Too late
1292 Words
Emily’s POV
My stomach twisted as I read it, and an email notification came in around 3:30 pm.
From: Lucas Reed
Subject: Strategy Meeting- 4:30 pm
Attendance is Mandatory
“Why are you called into a strategy meeting? That’s for those on a Senior level.”
“I don’t know”
“I am sure you know why”. She said suspiciously.
***
Lucas stood at the head of the table in the conference room. Employees from Finance, Marketing, and Operations were present.
And there was I- from the Client Relations Office.
“Why is she here?” I overheard someone whisper.
“The CEO specifically requested her,” another replied.
“Let’s start the meeting,” he said.
There was a presentation from each department. Lucas paid keen attention to each report. I stared into his eyes and they were cold.
The Finance Head stepped forward to present. Lucas cut in with a question while he was into his presentation. “Is that really the reason? Or just an excuse?”
“Why are you pushing the fault into the operations department?”
The manager looked shaken already, and with his trembling hands, he tried to correct himself properly.
“We are understaffed Sir”
“No you are just incompetent and inefficient,” Lucas retorted.
There was tension in the room. “Emily”
“Mr. Reed,” I was shocked but composed myself immediately.
“Your department handled the client retention right?”
“Yes Sir”
“How many major accounts did we lose?”
“Three Sir”
“And why is that?” he asked, his eyes piercing into my soul.
“There was a breach in communication from the management above and it resulted in issues.”
He paused. “You are saying there is failure in leadership?”
“No,” I replied immediately. “There was miscommunication.”
His eyes were challenging me and I didn’t step back.
“What is the solution then?” He asked me.
“Approval power should be shared among other departments at lower levels to enhance faster decisions.”
There were murmurs around the room.
He leaned back into his chair. “ Implement them”, he ordered.
“Now next”
***
The meeting was over and everyone was packing up.
“Emily, stay,” Lucas called out.
I could see the curiosity in the eyes of my colleagues as they were leaving.
When the last person left and shut the door, there was absolute silence in the room that was once filled with chatter.
“You were really bold,” he said.
“I was only answering your question.”
“You directly challenged the management openly.”
“You asked for it when you put me in that tight spot.”
He smiled. “Nothing scares you right.”
“Yeah”
“That confidence,” he said slowly, “will either protect you or put a target on your back.”
“From who?”
He didn’t say anything at first, he paused.
“My brother”
“You have a brother?”
“Yes,” he answered. “And he might join the company soon,” he added.
His eyes darkened as he mentioned his brother.
“Is that a threat?” I asked him.
“I am just warning you Emily.”
I folded my arms, confused. “Why are you here exactly?”
“That’s none of your concern.”
“Everything that involves this branch is my business.”
He stepped closer but this time no touching.
“Do you really think you understand what’s going on?” he asks softly.
“No”
“Good, you-”
A knock interrupted as he was talking.
It was his assistant.
“Sir, the board is on line one.”
The board, which is from the headquarters and may even include the founder of the company.
“ I'll take it,” his assistant left us.
Lucas slowly exhaled.
“You should go,” he said.
I didn’t budge.
“Emily.”
“What?”
“You don’t want to stand too close to me when things get complicated.”
“And are they?”
“They always are.”
I remained silent, debating internally if I should keep up with the stubborn act or not. But for a second, I wasn’t looking at CEO Lucas Reed but just Lucas without the professional mask. He looked like he carried a heavy burden.
“Go,” he said.
***
I returned to my desk and the air felt different. Clara rushed to me as I had just sat down.
“Tell me, what happened?”
“He has a brother,” I told her.
She blinked her eyes.
“Okay and what about it?” She asked
“There’s a high chance of him coming.”
“Why does it sound like a problem?”
I couldn’t tell her it was just my gut. I saw how his face changed. He looked scared and tired at the same time.
***
It was break time and I decided to grab a quick bite in the cafeteria. On my way to the cafeteria, my phone buzzed. It wasn’t a call nor message, it was a post notification from i********:. I unlocked my phone to check.
Brian just posted
I stopped walking.
There were 10 slides of vacation pictures, blue ocean, white sand, big hats, and wearing sunglasses as if he didn’t have any worries in the world.
My body shivered.
I checked the caption.
@Brian.special01: Vegas called and life feels good over here. Living in the moment.
Vegas?
He looked so happy in all the slides.
Living in the moment?
He went on a vacation without telling me.
But of all days, he chose a day before our anniversary.
Without thinking much, I dialed his number.
I needed to talk to him over the phone.
He picked the third ring.
“Yeah,” he said like he was irritated.
I mustered all the courage in me. “You’re on a vacation?” I asked him.
“Yeah I am,” he said without hesitation.
I took a deep breath.
“And you didn’t think it was important to tell me?”
“It was last-minute.”
I knew that was crap. “How were you able to fund this trip?”
“I took some cash from our joint account. Listen, I am kind of in the middle of something important”.
My breath now shaky, “I am your Wife,” I tried to calm down.
“And so, do I need to take permission from you?” He replied cheekily.
“No, you don’t,” I told him dejectedly.
“Look, Em, I need to sort some things out. We will talk later.” With that, he ended the call. Just before he ended, I heard some people calling him to take a shot.
I stared at my phone as it went blank.
My husband took funds out of our joint account to go on a vacation without informing me.
***
It was a few minutes to closing time and I could not wait to jump on my bed. Today has been a whole lot of rollercoasters.
My phone vibrated on the table. There was a message notification from an unknown number.
Unknown:
Stay away from him.
I looked up instinctively toward his office. My heart started pounding loudly.
Another message came in from the same number
You have no idea who you’re dealing with.
I typed back before I could think.
Who is this?
The reply came almost immediately.
Ask him what happened to his mother.
My blood ran cold.
- Writer
