Under New Management

Chapter 12: The Turning Point

The aftermath of the office party left the company buzzing with a renewed energy that Mia hadn't seen in weeks. Colleagues were more upbeat, conversations were livelier, and even the mounting stress of their looming deadlines seemed just a little more bearable. Mia found herself in good spirits, the lingering effects of the night out bolstering her confidence and lifting her mood. But amidst the lightness, one thing kept playing on her mind: Jason.

Their brief but honest conversation on the rooftop had stuck with her. For the first time, Mia felt like she'd seen a glimpse of the man behind the title—the Jason who wasn't just the demanding CEO but someone who, like her, was trying to make sense of the chaos around them. And although they had returned to the grind of their daily routines, the memory of their exchange lingered, quietly shifting the way she viewed him.

As the days passed, Mia threw herself back into work with renewed vigour. The marketing plan was finally coming together, and the adjustments they'd made seemed to be paying off. The team was on track, and despite the hurdles they'd faced, Mia was beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. She was confident they could pull it off.

Then, on a Friday afternoon, everything changed.

Mia was in the middle of a meeting with her team when her phone buzzed with an incoming call. She glanced down at the screen: Jason Whitmore. Her heart skipped a beat—Jason never called unless it was important.

"Sorry, I need to take this," she said, stepping out of the conference room and answering the call. "Jason, what's up?"

"Mia," Jason's voice came through, tense and clipped. "I need you in my office. Now."

Mia felt a jolt of unease. Jason's tone was all business, devoid of the usual measured calm she'd grown accustomed to. "Is everything okay?"

"Just come up," he said, and the line went dead.

Mia hurried to his office, her mind racing with possibilities. Had something gone wrong with the marketing plan? Was there another issue with production? As she approached Jason's door, she took a steadying breath, pushing the worst-case scenarios to the back of her mind.

She knocked and entered without waiting for a response, finding Jason standing by his desk, his expression unreadable. There was an unfamiliar tension in the room, a heaviness that made Mia's stomach twist.

"What's going on?" Mia asked, trying to keep her voice calm.

Jason motioned for her to close the door, then handed her a printed report. "This just came in from the analytics team," he said, his tone edged with frustration. "Our competitors are accelerating their product launch. They've undercut us, Mia. They're going to market before we do."

Mia's eyes scanned the report, her heart sinking with each line. The numbers were clear—while they'd been grappling with production delays and internal challenges, their biggest competitor had sped up their timeline, ready to swoop in and claim the market share that Greystone had been eyeing.

"This isn't just a delay issue anymore," Jason continued, pacing the length of his office. "This is about survival. If they launch first, we're at risk of losing everything we've worked for. And the board—they're not going to stand for it."

Mia felt a wave of dread wash over her. She'd known the stakes were high, but seeing it laid out in black and white made the reality hit home. This wasn't just a setback—it was a direct threat to everything they'd been striving for.

"What do we do?" Mia asked, her voice quieter now, the weight of the situation pressing down on her.

Jason stopped pacing, turning to face her. "We need to find a way to close the gap. We can't afford to miss this window, Mia. I need you to come up with something—anything—that can get us back on track."