Early Bird (Erkenci Kus)(Part 3)

60. Gossip mongering

"What happened?"

"Did Mr Can really beat up Mr Fabbri?"

"He was close to beating him up here, remember? He attacked him right here in front of us."

"I wonder what it was about this time?"

"This is ridiculous," JJ mutters as he listens to the chatter around the office. It wasn't even 10 o'clock in the morning and they were prediciting doom.

He heads over to where Guliz was right in the middle of the largest group.

"The company will go bankrupt if Mr Can is detained, I'm telling you guys. I can feel it," Guliz voices her concerns loudly to the group who all nod worriedly.

"We'll give you pom poms and play funky music so you can celebrate being right then Guliz!" JJ interjects. "What is wrong with you?!'

"Stop yelling at me JJ! Do you think I want to be right? I don't even want to think about it let alone talk!"

"Then why did you bring it up? You've been planting this since he was taken away and now everyone's panicking. I can't listen to this anymore," he holds up his hands. "I don't want to hear another word about us going bankrupt!" he snaps at the staring group. That he was the calm one in this sitaution was very ironic. "Either you lot talk positively or you shut up!"

"But we're going to sink - " Mehmet starts to say but JJ gives him a dirty look.

"Shut up!" Mehmet stops when JJ spins on him. "Why are we going to sink? Huh? Just because Mr Can - "

"Okay, okay, you're right," Guliz says and they both look at her. "You're right JJ, but you have to admit that things haven't been good. It's scandal on scandal all the time and we're suffering for it. We don't want to say these things, we can't help it." She starts tearing up, hyperventilating. "If it goes on like this - "

"So we go bankrupt, so what?" JJ asks. "We'll all be without jobs. So what? Sitting around and panicking about it won't stop it from happening. You're part of this agency, rather help us stay unbankrupted instead of filling everyone's heads with fear damn you!" Guliz's hands go to her ears as he yells right into them. "STOP SPREADING FEAR OF DISMISSAL!"

"JJ!" Deren rushes through the throng and stares at him.

"Yes?" he says calmly, looking at her like he wasn't just yelling at Guliz.

"Why are you screaming like that? What on earth is going on? Have you completely lost it again?"

"Miss Deren, Guliz was just in a bit of a state and I was helping her come back to herself."

"Hm," Guliz nods sarcastically. "Is that what you were doing? You can be so full of nonsense sometimes!" she hisses.

"Shh," he hisses back.

"Miss Deren what's happening with Mr Can?" Ahmet asks, pushing past JJ and Guliz. The rest of the group push through too and start questioning her at the same time.

The voices press down on Deren until she screams and stomps her heel, making them stop and jump back several feet to give her space. "What the hell are you trying to do, suffocate me?!" she shrieks. They look at her with wide eyes. She takes a calming breath. "Listen, we are responsible for the operation of this agency with or without the head being present. We have a duty to make sure everything goes according to plan. That's what we're here for, nothing else. JJ - " She turns to JJ and points at him.

"Yes?"

"From now on until I say otherwise you are responsible for keeping order in this agency. If there is a problem, fix it or I will come for you and gouge your eyes out. Got it?"