50 Shades of Drake 1 and 2

50SOD II: Chapter Twenty-Eight

    All hands on deck. That was the mode that Graham Enterprises launched into. The tension in the air was palpable. It wasn't the type of tension where people feared for their jobs. It was more like people were chomping at the bit to tear a new one into Harry Palmer for daring to attack a company they'd grown to love. There was a true family vibe in the company, and when someone came at the company, they were coming at family.

    There was a stark difference between the office on a typical day and the office on Wednesday morning when Destiny arrived to work. Everyone in the lobby was buzzing. People in the elevator were buzzing. Harry Palmer? Harry Palmer was talking shit about Graham Enterprises? But why? Because of an article? How petty. Co-workers on the media floor were running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

    On a typical day, people could pace their work - but on a day like today, timing was of the essence. Check what the media outlets were saying. Compile all of that data, forward it to your manager so he or she could work on a statement to counter what the media outlets were saying. That manager would then take the possible statement options to the executive meeting that would be held within the next few hours.

    The public loved to tear down corporate America. There was sadly good reason for that. Most corporations, once they had a certain number of employees, tended to treat those employees like a number. Take advantage of their own staff. Overwork and underpay. It was a sad reality in the world today. Workers who put in decades of years got laid off shortly before retiring, got cheated out of pensions. Hard work was constantly overlooked in the workforce. It actually seemed like the harder someone worked, the less appreciation they were shown - unless they knew how to sprinkle just the right amount of brown-nosing and kissassery along with it. Of course, depending on where you worked.

    Graham Enterprises was not that type of corporation. Aubrey fought to make sure his company was not that kind of corporation, and Destiny bore witness to that. His employees were downright spoiled. He bordered on the thin line of micromanagement just to make sure his staff was taken care of. The trouble with that, though, was perception. Employees knew that they were well taken care of. But from the outside? The public as a whole didn't know how well Graham Enterprises employees were treated. As such, the public was keen on treating Graham Enterprises like any other corporation that took advantage of its employees.

    The running theme for Wednesday was: meetings. Each department called their own meetings. This was when Destiny really got to see Brian in action. He was a phenomenal speaker. Charismatic almost to a fault. He spoke passionately, used visual aids to describe possible strategies for how they would oppose Harry Palmer's allegations.

    Jeremiah Tiggs, an intern notorious for falling asleep during meetings, was awake and alert and his pen was always scratching in his notebook while Brian spoke to the team. It was almost disconcerting to see him pay that much attention. But that was how serious this situation was.

    After the meeting was over, Brian stood at the head of the glass conference table. The Powerpoint presentation image he'd used was currently being projected onto his forehead as he closed his work binder and gathered all of his business gear.

    "Well done," Destiny commended, still seated at the other end of the table.

    He lifted his eyes and smiled. "Thank you."

    She stood up from her seat and picked up her notebook. "You put that entire presentation together last night?"

    "I take my job very seriously," he said, bending at the waist and grabbing his briefcase from where it sat propped on the floor. "Does it show?"

    Only when you're not trying to flirt with me, she thought.

    He narrowed his eyes at her while placing his binder and writing utensils into his briefcase. "After leaving Aubrey's place yesterday, I stopped at a local bar. Had a few drinks, tossed some ideas around. Went home and stayed in. All night. And I stayed up. All night. Googling some of the stuff that was being said, noting down which site was saying it. Some sources are taken more seriously than others. I wanted to note down the priorities. I don't know...a lot of ideas started coming at me at once. I just took them all down."

    "That's amazing," she told him.

    He closed his briefcase; not once had he taken his eyes off of her since setting the briefcase on top of the table. "I'm glad you think so." His stride was slow and measured as he rounded the table and walked alongside it. "Actually, Aubrey called a meeting for all of the department heads. You should come to the meeting with me."

    That was the meeting he was talking about this morning. "He told me about it, but didn't say anything about me being invited to it."

    Brian shrugged. "So?"

    "So," you must not know Aubrey as well as I do. Because when he wants someone somewhere, he tells them.

    He must have seen the worry in her face. "I highly doubt he would oppose to you being there. We are the media department. You are one of the newest employees in our department, yes, but you're also one of the sharpest. Maybe you will hear something that will spark an idea. You never know. I want you there." He raised his wrist and eyed the expensive watch latched onto it. "The meeting is in ten minutes. Grab a drink, hit the bathroom if you need to. Conference room A on the thirty-fifth floor. Okay?"

    She nodded. "Okay, sure."

    His eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled. He held his arm out, gesturing for her to walk ahead of him.