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Shock flashed through her. “What?”
Chase Adams, the owner of the most successful construction company in Manhattan, had been one of their biggest clients. It was after an event for his company that Matilda had been fired.
Karma, Paige thought. First Cynthia had fired Matilda and now Chase Adams had fired them.
And she was a casualty.
“I wasn’t in a position to argue.” Cynthia continued. “That stupid girl Matilda ruined their event.”
“That’s why he fired us? Because of an accident?”
“Spilling one glass of champagne might be termed an accident, but dropping an entire tray is closer to a catastrophe. Adams insisted that I get rid of her. I tried to persuade him to rethink, but he wouldn’t. The man owns half of Manhattan. He’s one of the most powerful players in this city.”
“Then he didn’t need to crush poor Matilda.” Paige could think of a few choice words to describe Chase Adams, none of them flattering. She certainly didn’t blame Matilda.
“It’s history. Naturally we’ll give you excellent references for your next job.”
Next job?
She wanted this job. The job she loved. The job she’d earned.
Her mouth was so dry it was hard to speak. Her heart pounded, a brutal reminder of how fragile life was. This morning she’d felt as if she owned the world and now control had been wrenched from her hands.
Other people were deciding her future. Closed doors and conversations. People expecting her to wear a brave face.
And she was an expert at that. She did it without thinking whenever life got tough, like a computer going into sleep mode.
She knew how to bury her feelings and she buried them now.
Stay professional, Paige.
“You told me that if I met my performance objectives I would be promoted. I exceeded them.”
“The situation has changed and as a commercial operation we need to be fluid and react to the needs of the market.”
“How many people? Is that why Alice was crying? She’s been laid off? Who else?” Was it the same for Frankie and Eva?
>
Eva had no family to turn to and Paige knew Frankie would stop eating rather than ask her mother for a single cent.
“I’m not in a position to discuss other employees with you.”
Paige sat still, battered by emotion. She felt a dizzying loss of control.
She’d trusted her employers. They’d made big promises. She’d delivered time and time again, worked hideous hours and put her future in their hands. And this was what they did with that trust? They’d given her no warning. No hint.
“This company has grown because of me. I can show you numbers that prove it.”
“We’ve worked as a team.” Cynthia was cool. “You are good at your job. You have a tendency to be a little too friendly toward the people who work for you, and you should say no to the client more often—that episode when you had that man’s suit express dry-cleaned in the middle of a party was beyond ridiculous—but apart from that I have no complaints. This isn’t about your work.”
“I dry-cleaned his suit because he’d spilled his drink and he was trying to impress his boss. He gave us a huge piece of business after that. And I’m friendly because I like working in a happy team and a positive environment.”
Something Cynthia knew nothing about.
Looking at her boss was like looking at a locked door. Nothing she said was ever going to open it. She was wasting her time.
Instead of a promotion and a pay raise, she was out of a job.
