Chapter 616 - Rumours, Rumours everywhere (2)

10 June, LY Studio, City K

Lexi watched as a few heads dropped slightly before they lifted and looked her in the eyes, with the chorus of yes going around the room.

Lexi said "Now, I want to know what is bothering you, because without it this staff meeting will be a complete mess."

"Boss, the other week I saw you talking to that police officer that spoke at the press conference.  How can you be a friend with someone like that?  He has to be omitting at least part of the truth as it does not make sense to me that a woman would do that to a man."

Lexi resisted the urge to shake her head, before saying "I get it, you are stuck on that idea of woman the victims, men the perpetrators.  But to answer the first part of the question, I have known John Nang since I was a child, and he is one of Dominic's godfathers.  My husband and I trust him to the point that if something happened to both of us John will step in to protect our estates for Dominic."

"Just so you understand that he did not get his position because of his family, you should know he joined the police without his family knowing.  He went through school with my husband, and while my husband was the class valedictorian John just placed behind him.  They were the two top performers in the area in the National University Exams, and both were within the top 20 nationwide in their year.  That meant John was guaranteed a university place, but like my husband he wanted to serve the country.  His choice was the police and was able to use his academic results to enter a special program with the police that by the time of his university graduation saw him graduate the police academy and be appointed a senior officer."

"That does not mean that he is honest?"

"He knows the law.  He found his sister and my brother parked in one of my cars in a city park. Behaving inappropriately…"

"Hey boss, you mean you let your brother borrow one of your performance cars and he had s*x in it with his girlfriend?  I never thought I would see the day."

"Mocking me, are you?"

"Absolutely boss.  We know you and your cars."

Lexi chuckled before saying "I guess I deserve that.  John could have simply dismissed what he found, but he issued the summons to both my brother and his sister for their actions, and then told the two of them they had a couple of days to come clean about the compromising position he found them in and to admit their relationship.  When they tried to stall, he started to talk about what he had found.  Do you think that was pleasant for me to hear.  My brother having s*x in what was one of my favourite cars at the time.  Does that sound like someone that would be a party to lying to the public?"

A round of laughs followed, and Lexi noticed that her staff were more relaxed than she entered the room.

"Even if he was not my friend, I would say that knowing that information, he is honest, and we should believe what he has to say unless it is proven otherwise."

"Boss what he had to say in vague terms about her being a s*xual predator does not seem logical?  Is she a paedophile?"

Lexi knew that there was a fine line that she had to tread.  She knew significantly more that had publicly been revealed, but revealing it was a step too far and possibly risked the police case.  Calmly and as truthfully as possible she said "I have not specifically asked John about it, and I will not because that is something I do not need to know.  My guess, and I will happily be corrected, is that her victims were not underage, but having only recently legally become a.d.u.l.ts.  But…"

"But what boss?"

"We all can remember what we were like as eighteen- and nineteen-year-olds.  Full of being an a.d.u.l.t but also confused about the a.d.u.l.t world that we are in.  You know my story, about falling pregnant at seventeen and then being forced into an abusive marriage. That messed me up mentally.  And I know a few of you when you were that age were confused about yourself…"

"And we can make mistakes or be manipulated?  Is that why you are protective about our young staff in the stores?"

Lexi nodded and said "All my employees need a safe place, and I am determined that my business will give them that.  That is why I call out behaviour I believe will not create an appropriate workplace and encourage you to call me out when I step out of line from the behaviour, I expect of you."

"Like you did in the weeks after you remarried boss?  We were all scared to say anything to you because you were ready to snap at the lot of us."

"Yeah boss, you had some of us actually questioning why we agreed to move half a world away from the lives we had to be here because you wanted to come home."

"I know I was an absolute idiot at that time, and you did call me out…"

"Eventually boss, but we were all ready to walk because we were worried about your reaction."

Lexi paused, and blushed.  "I know I was an idiot and have apologised to you as a group but also individually.  You did not need my crazy behaviour because I was messed up in my private life.  But you need to call me out much earlier than you did, because you should not have been exposed to my behaviour."

After observing that her staff were still in a state of disbelief, Lexi said "How about we have our actual meeting, and then we can talk further about what is clearly bothering you, because I think you all need some time to process what I have said, and me to process what I heard and what you have said."

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