I rifle through all the mental files I’ve stored away for this very moment.
All of it is true. And Jo should be able to corroborate what I’ve said with other employees in the building.
“I see. And do you think this alleged relationship could be classified as an abuse of power?” Jo puts her pen down, crosses her arms, and studies me intensely.
I need to choose my words carefully here.
How can I frame it in a way that shows I care about the well-being of the company and the team, rather than my own interests?
“I do worry about what would happen if their relationship, whatever it may be, comes to an end. If Tony will be compromised in his treatment toward Sara. Or whether Sara might file a harassment complaint against Tony.”
“Harassment?” Jo’s voice is pinched in her first true display of emotion.
I’ve hit something and decide to run with it.
“I’m just speculating, but maybe Sara would complain that she was coerced into a relationship by Tony with a promise to further her career. You hear a lot of these stories coming out in the post-MeToo era. Male bosses that take advantage of their assistants.”
An alert goes off on my phone; my impending 11 a.m. meeting with one of our advertising agencies halts my speculation.
“Sorry, I’ve got another meeting I need to head to. Do you need anything else from me?”
“That should be enough for now, but I might need to follow up with a few more questions, if that’s okay?” Jo returns the cap to her pen.
“Sure,” I say as I get up from the chair.
“And Christopher.” Jo stops me in my tracks as I start to leave. “If you can keep the contents of this conversation to yourself while we continue this investigation…”
“You got it,” I say, cutting her off. I nod in agreement as I shake her hand.
“Thank you,” Jo says, getting up and opening the door to let me out.
“Do you think they’ll fire him?” Julie asks, digging into her Caesar salad. The waiter leans over us, refilling our waters.
“Well, based on what you shared and what I’ve said, that should be enough evidence to at least have a disciplinary proceeding carried out,” I say, pulling a mint leaf out of my teeth. The sight of the chewed leaf instantly makes me regret choosing the chicken mango salad.
Thankfully, my lunch at the office will last until tomorrow. This conversation was too important to have there with prying ears about.
“And what about Sara?” Julie asks, leaning forward.
“I think she’d follow him out the door. But she’s cunning. She’ll play it smart to save her own ass.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if she throws Tony under the bus.” Julie puts her fork down. “She used to brag about how she had various guys on the go, and even though she acts like a sickpuppy around Tony, I get the sense he’s more into her than the other way round.”
Julie’s phone lights up and she reaches for it, always needing to be available in case Pietro needs something. My phone goes off at the same time with an email from Tony.
From: Tony
To: Pietro, Christoper
Cc: Sara, Julie
Subject: Alexander Morgan
Hi all,
Just heard back from Kirk at WME. Looks like we might be able to get Alexander Morgan to replace Sabrina Carpenter in the Brewed campaign.
I’ve sent over all the campaign details, and Alexander’s team wants to meet with us and the Brewed team tomorrow afternoon to go through all the details. Calendar invite to follow.
