“No, you told me not to,” I reply, pressing on Oliver’s chest to slow him down.
“Well, you probably should.” She sounds tense. “Dominic has replied.”
My muscles stiffen as I roll to the other side of the bed and pull up my laptop, still avoiding my phone like the plague. At least I can close all the open social media tabs and just focus on the email.
I scroll through thirty-six new emails since the video went live and find the one from Dominic’s email address. My hand shakes as I click through and scan the words.
Ms. Cole,
I would prefer to discuss this in person; please come to the head office at 8 a.m. tomorrow.
Regards,
Dominic Odericco
The door clicks open to reveal Cecily with a fresh cup of coffee in hand.
“I think I’m being called to the principal’s office,” I say to her before turning to Oliver. “Is he going to murder me?”
Oliver scans the email over my shoulder. “I don’t think so; he’s a reasonable person when he wants to be. Do you want me to come with you?”
“We can both come,” Cecily adds.
I run a hand through my hair, shutting down the screen. “No. Thank you, you’re both doing enough. This is my mess. I need to fix this myself.”
Chapter 31
Business Account (WYST) BALANCE: -£5,202.77
Personal Account BALANCE: -£2,055.57
Recent transactions:
Personal Account overdraft charge: £50.00
As much as it pained me, I sent Oliver home after a few hours. Our agreement is still the same until we know what is going on with Dominic. He could be pressing charges or filing a lawsuit. Only when I’ve washed my hands fully of this chapter in my life can I even dream about starting a new one.
My phone finally gave in under the weight of the notifications and crashed completely, but Cecily informed me over an early breakfast that the video has in fact gone viral. Hitting almost every social media platform overnight. The topics stretch into multiple industries beyond tech. Misrepresentation of your qualifications, with many leaders in business coming forward to talk about how they had to bullshit their way into their first jobs because every employer wants you to have the highest education and several years of experience in the field to gain access to an entry-level minimum wage job in your chosenindustry. I chose not to mention Spencer by name to make sure the shrapnel didn’t hit his career as well as mine, but I don’t think his named involvement would have shifted the firestorm of cultural conversation. How women are not given the same amount of chances as men; men can continually fail upward, whereas women get one shot, and if they fail, the entire gender is marred with the same brush. The anti-feminist movement, using me as a shining example of how “women hate men because they secretly want to be them but can never achieve the same heights of success.” How me “hiring an actor” shows that extroverts gain access to powerful roles in business, not because they are the smartest or the most qualified but because they know how to play the game. I’m being lauded for how I gamed the system but lambasted because I cheated my way to success. How I should be made Woman of the Year and stoned to death in the street. Malcolm set his article live overnight, seemingly as an attempt at retaliation. Rather than making the splash he intended, it was immediately drowned out by bigger publications reporting on the incident.
“We’ve had interview requests fromForbes,FemTech Monthly,Fast Company,Business Insider, and the BBC.” Cecily shuts her notebook, lips pursed. “The Cutalso wants you to write a personal essay.”
“Shit,” I say into my coffee, wiping my puffy eyes. I can already feel the weight of the digital eyes on me. Those publications are going to run something about me with or without my comment. But in the arena of social media, people have already cast their votes for or against me. Is a quote really going to change that?
“What do you want to do?” Cecily’s hands are primed on her phone, ready to go to war if I ask her to.
I take a breath. “I don’t want to make any more moves until we know what’s happening with Odericco. For all I know, I might have a lawsuit on my hands.” The one unfortunate thing about Oliver quitting is no longer having a man on the inside. I’m walking into a situation with no temperature gauge. Well, at least I know there’s not a chance in hell I’m getting that prize money. Ironically, this is getting more press coverage than the winners of TechRumble. It’s better this way; a company who didn’t place at all will get to be third. And as long as I don’t end up in jail by the end of the day, I’ll be happy. Everybody wins.
I scroll through my inbox, now racking up to nearly four hundred new messages. I scroll down to one of the very first I received after the video went live. My gut twists as I skim the paragraphs of misogynistic lecturing, graphic insults, and death threats. I click through a few more with a similar tone until I hit something that contrasts so hard it almost gives me whiplash.
Hi Jess,
I’ve been following Wyst on Instagram for about six months, and I just wanted to say that I think what you did was really brave. Also kind of nuts, but as a small business owner myself, I know how hard it can be to be taken seriously.
Anyway, you probably won’t read this, but I hope you’re doing okay.
Best,
Charlotte
