Corporate Chaos

Posted on Thu Sep 15th, 2022 @ 10:55am by Princess Royal Giana Orsini & Endia
Edited on on Thu Jul 13th, 2023 @ 7:12pm

Mission: Historiae Terrae Et Imperii
Location: Bella Gia Headquarters, New York
Timeline: Date 2371-07-05 at 1000
5167 words - 10.3 OF Standard Post Measure

Some of the walls in Bella Gia Headquarters had not yet been painted and many boxes sat on desks, but the Executive Team had been hard at work for weeks perfecting products, processes, and structures to make their initial five subsidiary companies successes in their own right. Most of them were overworked and had been since their first internship, so they entered the conference room with devices in their hands and personal assistants at their heels. Many of them still weren't there just a few minutes before the meeting was to begin. It was to be a grand strategy meeting; one that set in place their definitive way of doing things. As of yet, no product had been mass-produced or sold, but unending testing, presentations, and meetings that stretched on forever had occupied all of them.

Giana should have been excited, happy, but while she was in attendance, she felt barely present. She was barely present. Her mind was distracted by everything occurring with her family and her own life. Their hatred of her was like a cancer slowly eating away at her spirit. She was growing colder, more distant, finding it harder to keep the pleasant public face she had so perfected. Even now she sat with a thin smile and looked slightly strained as she dished out pleasant greetings to those who entered. She was withdrawn, having even started to withdraw from Sacha of all people. She hadn't seen him in almost a week.

The next person to enter was a man in a golden tie named Niels Asselman. Several weeks ago he had been named Chief Executive Officer of Bella Gia. Besides the suits selected by his personal aid, he was not a fashionable man in the slightest. A people person, an administrator, and a professional ass-kisser, he had risen to success in the accounting department of a prominent asteroid mining company. From there, he ass-kissed his way into a financial executive role at a food service conglomerate. From there, he hopped around, serving as a transitional CEO in small companies. This job, however, considering his proximity to extremely influential people, was a boon for his career and he was going to take the bull by the horns, as the saying went.

He greeted people by name, one by one. He asked how their children were, asked about their health concerns, and listened. He was an excellent boss. He was, however, a simpering and sycophantic underling, and if you made him look bad, he would stop being fantastic very quickly. When he was done with the C-Suite officers, he came around to the end of the table near where Giana was standing and grinned cheesily.

"Your highness. So good to see you." he said, grabbing the end chair and lowering himself into it. She had been into the office several times to work with designers and marketers, but he was never invited. This would frustrate any CEO. "How is the family?"

"Wonderful." Giana remarked dryly though still managed a pleasant smile in the face of such an asinine question. Anyone with a functioning brain would know her family was in upheaval over the dismissal of Giuseppe and the proclamation of Paolo as crown prince despite whatever tale the media might have spun. The polite thing would have been to ask about his family in turn and she knew that, but she was not feeling particularly polite. "Where is everyone else?" She asked no one in particular. "We're about to start."

"Finishing other meetings. They'll be here, ma'am, don't you worry." said Niel with a wink.

Just then, the glass door opened again and a dark-haired man with a somewhat unfortunate face walked in, immediately walking up to a group of people at the back of the room, having a quick logistical conversation, it seemed, and then heading to his seat near the middle of the table. He said nothing for a while, sorting through the information on the tablet that was in front of him. Then, after a few moments, he looked over at Giana and Niel.

"Hey..." he said awkwardly.

"Tony, how's the wife and kids?" Niell asked, leaning forward.

"Uh...fine...I guess." the man said. "I haven't really been home in like...three days."

Tony Reece was the Chief Financial Officer chosen by the board. The CFO of a startup in Chicago that surged to prominence, he was one of the fastest-rising young businessmen in the Empire. He was notoriously casual, awkward, and obnoxious, but his low-level narcissism helped him to insist upon himself enough to be where he was. He looked at Giana and gave a nod, saying nothing.

"Tony." Giana greeted curtly. She did not like the man, he was far too unrefined for her tastes, but he was good at his job and she had been strongly advised to not oppose his appointment to the company. She hadn't and she regretted it, he was a constant thorn in her side and she had dwindling patience for such things.

He looked at her for the space of a few seconds before letting his eyes flit back to the agenda before him. At that point, it seemed that the entire Leadership Team was present. Niell cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.

"Good morning, folks. Let's get started." he said with charactered inflection. The first thing on the product approval roundtable. You'll notice, on your devices, a review of what Giana and her team at Seraphina have selected for an opening jewelry lineup. Please peruse them and then we'll give it our thumbs up."

The wording of the CEO suggested he expected no issues whatsoever. As the 11 others around the table besides himself and Giana began to peruse the options, there were several nods of approval and complimentary statements. However, Tony cut in, stammering slightly.

"I thought we said we were going to have some products for the average Terran. Am I confused? We definitely...we definitely said that." he said, looking from Niels to Giana who had ultimately been responsible for the catalog. "Many people would have to empty their investment accounts to pay for these. Where are the options we talked about in exploration?"

"Seraphina's products aren't for the 'average' Terran." Giana replied coolly to Tony. "Not right now. Eventually we will make more accessible styles available to match with the Chique Royal lines, but they are supposed to be products of envy for the common people. It makes people want them more when they are finally in reach."

The doors parted and in walked Secretary Zajak, her white skirt suit accented with a powder blue blouse. She sat down in an available seat, fixing her eyes on the source of the conversation: Tony and Giana.

“Right, but I don’t see how showing people a bunch of things they can’t buy makes us any money.” Tony replied, leaning toward the Princess slightly. “I mean we talked about this. You nodded when I asked you if there would be options for the average Terran.”

"And there will be. Eventually." Giana reiterated, looking at CJ with a momentarily sour expression given the other woman was late. "If you don't understand how envy makes us more money in the long run then perhaps you aren't as good at your job as we were led to believe."

“And you would know that how? Because you wear dresses for a living?” He asked, hitting hard even as people all around the table gasped and started to mumble. “I know what I’m doing and I’m telling you that a company that sells years from now once the customers get rich won’t be a company for long. Our investors need more than that.”

"Years? Who said anything about years? Before you make a fool of yourself, maybe you should try and get all your facts straight." Giana snapped angrily. "It would be at maximum six months, minimum of three. We would be debuting our high end line at New York's Fashion Week and then if everything projects well announce late October or early November our line of more affordable products. The masses will line up for them."

CJ studied the exchange like she was watching an experiment, her eyes alone moving back and forth between Giana and Tony. She said nothing, however. Giana was a big girl and, if she was going to be the woman CJ desired her to be, she would have to be able to speak for herself. But she would also have to need her.

“And in that time, four knockoff brands will replicate our work on the cheap and sell us out of business.” Tony said, rolling his eyes and starting to talk to the rest of the table now. “I wouldn’t expect a Princess to understand the habits and mind of the common people, but I do. This idea is flawed. You don’t know what you're doing, so you should leave business-side planning to us.”

The CEO seemed to want to say something, but clearly decided against it. He wasn’t getting anywhere near this.

“Well, Tony, if you think that women want knockoffs, I suppose that very much explains why Michelle is divorcing you and taking most of what you own and your kids.” Giana said icily, laying bare something Tony had been trying to keep a secret. There were more gasps and mumbling, chatter and gossip, but her eyes remained on the man. “If there are knock offs, they receive cease and desist orders. If they don’t comply, I have faith in our legal team to burn their companies to the ground. Do you not have faith in the legal team?”

CJ's brows went up at that, the rest of her face frozen in a frown. Giana wasn't behaving in a way befitting her image. She was coming unraveled. The two of them hadn't spoken in quite a while. It was time. Tony, on the other hand, responded first with surprise then with obvious anger.

"How dare you, you prissy little b-"

"Tony is tired." CJ interrupted him loudly, her eyes falling on him coolly. "You should go before you speak your last words. Or have you forgotten who you're speaking to? Have you forgotten the two Imperial Guards outside the door to this room? If you speak again, sir, I fear you might meet them personally. They'll make you a smudge on the carpet and it won't even make the evening news. Trust me. I would know."

Tony blinked, angry but chastened. He looked at Giana, blinking hard.

"Sorry, ma'am." he said, as if they were the hardest words he's ever had to say.

"I'm sure you are." Giana said with a scoff, deciding to let go of what he was obviously about to say. She settled back in her chair. "Now, did anyone else have any thoughts on the opening line up?" She prompted.

"Personally, Giana, I think it's ingenious. We're going to absolutely change the industry with your designs." Niel said with a grin, trying to shift the tone in the room. He looked directly at Giana with a grin. "A lot of people are very excited about this because your name is on it. And the designs are fantastic, elegant, and modern."

Giana managed a drawn smile for Niel and nodded, crossing her ankles as she sat there. "That is the goal. Does anyone else have anything to add?"

Several people went around the table, some kissing ass, but most of them giving genuine compliments and suggestions. CJ, however, was still focused on the Princess. Then, after several minutes, she made a decision. After passing a note to Niel asking him to move on to the financial report, she moved over to Giana’s seat and whispered in her ear.

“Could we have a chat for a moment, ma’am?”

“Right now, CJ? We are in the middle of a meeting.” Giana replied quietly but seemed annoyed at the notion that CJ was trying to take her out of the meeting.

"Yes ma'am." CJ said with a neutral tone and expression. She wasn't being pushy in any way, and yet, subtly and consistently like a good courtier, she had her way of insisting. "The financial report will be 20 minutes of line-by-line questions that will be anything but interesting."

Giana licked her teeth behind her lips in annoyance and for a moment it looked like she might deny CJ's request, but she stood suddenly and nodded. "Please, continue without me. I've reviewed the financial report thoroughly and will review the minutes afterwards." With that, she headed for the door without acknowledging CJ again.

CJ followed her out without a word. Dealing with royals was often like this. One couldn't expect to be the biggest person in the room with such people. The two of them exited the glass doors of the conference room and walked across the hall to a more intimate wood-grain conference room. The table was polished to perfection, but CJ didn't take a seat, instead she laced her fingers in front of her and looked at Giana.

"You're scaring the fish away, ma'am." she said honestly, her tone neutral and non-judgmental, as always.

"In plain words, CJ, I really don't have the inclination or time anymore to be poetic about things. What's wrong?" Giana replied, her voice terse and she crossed her arms over her chest. Really, at this point, she just wanted everyone and everything to go away so she could find a moment's peace with the only one who loved her - herself.

"I'll be honest with you, ma'am. We've both put a tremendous amount of energy into this; into you and your dream. The only reason that was able to happen is that people like you; the commoners; the fashion industry; the media. I hate to say this to you, ma'am, but we need to talk about how you're feeling. It's affecting things. It's...it's making your dream harder to make a reality." CJ said, giving the princess a somewhat cold and unreadable expression that approximated human sadness. CJ's blank slate expressions were a powerful tool for a propagandist. Not only did it scare the living daylights out of most people, it also served as an award-winning tool for emotional projection; people saw in her face what they really wanted to see. "You've worked too hard to see it all crumble before the first products hit shelves."

Giana took a slow, deep breath, trying to maintain some semblance of control. "CJ, please, I am trying to be patient here but you are making it hard. What am I doing that is so wrong? I responded in kind to someone being a know-it-all asshole who is just wrong in his thinking and refuses to see it. What is so wrong about that?"

"You broadcast his embarrassing divorce in front of his work colleagues, ma'am." CJ said. "Personal sniping is normal at court. Commoners don't do that the same way."

CJ looked away toward the Bella Gia logo on the far wall. She seemed to consider it for a moment. Then she looked back at Giana.

"Let me tell you a bit about the people who love you so much. They aren't wealthy and their money doesn't come for positions, or titles, or their parents." CJ said, her tone again non-judgmental. "Their success comes from ingenuity, luck, hard work, and...most importantly, good relationships. I'm from rural Illinois, the daughter of farmers. I've been at court for ten years and, to be honest, if you said what you said to Tony to anyone there, they would demure and slink away because their power is dependent on your family. But embarrassing a new-money man in front of his colleagues is an act of social and career murder. Yes, he is an asshole. Yes, he was wrong. But everyone in that room now thinks that the sweet and fashionable princess they see on magazine covers is...forgive me, ma'am...kind of a bitch. That's what's wrong. It would have been better for you to have him shot on his way home than to treat him that way in front of the people in that room who left their other high-paying jobs to make your dream come true.

She'd said it, and there was no snatching it back out of the air now. Either Giana would see the light in what she was saying or she would explode and CJ's plans with this new company would go completely bust. Her reputation; Giana's chance at doing something real. Gone.

Giana turned away from CJ then and began to walk around the room in a circle, her arms still folded across her chest. What CJ said made sense, sure, but did she care? Not really. She knew she should though and she knew - well, she hoped - that this whole uproarious season in her life would pass. Maybe. Or maybe it would just get worse. Her eyes drifted over to the logo and then finally back to CJ.

"CJ, why do you seem to care about me so much? I say seem, because I know you don't really. What is in it for you?"

"I already told you, ma'am." CJ started. "I'm a civil servant, hired for my competence and skill. I have no lands or titles. My boss, the Chancellor, can simply fire me. And, if I do a good job, I will advance in my career. That, and I was once a young lady who was underestimated by the people around me. That is until someone gave me a chance, for the sake of self interest mostly. Here I am."

CJ walked over and stopped next to her, folding her arms in a mirror of Giana.

"Do you even know what someone caring about you would look like?" CJ asked. It was a daring question. Beyond her station.

Suddenly, Giana burst out laughing almost hysterically. She covered her mouth and turned away to try and compose herself. Once she mostly calmed, she turned back to CJ still fighting giggles. "No, CJ, I don't. I don't know how many people I've told that too recently, and yet no one really seems to believe me."

“My personal interest in you is superficial at best. I think that’s why you’re comfortable with me, ma’am. But, you might consider how your accusations affect your relationships with people who really do care about you.” CJ said evenly. “In the end, if you keep saying it over and over, it’ll come true.”

"Oh, CJ." Giana looked at the woman with what was almost an approximation of pity. "It already is. I don't know why no one can see that." She stepped closer and put her hands on her own cheeks. "I'm simply unlovable. My brothers hate me, my sister hates me, my father wants nothing to do with me and I am just a constant disappointment to him, and I haven't spoken a word to my mother in I don't know how long now."

“Well, ma’am. With respect, you seem like you have the only answers you’re going to listen to already.” CJ said. “People much closer to you have all seemed to try to convince you of something you absolutely refuse to acknowledge. Your father; your fiancé, no doubt. At the risk of endangering my career prospects, I have to wonder aloud just what on Terra you expect me to say to you that will crack through this thick wall of denial and pathological self-destruction.”

“My father-“ Giana began icily but thought better of it. “Sacha loves me and I think I love him. I feel differently about him at least, but is the love of one man enough to sustain against the loathing of the others who are supposed to love me?” She frowned at that then. “And CJ please stop, you have nothing to worry about as far as your career from me. You should know that by now.”

“What do you want from me, ma’am?” CJ asked, ignoring the young princess’s incessant self-centeredness. She was having trouble not being disgusted and, in her mind, she started to really doubt her plans for Giana.

Giana just sighed and shook her head. “Just… tell me what you need me to do to fix things with Tony if possible and I will do it. If I can't, I'll try to be more mindful of the… differences you mentioned in the future.”

CJ inclined her head slightly, her arms still folded over her chest.

“You should apologize for what you said. Not for your views on our corporate strategy; just the personal attack. You should do it with dignity and in front of the rest of the Leadership Team.” CJ sighed. “It’s a tough pill but it is the best option.”

“Alright.” Giana agreed with surprisingly no resistance. There was a long pause, Giana looking out of the window of the office. “I’m struggling, CJ. I don’t feel like I have any stability in my life right now and I don’t know what to do about it.”

“If you want an impartial view from someone on the outside: I think you’d get a new and refreshing perspective if you…took some interest in the people you think hate you. You might find things different than you expect.” CJ said, and then added “at least, that’s how it worked for me.”

Giana looked skeptical. CJ was hardly impartial, but perhaps she had a point. Though she thought of Giuseppe and how he had tried and how that ended up for him. He was the laughing stock of their family and now barely respected. She sighed and rubbed the back of her neck, this whole thing a rare display of vulnerability. "I'll think about it. That didn't go so well for my brother, as you are perfectly aware."

“It didn’t, that’s true.” CJ said. “But I have been observing your father for some time now. In my opinion, welcoming Giuseppe into the fold was his attempt..” for once, the woman turned aside. Whatever she was going to say was forced aside. “Well, I should leave it alone, I think I’m sure you can figure out the situation yourself. They are your family after all. Who could know them better than you?”

"No, CJ, what were you going to say?" Giana asked, frowning and tilting her head. "Please."

CJ looked to Giana with assessing eyes. She couldn’t trust her, she knew. To royals, Giana especially, she was little more than a chess piece to be moved across the board at whim. She would not become cannon fodder for this girl’s war against her own life.

“Your father’s kindness to your brother has nothing to do with his plan to remove him from the succession..” she said, sharing the part she was comfortable sharing and nothing more.

The princess was clearly frustrated by CJ's answer, but sighed and let it go. CJ wasn't a friend, but she was an ally, and if nothing else that was something to hold on to right now. "Is there anything else you needed to tell me or discuss then, CJ?" Perhaps she was right, but then why had he played kind just to do everything short of putting Giuseppe to the sword?

That would have been kinder.

“Yes. How is your..situation with Sacha?” CJ asked. It had never been revealed that she had pulled strings, at risk to herself, to have him transferred back to Terra. But it was fairly obvious.

"I haven't seen him in nearly a week." Giana admitted and rubbed her arm. "I haven't really been in a good place." For once, she gave a self-deprecating smile. "In case you couldn't tell."

"And...has he been avoiding you or have you been avoiding him?" CJ asked, her brows furrowing with worry at Giana's news. She didn't broadcast her feelings, but she wasn't hard to read for once.

“I haven’t been avoiding him completely… I’ve sent some messages. He’s been busy, so have I.” Giana frowned and looked away. Mostly, she had been avoiding Sacha and she knew she would need to make up for it somehow. She just wasn’t entirely sure how and she also was sure he wasn’t going to be understanding of why she felt she had to withdraw.

"Do you think he hates you too, ma'am?" CJ asked curiously, her mind working behind her cool expression.

"No... no I don't." Giana said with some slight bit of conviction in her voice for once. They may not have gotten along every step of the way, but Giana did know Sacha didn't hate her. "Neither does Edward, for that matter, I suppose. Though I imagine he will when he returns home."

CJ raised a brow with a wonder, but she kept it to herself. "A public engagement; a debut with the two of you wearing clothing you designed. It would be great advertisement during our opening week."

"I don't know that my father will allow that, but I suppose I can ask." Giana sighed. "He has been very adamant about keeping anything to do with Sacha and I private. I think he keeps hoping Sacha will give him reason to be rid of him, but thankfully he hasn't yet."

"I'm not sure your father needs a reason at this point, practically or politically." CJ answered, honestly. "He's the strongest Emperor since Hoshi III. No one has had more power in the Empire in 94 years. I don't mean to disquiet you, but he could get rid of anyone right now. It might be that he's giving Sacha a chance to prove he isn't...still an idiot, ma'am."

"Maybe, or maybe he is trying to not turn his last child against him by disemboweling her boyfriend." She shrugged slightly. "I'll ask at the very least and see what he says, but obviously I can't promise anything." She ran her fingers through her hair then and sighed. "I am... sorry if I have behaved poorly, CJ. I'm trying not to but failing miserably."

Why was she acting so normal with her? CJ hardly thought herself close enough to be treated so well. All the same, she smiled slightly.

“I believe you can pull yourself out of this. This is a huge turning point in your life. Take it one day at a time, ma’am. One person at a time.”

"I'll apologize at the end of the meeting. I don't want to interrupt the flow more than we probably have by leaving." Giana said, seemingly set on this not only to interrupt the flow, but also to not hint that CJ had dragged her out of the room and chastised her and now she was returning to apologize like she was some sort of a child.

"I should return first." CJ said calmly. "I'll look dejected, like I just lost a battle. That way you can enter with your head high and look like you took the high road without help."

"No, you don't need to do that." Giana said in a rare show of altruism. "Just... well, look like you normally do. Nobody can read that, and I'll keep my head high." While objectively Giana was a terrible, self-centered woman, every so often a glimpse of normalcy and consideration would creep through. It left the intelligent people wondering what she could be had her life just been slightly different.

“If you wish, ma’am.” CJ said neutrally. She then turned and headed back to the conference room as she’d been instructed without any more fuss.

Giana watched after CJ with annoyance and a slightly narrowed gaze. The least the woman could have done was shown a little gratefulness at not being forced to cow herself in front of the board. Some people were just ungrateful, she supposed. She took a deep breath and relaxed herself as much as she could, lifting her head high and moving after CJ back to the meeting room. She was fully aware that all eyes were on her again even though the meeting was still happening and she simply lowered herself down into her chair with the elegance of an empress.

The rest of the meeting was completely mundane with very little information given that Giana - and really everyone at this table - didn't already know. Eventually, they concluded the meeting and everyone began to get their things together to leave. Giana still hadn't apologized, and if CJ looked at her, she would be able to see the facial journey Giana was having as she decided if she really wanted to lower herself and apologize to a peasant who had spoken out of line to her first.

Finally, Giana took a deep breath and placed her hands on the table. "Excuse me. Before everyone leaves there is something I need to say." She stood then and looked at Tony, her eyes cool but her tone seeming mostly sincere. "Tony, I want to apologize for bringing up your personal life. It was not right of me to do that here, such things are acceptable at court, but that doesn't make them acceptable here." She then gave a looked around the faces in the room, not really making actual eye contact with any of them but making them all feel seen. She was good at that.

"I am sorry if I have seemed a bit... testy lately. As I'm sure you can all imagine, there have been some big changes at court that have been causing some strain. I will try and do better for all of you and for Bella Gia." With that, she sat back down.

Tony looked back at her, realizing that all eyes were shifting to him as he was called to answer her apology. Though it seemed genuine, he was reasonably skeptical. He did, however, decide to take it at face value and smile a bit, awkwardly.

“Thank you, ma’am.” He said, deciding to stop there before he put his foot in his mouth further.

“I’ll see you all next week, then.” Giana gave a cursory nod and immediately moved to leave the room, her guards falling in line behind her. She really did need to reach out to Sacha.

CJ watched as the princess left, her face unreadable as was typical. They had turned a very tight corner today, and she found herself wondering what was to come next. Would all the plans pan out in the end? Only time would tell. She stood up and milled about among the company executives for several minutes, speaking, probing, and digging for dirt. When she was done, she departed again for Rome and her other duties.

END