Hating the CEO

Chapter 6 - Conversations

"Did you hear!?" The same girl that had talked meanly about Zoey a few weeks earlier ran into the kitchen in search of her gossip buddy.
The other girl did not answer. Julia assumed she was making her friend aware of Julia's presence in the kitchen, as the other looked around. Julia could swear she saw the girl wave her hand with indifference, but she pretended not to notice the two annoying creatures.
"Brand Today is opening an office in Chicago!" the girl blurted out.

So it's official now, Julia thought, stirring her coffee.
"That's nice..." The other girl was clearly not sure what the whole fuss was about.
"Don't you get it? I'm from Chicago! I could move back home..." the girl explained in a dreamy voice.

Definitely not a loss to the NY office.
"Does that mean that that hottie CEO of ours would again leave New York?" the second girl asked, pouting.
"That's another interesting thing!" the gossip girl was clearly not finished with her revelations. "Jack Deschanel is not leaving New York. They are looking for someone to lead the Chicago office..."
"Where did you hear that?" the second girl seemed in awe of the news her colleague shared.
"Let's go for lunch. I'll tell you all about it."

Sure, go for lunch, you two. You clearly need a break after all that exhausting gossiping... Julia thought, as the two left the kitchen.

Alice Williams was one of the colleagues who, like Julia, often worked late. So when Julia met Alice in the elevator after six pm that same day, she wasn't surprised. In fact she really wanted to talk to Alice.
"How about a drink?" she offered.
"Ooo, I would kill for a Mojito!" Alice exclaimed.
"Davonte won't mind that I'm keeping you away from home?"
Davonte was Alice's husband.
"He's out with his buddies tonight, so I might as well have one, or two Mojitos before going back to that empty house."
"In that case I'm happy to oblige," Julia answered with a grin.

Alice Williams was working together with Peter Wyatt on the Global Software account, one of Brand Today's key accounts. Peter was the account manager and Alice was his right hand or, in Julia's opinion, Alice was the one running the show, while Peter was getting all the credit for it. Alice was one of the women she had in mind when talking to, or rather arguing with Jack about the candidates for the Chicago job.
Julia kept quiet as they were sitting by the bar and sipping on their Mojito's. She hoped Alice had already heard the news and would start the topic herself. She did just that a few moments later.
"Have you heard about the new office in Chicago?" Alice asked, not looking at Julia.
"Yep."
Alice just nodded in response, pondering. Julia expected her to say something more, but when she didn't Julia couldn't be silent anymore.
"Apply for the role, Alice."
"What?"
"Apply for the role of the Chicago director!"
"What? No! Why would you think..."
"You are clearly considering it." Julia sent her an all knowing smile. "Besides, I do not know anyone in Brand Today who would be more fit for the role than you.."
"Peter Wyatt for starters," Alice butted in.
"That lazy careerist asshole knows less than a half of the things you know and just pretends to have more experience..."
"That may be true, Julia, but he has one thing I don't have..."
"A dick?"
"A dick," Alice confirmed laughing. "And you know how it is in Brand Today..." she added in a more serious tone. "A woman and a woman of colour in a top position? That would be a first!"
"Hmmm, I don't know... Maybe something will change." Julia thought back to her argument with Deschanel on the plane. He was stubborn indeed, but Julia had seen she'd gotten to him, so she hoped she had made him see some things... "Anyway, you'll never know until you try. Apply for the job, Alice!"

                                                                                      ***

Jack always appreciated the view from his office on the 20th floor. He liked to think that it gave him perspective; no matter what was going on at Brand Today and how busy or stressful it got, the glimpse at Lexington Avenue reminded him that he was nothing but a cog in a wheel. True, he might have been a bigger cog, but nevertheless a cog in a wheel among millions of other wheels which were turning at different speeds.
Today however, looking down from his office window, a different thought popped into his head. Jack did not appreciate that thought creeping into his brain, as it was a Julia-induced thought. Today he realized that he'd always been distinguishing men and women among those colorful dots down there. He never bothered to question whether that distinguishing even made sense and why he'd been doing it in the first place.
Jack always considered himself tolerant and open minded. He was sure he was a good boss, treating everyone equally, until he glanced at the people-dots on Lexington Avenue and heard Julia's words again: "You are gender biased... It seems to me, Jack, that you feel that men are maybe a bit more capable and competent than women?"
And to make matters worse the HR manager, Jim Creevy, was now confirming Julia's words. He'd been talking to Jack for the last thirty minutes, presenting the numbers and statistics; even though the number of men and women employed at Brand Today was more or less the same, the top positions were only held by men.
"You must understand, Jack," Jim brought him back from the window reverie, "As HR we source candidates and short list them for the hiring managers, and believe me we always short list both men and women! In the end though, it's that hiring manager who makes the final call and since the managers are usually men..." He trailed off, hoping Jack would pick up the thought.
Jack remained silent though, still staring out the window.
"...they hire other men." Jim completed his thought.
"But not always, I would imagine!" Jack finally spoke, turning to Jim, annoyance clear in his voice. He wasn't that much angry with his HR director, but more with himself.
"Of course, not always!" Jim confirmed immediately, but added after a moment's consideration "Our statistics however are what they are."
"Please send me the reports you've just shared, Jim. I'd like to go through them once more with a clear head."
Jim smiled satisfied.
"Will do, Jack!"
"Oh, any candidates for our Chicago director role?" Jack stopped Jim who was already at the door.
"We opened the position just a few days ago and we already have two candidates." Jim turned to Jack with a mysterious smile.
"Well, who is it?" Jack asked impatiently.
"Seems like you will have a chance to improve our statistics, Jack..."

                                                                            ***

"Guess who applied for the Chicago director position?!" Zoey exclaimed, bursting into Julia's office a few days later.
"Do come in, please... Don't let a social custom like knocking stop you."
"Did you hear what I've just said?" Zoey ignored Julia's remark.
"Yes, I did hear you and I assume that the one and only Peter Wyatt applied for the Chicago position."
"And this is where you're wrong, my sweet Julia," Zoey continued in her motherly tone. "I mean, Peter also applied, but I'm talking about Alice Williams! Alice Williams applied for the Chicago role!"

                                                                         ***

Seems like you will have a chance to improve our statistics, Jack... Jim Creevy told him the other day.
Well, like hell was he going to give Williams the job only because she was a woman! Statistics be damned. He once told Julia that people in Brand Today were promoted based on the results not gender and he was going to prove that. Not that he needed to be proving the Stiles witch anything, but still...
Jack knew Peter Wyatt well, but he couldn't say that about Alice. He knew she was working with Peter on the same account and that was basically it.
Before any proper interview with her though, Jack wanted to watch Alice, see the way she worked and interacted with others. Simply walking into her floor and observing would be too obvious.

It's about time the boss met with all teams managing the main customer accounts and heard what they've been up to.
"Agnes!"
"Yes, sir?" His assistant popped her head into his office a few seconds later. It was as if she could always anticipate the moment he would need her.
"Please schedule separate meetings with each team responsible for the main accounts, so Brady Corp, Beauty Line, Global Software and Eco Project. And I don't mean with just the account managers, I mean with the group behind it."
"Got it. When do you want to meet with them?"
"Yesterday."
"OK..." Agnes raised her brow, but kept quiet.
"I want them to present their accomplishments, current focus and so on..."
Jack could see Agnes was a bit surprised; it's not like he didn't know all of that already, but he felt that was the best way to get to know Alice Williams better. Besides, being gone for a year he hadn't had a chance to talk to his teams for a long time. Great way to kill two birds with one stone.