“You don’t have to raise a stink, just tell your dad. He’ll fire that guy’s ass in a heartbeat—no one has to know why.” In theory, her suggestion seemed like the easy answer; however, life was rarely so simple.
“That’s the very last thing I wanted to do. Crying to him for help would ensure he still sees me as a child incapable of handling my own problems.”
“Then go to HR and file a complaint. That’s not asking for help—that would be you handling the matter with the proper authority. Hell, file a police report for assault while you’re at it. Better yet, we’ll find a guy to take out his kneecaps. It’d be a lot harder for him to put the moves on you when he’s in a wheelchair. The slimy toad deserves it.”
I choked on my diet soda. “No, G. We aren’t committing any felonies.”
She shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
“I will, thanks.” I gave her a wink. “But I get what you’re saying with HR. That would show a degree of assertiveness, even if it’s not me grabbing the bull by the horns. I just want the employees at Triton to respect me. That’s why Dad didn’t just give me a job at the top to begin with—I’m supposed to earn my position—and I want to give him that. Show him that Triton would be in good hands under my leadership.”
“I can’t say that I totally understand. You don’t evenneedto work. Your family has plenty of money.”
“What else would I do with my life? Go shopping and host parties? I’m not my mother, that’s not enough for me.”
“Too bad,” she mused. “I’ll have to find someone else to accompany me on my shopping runs and spa treatments.”
“Whatever. That’s not you either, and you know it.” I narrowed my eyes and tossed one of my chips at her.
She laughed, her vibrant green eyes shining. “I know no such thing. What Idoknow is if you don’t do something about that boss of yours, I’m going to come up there and raise holy hell. Got it?”
“I get it,” I smiled at my best friend. “And I promise I’ll file a complaint with HR. In the meantime, he’s gone for the rest of the week!”
“Fabulous! We should take a long lunch break and hit Saks later this week.”
“You’re incorrigible.”
“So, is that a yes?”
I threw my head back and laughed. “Yes, I think that could be arranged.”
“Boom! Now, get your ass back to work and file that damn complaint,” she ordered with every ounce of moxie in her five-foot frame.
“Yes, sir, Colonel, sir.” I saluted her as I stood, then hugged my amazing friend. Not every girl was lucky enough to have a Giada in their life. I thanked my lucky stars on a daily basis that I’d somehow managed to score the best cousin ever.
I walked back into work feeling optimistic and empowered. I would file the dreaded HR complaint and finally get Roger out of my life, not to mention prove tomyself that I could handle the matter. I wasn’t sure how my dad would react, but I could only control so much. I’d be proud of myself. That would have to be enough.
My dad’s office was the only one along the wall of windows that was fully enclosed for privacy. It was on the opposite end of the floor as my office, so I didn’t run into him all that often. In fact, my job in marketing didn’t require a whole lot of interaction with the CEO’s position, but every now and then, I’d have a budgeting issue or some other business matter that needed to be signed off on by my dad.
On this particular occasion, I had budgeting paperwork that needed his signature. When I approached the open door, I heard my dad’s steady voice as he spoke to someone from within his office. I listened at the door for a moment to decide if I should wait or come back later.
“I called to speak with the concrete rep this morning, discovered the guy killed himself,” came my father’s voice.
“The Venturi kid? The one you met with last week?” I recognized that voice as well—it was my dad’s long-time best friend, my Uncle Sal. I wasn’t sure if Sal was technically related to me—he wasn’t an uncle but had carried the honorary title since I was little. He’d been a part of our family for as long as I could remember. He’d even been a pallbearer at my brother’s funeral.
“Yeah. Hung himself just a day after I talked to him. Not sure how that will affect my price negotiations. If that cousin of his takes over, it’ll be a nightmare.” My dad had never been particularly empathetic, so his comment didn’t surprise me.
“Frederico?”
“Yeah, that man’s a lunatic,” my dad grumbled.
I decided their talk wasn’t overly-sensitive, so I poked my head around the corner. “Excuse me, am I interrupting?” I cautiously cut in.
“Alessia—my favorite marketing pro!” called Uncle Sal. “You aren’t interrupting at all, come in.”
“Hey, Uncle Sal! What are you doing up here?”
“I was nearby and thought I’d steal your dad for lunch. How have you been?” He rose from the chair he’d been occupying and gave me a hug, kissing my cheek like he always did.
