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“Management has already chosen a new CEO—and get this,” he leaned in and lowered his voice, “mass layoffs are on the cards.”
His statement struck me like a slap across the face. “What?” I spluttered. “Where did you hear that?”
“I know someone who knows someone who works on the twentieth floor. Apparently, Alex left the company in a state of financial difficulty, and the person who’s going to fill his shoes has got a big ol’ mess to clean up.”
“Mess or no mess, layoffs so soon after such a big tragedy… That’s just evil.”
Brooke eyed Mike doubtfully. “If what you say is true, you don’t sound too concerned about it.”
“That’s because I’ve got my exit plan all sorted out,” Mike said.
“And what’s that?”
“I’ll take voluntary redundancy.”
“Really?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Yeah. Maybe.”
“How can you be so calm?”
“I’m twenty-three, and I’ve already gone through two redundancies in my brief career. What’s a third?”
“He lives with his parents and doesn’t have to pay any rent,” Ellen explained.
“So what? Being a full-time gamer living in my parents’ basement is a valid plan,” Mike said.
“Not if you want to get a girlfriend,” Brooke countered.
“One day I’ll meet the gamer girl of my dreams. Just wait and see.”
“I believe you,” I offered with a smile. “Just don’t forget about personal hygiene.”
Brooke snickered.
As farfetched as his plan sounded, I knew Mike was smarter and more determined than he looked. I wouldn’t be surprised if it worked out for him.
Ellen sighed. “I hope this isn’t true. I like my job just the way it is.”
“Me too,” Brooke agreed. “Whoever the new CEO is, they can get fu?—”
Brendon swooped in to break up our conversation. “All right, everyone, I know it’s been difficult to focus lately, but work still needs to be done. Speculating won’t achieve anything. Besides, tomorrow there’s going to be an announcement and a question-and-answer session, and I have it on good authority that we’ll find out what’s going on then. Let’s wait and see what management has to say.”
Mike rolled away while Brooke grumbled under her breath, shaking her mouse to wake up her monitor.
I checked my emails, but my mind was still on what Mike had said. Could it be true? Was my job in jeopardy? I swallowed a rising sense of foreboding.
The conference theatre buzzed with anxious murmurs, twitching, foot tapping, and knee jostling.
This was our chance to get some answers—about what happened to Alex Patterson and what was going to happen to the business going forward.
Staff members crammed the conference theatre, spilling along the aisles and overflowing out the door. Brooke and I had secured two seats near the back right-hand corner.
David Green stood at the lectern in the centre of the stage. He was a middle-aged man, dressed in a snazzy pink shirt, grey trousers, and a black bow tie. He looked out to the audience through tortoiseshell-rimmed glasses, the stage lights bouncing off his shiny forehead and lenses.
I sat on the edge of my chair, hands clamped at my sides, body rigid. Were we finally going to get worthwhile answers? What if the rumour about layoffs was true?
“Thank you all for coming,” David said. “I know you have busy schedules, but this shouldn’t take too long. For those who don’t know me, my name is David Green. I’m the Chief Operating Officer of this company, second in command to the CEO.” He paused, surveying the room. “I’m sure you’re all aware of the tragic loss we’ve suffered in recent weeks with the passing of our CEO, Alex Patterson.”
