She followed her boss into the office and Ellen closed the door with a click.
Chelsea stiffened.Ellen only ever closed the door for performance reviews.This wasn’t a good start.She pushed through the unease as she sat down.“How did it go?”
“Tours Australia were pleased with the proposal.We’ve pulled down everything from last night’s launch and issued a statement distancing Tours Australia from Aria’s comments.We’ll release the first video in the new campaign by the end of the day.”
“That’s great.Did they agree to the rest of the celebrities?”She’d put together a list of celebrities who could do voice-overs for the remaining campaign.They were all people she’d worked with before and who she believed would do it.
“Yes.”Ellen paused, a deep frown on her face.
Chelsea waited, knowing there was more to come.
“There’s one more thing,” Ellen said.“Tours Australia have requested you no longer work on this campaign.”
Chelsea jolted.“Why not?”
Ellen glanced at her desk before sighing and meeting Chelsea’s gaze.“They feel as if you didn’t choose the right celebrity endorser.”
Chelsea gaped as disbelief coursed through her body.“But Vivian insisted on Aria.”And she had the documentation to prove it.Chelsea had worked so hard on this account.They’d set a ridiculous deadline for the work to be completed and because they were a big client, Viral Posts Media had bent over backwards to make it work.She was exhausted trying to please Vivian.
“Vivian is also extremely influential in town.If she doesn’t recommend us, no one will touch us.”
Chelsea bit her lip to stop herself from saying her stepfather also held a lot of clout.It wasn’t a card she was willing to play.She exhaled, thinking of the positives.It would give her more time to work on her other accounts.“So I’ll hand the account over and continue with the rest of my work?”
“I’m sorry, Chelsea.Tours Australia stated they wouldn’t recommend Viral Posts Media while you work here.I tried to talk Harold out of it, but they’re our biggest client.”She cleared her throat.“I must advise you that your employment at Viral Posts Media is now terminated.”
Chelsea shook her head.“You can’t do that.I’ve done nothing wrong.I’ve worked my butt off for this company for the past five years.”She’d been the one to win them the Tours Australia account.
“I’m truly sorry,” Ellen said.“I’ll write you a good reference.”
This couldn’t be happening.“Effective when?”
“Immediately.I’m to escort you from the premises.”
Chelsea studied her boss for any signs of a joke, but she stared back, sad but unruffled.“I could report you to the Fair Work Tribunal.”
Ellen nodded.“But you won’t.You’re not that kind of person and you won’t get another job in the industry if you do.”
She was right, but Chelsea had bills to pay.Her brain whirled as she considered options, pushing down the panic that wanted to take control.“I want a redundancy package,” she stated.“My four weeks’ notice plus my accrued long-service leave, annual leave, and my sick-leave paid out.”It wouldn’t be a lot, but it would be enough to tide her over.It also gave her the option of saying she wasn’t fired.Not that word wouldn’t spread fast in this industry.
Ellen stared at her for a long moment and then gave a small smile of approval.“I’ll get HR to organise it now.Why don’t you pack your things?”
Chelsea got to her feet, her movements stiff.This was really happening.She blinked as tears threatened to form but straightened her spine and returned to her cubicle.
She tapped her finger rapidly on her thigh and then clenched her hand to stop it.It wasn’t the end of the world.There were plenty of other agencies in town.Not all of them would believe she was tainted.She’d have a job in no time.
She took three slow breaths as she considered her next steps.
There wasn’t anything personal on her work laptop.She opened the desk drawer and pulled out her stash of tea bags and snacks, putting them into a reusable shopping bag she kept in her purse.She fetched her coffee from the freezer in the kitchen and retrieved her mug.Then she returned to her cubicle and went through the other drawers.
Her favourite fountain pen and her personal organiser went into another bag and then her hand hovered over the framed photo on her desk.Aunt Maggie, a ten-year-old Chelsea, and her mother at Lilydale Cottage.Happier times.It was taken before her mother met Chelsea’s stepfather.They’d gone to visit her mother’s aunt, Maggie, at Lilydale Cottage like they regularly did, and the photo was taken in front of the bed of pink and red roses that were blooming so beautifully.
Those days at Lilydale were the best.An escape from everyday life where Chelsea could run through the gardens and play with her friend Lauren, who lived down the road.It was before she was old enough to get a part-time job to help with household expenses.
She’d adored Aunt Maggie and had written her letters every month when they’d moved from Rockingham to Sydney and could no longer visit on weekends.Aunt Maggie had insisted emails were too impersonal.
A jolt of longing passed through her.What would it be like to return to Lilydale?Would it be the same without Aunt Maggie there?
Tears threatened to overflow and she sniffed, tucking the photo into her bag.Chelsea had been devastated when Aunt Maggie died last year.
