"Don't Buy A House"

Kate told me not to buy a house. I told her that I was starting to look at real estate in Mountain Town and thought it would be a good idea to invest in property. She just blurted it out: “Don’t buy a house.”

What would you think if your boss said this to you? My mind started racing. Does she know something that I don’t know? Our business at Mosaic is excellent. We were one of the few apparel brands to grow during the pandemic, instead of downsizing or closing like most. Was she planning on forcing me out? I have always felt that Kate wanted to get rid of me, not because of my performance. On the contrary, my performance has contributed to our business being where it is. I make Kate look like a rock star! That is part of the problem. She needs me and like any good narcissist, that terrifies her. She can’t get rid of me until she has someone to replace me because she cannot do my job. Is that it? Is she trying to

replace me? Would she go from promising to promote me to firing me? You never know with Kate. She likes to dangle the proverbial carrot, with empty promises and not so veiled threats.

This statement oddly coincides with an email that I received from my former assistant, Betty. Betty had previously reached out to me to see if Mosaic would be interested in products from her line. In this email, she mentioned how her friend Sunny had reached out to Kate, looking for a design director role. I didn’t think anything of it at the time. I had heard of Sunny and felt that Kate would not even consider her. First, she was not even a designer. Second, the company that she worked for her entire career catered to a much older, less trendy customer. Kate could be snobby about those things. “It’s so moderate”, she would say. If she was going to hire someone else, she would look for someone from a higher-end brand. Now, I was putting it all together and my spidey senses were in overdrive. Why would Betty try to get her friend the job that I told her I was promised? I have known Betty for 15 years and trusted her with this information. Was this her intention all along?

Well, I will find out soon enough. And I will keep you guys updated….

Until next time,

❤️

Olivia