Paradise Lost: Chapter Three

Chapter Three1

“Ms. Donnelly, the cup of coffee that you requested?” Ervin raised the cup in question.2

“Just set it down somewhere.” Rachel typed rapidly on her computer. The morning meeting was about to begin and her report was barely finished. Staying up late to look through the files Arlene bought, she slept less than four hours. Looking longingly at the coffee cup, she typed in the last paragraph and headed for the printer.3

“What will you like for lunch? The staffs are ordering out, should I take your order?” Ervin looked at Rachel, shuffling his foot and strengthening his ties, he took a step toward her. 4

“Actually, Ms. Donnelly, I was wondering if you have any plans for the upcoming holidays. The meeting today will discuss the current trends, but I was wondering if you have anything special in mind.”5

Rachel raised an eyebrow, “Mr. Pasteur, you have been here for a week, but I have noticed your captivated attention during the weekly meetings; if you have something in mind, you may speak your mind. And, no, there will be no need to take my order.”6

“Oh, well, if you don’t mind, will it be possible for me to present a PowerPoint at the meeting today? I did some research, and I think you will be interested.” Ervin gave a hesitating smile. “Of course, I am not implying anything, but if you—“7

“Fine, whatever, tell the staffs to head toward the meeting room. Ask Sierra to call the meeting to session, I’ll be right out.” Not waiting to see Ervin leave, Rachel tiredly laid her head on her arms. The past week has been exhausting, but she must set aside her personal matters for later. Right now, with the holiday season coming up, the business will require her attention. She could not afford to lag behind any further; already NTC was setting up promotion and the current recession was placing larger emphasis on competition. If IPEC fell any further lower than not only will her personal agenda become irrelevant, but the company might cease to exist.8

Taking a sip of her coffee, she headed for the door. Outside her office, a few internship students sat talking while two staffs were printing and stabling papers. Upon her entrance, the students quickly began working on the stack of envelopes lying unopened. While the staff room was not small, looking at the stacks of papers on top of the already full cabinet, Rachel made a mental note to consider expansion.9

IPEC was a large corporation, but the building has remained the same since its grand opening fifty years ago. With expanding staff and increasing paper work, the 25-story building suddenly seemed too small. Shifting her paperwork to her left arm, Rachel entered the meeting room. The large oval office hosted a current staff of nine impatient and anxious workers. Clearing her throat, Rachel beckoned for them to take a seat.10

Emily Johnson, a brunette in her late forties held the VP seat. In charge of the company’s organization and presentation, Emily was a diligent worker and was frequently the last to retire for the night. To Emily’s right, a woman with curly blond hair but dull blue eyes tapped her two-inch heels sharply on the floor. A fast talker and a brilliant stagiest, Olivia Hall was the secretary; overseeing all major assets to IPEC, Olivia had the uncanny ability of rattling off stock numbers and percentage rating.11

Purposely avoiding Ervin’s enthusiastic smile, Rachel took her seat and called the meeting to order. After a quick ten minute briefing on current economic trends, Rachel turned the order to Emily.12

“It’s November, but current trends does not show any improvement from last month. As Olivia mentioned earlier, NTC and Microsoft have both gain at least fifteen percent from last month. Since the holidays are around the corner, does anyone have any idea for advertisement?” Emily’s monotone voice hardly sounded encouraging, but the gravity of the situation captured everyone’s attention.13

“Wait, I thought the new ItronB6 sale record was off the chart?!” Zack Peterson exclaimed, almost knocking over his coffee cup. The treasurer, he and Olivia control the annual budget as well as all financial obligatory. At 23, he was the youngest member and with the most impressive credentials. There was no doubt that he was aiming high; being the youngest of the triplet, ambition and preservation helped him gain recognition earlier than his two older brothers.14

“Yeah, it was—“15

“But…?”16

Rolling her eyes, Olivia answered for Emily, “The shipment that was supposed to come in last week disappeared. And guess what was on it?”17

“*bunny*.” Zach sat down heavily on his chair. Rubbing his eyes tiredly, he began leafing through his folder, no doubt calculating the new total.18

“My thoughts exactly,” Rachel looked around the table. “Our best seller is no longer in stock, and all new equipment won’t be available until after Christmas. We’re two weeks behind schedule on promotional events, and we’re lacking sufficient funds because foreign investment is down. This recession is killing us, and unless we can somehow pull up the stock ratings, I’ll soon be signing your resignation papers.” Knowing she captured everyone’s attention with that statement, Rachel continued, “I need something new, fresh, something that can pull off a miracle. We have less than a month, and the clock is ticking. Does anyone have any suggestions?”19

Right on cue, Ervin cleared his throat. “Thank you Ms. Donnelly for allowing me to attend this staff meeting, I realize that as a new member—“20

“Mr. Pasteur, the PowerPoint?” Rachel said pointedly. Luckily, he took the hint. For the next 15 minutes, the group watched silently as Ervin outlined his proposal.21

“So, if everything goes as predicated and if my calculations are not off—22

“They’re not, I triple checked,” Zack looked quite please as he showed the group the escalating line graph.23

“I’m impressed Mr. Pasteur,” Emily said, to the group’s surprise. Not one to give compliments easily, Emily’s approval promised much for Ervin’s future in IPEC. Noticing the whispers and restlessness, she gave her usual dismal, “Are there any questions?” Since there was none, the other members headed for the door.24

Rachel tapped her pen lightly against her notepad. With the preliminaries out of the way, the real meeting began. Once the door close, Olivia and Zack started a cursory glance over possible loopholes, before turning to Rachel.25

"What now?" 26