Page 2 of Mated By the Alphas
“Then you agree with my strategy? We should sell?” she presses.
I should just agree. That’s the smart thing to do. The quicker this meeting is over, the better. I’m not supposed to be making financial decisions like this. That’s what the other people in this room do. Do I really want to get on my CEO’s bad side the very first day? But if I agree, I’m lying, and it’s no secret that Ms. Frost hates liars.
“Your strategy is sound, Ms. Frost,” I say, doing my best not to tremble. “However, there’s very little risk to York Financial if you… we… hold onto some of the shares. We might miss an opportunity to sell them at the peak price, but if the earnings reports are going to be favorable tomorrow, then the price won’tdip lower than what we paid. They should still stabilize at a higher price.”
“You’re not concerned this is going to be the best year Blithe Holdings ever has?” Ms. Frost questions. “That by missing the opportunity to sell at the peak, we’ll lose out on millions of dollars if we have to liquidate them later?”
I can’t turn back now. I’ve stated my position and now I have to defend it, just like I did at school. “Every investment is a risk, Ms. Frost. Last year, York Financial liquidated their position in a number of companies that had a better year than they were forecasted to have.”
“Don’t remind me,” Mr. Smith grumbles.
Ms. Frost studies me for a long moment. She reaches for her coffee and takes a drink, then puts it down in front of her. The room is so quiet I can hear the faint hum of the building’s ventilation system.
“Very well, we’ll retain our original position in Blithe Holdings,” Ms. Frost says. “Ansley, you will be in charge of monitoring this investment for us as part of your portfolio. I’ll expect an update in my email shortly after the markets open each morning. Don’t make me have to ask for it.”
My eyes widen and I can’t stop my lips from trembling. Monitoring an investment? Daily reporting to the CEO? This feels way, way above my pay grade.
“Yes, ma’am,” I reply, unsure of what else to say.
The discussion about Blithe Holdings seems to be over. I hope I didn’t screw up. Didn’t overstep. She put me on the spot, and I didn’t know what else to say.
I pay attention to the discussions about several other investments, but nobody asks my opinion about those. After that, the meeting ends and I hold the door for the three of them. Ms. Frost blows past me without a word. Mr. Smith does the same. Mr. Waters stops.
“Good job. You’ve got a bright future here, Ms. Ellery,” he says, flashing a smile before he leaves the conference room.
I wait until they’re out of sight before I step out into the hallway. My heart is racing. My palms are sweaty. The back of my blouse is practically sopping wet. I hurry to the bathroom to try and calm down some before returning to the bottom floor, where I’ll be working.
My boss spots me as soon as I step off the elevator. He’s a heavyset man who is in charge of the new hires and he waves me over, so I approach him.
“Well, you didn’t get fired, so I guess your first meeting with Ms. Frost went well,” Mr. Fleming chuckles, like he’s amused by it. “You should have access to the system now and the training package for your orientation should be in your email. You can spend the rest of the day working on that. Let me know if you have any questions.”
He turns and walks away without giving me a chance to respond. I’ve calmed down some now. I’m certainly glad I didn’t getfiredon my first day. I didn’t even realize that was a possibility.
I walk into the cubicle maze that makes up the first floor of York Financial and am grateful I remember where my desk is. Everyone is hard at work, and nobody even looks at me, so I sit down. My login information works. The orientation trainingpackage is in my email. I load it and realize it’s quite extensive. It may take a couple of days to get through it all.
After I’ve been clicking boxes for nearly an hour, my phone lights up with a text message from my best friend.
Daisy: Hey girl! How’s the first day of corporate life going?
Ansley: Stressful! I got called into a meeting with the CEO and she put me on the spot. I don’t think I’ve ever sweated so much!
Daisy: Sounds like you’re going to need a drink after work. Swing by the bar?
Ansley: I’m not sure if I’ll feel up to it. I just want to put on my pajamas and go to bed.
Daisy: It’s not even noon yet!
Ansley: I meant after work. Obviously not right now. Unless you think I could get away with it. Do you think they’d notice?
Daisy: Just stop by. Please? I haven’t seen you in weeks! First drink is on me.
Ansley: Fine. Just one drink, though. Then I’m going home.
Daisy: See you then!
Daisy and I have been best friends since middle school. Our lives have gone in different directions, but we’re still close friends. At one time, we were both planning to conquer the corporate world. That fell apart for Daisy after we got to college. She got distracted, disinterested, and dropped out after she lost her scholarship.
Since then, she’s been working as a bartender at Fletcher’s Bar. It’s not a dive, but it’s close. I’ve stopped by a couple times since moving back to Chicago, but like she said, it’s been a few weeks.
