Chapter 49 He's My BOSS!
"I wanted to talk to you about something, grandma," I say as I follow her through to the living room.
"Oh. Something important?"
"Sort of. I'm not sure."
I sit down on the opposite sofa to her, trying to gage her mood. She doesn't look like she's been overly stressed or worried about anything recently.
"Is everything okay at work, dear?"
"Yeah. Everything is great."
"Noah is treating you well?" Her tone is so suggestive. She's definitely hoping something will happen between her. I should burst her bubble before her thoughts get out of hand. I can easily imagine grandma trying to play matchmaker. In fact, I wouldn't put it past her that that was exactly her intention when she put me to work as Noah's assistant.
"He's a great BOSS," I reply, emphasising the fact that he's my boss as best I can.
"Of course, he is," she says confidently. "And to think you didn't like him when you started."
"That was for good reason," I mutter.
"If you say so, dear. What did you want to speak to me about?"
"I... I overheard a conversation today," I say awkwardly.
For one thing, I know I shouldn't have listened in and I'm pretty sure my grandma is going to point it out for me too. She's got a thing about good manners.
"Well, if it was a private conversation, I don't imagine we should be discussing it," she says tersely.
"They were talking about you."
"Even more reason not to mention it," she replies dismissively. "I imagine you'll hear a lot of people talk about me during your time at the company.
"It wasn't like that. They weren't gossiping or complaining."
"What are you trying to say, darling?" she asks with a sigh.
"They were saying that you had to cover the cost of the replacement sofas yourself."
"And what of it?" she asks, her voice sterner than I expect.
"They said that there wasn't funding for it."
"Seemingly so. Yes."
"Isn't that worrying?" I ask her.
"Not really. It's nothing."
There's something about her tone that suggests she's lying to me. It's not something she usually does and I really don't like it. We're supposed to be a team. That's what she said at least.
"They said..."
"Eden, it really isn't anything to worry about."
"But they said they'd sell their stock in the company."
That causes a slight reaction, a twitch just above her eye. It's a small movement but it's enough to prove that she's not as disinterested as her attitude would suggest.
"Darling, people do that all the time. Sell some here. Buy some there."
She makes it sound like nothing but surely when your own directors are selling their stock it's a bad sign. I want to argue the point further but there's something about her expression that tells me it won't end well if I do. She wants me to drop it and I don't want to start a fight.
"How was your day, grandma?" Accepting defeat I change the subject.
"Pretty good, actually," she tells me, her smile returning. "We've been working on creating a new design team."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes. I find it highly frustrating that so much of our success is due to one team."
I smirk at that. I know I shouldn't but I can't help but feel proud of design team one and Noah.
"Don't get me wrong, I love your team. I just wish the rest were half as productive." She leans back in her chair, clearly exasperated. "Could you imagine if all the teams were on par with Noah's?"
Honestly, when Noah had told me they weren't I had struggled to believe him. That was until I saw the statistics for myself in black and white.
"I mean, in some ways we'd be better only having two teams if they were both as good as design team one," she continues, not waiting for my reply. "I just need to find the right person. Someone willing to put the effort in."
"I don't understand why you need a new team though."
"What do you mean, darling?"
"Well, it's clearly a leadership problem. Or at least it is for design team two."
"Lewis Artie?"
"Yeah. He's a cheat. You're never going to get anything good out of a team he's running."
Grandma smirks at me, entertained by the venom in my voice.
"You don't like him."
"I don't know him. Not really. But I don't trust him."
"Mhmm..." She's quiet and it's frustrating. I can't understand why she keeps him when she knows what sort of person he is.
"Why not just sack him?" I ask.
"It's not as simple as that. There's his uncle, James Artie, for one thing."
"So, what? You can get rid of both of them if need be."
"You make it sound like firing people is as simple as inviting them to dinner," she teases. "Perhaps we need to send you on a Human Resources course."
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