Mergers and Acquisitions

by A. E. Radley

“Well? Are you or aren’t you?” She wasn’t about to make a fool of herself for no reason. She’d seen Sophie on her phone, presumably speaking to Jonathan. She’d also heard of the girl’s visits to the hospital, so she assumed they’d become close.

  “Yes, I’m friends with her. What’s this about Kate?”

  “I presume you know about her date with Georgina Masters?”

  Jonathan slowly nodded.

  “What do you know?” Kate fished.

  “Nothing. Just that they are having dinner.” Jonathan seemed hesitant to say too much. Kate couldn’t blame him. She’d been in telephone contact with him every day, advising him of what was happening in the office. He was well aware of her stress levels, he probably thought she’d cracked. She might have for all she knew.

  “Where are they having dinner?” she asked. “When?”

  “I don’t know,” he replied. “Now, I suppose?”

  She sighed and sat back in the chair. “I thought you were good friends. You don’t seem to know anything.”

  “She sent me a quick text, we didn’t go into details. Apparently, Georgina said she was happy to give her career advice, over dinner. This happened a while ago. Sophie said no initially, but for some reason she changed her mind.”

  Kate snorted a laugh. “Oh, career advice? Is that what they call it these days? And why didn’t she come to me if she wanted career advice? I am her boss.”

  “Have you made yourself available to her? Or have you just insulted her clothing and called her Sally?”

  “She told you that?” Kate sat forward in her chair. “What else has she told you?”

  “Nothing I’m willing to tell you. Look, Kate, what’s this about?”

  She swallowed and broke eye contact, suddenly interested in the terrible pattern of the floor tile. She didn’t really know what it was all about. She’d been consumed by some intense urge to find information.

  “I need you to report back to me. I need to know what happens on that date.”

  “I’m sorry, what do you mean?” Jonathan blinked, clearly worried for her mental well-being.

  Kate sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Catch up, Jonathan. Sophie is clearly being coerced by that bitter old sea hag. It’s no secret that Georgina is happy to play dangerous office politics. Somehow, she has managed to pull Sophie into her plans, so we must look out for her.”

  “Must we?” he asked.

  “Well, I say we, I mean you. Obviously, I can’t be asking my millennial assistant about her cougar dates.”

  “Look, Kate, I’m sure Sophie is just fine—”

  “Oh, come on. She’s clearly being manipulated. Why on earth would Sophie willingly go on a date with Georgina Masters? She’s straight, young—”

  “Actually, she’s not.”

  “Not what?” Kate frowned.

  “Straight,” he clarified.

  “Sophie’s gay? No, she had a boyfriend.” Kate found herself surprised she knew that piece of information. She had members of staff she’d known for years and still didn’t know a thing about their personal lives. Just last week she was invited to a twenty-fifth wedding anniversary of a person she didn’t even know was married.

  “She’s bisexual, I think. Not that I think that’s any of our business,” he explained. “The bottom line is that I don’t think she has been coerced by Georgina. She seemed happy about the dinner.”

  Kate felt all her anger vanish. She had been so sure that Georgina had been manipulating Sophie. Suddenly she felt empty.

  “Well, then… I suppose I’m worried about Georgina corrupting her. Sophie is so young and naive. She doesn’t know what she’s getting herself into,” she muttered.

  Jonathan chuckled lightly. “She’s not as naive as you think she is. If you looked a little harder, you’d see that there is a smart young woman underneath the nervous exterior. I think maybe you spend a little too much time complaining about her cardigans and not enough time getting to know her.”

  Kate sighed. She had been watching Sophie closely over the last few days, but maybe she hadn’t really been seeing her.

  “You’ve not fired her yet, so she must be a reasonable replacement for me,” he pressed.

  “She’s not too terrible.”

  The truth was, Sophie had slid into the role like it had been built for her. Of course, she was receiving guidance from Jonathan, but the transition had been remarkably smooth.

  “She’s dedicated to her job, to you,” he said. “She really respects you. Even though you’re being you.”

  Kate glared at him. “Careful, I could break your other leg.”

  He smiled. “Seriously, Sophie only accepted Georgina’s offer because she offered. If you offered, she would have been having dinner with you this evening.”

  Kate spluttered a laugh. “You make it sound like I want to have dinner with her!”

  “Don’t you?”

  She looked at the intravenous drip. “How much pain medication are you on?”

  “Sophie’s a catch,” Jonathan said. “I’m not surprised that Georgina asked her out. She’s smart, funny—”

  “I suppose you want to date her as well?” Kate sniffed and leaned back in the chair, her arms folded across her chest. “The girl is too much trouble, I may just have to move her back to accounts.”

  “You’re acting like you’re jealous,” he pointed out.

  “It might seem that way to you and your millennial hormones, but… I have a duty of care. As long as Sophie works for me, she’s my responsibility. I’m looking out for her well-being, that’s all.”

  “Right, of course.” Jonathan chuckled.

  “And, if Sophie does side with her new girlfriend during these difficult times of office turmoil, I’ll be hearing about it from you. Won’t I, Jonathan?” She stared at him.

  “Absolutely, Kate,” he agreed. “If Sophie tells me anything relevant, I’ll let you know.”

  Kate didn’t like his tone. Nor his smile. He presumably thought she was being ridiculous. Maybe she was. But the whole notion of Sophie spending time alone with Georgina terrified her. Terrified her so much that she had come to a germ-ridden hospital.

  She swallowed and sat forward. “Anyway, how are you?”

  He smiled. “Doing okay, nice to have a visitor. Now, I want to hear everything about the landing page fiasco.”

  Chapter 24

  “Are you sure I can’t tempt you?” Georgina asked. She lifted the wine bottle from the ice bucket and looked at Sophie.

  “I really shouldn’t,” Sophie said.

  Georgina regarded her across the dining table. Ever since they left the office, Sophie had become distant and nervous. More nervous than usual. She had hoped that they’d gotten beyond the nerves, but it seemed that dining alone in the opulent private dining room of her hotel suite had brought them back tenfold. She needed to calm Sophie down before she hyperventilated and passed out.

  “I’m not trying to get you drunk,” Georgina reassured. “I actually chose a very sweet chardonnay. I noticed you have something of a sweet tooth.”

  Sophie blushed.

  “Just half a glass?” Georgina asked. “Please?”

  Sophie nodded. “Okay, but just half a glass.”

  “Wonderful.” Georgina removed the linen napkin from her lap and placed it on the table. She walked over to Sophie, where she poured out exactly half a glass, not wanting the girl to think she couldn’t be trusted. “I think you’ll like it. But if you don’t, don’t feel obligated to drink it.”

  She placed the bottle back in the ice bucket. Sophie bit her lip as she looked at the glass. Slowly, she lowered her cutlery and reached for the glass. She took a tiny sip. Her eyes lit up, and she smiled.

  Georgina sat down. “So. You haven’t told me much about yourself.”

  Sophie’s blush deepened. “There’s not much to tell.”

  “Oh, I beg to differ.”

  Sophie took another sip of wine. She lowered her glass
and looked at Georgina. “I was born in Surrey, I’m an only child. My parents were both teachers, they’re retired now. I’ve always loved marketing, I’ve wanted to work for Red Door for as long as I can remember.”

  “Because they are the best?” Georgina grinned.

  Sophie hesitated and adjusted her glasses. “I suppose so. I’d never really thought about why. Red Door was just always… there. The subject of case studies at university, in the trade journals, in the press. It seemed that wherever I looked, there was Red Door.”

  “Few people possess the single-mindedness to go after what they want like that, it’s a wonderful quality. One I think you undervalue.” Georgina picked up her cutlery and continued to eat. “Why didn’t you go into marketing after you graduated?”

  “Money,” Sophie answered simply. “There were a few jobs around, but they were all very low-paid. I’d been working part-time at a law firm to pay my way through university. They offered me a full-time job, and I couldn’t really say no. Matt said that it…”

  Georgina looked up as Sophie trailed off and stared at her plate.

  “Matt said?” she pressed.

  Sophie chuckled bitterly. “Matt said that we needed the money. He told me it was ultimately my choice, but I knew what he wanted me to do. He wanted me to take the better paying job. He told me that I could take a salary cut later, when we’d cleared our debts.” Sophie reached for her wine glass and took another sip. “But you know what? Those were his debts. Not mine. And it’s only now that I’m realising how much he played me. Oh, he was good, he always made me feel like I was making the decision. But I wasn’t. He was manipulating me into whatever he thought was best.”

  Georgina raised her eyebrow at the outburst. She didn’t think Sophie had it in her to just blurt out her anger like that. She had to admit, she found it intriguing.

  “And all the while he was collecting those damned figurines,” Sophie continued. “Despite the fact that we had no money. Every time he got paid a large commission payment, he’d blow it on his hobby. And I felt I couldn’t say anything because he’d earned that money. He deserved to spend it on what he wanted. Even if that meant that my car was off the road for three months waiting for new tyres.”

  Georgina smiled. Sophie’s rant was adorable. Of course, she felt terrible that the girl had been treated badly for so long. But she was away from Matt now and processing the time they had been together. Presumably she was revisiting conversations and seeing them in a whole new light.

  Sophie’s eyes widened. She looked up at Georgina. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t—”

  “Why shouldn’t you? He was clearly manipulating you. You just broke up with him, and you’re processing events.” Georgina drank some wine. “Please, continue. I find it fascinating.”

  Sophie shook her head. “We’re… we’re not here to talk about my boyfriend. Ex-boyfriend.”

  Georgina nodded. She didn’t want to overstep. Sophie was clearly in a fragile state, and she didn’t want to take advantage of that.

  “No, we’re not. We’re here to talk about you. About your career,” Georgina said. She lowered her cutlery to her plate and pushed it to one side. “If I could give you only one piece of advice, it would be to know where you want to go. Be precise. Think about what you want, and map a way to get there. That’s not to say that your goal won’t change over time, so don’t hang onto it doggedly. Always check that it is still what you want.”

  Georgina lowered her gaze to the table. It was a speech she had given many times before. She’d often been invited to lecture on her success. But suddenly she was remembering the time she had given that very speech to Jessica. Out of the recesses of the past, she could see the conversation clearly.

  “But I don’t know what I want,” Sophie replied, shaking Georgina from her memories.

  Georgina reached for the wine bottle and topped up her own drink. She gestured the bottle towards Sophie. The girl considered her wine glass for a moment before slowly nodding and pushing it across the table.

  “The first question is to ask yourself what you want to do in your day-to-day job.” Georgina poured Sophie another half a glass. “Do you want to be a designer? A developer? Do you want to manage clients?”

  Sophie thought for a moment. “Well, I’m not a designer.”

  “I have to disagree. Some of the things you have shown me have been exceptional,” Georgina pointed out.

  Sophie blushed. “Well, I know a little, but I don’t have the creativity to do it every day. And I’m not a developer. I like managing clients. I like building campaigns, getting the team together and brainstorming. Seeing something come from nothing.”

  “Maybe a project manager?” Georgina suggested. She placed the empty wine bottle on the room service trolley and put a fresh one in the ice bucket.

  “Maybe,” Sophie said.

  “But that idea doesn’t set you on fire?” Georgina chuckled.

  “No, I suppose it doesn’t.”

  “How about… managing director?”

  Sophie’s eyes widened. “M-me?”

  “You.”

  “But… how? I can’t! I mean… no, I couldn’t run a company.”

  Georgina smiled at the panic in Sophie’s eyes. “I really don’t see why not. A managing director organises people, you do that. They liaise with clients, you do that. They present ideas, you’ve seen that done. They know their limits, you just told me that your design skills aren’t perfect, so I believe you can do that, too.”

  “But how would I own a company? It’s crazy.”

  “You freelance for a while, in your own time, build up a client base. Or maybe someone will offer you a role in a new division of an existing company.”

  Sophie looked at her curiously. Georgina raised her hands in surrender. “Don’t worry, I’m not offering you a job. I may enjoy getting a rise out of Kate, but I’m not suicidal. It’s just a suggestion, these things do happen. Company directors are good at spotting talent.”

  Sophie stared at her half-eaten plate of food, deep in thought.

  Georgina watched her with interest. There was no denying it, the girl reminded her of Jessica. She wanted to look after her, protect her, guide her, and more.

  She collected herself as sipped her wine. She had brought the girl here to discuss career options, nothing more. Sophie was in a vulnerable state, she had to keep her distance and focus on the work.

  “All this talk is keeping you from enjoying your meal,” Georgina observed. “You eat, and I’ll talk about my favourite subject. Me.”

  Sophie laughed.

  “I knew what I wanted to do from the moment I became aware of the concept of work,” Georgina started.

  Two hours later, and Georgina’s best efforts to keep things professional were almost forgotten. They’d eaten dinner and dessert, and Sophie had soon started to loosen up. They’d taken their conversation to the living area and shared a sofa as they talked about the marketing sector.

  Sophie’s knowledge was impressive. She knew a lot about marketing, more than an ordinary graduate. It was clear that the work was a passion for her and Georgina found that intriguing. She found a lot about Sophie intriguing.

  Somehow, they started talking about previous relationships. The wine clouded Georgina’s judgement. She had to continually remind herself to keep her distance.

  “So, you worked together?” Sophie asked.

  “Yes, we’d been working together for a while by that point. The idea of being apart the whole day, after spending all that time together, wasn’t pleasant. I suggested it, I didn’t think Jessica would agree. But she did. She laid down sound ground rules. She didn’t want it to be a secret. She didn’t want me to treat her differently.” Georgina smiled. “Of course, I didn’t want to lose the best assistant I’d ever had.”

  Sophie nodded. “Sounds amazing, you two must have been formidable.”

  “We were,” Georgina mused. She shook her head slightly. “But that’s all over no
w. We parted amicably, and now she is off, conquering the world.”

  “I’m sorry you broke up,” Sophie said.

  “These things happen.” Georgina hoped she sounded braver than she felt. “But let’s not talk about me all night. You were saying earlier that you’re going to be the new Sophie Young?”

  Sophie beamed. “Yep. I’m a work in progress. I’m trying to be braver. Not get so tongue-tied. I think being with Matt made me a weaker person. I mean, I was always a little weak. But I just kind of accepted whatever he told me. And after a while, I did the same with everyone else, too.”

  Georgina smiled in return. The girl was captivating. She couldn’t help but feel proud at helping her out of her shell and into the world.

  “And what will this new Sophie be like?”

  “She won’t stammer so much,” Sophie said.

  “That’s a shame. It’s pretty cute.”

  Sophie edged closer on the sofa to give Georgina a little swat on the arm. “She won’t be so cute, either,” she joked.

  “I don’t know, this new Sophie is sounding very bland.” Georgina winked.

  Sophie ignored her and continued to list her new traits on her fingers. “She’ll be confident, brave, she’ll have points to make and people will want to listen. She won’t… fidget so much. And she’ll have… a new wardrobe. And a new look.”

  “I’m not sure if I can approve of this,” Georgina joked. “I won’t recognise you.”

  “I’ll still have my notepad and pen.”

  “Oh, well, then by all means. Go ahead.”

  “I need to go shopping for new clothes. That will stop Kate from making comments about what I wear.”

  Georgina bit her lip thoughtfully. She’d been in Kate’s shoes. An easy way to bring someone down was to comment on their clothing, make a statement about their hair, forget their name. She rarely saw the other side of the coin, but here it was, sitting in front of her.

  “You should change for you, not for anyone else.”

  Sophie nodded. “I want to change. I want a new haircut. I read an article about women who dump their partner and then get a new haircut. It’s meant to be cathartic.”