On reaching the meeting room, she could feel the tension from every angle, it was palpable. Of course, she knew why. Previous meetings were not this tensed.
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The room was expansive, almost spanning the entire 34th floor of the building, and offering a breathtaking panoramic view of Silicon Valley through floor-to-ceiling windows that covered every wall.
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Natural light poured in, filling the space with a warm, golden glow during the day, and the walls were adorned with sleek, minimalist artwork that added a touch of class to the space.
The polished marble floors gleamed, reflecting the soft radiance of the room's ambient lighting.
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Right now, there were about two hundred staff presently seated and chatting among themselves, while more poured in.
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At one end of the room, a very large, impressive stage provided the perfect platform for speakers and presentations. It was equipped with a podium, a super high-resolution LED backdrop, and comfortable seating for panel discussions.
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"Bibi! Over here!" Jennifer bellowed at her from where she was seating, signaling for her to come over.
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Bibiana spotted her seated with Christa and Ally, and moved to join them.
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"Here. Kept you a seat"
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"Thanks Jen." She plopped on the leather chair and drew her sleeves down to shield herself from the air conditioner's chilly breeze.
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"You cold?" Jen proceeded to take off her sweater and offer it to her.
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"Nah, I'm fine"
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"Fucking hell, the suspense is killing me. Can we start already" Christa murmured while running her hand through her hair in frustration.
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"Shhh, Anna's here." Ally said.
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Sure enough, Anna, the Research Manager and head of research, strode in, the sound of her kitten heels clacking against the floor, killing every sound in the room. Her expression was neutral.
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She took the podium and gave a polite smile to everyone before clipping the microphone to her collar.
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"Good morning, everyone. I hope you all had a pleasant night. Um... I think we need the custodial staff here as well. Could someone call them up, please?"
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The cleaning staff were not usually called to join them for work-related meetings. So this meant one thing, and one thing alone; the rumors were true. Bibiana and Jennifer looked at each other with a knowing look.
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Few minutes later, the cleaning staff started piling in one by one until they were all in and seated.
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"Great to have you here. This meeting will be very brief because I know we all have work to finish and deadlines to meet. I would like total silence, please."
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The small talks stopped, and she continued.
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"I'm sure most of us already have an inkling of what this meeting is about... I mean, you've heard the talks, thanks to our very own in-house newscaster." Anna shook her head and gave a demure smile.
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Everyone turned their heads to the culprit, Christa, and because Bibiana sat near her, she was also put in the limelight, prompting her to shift her eyes to the ceiling as if there was something interesting up there.
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Christa nudged forward to press the push-to-talk microphone in front of her.
"I'm glad my reputation precedes me. I work hard. Really hard."
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Everyone laughed.
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"Okay, back to business. It's confirmed that Mr. Régis Moreau will be taking over in two weeks-"
Anna was interrupted by the swarm of voices that rose. People were shocked that it was that quick.
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"Silence, please. I am not done."
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Everyone stopped talking.
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"Yes, two weeks. I know it's sudden, but we have to take this in good faith and be ready to work with Mr. Moreau to keep Moreau Tech at the top as always. Yes, Joan," she pointed to the lady sitting at the front row for her to speak.
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"Do we have any indication of what kind of changes Mr. Moreau might bring? Will there be layoffs?"
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"Yeah, what's gonna happen?"
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"Will there?"
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People echoed their support for the question, as that was what was on everyone's mind since the inception of the news.
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Anna sighed audibly. "We don't have concrete details yet. Layoffs... are a possibility, so we do have to be prepared for that."
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The hall became deathly silent at her words. Everyone was trying to come to terms with this possibility.
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"Any more questions?"
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More hands shot up, and the room filled with questions and concerns. Employees were worried about their job security and the future of the company they had dedicated their careers to. Anna did her best to address each question, but it was clear that no one had all the answers.
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The meeting drew to a close, and everyone left the meeting room and went back to their schedules.
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Bibiana couldn't really concentrate on work for the rest of the day. Her mind kept going to Régis Moreau and the impending shift. Was it going to be all roses and peaches, or were people going to lose their jobs, including her?
No matter how brave or nonchalant she might be on the outside, she was still human, and therefore scared of what her fate held.
This job meant a lot to her. It was her opportunity to give Bella a good and stress-free life. She owed it to her sister.
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Her thoughts were interrupted by her iPhone's alarm. It was time to pick Bella up from school.
It was lunchtime, and luckily, it was the same time Bella closed from school, so she usually spent the time getting lunch for roughly ten minutes and used the remaining time to pick her up.
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•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
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Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please like, comment and share as it really keeps me going and motivated. Thankssss :D
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Luv,
Ugo 💋
ns 15.158.61.20da2
