Hayes situation. Wade is our Chief Financial Officer but when all this drama began to unfold, he was assigned the role of chief in-house investigator. We can’t leave the entire investigation to the Bridges legal team. It’s just really hard to sit on our hands and wait for updates while getting absolutely nothing.
I’ve given Wade a good budget. He can hire all the P.I.s and tech gurus he needs. I’ve told him to go all out and make a break in our case. I would love it if the problem was solved by someone from our end, rather than the head office.
In other news, this week has been a bit easier on my mental health, and I know exactly why.
Charlee.
Sweet, sweet, Charlee.
I realized how shitty and horrible of me it was to have questioned the quality of her work. I’ve screwed up a lot of things in my life, but none hurt me as much as hurting Charlee like that. I can’t even imagine how upset she must have felt. I wanted someone to blame for the endless bad news and I took it out on her, one of the few people actually doing anything worthwhile to solve our problem. If anyone does outstanding work as a divisional head at Building Bridges, it has to be Charlee. She works beyond her job description and has brought so much value to our growing brand.
I knew I’d fucked up, and so I apologized. Luckily for me, Charlee is gracious and kind. She accepted my apology and extended her support yet again.
Ever since, she’s been holding me up even without realizing it. The little breaks to her office are actually keeping me sane. My mind is no longer racing at a hundred miles per second, I’m no longer fidgeting constantly during meetings, and I like how I’m actually able to focus better these days.
She’s like a beacon of light I can always rely on and I’m so grateful for her.
I hear a booming voice outside my door and snap back to reality.
Wade is here.
Getting up, I head to his office which is right beside mine.
“Good morning, Wade. A little tardy these days, aren’t we?” I’m not playing his games anymore.
Wade looks up at me and exhales. “Boss, I’m so sorry for all that. I’ve been dealing with some stuff. Don’t worry. I’ll try to sit up this week.”
Wade makes his way to his seat and settles in, looking ruffled and rushed.
“Where are we on the Garfield Hayes situation? Have you found out anything yet?” I ask, settling at the edge of his table.
Wade looks up at me for a moment and stares back down at his laptop.
“Uh… I haven’t made much progress. Things are moving slowly.”
Damn, this motherfucker.
“Wade, you seriously haven’t actually done anything at all, have you? I haven’t seen you log any money spent on the investigation. What exactly are you doing?” I’m holding my phone a little too tightly. I need to grasp onto something to dispel my annoyance.
“Look, Boss, let’s be frank. What’s the point of all this drama? Building Bridges is not looking like it’s about to ever have a good run again. Once a lawsuit was slapped on it, there was no point. If we had prevented that, we might have actually stood a chance. As it is now, we’ve lost the battle entirely, so why bother?”
Wade doesn’t look up at me as he speaks, and at that moment, unlike never before, I’m not sure I’ve ever felt disgusted by cowardice this much.
“Wade, what the hell, man? Who backs down from a fight of false allegations because it goes to court? With a company as powerful as Bridges backing us, do you genuinely think we don’t stand a chance? We’re at the brink of total damage and you’re sitting with hands clasped in your thighs like you just don’t care! That’s bullshit, Wade.”
I don’t care how loud my voice is. Heck, I wish this was happening in a general meeting, so everyone can see what a wimp we have as CFO.
