What the Ashes Knew
synopsis
Ava limped to work on Monday and was still in the face of a night of drinking and was alone in her love life.
Over the last couple of days, Noah had been both charming and polite. They’d watched three sub-par movies, had a bottle of rosé to themselves, and kissed and held arms on her couch while the man drove a car on a country road.
She looked at the elevators she did and waited with a sort of hopefulness reminiscent of a student hoping to catch a glimpse of the school principal.
Nadine, going by, said softly to Ava, “Sebastian’s already here”. There’s talk that the board was not happy with the most recent proposal for a youth strategy.
Ava’s stomach sank. She’d made half of that presentation. And made changes to the text on the Slide 12.
She opened her inbox. Sure enough:
From: S. Fairfax
Subject: URGENT – Youth Campaign Feedback
Please come to my office at the beginning of the day.
She checked the clock. 8:58.
She almost stepped directly into her chair.
All that could be heard was the soft hum of tension in Sebastian’s office. She came in, but his eyes did not leave his screen.
“You wanted to see me?”
He gestured in a chair without saying anything. She sat, palms sweaty.
There has been feedback from the board on the inconsistency of our tone’, he said without emotions. The board labelled your creative writing as ‘overly whimsical’”
Ava winced.
“I disagree,” he continued. “But I was overruled.”
That was... surprising.
“You defended me?”
He justified the work; his voice sounded softer than previously. “All the same, a revision of a draft is required by the end of the week”.
“I can do that.”
“I know.”
There was a pause.
Then: “He told me about our wine outing tonight.”
Ava blinked. “What?”
Sebastian looked directly at her. “He mentioned it. In the elevator.”
“Oh.” She shifted in her seat. “Right. Just... Netflix and Pinot.”
“I see.”
Another pause. Uncomfortable now.
“Would you mind?” she asked while trying to be cheerful.
His reply was, “No,” but the words appeared to express doubt.
By Tuesday, the sabotage began.
At first, it was small.
The recent amendments made to slide 12 were suddenly removed from the shared drive without saying why. A gentle comment of feedback surfaced in the team Slack channel.
Noah: Let us ensure that we all check the brand guidelines before uploading anything. As far as the rest of us are concerned, a lack of unity isn’t fit for the team as a whole.
Ava narrowed her eyes. She’d followed every brand rule—even the ones she hated.
On that day, she unwittingly heard Nadine in the kitchen.
Noah suggested that Ava hadn’t yet developed her voice. That she needs stronger direction.”
Ava dropped her spoon clangingly into her yoghurt.
She texted Clara:
AVA: Noah is not satisfied with the direction in which my work is heading.
CLARA: WHAT.
AVA: Appearing nice when I’m around but slinging garbage back at me when I’m not.
CLARA: Do you have proof?
AVA: Only if screenshots count.
CLARA: They always count. But be careful. He’s tight with the VP.
AVA: Ugh.
CLARA: Want me to snoop?
AVA: I love you.
⋆｡°✩
Wednesday morning, Sebastian surprised everyone with an emergency gathering.
The youth campaign has been sidelined until we flip our brand.
Translation: on life support.
Noah was standing in the foreground, perusing the deck Ava had spent so much time and work creating.
He said that “the tone we’ve taken will need a makeover” and “The fresh direction is directed toward clarity, security, and retaining our initial brand identity.”
Ava felt her jaw clench.
Clara tapped into her from under the table.
Sebastian watched silently.
After what happened, Ava stormed back to her desk. Noah followed her.
“Hey,” he said, slouching on her cubicle wall while a comfort zone spread around him. “You okay?”
“Peachy.”
“My goals weren’t to disrupt your creative process”. The executive committee wanted to polish something that appeared to be just a little... not quite appropriate for us.
We both agreed the design was on-brand when I said it was last week.”
He smiled gently. “That was before the feedback. We’re all adjusting.”
“Right.”
“Don’t take it personally.”
She managed to force a sardonic grin off her face.
Too late.
That night, she got a notification that there was an illicit happy hour on the back loading dock from Clara.
They slouched in folding chairs, chugging canned wine and passing office gossip around as if they were coming out from a war.
According to Clara, “I did a little research”. “Noah is giving your first drafts under his hat to the VP without context.”
“What?”
– he recently offered a ‘smoothed out’ view of Slide 12 to upper management. Same structure. Same metaphor. Just toned down.”
Ava’s blood boiled.
“He’s plagiarizing me?”
“Lightly. Like a diet theft.”
Ava stared into her can. “I thought he liked me.”
Clara snorted. “He probably does. He just likes himself more.”
I am feeling rather foolish.
“You’re not. You’re just... idealistic. It’s weirdly charming.”
Ava laughed, then sighed. “Do you think Sebastian knows?”
“I don’t know. But I think he’s watching.”
⋆｡°✩
Ava went off to work on Thursday morning feeling much more focused than she had been.
She used her most professional-looking blazer, uploaded her original piece to the shared drive, and mentioned a bit:<<
Reuploaded version – presents the true sound and feedback. Feel free to discuss this directly. – AM
Then, she entered Sebastian’s office without any notice.
He looked up, startled.
“I have been told that Noah has been continuously attempting to sabotage me,” she told him. “I have recorded and verified his activity with screenshots and time stamps, and I’m up to date.
He blinked. Then, he closed his laptop.
“Go on.”
“He’s re-sending preliminary versions, asserting they’re stinkers”. He submitted one of my drafts and proposed it to be his work. And he’s using his charm in order to further his interests”.
Sebastian’s jaw tightened.
She added, “His VP status isn’t a problem”. “If people are being given incentives for these actions, it will not bode well for all those involved.”
He paused, listening to the sentence she was saying.
Then: “You’re right.”
Ava almost fell over.
“I am?”
“Yes.”
He stood. He walked around his desk.
I’ve wondered about him for quite a while. But I needed evidence.”
“Why?”
He answered, “Because anything done on impulse is not allowed”. “Not, especially, when it’s related to someone I…”
He paused.
“You what?”
He shook his head. “Never mind. You’ve done your part. I’ll handle it.”
Soon after, he was lost without a footprint.
⋆｡°✩
By Friday, everything had shifted.
Noah’s task was redistributed to another campaign “to make better use of his background”.
It was now time to subject the youth content that Ava had developed to a final comparison.
Slide 12 was intact.
And Sebastian?
He extended his hand at 5:32 p.m. with only a single text.
S. Fairfax:
Drinks?
She stared at the message for several minutes.
Then typed:
A. Morgan:
But entertainment first and analysis second, if that is agreeable to you.
S. Fairfax:
No promises. But I’ll try.
