57th Floor Of Wayne Corp
Helen was offloading all the stuff in her bag and setting them down in her desk drawer. Any thing on the desk, she disliked, was tossed into the wastebasket, beside her desk.
She adjusted the height of her chair and hung her coat there, before dropping the file she had collected from Lisa's office on her desk, and sitting down
"Does that Ice Sculpture only hire plain wooden boards and short people?" Helen murmured before letting out a sigh "Well, it doesn't really matter" she pulled out a pen from her bag and dropped the bag under the table before opening up the file in front of her
However, before she could even go through the file, the ding sound from the elevator had attracted her attention. When the doors to the elevator opened, Lisa and Raden walked out, rather stiffly.
"S-sorry to interrupt" Lisa said nervously
"Don't worry. I was just about to get started" Helen said as she relaxed back in her seat "Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to take a seat?"
"We're very sorry" Raden said as he and Lisa took their seats in front of Helen's desk. Raden reached into his pocket and took out the flash drive before dropping it in front of Helen "In here are a summary of today's reports"
As soon as he said that, Helen picked up the flash drive and plugged it into the desktop computer on the desk, before turning on the computer.
"Miss Helen..."
"Yes?" Helen replied in a questioning tone, completely cutting Lisa short
"The folder in front of you....can I have it?" Lisa asked "You see...that folder is already recorded on the flash...on the flash drive"
"Sure, you can have it" Helen said, without sparing her a glance as she opened up the files in the flash drive. "I have a question for you....What exactly does the fashion department do in this company?"
"Well, we..."
"Shut up, Lisa. I wasn't asking you" Helen said "I'm asking the man you brought with you. I'm asking the head of the designer team, a question" she stared at Raden "And I demand a very detailed answer"
"Well...where should I start from?" Raden mumbled nervously "Um...the fashion department was created by the late Madam Belle Wayne....Master Wayne's older sister. At that time, even the Wayne family name couldn't lead our department to fame..."
"I already knew that" Helen said nonchalantly before going back to her computer "Though, I didn't know that Belle was that Ice Sculpture, Gabriel's older sister. Heck, I didn't even know she was a Wayne"
'Miss Helen really talks so casually about members of the Wayne family' Raden thought. "W-well, because of the situation of the fashion department at that time, we were divided into three....the models, the seamsters, and the design team. We then took on outside clients by selling them services from our models, seamsters and members of the design team. That was how we gained enough fame to launch our own brand called 'Crystal Palace'. Currently, the fashion department owns many boutiques where we showcase and sell the products made from our department, however, we still take on clients such as jewelers, shoe companies, and other accessory brands, to help advertise their products"
"If that's so, then we should have a lot of money in our disposal" Helen said "Where has all that money been going to, Lisa?" she asked and Lisa pursed her lips "I already know about the seven billion dollar embezzlement of funds that was carried out by the previous head and a bastard named Atkins"
"Well, you see, we lost a lot of clients and..."
"Lisa, that is not a good excuse" Helen said firmly "Belle took over this section of the company, exactly fifteen years ago. The fame and amount of money earned was far greater than any other department" she said as she stared at Lisa "Unlike the other departments, food and clothing are in high demand. The amount we earned over the years should have been on the same level as that of the Food & Nutrition department, because people tend to want to keep up with the latest trend, to improve their appearance. Plus, even if we lost clients, we could always make more through releasing out own seasonal products" she glared at Lisa "What you just gave me was a sorry excuse for an an excu..."
"I know" Lisa shouted "However, it is also very embarrassing for me to bring up the shame of this department" she said, but after realising she raised her voice, she covered her mouth with her hands "No...sorry....I-I didn't mean"
"Actually, I prefer it this way" Helen said "If you didn't have the guts to defend yourself against me, then I would have fired you"
"Excuse me?" Lisa questioned with widened eyes
"It's just as you heard. My firing you would have been under the gauze that you lack the ability to function under me" Helen said "Your job as my assistant, is to guide me and voice out your opinions to me when you feel like it is needed. I don't need you to be acting like my shadow that only follows me around silently. That's just annoying"
"Y-yes, ma'am" Lisa said as she took her hands off her mouth and adjusted her glasses "Actually, the fashion department has been involved in many scandals related to plagiarism over the past three years. We lost most of our clients and manufacturers, as well as most of our funds after we were sued"
"I never heard about that" Helen mumbled, "How many times did such a thing happen?"
"Roughly eight times" Raden said "And it all happened under my supervision over the past three years. Regina Vasco got involved the second time it happened and we lost ten designers, however, the perpetrator only got bolder and Master Wayne, reluctantly cut out budget by thirty percent. He also had to pay off the media"
"Things would have only gotten worse. The media would immediately jump at the next plagiarism incident" Helen said "The perpetrator will still be receiving funding from the people they assisted in the suing of our department. In short, what we have on our hands is a swindler who's far worse than a con artist" she said "There are lots of people like this on the streets, but this type of swindler is something else. They produce an exact replica of a person in power's design and take pictures of it before sending it to the original owner of the design, framing this department for plagiarism and asking for a cut on the suing money by praising the original designer. The original designer would then fall for this trickery and do exactly as told"
"So, even if the rest of us fall...."
"Exactly, Lisa. Even if the rest of you fall, that person would have made out of this scenario with a loaded bank account they could live with for years, even if they don't get any employment from another fashion brand" Helen said
"How cruel" Raden murmured "If I had only paid more attention..."
"It's not a matter of 'ifs', Mr Designer Head. It's a matter of how we the ones in charge, deal with the situation" Helen said "I'd like to know what Regina did when she was in power"
"I'll be honest with you, Miss Helen...that woman was a total tyrant" Raden said "She was a slave driver who ignored the opinions of everyone in the department. Her release shows always ended in disaster...I honestly don't know how she passed Lisa and got the position of director"
"Lisa, is there something I should know?" Helen said
"Well....um...Miss Regina got the position after stealing one of my designs" Lisa said "I couldn't even stand up against her because her backing was far stronger than my own. Mister Page must have already told you, but other than Raden, in the eyes of everyone else at this department, I'm the least most respected person..."
"It's because of the way you dress and carry yourself" Helen said, calmly as she stared deeply at Lisa "For starters, if your designs were able to get Regina in this position, you're surely fashionable. However, your dressing reminded me of a story about witches and grannies the first time I saw you" she said and Raden had to hold in his laughter "Second, your eyes are perfectly fine and I know that there's no prescription for those glasses you're wearing. In short, they're accessories that anyone who just wanted to use it, would put it on"
"You're right" Lisa said while lowering her head
"Lisa, a woman who doesn't respect herself, doesn't deserve the respect of anybody" Helen said, leaving Lisa in thought "That's all I have to say to you. Now, back to the matter at hand. I need to see the invoices and budget allocations from....from....ugh. When did Regina take over this department?"
"She took over three years ago. Before Madam Belle Wayne passed away" Raden said
"Lisa, I need the budget from four years ago till now" Helen said, snapping Lisa back to reality
"Give me a second. Let me search for it here" Lisa said immediately as she began to open up the files on Helen's desk
"Mr Designer Head, I need you to meet with all of the fashion designers and ask them to submit their design sketchbook to me" Helen said while searched through her desk drawer and pulled out one of the books containing all her designers "The book should look something like this, but it's different for other people. And so the swindler won't be able to pull anything, ask the designers to submit both their old and new design books with their names on them. I plan to look through all of them before ten o'clock" she dropped the book back in her desk drawer "Then, ask not just the designers, but every member of the fashion department to gather together on the thirty fifth floor"
"Understood" Raden said as he got up, ready to leave
"Will you sit down? I'm not done yet" Helen said and he looked at her confused before seating back down "Lisa, have you found it?" she asked, turning her attention back to the timid woman
"Um...yes" Lisa said "The yearly invoices and budget allocations should be on your computer"
"Which file?" Helen asked as she moved the mouse
"Pb-16 to Pb-19 are from four years ago till date" Lisa said and Helen quickly began typing on her computer
Once Helen opened the files from four years ago, she went through each months monthly income and was rather impressed. She then went through the other files from three years ago till date. And closed the files.
"I noticed that over the past three years, more money was being put into sewing materials" Helen said
"Yes, that's correct" Lisa said "I tried to dissuade Miss Regina from that...but she yelled at me and told me to leave it as be or she'll fire me"
"That's probably how she embezzled the funds. I'll have to visit the storage room on the forty eighth floor for an inspection in order to know" Helen mumbled "You're coming with me, Lisa" she said
"O-okay" Lisa said while Helen reached into her lower desk drawer and pulled out a folder
"Raden, take that along with you and announce to everyone in the department" Helen said "I know from what Maria and Mark told me, that our department is treated quite badly thanks to what Regina did"
"Then, you know of all...."
"I know all the functions of the other departments" Helen said, interrupting Raden "If I remember correctly, there are exactly nine departments in this company and each one functions as a unit and also separately"
"Yes" Lisa said
"The transport department, are hired by outside clients when you need to transport or deliver goods that can't normally be reached by other delivery systems, but, their role in this company, is to help other departments transport materials we need from various locations, around the world, without delay" Helen said "The security department functions the same both with outside clients and within the company. And that also applies for the other departments in this company. Since we've practically been alienated from every other department, we might as well save money from our current budget, for other stuff"
"So, we're going to stop using the other departments?" Raden asked
"That was the deal I had with Mr Ice Sculpture, who stands at the pinnacle of all men in America" Helen said "If we don't survive without the directors, and make more money than we did in the previous month before the end of my trial period, we either all lose our jobs, or this department is shut down for good"
"Y-you agreed to that?" Lisa asked
"Well, my friend, Maria, suggested it to both Mark and the ice sculpture in an attempt to save both departments. And both men agreed to the idea" Helen said "I think there's more to this deal, because I for one don't know the whole thing. But since my friend suggested it, that means we actually have a chance of winning" she said as she got off her chair and put on her coat "Anyways, shall we get going? You both know that there's no time to waste. Right?"