"Sir, Michaelson came to see you." Pattison came to see Mr Moore on the following Friday.
Michaelson walked after Pattison to the office.
"What's up?" Mr Moore didn't bother looking up at the very nervous man.
"Sir, we encountered a bit of an issue with our Marble Project." His voice was shaken.
"What's the problem?"
"Our project is delayed due to the appeal."
"That's unacceptable." Mr Moore looked up angrily at Michaelson. "What appeal?"
"Household Act 21. The court is considering a 12-week extension."
"12-week?" Mr Moore stood up. "The demolition is supposed to start in 3 weeks."
"I understand but the basis for the appeal is strong."
"PATTISON!" Mr Moore roared.
"Yes, sir?"
"Find out who is responsible for the Marble Project appeal and get them to me."
"Yes, sir." Pattison hurried out and was back within two minutes. He stood there silently, too afraid to speak.
"And?" Mr Moore looked as if he was ready to kill him.
"I-I…" Pattison stuttered.
"Spit it out now!" Mr Moore roared again.
"It came from our company."
"What?! Who is stupid enough to stop our project?"
"Well…" Pattison's hands were shaking. "It came from the Contracts and Services Department."
"You're f*cking kidding?!"
"I'm sorry, sir. The appeal has been approved by Miss Thompson. And indeed, Michaelson is right. The court is likely to accept it."
"You incompetent b*stards!" Mr Moore screamed, his knuckles turning white from him squeezing his hands in fists. He pressed the button on the phone on his desk.
"Sir?" Woman answered.
"Direct me to the Contracts and Services Department."
The ringing sounded on the loudspeaker.
"Good afternoon, it's Claire Thompson." Claire's friendly voice sounded across the room. Pattison felt sorry for Claire. "How may I help you?"
"Did you put our Marble Project on hold?!" Mr Moore roared again. He felt even angrier that it was Claire that got in his way. He wanted to go right into her office and pull her into shreds.
"Yes, sir. I did approve the appeal against the Marble Project. I believe, legally, the project can be delayed by 12 weeks." Claire spoke calmly. This only agitated him.
"Are you an idiot?! How could you put one of our best client's projects on hold? How am I going to tell them that due to my incompetent employee their new building will face delays?!"
"Sir, I understand your concern. The reasons for the appeal are highlighted in the document submitted. I believe that our public image will be badly hurt if we do not go ahead with the 12-week extension." Claire spoke clearly. "Besides, the 12-week delay is something that can be rectified."
"Do you think it's funny?!" Mr Moore asked into the phone.
"No, of course not, sir," Claire replied. Her voice might've been calm, but on the other side of the call, she was pulling her hair and biting her lip. "As I've said, I fully understand your concern. I am happy to take full responsibility for the delay and I will be happy to pass that on to the client. I can also work with the suppliers to see if we can reduce the project timeline and still finish by the original deadline."
"Get out." Mr Moore spoke to Pattison and Michaelson. They obediently left, thankful that it wasn't them that will be on the receiving end of the meltdown. "Miss Thompson, is it?"
"Yes, sir."
"You know who I am, right?"
"Yes, of course, Mr Moore," Claire confirmed.
"Now, tell me, how much do you value your job?"
"Very much so, sir," Claire admitted.
"So, why are you so stupid to delay the project of one of our most loyal clients?"
"Indeed, it is something that will cause a bit of friction but there are ways in which…"
"Withdraw the appeal."
"No," Claire replied sternly with sharpness in her voice that Mr Moore didn't expect.
"No?" Mr Moore repeated. "Why?"
"Because there are tenths of people affected by this project and our public image will take a hit if we don't give them an honourable amount of time to…"
"I don't care about these people."
"I know, but you must care about your public image?"
"As if few junkies could do that to my image." He sneered.
"Junkies? Those people worked hard all their lives. They deserve some respect."
"You'll regret it."
"Quite likely, sir," Claire admitted with a slight sigh. Mr Moore disconnected the call and called Pattison back in. "Find out what was the proper reason for this appeal."
"Sir, I do have some suspicions," Pattison admitted.
"Yes?"
"Miss Thompson's address when she started her work here was in Poger Estate."
"I see." Mr Moore's tone steadied. "Overlook Miss Thompson and see how she deals with it." He decided.
Pattison was surprised at the quick diffusion of Mr Moore's anger. But he didn't dare what evil plan must've formed in his head. But Mr Moore didn't bring it up for the rest of the day.
The office was already empty when Claire decided to leave. It was 9 pm after all. Yet another lost day.
She made it to the elevator but as the door opened, blue piercing eyes met hers. She froze.
"I'm sorry, I'll take the stairs." She mumbled.
"Get in." Mr Moore said sharply as he held the door. Claire gave him a nod and walked into the lift, standing beside him.
"Thank you." She spoke quietly. She looked down at her hands which were surprisingly interesting and useful in avoiding any contact with Mr Moore. The elevator jerked sharply and stopped. Claire looked around to find Mr Moore's hand on the emergency stop button. That was it, the end of her.
"Miss Thompson, what you did this morning is unacceptable." Mr Moore said in a stern yet calm tone. For some reason, it was even more terrifying to him yelling. He pushed Claire against the wall and held her tightly with his forearm against her chest. Claire didn't fight, instead, she looked right into his eyes, trying her hardest not to show her fear. That was Gary's advice - to not back down. "I don't care what kind of personal agenda you have, but you must back down. Withdraw the appeal."
"Sir, I understand your frustration but I will not withdraw it." She said coldly. "Whatever my reasons are, my appeal had good legal ground."
"You can't let your personal life affect you." He hissed in her face. "Just because you feel sorry for someone, it doesn't mean that you can allow it to affect you in here."
As he was so close to her, her sweet smell of coconut and vanilla filled his nostrils. He never felt like this before. He wanted to kill her and kiss her at once, which made him even angrier and he wanted to kill her even more.
"With all due respect, my compassion and humanity are what makes me a good leader and what brought many clients to your company," Claire replied, still not backing down. "If you can't recognise it as a strength then that is your problem." Claire took a calming breath, her chest pressed enough that she felt her lungs running out of oxygen. "Besides, maybe you should appreciate that people have different views and use it to your advantage. Being able to see from a new perspective is something valuable and I am giving you this insight."
"You're stepping on the very fine ice." Mr Moore removed his grip and straightened out. He pressed the button again and the elevator started moving.
"I understand that, sir. You have fired people for much lesser offences. I know that my days are numbered in this company, and frankly, I don't care. I doubt there's anything I can do to change your mind about me. And I suspect that from now on I will be served only obstacles on my path until you catch me out on the smallest mistake and dispose of me as if I were nothing. Although it's not a 'me' problem, it's a 'you' problem."
Mr Moore looked at her in shock as she stormed out of the elevator as soon as it opened. Her words struck a note, but it was how he felt about her that caused his turmoil. He wondered whether he should run after her or just fire her on the spot. After all, he hoped that this encounter will be enough for her to beg him to save her job and career, to save herself, but instead he was given some harsh talking.