Dante nods. "If this works, I'm probably going to set you up with a private investigator there."
"Really? Why?"
"Just to run all this stuff by. Somebody who works with corporate espionage."
I sit back in my seat.
"That's exactly what you're doing, you know."
"I am?”
Dante nods.
"You're going undercover to find out what's happening in this company, their systems, possible lies. You're trying to get us inside the system."
"That seems intense,” I say.
"It is. I don't want you to be under any delusion that it's not going to be hard and difficult. And you're going to be wearing a lot of masks. You're going to be this one person there and another who reports to me and possibly writes an article about it."
"What if it's really fraud?" I ask.
"He'll do anything to keep it a secret and you'll have to do whatever it takes to protect yourself. I'll be there. I hope that it doesn't get to that point, but it has before."
"Before?” I ask. "You've done this before?"
"I've done some elements of this before. I've never put anyone on the inside, but I've hired private investigators and their lives got threatened."
"Are you serious?" I ask.
I move to the edge of my chair, perching like a bird.
"I don't want you to be confused about anything. I'm not trying to deceive you or scare you, but this isn't just like a regular job. You're going to possibly uncover a major fraud and people involved with it will do a lot to keep it hidden."
I inhale heavily and then exhale just as slowly. Prior to this conversation, I thought that this position would be something fun, a store leading to possibly a story.
But of course, Dante's right.
It's not just a story. These are people's lives. And when you threaten them and you put them under attack, they might take action.
"You still want to do this?" Dante asks, sitting back in his chair and crossing one leg over his knee.
He's dressed in casual shorts, flip-flops, and a loose fitting button down shirt that's open halfway down to his chest. He looks like a man who's on vacation, wearing his leisure wear.
I think about it for a moment, taking as much time as I need. He's right. This isn't just a hypothetical adventure that I'm going to go on. This is a serious job with serious repercussions mainly for me.
If I crack the story and I get it published and actually discover and uncover what I think we will, my world could change.
I could be the journalist that then gets to investigate anything she wants, and I could get a job at any major magazine or newspaper.
They're not that many celebrity newspeople anymore, but the ones in certain positions know how valuable we are. This could be my ticket to the top, but it can also be something that blows up in my face and if he catches me and he puts the word out there that this is who I am, that I may not be able to get another job with anyone else.
"I'm going to do this," I say, shaking my head with great certainty. I realize the risks but I really want to do this.
"Good.” Dante nods, reaches over, and gives me a kiss.
35
Dante
The following morning, I get a call on my Google phone number from Seattle.
Wow, they took the bait a lot faster than I thought they would.
I walk out of the room and head downstairs, walking on my tiptoes and finally answering on the fourth ring. It's a recruiter from Seattle calling to confirm Jacqueline’s references.
She hasn't had much experience and as much as I had to spruce up her resume, it wasn't going to be nearly enough to land her this position. However, I wasn't sure if she would go along with lying on her resume and so I did it for her.
I added a phone number at the bottom right before she checked it over and sent it. The phone number led to my Google voice name set up with a virtual assistant to take the call representing my New York startup. The assistant kept the recruiter on the line prior to getting me on the phone: me, Jacqueline’s boss.
The recruiter is polite and quickly gets to the point.
"Yes, Jacqueline is a great employee and we're really going to miss her,” I say. “And as much as it pains me to let her go, I have no choice. She goes above and beyond for every task and has worked more than a few late nights trying to meet various deadlines.”
The recruiter wants to know more.
"As you know, the startup world is not light on work,” I elaborate. “She only asked for a raise once even though she probably should have gotten it three times, but she appreciates how tight the money is now. And I know that in the right environment and working for the right person, she will be able to accomplish great things."
I go on and on talking her up.
But I also make sure to mention a few flaws.
One of the reasons why women often stay in administrative positions longer than they should is that they don’t ask for raises often and don’t delegate much, choosing to do a lot of work themselves.
This makes them too valuable in their current positions and other less capable people get to move up. Everyone who has ever worked in any corporate environment, especially one that's full of hustle culture knows this to be the case.
I play this up knowing that that's exactly the type of person that Vasko would choose to be his assistant.
The recruiter finishes our conversation sounding excited, mentioning that she will put Jacqueline’s application on top of the pile.
“I’m sad to see her go but her mind is set to do something different. She prefers Seattle but she is also applying for positions in San Francisco and San Diego as well.”
I mention this to put a little pressure on the recruiter and when her voice tenses up I know it did its job. I hope it's enough to make her work a little harder to make sure that Jacqueline is the one who gets hired. And if she does get the position, the recruiter stands to make ten to twenty percent of Jacqueline’s annual salary as a finders’ fee.
"Hey, who are you talking to?" Jacqueline asks, walking down the stairs, coming out onto the patio.
I hang up, hesitating and wondering whether I should tell her the truth.
As soon as I see her there, I decide not to lie.
"That was the recruiter."
"Why was she calling you?" Jacqueline stands in a bathrobe with her hair tied up in a messy bun.
I can see a little bit of her pajamas underneath the silk robe.
"Okay, don't get mad, but I added something to the resume right before you sent it."
“What?" she gasps.
"A reference as your boss. You worked as an administrative assistant at Sunflower, mobile game startup in New York. I'm the CEO."
"You're the CEO of a mobile game startup?" Jacqueline starts to laugh leaning against the doorway.
"I know, silly, right?"
"Why did you do that?"
"You had some experience and I wanted to make sure the resume was as good as possible but the recruiter was excited. They're looking for someone who is experienced and you've got a stellar recommendation."