"When did this happen? Why didn't I know Old Parker was called back? Moreover, which unlucky person ended up becoming in-charge of this dead end place?" another woman asked as her heart for gossip was kindled awake.
"I don't know who is coming to replace Old Parker. The call back was sudden. Even Old Parker only learned of it on the weekend. He didn't publicize the matter. I only got to know because I heard from Evan. Evan was the person who was left in charge by Old Parker," the kind hearted woman answered.
"But, Evan is running late today. He hasn't arrived yet. What if the replacement person came in before Evan?" the tall man with a belly frowned.
"Don't worry, Bella at the reception will inform us if that was the ca…" the gossipy woman tried to reassure only to be cut off in the middle as she saw Bella coming inside hastily.
"Bella, what is it?"
"Oh, nothing, I'm merely bringing some water for the new Channel Head. He came in so suddenly that I wasn't able to properly welcome him. I hope he doesn't get offended," Bella spoke in a hurry and rushed into the same room that Liam had entered earlier, causing everyone to be confused.
The new Channel Head arrived! Why didn't they see anyone go into that room apart from that young man? Did they miss out on the arrival of the new Channel Head?
Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. Left with no choice, they could only wait for Bella to emerge back from the room. No one dared to knock and see if the new Channel Head was indeed inside.
Bella emerged from Liam's office after a few minutes with a flushed face. This caused everyone to roll their eyes. It was clear that young Bella was obviously impressed with that upstart musician. They have all seen the musician's face. They had to admit he was indeed a bit handsome. No wonder young Bella fell so easily.
But, that didn't matter now. They could tease young Bella later. They wanted to confirm if the new Channel Head had arrived first. They took priority over everything else. It concerned how their future days would be in this channel.
"Bella, has the new Channel Head arrived? Was he inside?" the gossipy woman asked straightforwardly.
"Yeah, he is inside. Didn't you all see him?"
"No, we only saw a young man enter the room. We didn't get to see the Channel Head. You have talked to him right? How is he? Is he easy to talk to or too stiff?" the kind hearted woman asked curiously.
"Yeah, I mean… wait, don't you know that the young man you saw is the new Channel Head?" Bella asked in confusion.
"What?" the gossipy woman replied in astonishment.
"Yeah, he said he was the new Channel Head. I mean, why else would he occupy the Channel Head's office?" Bella asked in confusion.
"No way!" the gossipy woman said in surprise.
"Impossible, how can a Channel Head be that young? Also, did you look at his dress? He looks like a hipster. Not like a channel head at all," the tall man with a belly shook his head in denial.
"But, he told me he is the Channel Head," Bella replied in confusion.
"I think he got you fooled, Bella," the middle aged man who first spoke unkindly cut in. "You can't trust these pretty boys. Wait here, I will go and teach him a lesson. This isn't somewhere he can run wild."
Just as the middle aged man was about to rush in, hasty footsteps sounded from outside. Everyone turned to look and saw a sweating Evan running into the office, carrying his obese body. His bald head was shining with sweat and he looked to be in a hurry.
The moment his eyes landed on Bella, he immediately composed himself and walked towards her quickly.
"Bella, did a young man in early twenties come in?" Evan asked, wiping away the sweat on his face and bald head.
"Yes, I saw someone like that. He introduced himself as the new Channel Head. He is currently in there," Bella replied and pointed at Liam's office.
"Fuck, of all the days to be late, I have to be late today. My fucking life!" Evan cursed angrily. "Bella, please tell me you didn't make things difficult for him."
By now, even the most dim witted person would realize that the young man they saw earlier was the new Channel Head. The middle aged man who wanted to teach Liam a lesson exhaled a loud breath and counted his lucky stars.
"No, no, I was surprised when he introduced himself. I didn't expect our new Channel Head to be so young and handsome," Bella blushed a little. "He immediately went into his office. I just delivered him some water. I didn't make things difficult for him."
"Thank god nothing happened. Listen well everyone, our new Channel Head is a big shot in the company. Put away all your small thoughts and work well. If he likes your work, your future will be bright," Evan instructed his co-workers.
"Evan, is this young man some hotshot from the main office?" the gossipy woman asked curiously.
"Christine, our new Channel Head's last name is Hastings. Do I need to say anything more? You should all understand what the last name Hastings means, right?"
"Hiss! Don't tell me he is our owner prodigal son we have all heard about," the tall man with a belly said in surprise.
What he didn't notice was that the middle aged man beside him was completely shocked stiff after learning Liam's last name. He felt as if he had escaped a big disaster. If Evan had been a little late, today would be his last day in the company.
"Exactly, he is the one and only heir for the Hastings TV Network. Now, excuse me. I am already late. I hope I didn't end up causing a bad impression on the young boss's first day," Evan sighed and walked towards Liam's office.
No one dispersed following it. They all crowded around and stood there waiting for Evan to come back. They wanted to hear Liam's opinion of their new boss firsthand. Mostly they all wanted to know if this young boss was easy to work under. It would determine whether they would remain with the company for a long time or not.
Meanwhile, Liam, who was unaware of all the drama that had happened outside, was reviewing the scheduling of the channel with a serious expression on his face. The more he looked at it, the more he frowned.
"As I thought, there really is a problem with the scheduling. Both the songs being scheduled and their timeslot have a big problem. No wonder the ratings are so bad."
Scheduling in the media industry referred to determining which program was to run at which time. To any TV channel, scheduling is its lifeblood. Having problems with scheduling, how can MusixZ perform well?
Not to mention the song selection aspect of the channel. It was another big blunder. Neither the songs nor the schedule was viewer friendly. Also, even the playlist was completely messy. It was as if someone randomly chose a bunch of songs and broadcasted them. There was no uniformity for it.
Just these problems alone were enough to ruin the channel. Combine that with unmotivated employees and limited budget, no wonder the channel was doing so poorly.
Right at the moment, a knock was heard, causing Liam to look up. Liam's face bloomed with a smile. Right when he was in a bad mood, a punching bag was willingly walking into his room. The heavens were smiling at him.
"Enter," Liam said in a curt tone, causing the person from the other side to enter hastily.
Looking at the new face, Liam was at a loss. When he had observed the workers, this face was nowhere to be found. He didn't know if it was a worker or a visitor. Liam didn't want to scare away any possible visitors, so he controlled his impulse to deliver a tirade and raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"Good morning, Channel Head. My name is Evan Johnson. I am the General Manager of MusixZ. I am sorry that I wasn't able to welcome you when you came in. I was tied up with some work and didn't realize your arrival. Just now, Bella informed me of your arrival and I came over to greet you. If you have any doubts regarding how the channel functions, I will be glad to assist you in learning the ropes," Evan spoke eloquently.
As an experienced worker, how can Evan willingly admit his late arrival? He smoothly transferred the blame to work and willingly offered his assistance in aiding a smooth takeover of office. He didn't know why his Big Boss's son came to work in this dead-end channel. But, he knew how to grab an opportunity when it shined on his bald head.
As per routine, any newly incoming top person would express gratitude and either dismiss him or agree to his aid. However, it was Evan's misfortune that he ran into someone who didn't play cards by the rules.