No, I’ll need to face him sometime.
Besides, why do I care what this man thinks of me?
He casts his eyes in my direction and catches me looking. I duck down behind my monitor. Very mature. Is this what work will be every day now? Hiding under my monitor?
“Time to face the showdown,” Stevie calls over to me, getting up from his seat.
I nod and fall in line with him as we shuffle into the boardroom with the rest of the team.
Grabbing a seat close to the door, I slump down into it and drag Stevie with me. I need physical, moral support if I collapse.
Tension is circulating in the air like it’s being pumped out the vents. About 50 of us are squeezed into the boardroom meant for 30 people max., and the Seattle and India offices are on video link.
People stand up, lining the walls. I shift from side to side in my seat, my knees bouncing up and down.
I’m too claustrophobic. I need to leave this room.
Someone shuts the door.
Danny Walker leans against the podium with his sleeves rolled up, looking relaxed. This is just another day in the office for him, another takeover. He swirls coffee in his hand and laughs easily with another guy.
There’s no question about who owns this room.
He looks up, and his eyes search the group looking for something or someone.
I sink further into my chair. Eye contact in this close proximity will induce a panic attack.
There’s a dull chatter throughout the room as Danny stands chatting to the guy, in no rush to greet us. Finally, he clears his throat, and the room quietens.
He doesn’t have to shout or bang fists like Mike. Danny Walker is dominant in his very core. Cat was right. A man’s man.
Silence descends upon the room, everyone waiting on his first words. I hear my heartbeat loud in my ears and wonder if anyone else can.
“Hello.” The low guttural voice makes everyone sit up straight. “I’m Danny Walker, founder, and CEO of The Nexus Group.”
Like we needed that introduction.
I think I just heard someone’s ovary explode. “By now, you have been told the news of our partnership between Dunley Tech and Nexus.”
He smiles around the room, flashing those perfect white teeth.
“It’s hardly a partnership,” Stevie mutters under his breath.
“I’m very excited about our new venture together,” he continues, slowly pacing across the floor.
“At Nexus, we’ve been watching your journey for a while now, and I see a lot of potential in your software.”
I cringe at his words, sinking further into my seat.
He’s been watching my company for a while and said nothing. Tristan would have known also. I’ve worked here for five years, I know all the weaknesses, and I have ideas for improvement.
My opinions were so irrelevant to him that he didn’t even think it was worth a quick “Hey
Charlie, what’s the company you work for like?”
“It just needs a little more drive, more innovation to take it to the next level and truly dominate the insurance sector. Nexus is the company to do that.”
He says every word with the confidence of a man who has no doubts in his ability.
I shiver, and Stevie gives me a side look. This is pathetic. His voice turns me into a mess.
It looks like I’m not the only one. I glance around the room to see all the girls in the office staring up at him like they want his babies. Everyone is flicking their hair, touching their lips, smiling, recrossing their legs, and other desperate attempts to bring his focus towards their body parts. In the front row, Jackie leans forward to give a bird’s eye view of her breasts.
My heart plummets.
I zone out. I can’t listen to his words. Sitting here, one of many, I realise just how much we were worlds apart and how ridiculous I was for trying to dry hump this guy. I’m surprised he didn’t call the police on me.
“I plan to get to know all of you, what you do and what the company stands for.” he continues in his dry Scottish voice. “The company has been operating at a certain level, good but not exemplary. I’m going to personally oversee the smooth transition of the company, so you’ll be seeing a lot of me in this office over the next few months.”
He stops in the middle of the room. “In the meantime, there’s nothing to be worried about; just go about your day job as normal. Later on today, the team will send out all the info you need to
understand any changes over the next few months while you become employees of Nexus.” Stevie shoots his hand up. What the hell! I’m supposed to be camouflaging myself.
Danny squints to see who has their hand raised.
“Yes?” He nods for Stevie to ask his question.
He tilts his head so he can see me over the shoulder of the guy in front, and our eyes lock for a moment before he turns to Stevie.
“How do you see the team size changing when we merge with Nexus?”
There’s a communal intake of breath around the room. The million-dollar question.
Are we going to keep our jobs?
“Some of the departments will need restructuring,” He says, getting straight to the point.
He props a foot up on one of the podium steps and props his elbow on his knee.
Even in his suit, he looks more like Special Forces than a CEO.
“It may mean some role changes or even redundancies. I can assure you if that happens, you will be rewarded fairly for your time with Dunley. We’ll start with offering voluntary redundancies.” The group collectively stiffens.
Some of us will lose our jobs.