Third Time Lucky?

No Way!

Marie

(2 years later)

"Morning Jean, how's the family" my opening line as I burst through the dark stained oak door into the reception of Whitlock Media, reception was a polite terms for what was no more than a lobby with a small desk, chair, phone and receptionist​ crammed into one corner next to the door that hid two flights of stairs to the offices.

No fancy lifts here and to be quite honest if they fitted one you would lose half the office space, so my morning exercise was climbing up two lots of rickerty wooden stair cases to my office.

Whitlock Media was not a huge corporation, but a family owned business with most of the board made up of various branches of the family tree.

It was successful for what it was and had some big contracts that will keep the firm in the black for years to come, if it wasn't for one thing.

The problem was the board or more specifically the family members on the board.

Jonathan Whitlock was the founder and current head of the company, but there were moves a foot lead by his cousins nephew or some relation or other, to oust the aging CEO and replace him with said nephew.

However this person was not well liked by either the staff or the customers, who had threatened to take their business elsewhere if he were to be in charge.

And such was the arrogance of the man that he didn't care, he firmly believed that he was god's gift to the company and he surely would milk it dry with​ his extravagant behaviour, so doom and gloom seemed to  be the order of the day.

"Scott and Tyler are the usual thank goodness the school holidays are over and how are you for only being three minutes late today" Jean chuckled.

It was a standing joke in the company, that I was always late and if I did make it on time then it would snow in June, so far it hasn't, possibly because I've yet to be on time.

However being given the dubious title of Whitlock Media's best graphic design artist and because many of the customers loved my work and insisted I work on their contracts, I was afforded certain privileges the main one was being late, which I took full advantage of.

"You better get up there Marie there's a hell of a kerfuffle going on and they've been screaming for you since eight thirty"

"But I don't start till nine they know that" I moaned.

"Well it's gone twenty past now so you better skedaddle up there, pronto" as you can tell Jean has an eloquent way with words, especially words that long since vanished from polite chit chat.

Shit! Was the only thought my brain could muster at that precise moment, as I hastened through the door and bolted up the stairs.

I wonder what the flap is about and why do they need me in this board meeting.

Stopping outside the solid wood door with the old fashioned round brass door knob, I quickly straighten​ed my knee length dark blue skirt and adjusted my white business blouse before finger combing my mess of blonde locks.

Still feeling less than satisfied with my appearance but resigning myself to that fact it would have to do, I took a deep breath and gave a sharp knock on the door.

"Come in" came the muffled voice of Jonathan Whitlock from inside the room.

A final brush down my sides with my hands and I push open the door and stepped into the lions den.