I was the head of the Petrenko family now, and nobody would debase me.
They wouldn’t survive it if they tried.
Alex was in front, standing and watching me walk towards him. The seat I took was right beside him, the one with his name. He waited until I took my seat to continue, giving me a very entertained look.
Not surprised at all by the move.
“I’m sure everybody is aware of my marriage,” he continued, casting a look across the room. “This is Katya Sorvino, the newest executive manager in our very humble company.”
He gestured toward me, and I leaned back into the chair, crossing my legs.
I liked that it made one corner of his mouth lift in an amused smile, and that it made his gaze darken.
Then he faced the room and became very serious. “All Petrenko activities are under her, along with two of our own projects. There will be no question to her authority and decisions,” he added with a very deadly tone, “otherwise, there will be dire, irreversible consequences.”
That took me by surprise. My father had allowed me to do the breaking, he didn’t step in for me, but I’d handled it.
“Now,” Alex said, “the reports.” Then he went to the other side of the table, to where my seat was and sat down.
My office was nice. Polished leather chairs, a beautiful pinewood desk, and velvet couches. I liked it, but was very glad I’d be outside most of the time. Working outside was what I preferred rather than just sitting in some airconditioned room.
A knock on my door, and my secretary opened the door and let in a group of people. I was given the employee records, and Alex allowed me to make my choice for my team from Sorvinos’ people too.
Some of the groups were people I already worked with, Petrenko people who didn’t need to be debriefed because they already understood the situation.
“Please take a seat, thank you all for coming. Lisa, some refreshments please.”
“Of course, Mrs. Sorvino.” I still preferred Petrenko, but I suppose that name was something I would have to start getting used to. I smiled at her from behind my desk and watched the group settle into the couches.
It was a big office, and there were two sets of sitting areas. The bigger one of the two was directly in front of my table, a set of two three-seater couches on one side, two coffee tables, two loveseats, and two armchairs to balance the ratio on the other side of the coffee table. All of it set on an imported woven oriental rug.
The second sitting area was smaller and tucked to the side of the office—a set of one three-seater, a loveseat, one armchair, and a coffee table. The rug was very similar to the first, they had almost the exact same qualities, except that the second one was in a darker green shade, and it was smaller.
The sitting areas had different but overlapping themes. They were both elegant, but one was with a lighter, more gentle grace, and the other had darker, muskier undertones.
A very good office, I had to admit.
I introduced myself even though they all knew very well who I was and asked each of them to introduce themselves too, as we would all be working together.
Then, I started to discuss the work. The projects I needed to be supervised and the people I wanted to supervise them.
“You can’t do that,” Ackam David objected when I assigned his new role. “I have been the boss at the Hour-Glass Club for a decade now, you have no right to just waltz in here and change anything!”
I looked at the files, the one about the Hour-Glass Club he managed. It wasn’t because I didn’t already know what they said, I’d read through everything before this gathering, I just looked through it pointedly.
“David, do you know what it says in this file that I’m reading?”
Of course, he was quiet, but I stood up, carrying the file with me, and started to walk around my table.
“It does say that you’ve been manager of the Hour-Glass Club for a decade. It says you were a supervisor in the building work, and naturally were appointed the manager when it was completed. Now, do you think I would be foolish enough to take you from this position if you were any good at it?”
He still said nothing, just glared at me from behind his round glasses.
I put the file down, rolled my sleeves, and perched on my desk to address t=everybody in my office.
“You did splendid as a supervisor for the construction, but not so great for the operational side. The monthly income statements are very disappointing, really. That’s why I decided to appoint you elsewhere, where you would be a lot more useful, instead of tossing you to the streets like a rag.”
He opened his mouth, but I raised a finger to silence him.