One end offered a view of the Los Angeles skyline, with a large desk in front of the window. In the middle of the room sat a round table, with six matching cherrywood chairs circling it. A sofa, loveseat with matching chairs, and recliner with a large coffee table in the center completed the other side of the room. On the wall behind the love seat, a three-by-four-foot portrait displayed Lawrence’s commanding pose as founder of the conglomerate.
Lyza stood under the portrait, back to the wall, and surveyed the spacious office. She turned and looked up at the portrait. “The portrait will go in the main lobby. The artist did a wonderful job. It looks like Father on a good day.”
Bill studied the portrait. “It will be moved today.” He turned to Lyza. “Do you want me to call the interior designer to redecorate?”
Lyza surveyed the room again. “It’s fine. I have to deal with bigger fires. Rumors say the business is losing money left and right. Is that true?”
Bill took in a deep breath. “It’s not as bad as rumored. It’s not throughout the entire business structure. Some areas need patching. And yes, those areas are hemorrhaging money.”
Lyza slowly took the chair her father used to occupy behind the enormous desk. “How can we stop it? You were Father’s right-hand man. I need your advice. Who do we need to talk to?”
Bill stood across from her and arched his fingertips on the edge of the desk. “We can call a meeting of the board of directors of each troubled division. Some of the world’s leading financial advisors knew your father. I’m sure they would be glad to consult until we can get a grip on the situation.”
She turned on the computer in front of her. “That’s what I want to do, then. Contact them. Set up a meeting. But before you do that, have a seat. I want to know what happened. Don’t sugarcoat it. This is Leesa’s doing, isn’t it?”
Bill took a seat in a leather chair. “I think she tried too hard. She felt abandoned when your father kicked you out. Then she got a taste of power and went a little crazy. You father took ill, and suddenly she couldn’t wait to take over. She wasn’t ready, but no one could tell her anything. She was going to take over and have everything her way.”
Lyza looked him directly in the eyes. “What do we need to do to get the company back to what it was before Leesa took over?”
Bill leaned back and folded his arms across his chest. “You could let the employees know you’re back, give them a reason to stop looking for jobs. We’ve had a fifteen percent loss of employees since Leesa took over. What can we do to change that?”
Lyza hesitated. “Instead of telling them of yet another change, let’s tell them I’m working to restore the business to what it used to be. We need them, and I don’t want to beg them to hang in there to find out if I’m sincere. I’d like to announce an increase in salary as a goodwill gesture.”
Bill’s jaw dropped open. “What? A salary increase in this economy? I don’t how that will go over with the directors.”
Lyza held up her hand. “I don’t want to usurp the directors, but let’s look at how much a five percent increase will affect the business.”
Bill’s eyes widened. “Five percent across the board?” He backed toward the door. “I’ll go crunch the numbers. You’ll probably want to talk to legal.”
Lyza pushed away from the desk. “I’ll go to their offices. I presume they’re still upstairs?”
***
The head of the legal department, Morris Banks, waited in front of the elevator, and as the doors opened, he stepped back to allow Lyza to enter first. “Hello. I heard you were coming today.”
She faced him. “You’re just the person I’m looking for. You’re still head of legal, aren’t you?”
He shrugged with an ‘I could care less’ attitude. “So far. How can I help you?”
They exited at legal. He opened the department’s glass doors. “Do you want to sit here in the lobby or come to my office?”
She headed for his office. “We need privacy.”
She found out I’ve been looking for another job. I don’t know which one of these spoiled brats is worse. I’m ready to go. Just fire me and let me pack up my things.
He motioned for her to take the chair across from him as he sat at his desk. She sat across from him quietly. After a moment, she spoke. “I’m not sure how to say this, Morris.”
Here it comes. Just spit it out, lady. I have places to go and people to interview with. Morris forced himself to keep the apprehension out of his voice. “Please be direct so we can get on with what needs to be done.”
Lyza rubbed her hands together. “All right, then. Morris, you’ve been around here for a long time, and you’ve done a great job.”
Is it necessary to pad the impact? Just do it.
Lyza continued, “I appreciate all you’ve done. We’re going to make some changes here.”
Morris pushed his chair back. “I understand. I can be out of here today.”
Her eyebrows rose. “What did you say?”
Morris stood. “You’re letting me go, right?”
She leaned back and crossed her legs. “No, I don’t want you to leave.”
His neck felt warm. “Oh, I thought this was an exit interview.”
Lyza smiled warmly. “Not even close, Morris. I’m giving you a raise.”
“A raise?” He felt the tension leave his shoulders.
Lyza nodded toward the chair for him to sit back down. “All the change and upheaval the last few months has been stressful, I’m sure. You’ve been under a lot of pressure. I want to assure you that I have no intention of firing anybody. However, there is work to do. I want to change the way we do business at Lane. Until now we’ve gotten a reputation for cutthroat business practices that include just about anything to increase the numbers on the bottom line. I want to change our reputation.”
Morris processed the information. I’m not getting fired. I’m getting a raise? He took a deep breath and tried to take in Lyza’s proposal for changing the conglomerate’s image.
Lyza explained, “This is a family business. The business now belongs to my son. For that reason, it’s important that he receives a healthy, productive business with a sparkling reputation for honesty and compassion when he takes over.”
Morris, still trying to get his head around all the new information, measured his answer. “Business isn’t run on honesty and compassion. I’m not sure it can be done and still make money.”
Lyza put her hands on her hips. “I think we can pull it off, Morris. Give it a day or two to sink in. I want to give a five percent raise to those who have stayed with us through these difficult days. Also, anyone who has left the company and returns within the next sixty days will also be eligible for the same raise from the salary they left. However, seniority will not be extended, because people who stayed should move up the rung for their loyalty.”
He cleared his throat. “That seems right.”
She stood. “I want to give you a heads-up. I’ve called a meeting of directors, and I want you and whomever else you think should be there from your staff. We can talk anytime before the meeting if you feel it’s necessary.” She moved toward the door. “Thanks for meeting with me, Morris.”
He stood, still in shock. “Yes, ma’am—Lyza.”
“Lyza. Please, Morris. Just Lyza.”
***
For her first community service assignment, Leesa met the work crew at the parking lot of the Los Angeles County Courthouse. Joe, the supervisor, handed out orange