Chapter 104
Chapter 104
Ava’s POV
My legs wobbled as I walked up to stand beside my aunt. My entire body was shaking, but I was not about to give up. I had always known that this was going to be hard, and now wasn’t the time to run away from something I had foreseen.
“Good afternoon once again, everyone,” I greeted with a shy smile and waved at them.
No one waved back at me, and I realized that was a silly thing to do. I needed to be professional, and sucking in a deep breath, I got in the mood.
“So, my idea is simple—”
“Before you continue, can you please tell us who you are and what you do for the company?” Mike Barry asked.
My aunt and I exchanged looks, and she gave me the go-ahead with a nod.
“Okay, so I am Ava Lincoln. I am currently the Product Manager, overseeing the digital products that we roll out. About this current issue that has been brought up by Mr. Mike Barry, I think I might have a solution to it.”
My eyes glanced through everyone in the room, and I could see that I had their attention.
“So, this is it. We are going to create key cards for every member of the company. Everyone is going to have an allocated time for work. When they have to access any of the rooms, they would need the key card. If it is not time for them to be at any of the rooms, they get rejected. They can only access places like the cafeteria and other recreational spaces when it is time for them to be there. Anything outside that, they can’t access those places. This would help ensure that everyone is working when they ought to be working.”
“That is an interesting idea, but what if there is an emergency or we need one of them to be at a place when it isn’t within the allocated time?” one of the men in the room asked.
I nodded, refusing to be fazed by the question. Quickly, I thought of something and faced him with a smile.
“That is an interesting question, and not one that I don’t have an answer to. Some people would be given special access. Say, Miss Clara here—she could have access to edit the permissions of employees in the company. That way, whenever she wants someone in a certain place at a certain time, they can access it. There would also be manual overrides in case of emergencies.”
“That is a very brilliant idea, Ava. It seems like you’ve thought this through in such a short notice,” my aunt praised.
I flashed her a grateful smile, happy that I had made an impression on them.
“What do you guys have to say about the idea?” my aunt asked the rest of the board members.
With the way they treated her like a figurehead, I understood why she was throwing the question to them.
“It is a brilliant idea. I know a couple of institutions that use something like this. I’m just surprised that we never thought of adopting it. Anyway, the time has come, and it’s time for us to make use of it,” the other woman on the board said.
There was a general murmur of agreement from the other members of the board, and I couldn’t help but smile brightly, happy that I was getting the approval I had so desired. Maybe working in Dale’s position would not be as terrible as I thought.
“Yeah, it’s a nice idea, but I can’t help but feel like there is something wrong about it. How are we even certain that this would work? The employees can decide to take advantage of the emergency override system. Moreover, knowing people, these employees are smart. They could think up many ways to go against the laws we’ve set out here,” Mike said.
I didn’t know how to feel about the man’s criticism. It was both funny and annoying at the same time. His comments felt so unnecessary, considering the fact that everyone here had already agreed to it. Moreover, there were obvious solutions to the issues he had brought up, and I had the gut-wrenching feeling that he was doing all this just to spite me.
“Mike, those are not issues at all. If the employees get smart and find ways around the program, then we would equally get as smart as they are. If they decide to take advantage of the emergency option, then we would penalize them. There are security cameras in the building. Trust me, the employees are smart enough to know that if they do something silly, they are getting fired—and I assure you that none of our employees want to leave us right now. I dare say that we are one of the best employers in this sector,” the woman who had earlier supported me said.
“Mike, she’s right. Moreover, the idea isn’t fully cooked yet. There are still going to be modifications and all later on. I can put you on the project if you would like that,” Aunt Clara suggested, trying to keep the peace in the room.
“Alright, if you all say so. But I won’t take it lightly if this goes to waste,” the man grumbled, and at this point, I could swear that he was just out to pick on me.
“You don’t have to worry about it going to waste, Mike. You’ll work on it with her. With that smart mind of yours, I’m certain that you would make it work,” Aunt Clara insisted, while making him feel important. “Is there any other suggestion?”
Everyone in the room stared at each other in silence, and after a few seconds, she sighed and got up.
“Then I believe this meeting is over. Let us all have a nice day,” she said, and with that, ended the meeting.
I grabbed my things and was ready to leave when she came to me, wrapped me in a hug, and said, “I am so proud of you. You will really excel in this role.”
My heart swelled with pride, but when my eyes caught the heated glare Mike Barry was shooting my way, I knew this would not be as easy as I had thought.