Live-streaming it on social media was a genius move, I’ll give you that. Within seconds, everyone and their mother was watching it on their phones. No one could look away—she was just such a good speaker: poised and confident. And pretty, too. Let’s just be honest: that helped.
But the things she said about Bobby… well, that rubbed me the wrong way. Think about it: the woman took to the internet to share a story about how she had an affair with her married boss and then demanded his resignation! I was like, “Excuse me? You had the affair.”
And it’s true, isn’t it? No one forced her! All that nonsense about hierarchical imbalance, or whatever she called it… those are just the facts of life, my dear! You knew all that going in. Maybe you should’ve kept your legs shut.
Do you want to know what I think? I think she didn’t like the fact that she got dumped, so she decided to make a big fuss about it.
But I’ll tell you what really got to me. It was the part where she said she loved Alma Boots. That her issue wasn’t with the company, it was with Bobby. What a load of baloney! Bobby is a Dewar. The Dewars are Alma Boots—they’re one and the same. That’s just a fact.
And she didn’t apologize to Gina, either. Don’t think I didn’t notice that.
Ten
Gina
Thursday, September 12th
The video has been watched over one thousand times. It was posted less than an hour ago.
Gina knows this because there is a counter on the bottom left side that reads 1,081 views.
It is no longer an allegation or a rumor. Nor is it an empty threat. It is a real, verifiable claim.
The video haunts Gina’s mind. She has all but memorized it.
I am coming forward with a formal complaint against Robert Dewar, CEO of Alma Boots. For the past nine months, beginning in December 2018, Robert and I were romantically involved. Our relationship was intimate in nature, both emotionally and sexually.
As CEO of Alma Boots, Robert is my superior. He had—and still has—direct influence over my work, including the significance of my projects, expectations of overtime, and evaluations of the quality of my work. He was the one who initiated a romantic relationship. While I reciprocated his affections, I have since come to realize that I was not in a position to fully offer consent. Indeed, the inherent power imbalance present in our relationship meant that I was being taken advantage of by a man who outranked me.
One thousand and eighty-one views.
Gina has contributed to these numbers. She has watched it a dozen times. She’s also done a little online research. This is what she has found out: Eva Stone is a twenty-nine-year-old graduate of Northwestern University (with Honors). She’s from Tallahassee, Florida. Before working at Alma Boots, Eva worked for JP Morgan in Tampa. Her Facebook account is private. All Gina can see is her profile picture: a smiling Eva holding a baby English bulldog in her arms. Her Instagram account is also private, but after a little digging, Gina had found a post where she was tagged. It features a snapshot of Eva and another woman locked in a tight embrace. It’s not a great picture: dark and blurry, but the caption had been somewhat informative.
Happy Birthday to this AMAZING woman: my bestie, confidant, and favorite Gryffindor. She’s got it all: intelligence, sense of humor, a firecracker social justice warrior spirit—and me! LOL! Wishing you a day filled with hot sauce, margaritas, and gluten-free treats! I love you so much! #EvaTurns28 #EvaStone
Gina has never read Harry Potter—her parents forbade it, claiming it glamorized witchcraft—but she’s seen the first movie. Gryffindors are the good guys, aren’t they? Gina feels sick: she doesn’t want Eva to be a good person. She also doesn’t want to know about her dietary restrictions or condiment preferences.
Most of all, Gina doesn’t want Eva to be pretty. But she is. Very pretty.
Beautiful, even.
Brunette, thin, with a perfect smile, big, black eyes, and olive skin that suggests a Middle Eastern heritage.
There is something almost eerily familiar about Eva Stone—Gina noticed it right away but can’t quite put her finger on it. All she can do is replay the video in her mind.
During our time together, Robert was emotionally manipulative. He pressured me into keeping our relationship a secret because he feared a backlash from his employees and from his wife of fifteen years. He also feared for his company’s image, should our affair become public. His concern reached a level of paranoia that severely—and negatively—impacted my mental health.
It is my opinion that Robert Dewar is not fit to be CEO of any company, but especially not of an American institution such as Alma Boots. I respectfully and firmly ask for his resignation as CEO effectively immediately. To my peers and superiors at Alma Boots, as well as to every American who loves this iconic brand, I say this: I do not have a problem with Alma Boots. My problem—and it is every woman’s problem—is with Robert Dewar, a predator who took advantage of me, proving that he is unfit to be in a position of power.
Bobby continues to insist that he has never been involved with Eva Stone in any romantic capacity. “This video proves nothing,” he had said, when they’d spoken on the phone. Gina doesn’t know what to make of it. It doesn’t help that there’s something else nagging at her, something she can’t quite articulate.
Now, as Gina parks her silver sedan in front of the ASC headquarters it hits her: Eva Stone looks like Penelope. A slightly older, more approachable version of Penelope. Gina grips the steering wheel, suppressing an urge to scream inside her car.
Does she deserve this?
Maybe she does. Maybe this is karmic retribution.
Gina takes a deep breath as she gets out of the car and strides into the brownstone. She needs to snap out of it. She has a busy day ahead of her. Today
