Page 23 of Knocked Up by my Best Friend's Brothers

“She seems nice,” I mutter as Alexandra continues her speech.

“Not only do I get to invest in the future, but I also get to work with your dashing, charming, and super-talented bosses, the revered Hawthorne brothers,” she says. “With them, I am eager to bring something to the table that will help pave the way for greater things to come.”

She goes on to talk about her role in the green energy department, dropping a light joke here and there, and the staff is gobbling up every word.

“Fucking hell! how am I supposed to follow that?” I mumble.

“Getting stage fright?” River asks me.

I nod slightly. “A little, yeah. I’m not a big fan of talking in front of a crowd. My work keeps me behind the computer screen. That’s my comfort zone.”

“You don’t have to do this,” he says, “if you don’t want to. The last thing I want is for you to feel pressured into doing anything you don’t want to do, Christa.”

I think about that, but then Alexandra gets a raucous ovation, and my competitive side rears its ugly head. “No, I’ve got this. It’s healthy to step out of one’s comfort zone once in a while,” I reply and get to my feet.

I switch places with Alexandra at the front of the room, and she goes back to her seat, but not before giving me a subtle nudge. “Remember, focus on me.”

“Everybody, now it’s time to welcome the new head of our financial technologies department.” Cassius speaks into his lapel microphone without getting up from his seat. “Which is another ambitious endeavor that will have our full attention over the next quarter.”

I turn to face the crowd, and suddenly, I’m too overwhelmed to speak.

Despite wanting to ignore the woman altogether, I can’t help but focus on Alexandra. “Good morning, everyone; I’m Christa Campbell,” I manage, the tremor in my voice traveling across the room. My cheeks burn. I keep my eyes on Alexandra. It’s working. The words are starting to come out in a coherent fashion. “As Mr. Hawthorne just said, I’ll be in charge of the financial technology department, which is currently on the verge of developing three extremely promising products. As the Hawthorne Corporations expands, seeking new horizons made sense, and the fintech market is still growing. There’s room for better payment apps, better crypto investment apps, and as many of you might know, there’s definitely room for better internal banking systems.” I pause.

The crowd is paying attention to me, but they are clearly not as enraptured with me as they were with Alexandra.

“Anyway, that’s going to be my scope. Developing these products and making them worthy to compete against the existing giants in the fintech market,” I continue. “Given my professional experience in the field, I know I’ve got what it takes to deliver, and it is truly an honor to be a part of this Hawthorne-funded project. I look forward to putting my skills to good use.”

Alexandra frowns slightly, then mouths the word “questions” at me. Without so much as a second thought, I lean into that.

“Now, if anyone has questions about me or my role here, this is your chance to ask.”

A hand goes up from a young man in a teal shirt. His smirk doesn’t sit well with me.

“Yeah, I have a question,” he says.

Instantly, the Hawthorne brothers’ heads turn, and I see the quiet anger darkening their faces—Nathan’s, in particular. I only need a fraction of a second to realize there’s some degree of animosity there, and I’m probably going to be collateral damage.

“Sure; shoot,” I reply.

“What exactly makes you qualified to run an entire department dedicated to financial technology that’s supposed to revolutionize the market?”

“A combination of my education and my years of experience in the field.”

“So, because you went to CalTech and you know the Hawthornes, you can just land a job here?” the guy asks.

Okay, there’s definitely some bitterness there, but I don’t want to be on the receiving end of someone else’s frustration. “Youglossed over the experience part,” I calmly reply.

“You’re in your mid-twenties, tops. How much experience could you possibly have to justify your position as head of that department?” he asks.

Cassius is about to open his mouth, but to my surprise, Alexandra Jones stands up first and turns to face the teal-shirted guy. “Clearly, Christa’s resume speaks volumes,” she says. “Now, if you’re miffed because you didn’t get the position yourself, maybe try working on what disqualified you in the first place instead of trying to undermine people who actually worked hard to get where they are today.”

“Wow,” I whisper, noticing some of the appreciative nods and murmurs Alexandra is getting from the rest of the crowd.

“I find it incredible when a young woman reaches such a high point in her career, especially in a field as challenging and as male-dominated as fintech,” Alexandra adds. “While I’m sure there were plenty of other candidates who maybe fit your age and experience criteria, other than yourself, that is, they obviously didn’t make the cut. It’s that simple.”

River joins Alexandra with a reasoning of his own. “On top of that, Christa has an impressive work history with a prestigious fintech giant. For privacy reasons, she is not comfortable sharing the details publicly. But I assure you, Colin, she earned this position. Maybe take Alexandra’s advice and stop making a fool of yourself.”

“My apologies,” Colin sneers, but he sounds anything but genuine.

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