“My client needed to offload quickly. Didn’t care about the price, just wanted to get rid of the stock,” Harvey explained.
Ella’s heart flipped. “This ticket says bought, not sold.”
“What the fuck? They wanted it sold. Shit, you said it was done, Christ.” Harvey was going mad.
“Harvey, calm down. I’ll sort it.” Ella waved him away and sat at her desk to work out exactly what she should do. She turned to Johnny, who was defiant. “Johnny. A word of advice. If you really think you can be a trader then you better fucking well learn the difference between buy and sell. Oh, and the losses we are inevitably going to incur from this fuck-up are going on your very own account. You wanted to be a trader, you told us you were capable, so you can take the losses. Which in this case will not be pocket money.” Ella smiled at him and turned to Liam.
“I think seventeen may have been a bit optimistic.” She picked up the telephone as the rest of the desk started laughing.
“Fuck you, you stupid bitch,” Johnny hissed, before storming out of the office.
***
Johnny went for a walk and tried to calm down. How dare they laugh at him? With a first from Oxford, an MBA from Harvard, a member of one of the most successful families in this country, he was head and shoulders above the animals on that desk. Everyone made mistakes. He only made mistakes because Ella, the black bitch, didn’t teach him properly. He deserved their respect, not their mockery. He wouldn’t put up with it.
When he had told his uncle he wanted to work for SFH, it was because of the prestige of the bank. He had thought he would be with like-minded individuals with intelligence, breeding and brains, not with a bunch of farmyard animals, a black woman as a boss and common people. SFH was not supposed to be full of comprehensive-school idiots. But his desk was. He would make Ella pay. The bitch had nothing, no brains, no breeding, only a degree from Durham University. Nothing compared to his achievements. She was obviously from a council estate. He couldn’t believe they let people like that into the City. Especially at such a respectable institution as SFH. There must have been some mistake with her application.
He decided to go home. He was not about to let that bunch of idiots get the better of him; Johnny Rupfin, son of one of the top lawyers in the country, nephew to one of the leading computer entrepreneurs, friend to the rich. SFH’s whole trading desk possessed less class and breeding than he had in his little toe. And he would teach them that you should always respect class.
What Johnny hated most was the lack of respect Britain had for class. It seemed to him that, in this day and age, whatever their background, sex or colour, people were given opportunities to which they were not entitled. Johnny believed that everyone should know his or her place. He knew his: rich, well educated, with a successful future ahead of him. He wouldn’t let Ella ruin that. Ella, who should be living in a council flat, cooking black food for her black husband and her black children. She should be claiming state benefits along with the other lower-class oiks who would never climb out of that class. It wasn’t just colour: it was colour, sex and class. People needed to know their places, and families like Johnny’s should ensure that they did.
He walked to his flat in Clerkenwell. It was a huge warehouse conversion, open-plan and interior-designed, a flat fitting his status. He would get Ella; he would make her sorry she had ever been rude to him. As he let himself in, he was formulating a plan. He couldn’t be sure what it was, or even what he was looking for, but he knew that there would be something in the background of Ella Franke that would show her up as the common slut she was. Something that would bring her down.
He would probably find out that she had been a prostitute or into drugs. Something he could use to humiliate her in front of her cronies on the desk. He would embarrass her so much that she would have to leave. And even if she didn’t leave she would be put firmly in her place. Then the rest of the desk would transfer to him the respect they showed her. He was sure he could find something. And if not, he would make it up. There was no way she was going to survive. Not now he was in her life.
Johnny knew he was clever. Now he would prove just how clever he was. He would soon be the most respected member of his desk, and then it would be only a matter of time before he was the boss of someone. He would ensure that they only employed people with class.
Johnny called his father’s secretary, Claudia. Claudia loved Johnny and had worked for his father for years. She had a job fit for a woman, and she knew her place. She was always willing to help Johnny out: she had typed his homework, would do any research he needed and was generally a brick. He knew that with her expertise and her contacts she would be able to do the initial digging for him.
He called her and gave her all he knew about Ella, which wasn’t much. He knew her name and her university. It wasn’t much to go on, but Claudia was a professional. Claudia asked him to give her until the beginning of next week. Johnny said that would be perfect.
He knew that he would probably get a lecture from Jeff when he went back to the office, but he would talk his way out of it. Especially as his uncle was an important client and they couldn’t upset him. His job was secured, he was about to bring down Miss High-and-Mighty Ella, and he was going to get what he wanted. He felt his excitement grow, and he lay on the bed masturbating to his impending victory.
***
Ella was amazed that he had had the nerve to leave the office like that. She felt like a schoolgirl as she walked into Jeff’s office, crawling to the headmaster like the sneaks that everyone, including Ella, had hated. She wished she could deal with Johnny herself, but she couldn’t. He had a strong position, and although she was respected, Ella had got her job under false pretences. She couldn’t afford, to rock the boat and she couldn’t afford a feud with anyone, even if he was a pimple-faced little shit. She needed to deal with the problem before it spiralled out of control.
“Ella, I see more of you now than ever before.” Jeff looked sympathetic as she sat down.
“I know and I hate it too, but I just don’t know what to do.”
“Johnny?”
“Johnny. I asked him not to trade until I felt he was ready, but while I was at lunch today, he took a client trade. Unfortunately, he bought rather than sold so we’ve got a load of stock we don’t want, plus the same amount again that we had to buy from the client to keep them happy. The deficit is quite big, and although we’re working on selling, it’s too much in these market conditions and the price is dropping fast. We’re going to make quite a sizeable loss.”
“Shit. Not now – this is such a bad time to have these losses. What did Johnny say?”
“As soon as I pointed out that he needed to know the difference between buy and sell, he stormed out of the office.”
“Great. What a mess. Ella, my hands are tied for now. I can’t move him after less than a week. I spoke in length to Phillip who heads up Private Clients and his feeling is that we need to try for a bit longer before we do anything. He’s sure that Johnny will work out if we persevere. There’s nothing I can do.”
“Jeff, I hate to admit defeat, you know that, but Johnny shows me no respect and has no regard for my instructions. This climate means that I need to have one hundred per cent of my attention on the markets so mistakes aren’t made. I came up with an idea that we get him to spend time with the others on the desk, starting with Trevor, who is the most experienced. For the next couple of weeks, we rotate him around the desk, and I’ll keep an eye on him. Perhaps then he’ll start to listen to us,” Ella said. She was trying to buy herself some breathing space until she figured out what to do. She knew that Johnny would probably react better with men, and especially with Trevor, who had a similar public-school background. All Ella knew was that she wanted to trade, and she didn’t want to deal with Johnny.
“OK. Let’s try it. I’m going to the monthly managing directors” meeting next Thursday and I will emphasise there that this type of policy is not working f
or us. I’m sorry you had to deal with him, but I know you’re right. Everyone on the desk has complained about him and they’ve all said the same as you. Even when I speak to him, he’s arrogant. I can’t stand him either. It’s just that until this meeting my hands are tied.” Jeff hated being told what to do, but he also felt there was no other way out of this one. The company was a partnership, so he would have to wait until the majority of the managing directors agreed before he could do anything.
“Thanks,” Ella said.
“He really is a little shit?”
“Of the highest degree.”
The rest of the desk took a brotherly view of the Johnny situation, and Trevor was more than happy to beat him into shape. They were all behind Ella and hostile to Johnny. She had everyone’s support, even Jeff’s. So why did she feel so wretched about it? Ella was scared and she knew it was because she loved her job and that somehow Johnny could ruin everything.
She left work that evening and went to the gym. Then she went home and read a Jilly Cooper novel until her eyes closed. Just before she fell into a deep sleep, Ella prayed to God that she would not have everything taken away from her. She wasn’t sure she would survive the second time round.
***
On Friday, Ella had regained her composure. After all that had happened to her in her life, the one thing she had clung to was composure. If she lost that, she would fall and never get up again.
Johnny didn’t speak to her. When he got to the desk she said hello to him and he just looked away, which suited her fine. She told him he would be spending a few days with Trevor; again, he didn’t speak. Throughout the day he remained quiet. When Ella stole glances at Trevor, he seemed almost to lose his cool a couple of times, but for some reason Johnny was being almost amiable. It saddened Ella: it seemed to prove her right. Trevor could handle him and she couldn’t. However, now she could do what she loved, and she traded well all day.
The markets looked as if they were recovering, which was a relief. Short-term dips weren’t a problem and they added to the excitement. She made back her losses and more, and the week ended on a high, just as it had started.
That weekend she was seeing Jackie again and she knew that her friend would help her to rebalance. When she came to work on Monday she could put the new nightmare behind her. She hoped that the managing directors” meeting the following week would put an end to Johnny so she could get on with her life. She hoped and prayed for it.
***
Johnny ignored Ella. He was glad he was sitting now with Trevor, who seemed more like the type of person who should be working at SFH. He kept relatively quiet, apart from asking a few questions, because he had his secret now. His secret meant Ella would soon be destroyed. He was sure of it. He had a feeling in his stomach.
As soon as he left the office Johnny turned on his mobile. He had a message from Claudia asking him to call her. He decided to walk home and rang her on the way. “Claudia, it’s Johnny.”
“Hi, darling, how are you?”
“Fine. You’re working late.”
“Well, you know what a slave driver your father is.” She laughed a high-pitched laugh.
Johnny felt impatient. “Was there something specific, Claudia?” Johnny asked. He liked her, but hated the way women always wanted to make small-talk.
“Yes, darling. I’m a bit puzzled by the information you needed. I called Durham University. God, you’d think they were MIS from the way they treated me. Anyway, I told them I was from a law firm and had an issue with one of their ex-students and they bought the story.”
Johnny was standing still trying not to shout. He didn’t have time for this waffle. “And?”
‘they told me they’d never had an Ella Franke at the university. I got them to check and recheck, but as far as they were concerned she doesn’t exist.” Johnny went hot, then cold. Then he felt like jumping for joy. This was better than he had ever expected. “Claudia, thanks, but don’t worry. I must have got the wrong university. I’ll talk to you soon. “Bye.”
“Let me know if you need anything else. “Bye, darling.”
He almost ran home. He had never expected it to be so easy. The whore hadn’t gone to university. She had lied her way into her job. He wasn’t sure how she had done it; normally SFH and places like it did rigorous background checks. They should have made the phone call Claudia had made. He couldn’t understand it, but he felt better than ever about his life. Unless she had a good explanation, which he was sure she hadn’t, she’d be finished at SFH. Not just humiliated as he had planned, but fired. He knew he hadn’t got the university wrong: he had checked that bit of information – it was the only information he had. She had proved so easy to destroy that he was almost sorry. He knew she would be finished, and he knew he had made her pay. He would prove to everyone that no one got the better of Johnny Rupfin.
That night, he went to his club, a private club for discerning members: his father had given him membership as a gift for passing his MBA. It was full of young people, professionals from the right families who enjoyed a drink and a chat after work. He met up with a couple of his old school friends and enjoyed intellectual chat. The girls were pretty and well groomed, and as he was feeling good about himself, he bought champagne. Although none of the girls showed an interest in him, seeming to prefer his friends, he knew it would only be a matter of time. Once he was a big swinger in the City and his dermatologist had cleared up his skin they would flock round him. And he would date only the prettiest, most aristocratic women. They wouldn’t shun him anymore.
He left at eleven and took a taxi home from Mayfair. He thought he should start going to some trendy places in London as well. After all, he would soon be important, a big man in London, and he needed to be seen in places that befitted his image. He made a mental note to call Claudia and get her to find out where these places were and how he could get membership. That would make him popular and he deserved to be popular. And once he had got rid of Ella, he would be the most popular person around.
Chapter Ten
On Monday, Virginia practically floated to work. She paid so little attention to her normal routine that she was unable to say whether she followed it or not. She reached her desk at her usual time and flicked on her computer. There appeared to be more people in the office than usual, but Virginia paid barely any attention to them. She took out her notebook, and checked that she had finished her to-do list. She had. Her Monday list was still blank. She had time to indulge in her favourite pursuit: studying the markets. She looked through them all and saw the roller coaster pattern that seemed to be the reason for the full office. The breakfast news had said the markets were ‘volatile’, but in fact they were messy. She did not need to participate in the hysteria that gripped the trading floor so she had time to look through, study them closely and draw her own conclusions as to why they were as they were. When her interview came, she would be ready.
Isabelle marched up to the desk screaming about the markets. She demanded that everyone get on the telephone and speak to every client. The emerging markets had taken more of a beating than most others had, and Isabelle hated taking a beating. Once she had finished shouting at the salespeople, it was Virginia’s turn. “I need coffee – go and get me some. And hurry. My desk needs tidying, I need my filing done, and then I have about a hundred letters for you to type. Go on, what are you waiting for?” she glared at Virginia. The stare that could turn you to stone. Virginia went. Her face was hot, her hands sweaty, her stomach tight. She was on the verge of tears. By the time she reached the coffee bar, she had decided that she would get the sales job whatever it took and then she would shove two fingers up at Isabelle.
When she had finished tidying and filing for Isabelle, she returned to her desk to type the letters. The atmosphere seemed to have relaxed a little and no one was doing much business. Virginia predicted that this was the cautionary period when everyone waited to see what was happening before taking any action. Virginia felt
the markets would fall further then recover by the end of the week.
It was nearly 5 p.m. before she got a message from Helena saying she had an interview on Tuesday morning. Virginia sent Isabelle an e-mail saying she would be in late due to a dental appointment and glowed until she had finished her work and could leave.
She sat in her tiny room, studying, researching and glowing. She would no longer be Virginia the Failure. She would be Virginia the Salesperson.
***
Virginia’s interview on Tuesday was with the manager of the Private Clients sales desk. She felt confident as she asked for Phillip Reid at the reception desk. The first thing she noticed was the difference between her floor and the floor she hoped to work on. It was smarter, neater, quieter, and more comfortable than the trading floor. Virginia felt at home.
The interview went well. Phillip was impressed with Virginia’s knowledge, he was interested in her aspirations and he seemed to like her. He told her that he wanted her to meet other people and, if that went well, she would need to talk to Isabelle. He understood that Isabelle wouldn’t want to lose her – it seemed that Helena had been very good in explaining things – but he said that as it was an internal move, if it went past the second interview stage Virginia would have to discuss it with her boss as a matter of courtesy. Virginia said she understood and that she was looking forward very much to the next stage.
Virginia didn’t recognise the girl in the interview. She was confident, she didn’t blush, she said what she wanted to say and she was personable. Not like the Virginia she normally was: the surly, uninteresting girl who no one liked. She was nice.
She went to her desk, where the atmosphere was despondent. She looked at the markets and saw why. They had all taken a battering but Emerging Markets had suffered more than most. She e-mailed Helena and told her how the interview had gone; Helena sent a return message saying how much Phillip had liked her. Virginia was floating. She was so busy in her dream world that she didn’t hear Isabelle creep up behind her.
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