“Well, you’d best be going. The way she
shoots out orders, if you’re late you might not get through the day.”
“As soon as this is done, I’m going over to
the hospital. No matter what she has to say.”
“Good enough. I was planning to go by on my
lunch hour.”
“We should probably take turns or something.”
“That will work,” Vonnie said. “In the
meantime, I’ll do a little more digging on our guest.”
“Don’t worry. Maybe this won’t be as bad as
we think.”
She heard Vonnie’s snort of disbelief as she
hurried down the hall to the meeting. Like the library, this room retained its
classic features, with tall, narrow windows framed with glossy dark woodwork,
ornate ceiling moldings and antique light fixtures, and a long narrow oak table
with a dozen chairs around it. Donatella Agnelli stood at one end, her back
straight, her dark eyes sliding from one individual to the next, assessing in
an unsmiling way. Ron and the other acquiring agents sat on one side, with a
seat for her open next to Donatella, while Mark Ramsey from business, Brian
Rood from marketing, and several interns occupied the other side of the table.
Donatella’s gaze landed on one of the
interns. “Who are you?”
The thin young man in the open-collared plaid
shirt and khaki Dockers jumped to attention in his seat. “Aloysius Benson. I’m
an intern in—”
“Out.” She pointed toward the door with one
long finger, the manicured nail sculpted in bloody red. “Is there anyone else
in here not of managerial level?”
The other intern shot up and hastened to
catch up to Aloysius.
Mark cleared his throat. “We like to have the
interns present for these discussions. It helps them learn the workings of—”
“You can save that for the ad in PW. Their role is to
get coffee, pull files, and pick up laundry if necessary. Let’s not pretend
otherwise.”
Mark’s neck turned purple, and Emily could
actually hear his teeth grinding.
“As of today,” Donatella said briskly, “I
will be assuming the duties of the CEO. Division heads will report directly to
me on all projects. I would like a summary of all ongoing by the end of the
day. Who handles contract negotiations?”
Emily glanced at the other agents. “Each
acquiring agent handles their own, after discussion with—”
“That accounts for the backlog.” Donatella’s
full, scarlet-hued lips thinned. “From this point forward, all contracts in
process will be referred to me for review. I will decide which ones are offered
and the terms.”
“I’m sorry,” Emily said calmly, “but do you
also intend to discuss terms with the authors? Or just—”