Diana

14

Nothing prepared her for what happened the next day, at work.

From the moment she walked through the door, she could feel the restlessness in the air. Everyone was at his desk, no one was whispering in the corners, and the conference room door was closed. She understood immediately that Smith was in the company.

She didn't even get to her desk when Lucy stopped her in her tracks.

"You've been called to the meeting room. All the managers in the company were."

"And he? How does he look?"

Understanding who she was talking about, Lucy reassured her, "Do you know that attitude when you're on vacation and want to lie on a sunbed with your hands under your head?" Diana nodded. "Well, he has exactly that attitude. So, I think it's about a good thing. Don't worry."

"Then why is everyone so stiff in this office?"

"Well, you know what it's like when the boss is in the company. Everyone is at their place and mannered. Until he leaves. And after that, they throw the ties around their neck and hop on the desks."

Diana snorted and went to her desk. She leaved her things on the desk, straightened her hair a little to get on the same page as her colleagues', and left for the meeting room.

Everyone was sitting there, around the table, with Smith at the head of it.

"Diana! Good morning!" Smith said enthusiastically. "Please take a seat so we can start the meeting."

Diana was heading for an empty chair near Smith. Looks like everyone was avoiding those chairs. Smiling, she said to him, "Good morning! Seeing the wide smile on your face, I suppose this meeting will be a pleasant one."

"Pleasant indeed," he stood up, addressing everyone. "We have gathered you in this meeting room to announce our merger with another company."

There were murmurs in the meeting room. Not understanding whether it's a good thing or not, whether it will affect them in any way or on the contrary.

Smith motioned for them to calm down and continued, "There's nothing to worry about. On the contrary. You will have new colleagues, so to speak, who will help you in your work. They will not be here. We keep this headquarters and they keep theirs. But there will be communication in between."

Diana listened intently as Smith began to talk about what would happen and how. Colleagues around him stopped whining and listened to him with the same attention.

At the end of the meeting, everyone started to leave the room, but Smith said, "Diana! Stay behind for two minutes, please! I have something to talk to you about."

"Sure!" she smiled and sat back in her chair. Deep down, she was preparing for whatever could have been worse.

When the last colleague left the room and closed the door behind him, Smith sat down in his chair and looked intently at Diana, "It's a request, not a demand. So, if you have other plans, you can serenely refuse."

"Okay. I'm listening."

"Tonight, some of the managers from the company we are merging with will come have dinner with me. I would like you to join us. It will be like a dinner amongst friends. Nothing pretentious. We will not be wearing a suit and discuss business. So, you don't have to prepare anything."

"Sure. I would love to. Where will the dinner take place?"

"Being a friendly dinner, I thought it will be better to keep it at my place."

"I have to bring something then."

"You don't have to bother," he tapped her hand. "Just be there at 7 p.m."