The Whispers and The Wolf

Twenty

I was sat down at my usual spot at the island logging in for my call, when Conlan appeared behind me again with my water bottle and fresh coffee. Laying a kiss on my cheek he said “Have fun, wee birdie.” And sat at the other end of the island on his phone. Was he going to watch me the whole time?

Mae, the Secretary of the board began the meeting and the rest of us joined soon after. The CEO was late. Of course. Nevertheless we began without him, there was always a chance he wasn’t going to join at all. Mae was mid-sentence when his face appeared on the screen. “Oh Mr Hagan, wonderful to see you this morning.” She said, her words laced with sarcasm. I realized that they put this call in for 9AM hoping that he wouldn’t grace us with his presence and tried to hide my grin.

“Just get on with it, Mae. Pretend I’m no here at aw.” He waved his hand. What a d**k. His appearance clearly stirred Conlan as I saw him out of the corner of my eye sit up straight and glare at my screen. I turned my camera off, my mic already off until I had something to add.

“Is everything ok?” I asked him. He stood and took 2 long strides towards me, ending up at my side.

“Is that James Hagan?” He said, squinting close to the screen.

“Aye, he’s the CEO for the company I’m doing the marketing for. What’s wrong?” His face was white as a sheet. “Do you know him?” My heart sunk. I had a bad feeling about this.

“I need to go. I need to speak to Uncle. I’ll be back at dinner time, I’ll bring food.” He stormed out the door, slamming it behind him. I stared at the door, shellshocked.

“Ms Bruan, is everything ok?” Mae’s voice brought me back to earth with a thump.

“Yes, yes. Sorry everyone” I chirped after clicking my mic on. I tousled my hair and turned my camera back on too. “Just had to nip to the bathroom.” I smiled as casually as I could, trying to put Conlan’s peculiar reaction to the back of my mind. Soon after, it was time for me to present my proposal to Mr Hagan and update the board on the progress we had made on the campaign and event planning.

“Hmmm… I don’t think so Ms Braun. I think we need to start again.” His hard face deadly serious. Everyone froze. Not their cameras, their actual faces. The entire board was immensely happy with my proposal and we had already put the plans in motion. It was the best plan for the company. And yet, here he was flushing his legacy down the toilet. I waited for someone else to speak. Well, coming to my own rescue again I suppose.

“Excuse me, Mr Hagan my name is Ms Bruan, not Braun. And I’d love to discuss this proposal further with you; the full board was more than happy to approve it on Monday on the meeting you missed.” Where was this confidence coming from? Everyone’s faces dropped, except Hagan’s. His mouth was pulled back into a snarl. “I don’t appreciate having my time wasted, Mr Hagan. I am an expert in my field and have had a hand in making many international brands successful through the marketing strategies I implement. If you wish to ruin the legacy left to you by your family, what are you 5th generation ownership? I suggest you go with this proposal or this company won’t be long in failing, with the way you are carrying on.”

“Who put 50p in the crow?” Hagan spat, his expression was one of pure loathing. He never seemed to have much of an opinion on anything, but something about my wee speech made him seethe. “No one speaks to me like that ya wee-“

“Like what, Mr Hagan? No one tells you the truth? Well that’s why your board hired me.” It was as if someone else had taken over my body, was speaking on my behalf and I was just watching everything unfold through my own eyes. I despised confrontation usually, this was not like me. But I was enjoying it, enjoying the freedom and power I felt. “I hate to break it to you but no one speaks to you at all because they are terrified. I’m here to turn Hornet House around and make you some real money. Turning £50,000 into half a million, give or take. Does the money make more sense to you than integrity or logic?” I could tell his pride was wrestling with his ambition.

“Well you can piss off then, Ms BRAUN.” Deliberately mispronouncing my name.

“Very mature, Mr Hagan. VERY mature.”

And with that he clicked off the call. No one spoke for a few moments. As the adrenaline wore off, the embarrassment took over in the form of red blotches all over my face and chest.

“I am truly sorry about that…” I looked down at my hands, fidgeting with my rings. I heard one choked giggle, followed by another, then a full blown laugh. The whole team were roaring with laughter. Had I gone positively mad? What was going on?

“Aww Autumn, that was bloody astounding, hen.” Dave, the Sales Director, said through his laugh.

“Absolutely stunning.” Added Mae, wiping the tears from her eyes.

“I think I need a lie down” I rubbed my temple, laughing weakly.

“I’ll speak to his father and sort this mess out.” Mae assured. “It was about time someone spoke up to that tyrant. Your next visit to Fort William will be interesting.” She winked.

My heart sank to my stomach. I did not want to have to face him again. How was I going to go to the Head Office and look this prick in the eye after speaking to him that way? Anxiety rose from my toes to my chest as I panicked. I was expected to go in 2 weeks. We all clicked off the call and I sat in silence for a few minutes.

It turns out I didn’t have to worry about visiting Mr Hagan. I lost my job later that afternoon.