–Sebastian: I’m glad. Is it done?
–Me: Yeah.
–Sebastian: Wish I could’ve been there for moral support.
–Me: I’ll settle for a shoulder to lean on tonight.
–Sebastian: My shoulders are yours, anytime. By the way, do you want to go get some lunch?
–Me: Can’t.
–Sebastian: Surely you need to eat.
I laugh at him throwing my own words back at me.
–Me: Yes, but there’s too much to do. I’m working through lunch to figure out exactly what Bianca’s done to the collaboration. Karen—our COO—is having her team go through Bianca’s email to see if there are any other projects she’s sabotaged.
–Sebastian: Okay. I hope you find out exactly what she’s done and destroy her.
I go still. Although I mentioned Jeremiah and a lawsuit, I haven’t decided if I should sue Bianca. She doesn’t have enough money to pay for the damage she’s caused, and she’s obviously never going to apologize or be truly sorry for what she’s done.
Jeremiah might also advise me to avoid a lawsuit because it’ll be an expensive endeavor with very little reward at the end. And to be honest, I feel the same way. At the same time, I’m still in shock. I might develop a different perspective on the matter.
–Me: Haven’t decided yet. The whole thing with Bianca’s been such a blow. I’m still sorting through my feelings and what to do.
–Sebastian: If Jeremiah says the lawsuit’s going to cost too much, tell her to shove it. I’ll make it my wedding gift.
I laugh a little. It’s just like him to want to even the scales. But then, that was what he told me to do eleven years ago, and he hasn’t changed. The fact that he’s consistent is actually kind of soothing. I could use some consistency.
–Me: Most men give jewelry.
–Sebastian: Justice is better. But I’ll send you something pretty, too.
–Me: I was just joking! I don’t need a bracelet or anything.
–Sebastian: I was thinking about an anklet. It’d look hot on you.
Have I worn one around him before? Oh wait… I did that one time. I’m surprised he remembers.
–Sebastian: Since you have a diamond anklet, I’ll send you rubies.
–Me: Bring it home so you can put it on yourself. :wink-emoji: Anyway, I need to get back to work. See you tonight.
The buoyant feeling his flowers and texts have given me dissipates as the day goes on. Bianca’s screwups with the Hae Min Group that are documented on email are fairly straightforward to undo. The problem is the damage she’s done with phone calls, since we have no way of knowing precisely what was said. So many people’s feelings are hurt, and I don’t know how to make up for that.
I get an email from Eugene later in the day.
I heard about what happened. It’s terrible what your assistant did. However, if you’re still committed to this project, I’m willing to renew my commitment as well. I can speak to my people, and they’ll cooperate. Ms. Hong will continue to be my main point of contact. She will work directly with you until you find a replacement for Ms. Martin.
I let out a sigh of relief. He’s being more than reasonable. Ms. Hong is a great one to liaise with. She’s the most senior of the four executive assistants Eugene has. The woman isn’t exactly warm, but she’s courteous and highly efficient.
Plus, I envy his absolute confidence that a talk from him is all it will take to get his people to perform as he wishes. I’ve never been able to develop that kind of self-assurance, but then, Bianca’s been interfering since forever. For a brief moment, I wonder if I struggled to make friends because of her, too. Her resentment is old, and I doubt she held back when we were in school.
I type up a reply.
Thank you for your kind and very generous response. Please be assured that I am completely committed to the project, and look forward to working together smoothly to ensure its success going forward.
I hit send, then work with Karen to redo the timeline of the project but also to figure out what I’m going to say to the shareholders at tomorrow’s meeting.
