The Sun, Moon & Stars [GxGxG]

4. Family Affairs

Monday, October 14th, 2024
(Present)

"There's a specific area I'd like to gear our discussion towards this evening: dynamics. Yours with your colleagues, and theirs with one another."

"Even you?"

Penélope cracks a smile. "Even me."

"May I ask why?"

"You came into our midsts a stranger, an unknown," she reminds me. "I want to know more about your thought process in dealing with that. What did you make of us? What do you think we made of each other? First impressions are important, but they can be misleading. The information we collect can be partial, and our opinions can be biased by circumstance, so I want you to recall a time when you were able to get a good idea of what we were about as a whole."

Seems easy enough.

I had just the story.

***

Sunday, November 7th, 2021
(1,072 Days Ago...)

I knew being CHRO wouldn't be easy... but damn, and to think I hadn't even begun working yet. Everyone else's training had concluded the day I came in for orientation, and it wasn't until Anvi called me that same evening that I realized there was more to be done.

We ended up agreeing on meeting for a few hours every day since then and going over the material. After ten consecutive days of familiarizing myself with policies, expectations, procedures, and logistics, I was about ready to drop. It was necessary, though, and despite how taxing it was, I knew it would help lessen the gap between me and my counterparts. Realistically, I wouldn't be on par with them in terms of knowledge or experience, but I wouldn't be going in blind, either, which is what they expected of me.

Anvi commended my innate ability to retain information and my attention to detail during our one-on-ones, reinforcing the idea that I was meant for this job. Her encouragement was my primary source of motivation, and operating outside the board made everything lighter for both of us. Now, we've neared the end of my training arc and have progressed onto a new stage of learning.

This Sunday, I'd graduate from private meetings to dinners as I prepare for what would undoubtedly be an eventful night with my fellow elites. It was a by-weekly tradition hosted by the CEO that allowed off-the-clock bonding. The idea would be appealing if the majority of them didn't look at me with contempt. Still, I hadn't declined when Anvi first presented the offer to me and I had no intention of being punked into missing out.

Besides - what's the worst that could happen?

"A lot."

Apparently, I asked the question aloud, and the one to answer me was my best friend, whose car I'd just got into. Roman had always been against me taking the subway because of how dangerous it was, so a time constraint was the perfect excuse to start driving me around. Before I got my job, I would regularly decline, but I couldn't now. The arrangement itself was okay - there was just one catch: putting up with his bullshit.

"What?"

"A lot can happen," he repeats. "Tonight could be your night."

My jaw goes slack at the implication. "Dude, no."

Two particular colleagues of mine had been a recurring topic this week. Even as someone who was attracted to men, Roman was able to acknowledge how attractive they were. Telling him about my interactions led him to plant a seed of delusion in my head, which he continued to nourish every chance he got.