May 30, 2024 [Day 1—Infiltration]
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Averna brushed off her hair as she walked down the lobby. She looked at her wristwatch, and the time read '7:52'. She looked down the lobby again, and the clock on the wall read '7:53'. She shook her head and laughed.
'That had been quick.'
"Good morning, Miss Averna. How are you this morning?"
She stopped and turned around. She looked over in the direction in which the voice came from; it was Elieen.
"I feel refreshed." She smiled warmly.
The other employees stopped their duties; they all shared a look before the whole lobby echoed in a chorus of "Good morning, Miss Averna!"
"You may go about your work, everyone." Her smile was replaced with a cold gaze. The others all ran out of the lobby in different directions.
Eileen stood there silently, her eyes sparking with mischief.
"Are you not going to scurry off like the rest?" Averna questioned Eileen.
"Ma'am, might I remind you that I have worked under your wing for ten years? I assume it's more than enough time to get accustomed to your unique mood and personality." She responded calmly.
"Well, it isn't that easy for you to work for a company with a CEO like me." Averna smiled, and her gaze turned to Eileen. The secretary looked up at her, her lips curling into a smile.
"The schedule for today, ma'am, is that you're merely a few minutes away from the scheduled board of directors meeting." She walked hastily behind her.
"I do know that." She pushed in the door leading to the boardroom. "You may leave for now."
"Of course." She bowed, watching the door slam shut in her face.
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There were three of them: Harold, the board president; Alex, the business manager; and Paul, the secretary, who is also the chief financial officer. They all looked over at her, waiting for a response.
"Gentlemen, please pause the meeting until I finish; I need just a few minutes." She took out her phone and called up her calendar. After she made a few changes, she quickly picked up the phone and spoke. Lance, the director of research, was on the line.
"Lance, feel free to proceed with the initial research and marketing phase, but ensure your completion by the time I visit your department."
"Of course, Averna." Lance responded to the call.
"Much better." She hung up and turned to her three board members.
"Ma'am." Harold pushed an empty chair over to her and waited for her to sit.
Averna sat across from them, her gaze never leaving them. "You may commence," she said, nodding to the secretary.
Paul opened a file on his desk: "The launch of the new fragrance 'A' has been set back for another week due to the Novelty problem that has been raised by the consumer industry."
Averna's eyes stared up at him. "What problem are you speaking of, Paul?"
"It appears that many people have tried to wear the new product, but the main complaint was that its scent was too strong, almost choking."
"What?" Averna's lips pulled into a tight line, while her eyebrows rose and her eyes narrowed. "How many people have complained?"
Paul looked up at her, fearful to say the actual number, which was five hundred and sixty-nine written boldly on his file, but instead went with a subtle approach: "Several hundred."
"What is the new idea behind 'B'?" Averna wiped down her face, clearly not pleased with the previous news.
Paul flipped through a few pages and handed some of them to her. "This is the report. This is what the consumers have complained about." She looked it over.
Averna took a deep sigh and slowly picked up the papers. She had to admit that she was very disappointed by the new situation. She simply read over the report.
"I will call you back when I come up with an idea."
"Ma'am," Harold spoke up.
She looked up at the papers, her eyes meeting Harold's. "I have an idea." He adjusted his navy blue-framed glasses.
Averna gazed at his spectacles for a considerable amount of time, engrossed in the mystery surrounding his habit of changing his glasses to match the color of his attire.
"Go on." Averna coughed to snap herself back to reality.
"In a perfume company as big as Verna's, there is always a different type of person working; we have male employees, female employees, salespeople, and press people."
Could you simply get right to the point?" Averna interjected impatiently. "We don't have all the time in this world."
"A perfume company has a section known as the testing department. It is where they test out the new products, to see if they work and what they smell like. Can I suggest that we have a testing department for our new fragrance, 'B'?" He stood up and walked over to the boardroom door.
Averna looked up at him as he spoke; his suggestion didn't sound too bad to her. "And what if we find out that it doesn't work and is still too strong?"
"Well, we would just have to do something that would change it around a little." Harold smiled.
"We can't let our perfume blow off the market." Averna muttered to herself, but just enough for the others to pick up what she had said.
"I don't know if I like the idea, but it does have merits to it... We just have to give it a shot."
"Let's put it to a vote," Alex said.
"I'm alright with it." Averna nodded.
"I'm good with it too." Paul agreed.
"Alright then, I'll see if I can have that set up right away." Harold said.
"You need to do that right away." As she stood up, Averna spoke again. "Alright then, let's move on to the other matters."
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As she left the boardroom, she glanced at her watch and saw the time read '9:56'. It was time for her to go meet Lance in his department.
"Hello?" She knocked on the door.
"Come in." Lance welcomed her.
She walked in, and she could feel his eyes boring holes in her back. She didn't turn around to face him at first as she sat down.
"So who was the new recruit you spoke of?" She asked.
"Oh, him." Lance held his hand up and said, "He's the newest member of our research team. His name is Damian. He's done a little bit of work for the perfume company before, enough to make him the right person for the recruitment."
"And do you think he's competent enough?" Averna asked. "Remember, I don't hire just anyone, especially the incompetent people I despise the most."
Lance thought for a moment before answering, "You would love him; trust me."
Averna stood up and said, "I'd be a judge of that." She placed her hand on the door latch.
"It's about time I got someone else to keep me company apart from the people that I dealt with before." Lance sighed and shook his head.
"Aren't I enough for you, Lancey?" Averna teased.
Cross-popping veins on his face. He still couldn't get over the fact that she remembered her silly nickname for him.
"My name is Lance, Averna, not Lancey." He stated it first.
Lance smiled a little bit at her. "You and I know how I got this job because of my long-time history with you back in college."
"You got your job because of your competence, dedication, and hard work. I am confident that whoever you recommend will work just as hard." Averna smiled a bit.
"You got it." Lance gave a sigh and looked up at her. She turned around and was about to leave.
"Have a good day, Averna." Lance said it with a smile.
"You too, Lancey." She waved as she walked through the door.