“I just might have to kill you, Bill,” Kaden muttered under his breath for what felt like the fifth time that night.
Bill was not the best at communicating details.
It was five minutes before the band was scheduled to start playing, and they had just been asked to move their setup yet again. As they hustled to get everything in place, Kaden couldn’t help but feel frustrated. He glanced at his other band mates, who didn’t seem to be as bothered. Bill was Bill; chill, relaxed, and already working the room with his bro-ness. Emmett and George were business as usual, not hurried but not slacking around either; very professional, as he was learning to expect from the R&D department. And then there was Alicia.
Which was another point of contention he had with Bill. Kaden would have appreciated knowing ahead of time that the “new singer from Facilities” was the same person as the ultra hot inventory manager Kaden had embarrassed himself in front of a few days ago. Tonight, she was wearing a low-cut, shimmering red cocktail dress. Her hair was up and makeup was flawless. Whenever anyone entered the room, the first thing they noticed was Alicia. To make matters worse, he was pretty sure she had been trying to flirt with him. With him of all people!
He sighed as he adjusted the strap on his mana-powered bass guitar. Apparently they were just the opening act for the evening; there was a real, professional blues band that would play most of the night. All he had to do was get through a short set and then he could focus on his real goals for the evening.
“Ready, tiger?” Alicia said, looking over shoulder. “You know, if your music career doesn’t work out, you can come work for me,” she said as she looked him over and winked.
Kaden coughed as he almost choked. He gave her a thumbs up with one hand as covered his mouth to cough with the other.
People were starting to trickle into the event space, so Bill got them started on their first number. It was a cover of a song popular about a decade ago. A crowd-pleaser. Also not too difficult to play, but somewhat challenging to sing. But Alicia hit all the notes; and people definitely noticed.
Looking around the room, he saw a lot of people he didn’t recognize, but a few that he did. Alexander Wolfe was here, holding court with a group of four other middle managers. He saw Carol Roche walking around, looking awkward and out of place. Andy Smith, the Associate assigned to oversee their official team training assignments, was working behind the bar. Mariko, dressed in a navy blue pants suit and carrying a large tablet, was buzzing around directing various support staff and checking various details. He had learned a few minutes ago that she and her team had been awarded the Plus assignment to organize and run this event, and the gossip was that the reward was a whopping ten thousand points. He couldn’t help but wonder how she had managed to land such a lucrative assignment.
When the band wrapped up the final song of their set, Mariko strode over to address the group.
“Great job, everybody. Now that you’re done, if you could take your equipment out the door behind you when you exit. That way we don’t disturb the guests by exiting through the main event space,” she said.
Alicia, Emmett and George seemed to expect this, as they picked up their instruments and headed for the door. Kaden exchanged a look with Bill, who seemed to also be expecting something different.
“So that’s it?” Kaden asked. He had assumed he would have more time to find David Olson.
“Yeah, that’s it,” she said, turning to go, already focused on the next item on her checklist.
“Wait, do you need any help with anything else? Are you short-staffed anywhere?”
She paused to check something briefly on her tablet, but shook her head. “Nope, we’re good.”
He looked at Bill, who just shrugged and went to help Emmett with the drum kit.
“Here,” Kaden said to Bill, handing him the bass. “Do me a favor, take care of this for me?”
“Sure, bro. What are you going to do?”
“Oh you know me,” he said smiling. “Work the crowd, press the flesh, build the network.”
Bill chuckled as he took the bass. “Too many sharks in the water for me – stay safe.”
Kaden looked over the room quickly, pushing down his rising anxiety. His eyes settled at the bar, and a quick plan came together.
He felt a touch on his arm, and a voice in his ear.
“Come by and see me sometime,” Alicia said. He turned around, but she was already walking out the door.
He spotted Mariko speaking with Alexander Wolfe. Making sure they weren’t looking his way, he strode quickly along the wall and over to the bar. He had learned quickly during his military service that if you walked like you knew where you were going and you belonged there, fewer people would challenge you or even pay attention to where you were going. He focused on his target and strode confidently right up to Andy, who was refilling the ice behind the bar.
“Andy. How are you this fine evening,” Kaden said.
Andy looked up, surprised.
“Well, you don’t say. What are you doing here?”
Kaden casually leaned against the counter, pointedly turning away from the crowd and Mariko’s position. “I could say the same thing about you. Why are you here?”
Andy made a face and raised a hand, middle finger scratching at his eyebrow.
“What can I do you for ya son. I am kinda busy.”
“I just came by to see if I could help out.”
“Really.”
“Yeah.”
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“Okay… any particular reason?”
“Out of the goodness of my heart. And out of a sense of service to my senior colleagues at the Company.”
Andy rolled his eyes, but he was beginning to catch on. He glanced around, slowly untying his white apron.
“Tell you what. I could use a short break. Do you think you could cover for me for a few minutes?” he said, handing Kaden the apron.
“Not a problem,” Kaden replied, smiling. Before he had the apron tied on, Andy was gone. Kaden was fully confident that was the last he had seen of him for the evening.
He glanced around, making sure he was familiar with what he needed to do. It was an easy setup for a party. Beer on ice, wine by the glass. A couple people were waiting for assistance, and he jumped in to get them a drink.
After serving guests for a few minutes, Kaden looked up to see Mariko at the bar.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
Kaden smiled. “Serving drinks. Would you like anything?”
“You know, I should have you thrown out of here. You don’t have the security clearance to be working this room tonight.”
“You know, it’s a good thing I was here to help out,” he replied. “Otherwise you might have been short-staffed and that would not have looked favorable for you.”
Mariko leaned forward slightly, voiced pitched low. “I don’t know what your game is, but you better not make a mess of it. You’re playing with fire. And you will be burned, sooner or later.”
“Sheesh, take it easy. And please – keep it professional. I’m just working the bar.”
She scoffed. “‘Keep it professional?’ That’s rich, coming from you.”
Kaden frowned as she walked away. She might have had a point, given their last interaction outside the Company entrance. He hadn’t exactly kept it cool when he had confronted her. He wondered if he should be worried about her doing something to him since he was here, but he figured it would look just as bad for her if she was forced to take any action.
Which meant that as long as he kept his head down and didn’t draw attention to himself, he would have plenty of opportunity to do what he needed to do tonight.
After serving a few guests, Kaden spotted Sandy trotting by. He fired off a quick message.
Not now, kid, Sandy replied. Working on closing a deal that’ll score me some major dough. Gotta get it done before that bozo from Marketing shows up. Ciao!
Kaden smiled and shook his head. He should have guessed Sandy would be working some angle for profit.
As the evening wore on, he kept an eye out for anyone that might look like his target. Higher-ups trickled in over the course of the next hour, but many of them did not stay for very long. He saw Julia, his manager, show up for a few minutes and then exit quickly. After Sandy left, he saw a large, hairless Siamese cat – another office pet, apparently – arrive with a full entourage of marketing executives. The cat leapt on top of a circular table in the center of the room, exuding a calmly regal presence. The hairless feline proceeded to greet a never-ending procession of mid-level managers wanting to make an appearance.
He recognized one of the guests he served from photos he had seen on the Company’s website; he was pretty sure it was the chief operating office. The COO and a small group of senior execs having a quiet conversation in a corner of the room. He was beginning to wonder if he had missed his opportunity, but then a large group came in and he recognized a face in the crowd, laughing loudly at someone’s joke.
David Olson, his father’s former business partner and current SVP in the R&D department.
Kaden calmed his mind, reminding himself to act natural. David approached the far end of the bar, where someone else was serving guests, so Kaden moved to make sure he was the one to take David’s order.
“Hi. What can I get you?” he asked.
“Glass of red,” David said, not recognizing Kaden.
He poured the glass slowly, and set it on the bar in front of David.
“Sorry if this seems weird,” Kaden started, “but you look really familiar.”
David paused as he picked up his glass, looking back at Kaden.
“David Olsen, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right. But how do you know me?”
“I’m Kaden Chen. David Chen’s son. You wouldn’t recognize me. Last time I saw you I think I was nine years old or something.”
David rocked back on heels, surprised. “Oh my god. I do recognize you now. Wow you’ve grown up! And you’re working here. What a coincidence!”
“I didn’t know you worked here either. I just started, actually, in the intern program.”
“Oh okay, that’s interesting. Well congrats on making it into the program.”
“Thanks!”
“And listen, what happened to your father was an absolute tragedy. I was devastated to hear about it. My heart goes out to you and your family. If there’s ever anything I could do, please just let me know.”
“Thanks and I really appreciate that.”
Kaden paused, as if choosing his words carefully. “Actually, if it’s not too much trouble, I would love to get your advice on how to succeed here at the Company. Anything you could tell me would be really helpful.”
“Oh of course! I tell you what – I’m in town for the weekend, I’m staying at the Four Seasons in midtown – why don’t drop by for an early lunch Sunday morning, say around 11:30am if that works for you? Would love to catch up and hear about your experience so far and how the family’s doing. Sound good?”
“Absolutely, sounds great!” Kaden replied. “Thank you!”
“Alright,” David replied, putting on a large, people-pleasing smile, as he picked up his wine. “See you then!”
Kaden thought the whole interaction had gone pretty well. The result was about as good as he could have hoped for – a one-on-one meeting with his father’s former business partner, who seemed to have an invested interest in helping or supporting Kaden and his family going forward.
Kaden kept up with more orders, and drinks flowed. The alcohol was doing its work, lubricating the crowd. Loud voices and red cheeks, and one or two stumbles. Despite Mariko’s worries, he didn’t hear anything other than the punch line on a few questionably inappropriate jokes.
Mariko ignored him for the rest of the evening, but she did seem to spend a lot of time checking in with Alexander Wolfe. At one point, Kaden saw Wolfe leaning in close to whisper something in Mariko’s ear and then laugh.
As the evening came to a close, one of the big wigs in the COO’s orbit separated himself from the main group to take an urgent phone call. A few seconds later, a trio of large men decked out in paramilitary equipment, including submachine guns and armor, appeared at the door. The man who had taken the call hurried over and led the group out at a run. Everyone else turned to watch for a moment but then went back to their conversations. It was just as interesting to Kaden that no one really looked surprised or worried.
Middle managers sucking up to corporate execs? Hushed conversations, dirty jokes, and thinly veiled interoffice romance? Armed Company operatives rushing around to address some emergency? Kaden just shook his head. All part of a typical happy-hour at the Company. Business as usual.