Page 28 of Corporate Escapades

“Paris, you did a great job, but unfortunately, you’re going with him,” stated her mother.

“What?!” shrieked Paris. “Why am I being punished for his mistake?”

“If one of you fails, both of you fail, remember? You had better get that in your heads, or this will be an ugly process,” added her father.

“You’ll have to take this up with each other,” replied Dom. “You’re either best friends or worst enemies. It’s your choice.

“Now, if you two will excuse yourselves from the boardroom, we must discuss a couple of things with Chase and Mya. You may wait in the lobby,” said Cristo as he waved them toward the door.

Paris and Vic got up and left the room. Paris wanted to strangle Vic, but she knew that would only make her situation worse. For now, she planned to ignore him. She would tell him later just how much she hated him, but he could stew in it for the time being.

Vic knew Paris was angry, and he honestly couldn’t blame her. He would have been pissed, too, if she had gotten him fired from the lowest job he could have imagined. Apparently, his imagination wasn’t so great if other places were waiting for him below the mailroom. He was shocked at how serious the situation had become.

In the boardroom, Mya didn’t know what was coming next. She hadn’t suspected a further demotion, and in allowing such a thing to happen, she worried that she and Chase would be punished as well. She waited anxiously for the seniors to speak.

“Listen,” said Nicola, “we know you’re working hard. We expected that there could be hiccups before any genuine changes take place. You’re not to blame for these mistakes. We recognize you’re doing everything we’ve asked of you, and that’s all we can expect.”

“Don’t beat yourself up about the article, Chase,” said Cristo. “I suspect it would have gotten out one way or another.”

“We’ve resolved to work with the media to put a spin on the situation. We’ll let them know that this is a strong and progressive tactic that we’ve put into place to teach Paris and Vic a lesson and help restore them to their prior selves. The people they were before we lost Alli and Brody,” said Dom. “We’ll force them to sign a document stating that they may release none of this information until after the situation has resolved itself. Our lawyers are already at work.”

“We’re placing Vic and Paris in Janitorial. We suspect this will give them a stronger appreciation for those who clean up after them regularly. The job isn’t easy, and some people think it’s below them, but it deserves respect, and it takes a lot of effort to be successful,” said Nicola. “My father, Burt, will be there to look after them and guide them as well. He’s good at getting people back on track, and he loves his job, which should help them take their situation a little more seriously.”

Nodding, Mikel added, “You’ll take them to their new jobs, and you’ll continue to encourage and help them in any way you can. Be sure to report to us if there are any issues or positive happenings.”

“We will,” replied Chase.

“Okay then, you may be on your way. I hope that next week we’ll be promoting instead of demoting,” said Jessamine.

“Thank you,” replied Mya. “We’ll do everything we can to help them be successful.” Chase nodded in agreement, and then they both retreated.

Once they were out of earshot, Chase said, “That turned out better than I thought it would.”

“Yeah, I agree. When Cristo took out that paper, I thought for sure we were in hot water.” She was thankful that the board members were giving credit where credit was due, but she also felt sorry for Paris. Paris was actually trying to do a good job, and now Mya and Chase had to tell her she was about to be a janitor.Paris was a complete germaphobe, so this would be a nightmare for her.

Mya and Chase found Paris and Vic waiting in the lobby, as instructed. Paris stood with her body facing away from Vic, who was staring blankly out the window.

“Hey,” said Chase. Both Paris and Vic turned to look at him. “We’re to take you over to Janitorial.”

Paris’s jaw dropped. “You’ve got to be joking. I refuse to scrub toilets. I did nothing wrong,” she whined.

“Damn,” said Vic. “I was wrong. It can get worse.”

“Listen,” requested Mya. “I know you don’t want to do this. I feel for you. Neither of you even knows how to clean your own homes, let alone a business, but you have to do this if you ever want your regular lives back. Please, think of it as temporary, so you can do the best job possible and move on to the next thing.”

Chase nodded to back her statement. “She’s right. With any luck, it’ll only be for a week.”

“I don’t want to,” Paris whispered. She looked as if she might cry.

Mya waved for them to follow her. They got on the elevator and she pressed the button for the basement. Exiting the elevator, Chase led them to Building Maintenance, which housed the janitorial staff.

Stepping inside, the smell of grease and cleaning supplies assaulted their noses. Burt, who was acting head of maintenance and janitorial, met them. He did not need to work, as he’d hit it big in the stock market at an early age. Burt knew how to invest and he had built himself a multi-million-dollar nest egg, but given his love for fixing things and his inability to sit still, he helped his daughter and son-in-law by running the department.

“Hey, kids,” he greeted them. “I see you’re working for me starting today.” Burt, grinning, handed them their uniforms, consisting of a grey zippered jumpsuit. “Now I know you aren’tused to this sort of work,” he noted, “but we’ll go easy on you starting out.”

“Thanks,” Paris replied hesitantly.

Burt wrapped his arm around his granddaughter and gave her a squeeze. “Buck up, kid. Things aren’t as bad as they seem. Chase and Mya, you may go,” said Burt. “They’ll be released from my service at four-thirty.”

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