A Business Love

chapter 33

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Another week of complete sorrow had passed.

Natalia looked at Jessie's long straight dark blonde hair from behind her glass office door. She found her so beautiful when she straightened her hair. It suited her well.

Natalia had an inner love-hate relationship with Jessie. She admired and hated her at the same time. She found her so eloquent when she spoke, so articulate. She dreamed of being as intelligent and competent as she was. But she also envied her so badly.

She got up and went to Lucy's office to nag about Jessie. That was her favorite activity.

"What's going on with perfect Jessie? She's so quiet lately," said Natalia to Lucy.

"I don't know but I like this new Jessie!" exclaimed Lucy. 

Jessie was no longer all over the place, charming everyone with her outgoing personality and trying so hard to be a people pleaser. Instead, she came to work and kept her office door closed all day long. People barely even saw her.

Lucy felt that she had finally regained control of her team, with Jessie no longer outshining her with her explosive personality.

"In fact, out of sympathy for her, I will do a good deed today," said Lucy while getting up her chair and leaving Natalia confused.

She headed to Jessie's office and knocked before opening the door without waiting for Jessie's response.

Jessie turned her gaze from her laptop screen to Lucy.

"All the leaders are meeting with the executive team this afternoon. I didn't see your name on the invitation, but it was probably an oversight. I'll forward you the invite," said Lucy.

Jessie straightened up immediately. It was out of the question for her to attend a meeting with the executives.

"No. I wasn't invited so I'm not going," replied Jessie in a defensive way.

Lucy was taken aback. She thought she was doing Jessie a favor by highlighting the oversight and letting her know about that meeting. She knew how Jessie was so eager to have that type of exposure.

"You don't have a choice. All leaders have to attend that meeting," she reiterated in a stern way.

"Lucy, I don't know if you're aware of the new team structure, but I no longer report to you, I report to Massimo."

Lucy exaggeratedly frowned at her politically correct arrogance. At the same time, Massimo was passing by and had heard Jessie's snarky comment.

"What's going on?" he asked confused.

"I'm telling her that she needs to attend the leaders' meeting this afternoon. She wasn't invited, but all leaders need to attend. And for reasons I don't know, she refuses to go and she's being unnecessarily aggressive about it," said Lucy clearly infuriated.

Massimo looked around embarrassed that the two leaders of his team were engaging in a cat fight. "Girls," he said while motioning them to lower their tone. He then looked at Jessie. "Weren't you invited to that meeting, Jessie?"

"No. So I'm not going," she said stubbornly.

"Of course, you're going," he said, confused at her firm refusal. "The executive team will present this year's organizational objectives so we can cascade it down to our team members. You need to attend it in order to develop Katiana's objectives for this year. You were probably not invited because you weren't a leader yet when the invite was sent."