Chapter 2: Friday 9 Sept 2022

Larissa left her normal Friday morning research project meeting in a hurry after presenting what was near to her final assessment. The dean was happy, and two of the other students had asked her to help with their data analysis, which was a genuine compliment, given that half of them were afraid to even talk to her after the events of the last couple of weeks. All she had left was editorial work, and her exams, and then university would be over, though she knew that she’d be back on a regular basis one way or another. Her introductory lecture for the first years had been a lasting hit, and she knew she’d keep doing that one, for a start.

She ran to her bike and rode as hard as she could to Moorabbin Airport, using the full power of her bike to aid her. Her plane was waiting for her, and she was airborne within minutes, the only passenger. In the plane, she cooled down, changed into proper business attire, which now included her ribbon, chilled, and did her best to clear her mind. What she was doing was challenging for her, but Bob had been quite sure she should do it. Which only confirmed Julian’s opinion about the heir role, so far as she could see. She was met at Bankstown Airport by a car and security which took her to the office of the company that had been David Jones’ corporate headquarters. Where Voula had worked.

She was met at reception by Philip, the director of human resources. “Hello, Larissa, welcome to our office. Can I get you anything?”

She shook his hand firmly, and said, “No, Philip, thank you. It’s nice to meet you.”

He led her to a bank of lifts. In the lift, he said, “Can I ask you what this is about?”

Larissa considered that. Perhaps it would be good to warn Philip, and she could be talking about absolutely anything, given what had happened last week. She looked at him sombrely and said, “Philip, I am bringing news from Voula.”

She could see that he was desperate for more information, but he did not ask. Indeed; she’d spoken to Bob in the morning, and he’d told her that they’d heard nothing at all, feared that Voula was dead, and had reported her missing to the police. The police knew where she was - Larissa had made sure of that, but all they had said to Voula’s co-workers was that they had no grounds to think she was a missing person.

When the lift doors opened, he escorted Larissa along a couple of corridors, through a door, and into a room full of people. Bob was standing out the front talking, and he glanced at Larissa and smiled at her. Thomas and Matt were there with Bob too, looking at her in surprise; obviously they hadn’t known she was coming. Larissa looked around the room: the entire staff of the corporate office for the head company, just over one hundred people. Every one of them was staring at her. Right, they sure knew who she was, what she’d done, and she heard the collective intake of breath her presence caused. She scanned the room - ninety percent suits, and ninety percent male. Not the same ninety percent, though. The receptionist entered the door behind her - Bob had really brought everyone to the room for this.

Bob was telling the staff about the decisions that had been made that morning, what corporate functions were being moved where, and reallocation of staffing, who was going to be with Matt, and who with Thomas, who both had their own things to say about the re-organisation. The mood in the room was tense. Not hostile, exactly, but people weren’t comfortable, that was for sure. A few minutes of that, and Bob said, “Thank you. We will take questions about all this shortly, but first, I have no doubt that every single one of you has recognised Larissa Wright. Welcome, Larissa. How was your flight?”

“Thank you, Bob. My flight was uneventful.”

“I have asked Larissa to join us here today to make a short announcement, and then Larissa will take questions. After that, she has to leave, and we will return to our other business. Should any of you not be aware of this, I am proud to call Larissa my daughter.”

No, they all knew that, for sure. But the recognition was still nice. She smiled at him and walked to the front of the room, out in front of Bob, close to the audience. “Hello everyone. I bring you news from Voula.”

Everyone in front of her reacted to that statement. She saw shock, excitement, concern. And on one face briefly, fear. Only quickly, but she was sure of it, that man was right in front her. A senior executive, a power suit. She ignored him; his die was already cast, his coffin ready. And she had no question that he’d earned it all, given what Voula had told her.

“Voula is alive. Unfortunately, that is the only good news I have to report to you.” She could see that that was very good news, but rapidly people’s faces were filled with concern, and shock.

“Before I talk about where Voula is now, I want to tell you Voula’s story. A bit more than a year ago, there was a corporate party in this room, to celebrate some success or other. No doubt many of you in this room were present.” She could see some nodding. “There was some fine wine served, and Voula enjoyed the wine, had come to work by public transport so she could. At some stage during the party, Voula felt funny, perhaps she’d drunk more than she realised, and she returned to her office to gather her wits.” She could see the shock on the faces in front her, as they realised where this was going. “She’s not sure what happened after that, but she does remember that she arrived home in a taxi, still feeling unwell. A week later, David called her into his office, and showed Voula a video of her having sex with a man she did not recognise taken that night in an office on this floor, and apparently enjoying it. He told her that the video could be made to go away if she made the right inducement to him.”

The tears were starting on her audience, and the rage was coming too.

“Voula tells me she should have committed suicide that day. That nearly every day thereafter she wished that she had. Fantasised that she had the strength to do it. Instead, she had to pretend that she was OK, that her life was good and happy. Because about once a week, she had to meet David in the hotel over there after work, and he would ... Well, I am a women who has been raped, so I know what he did to her. Every time. Only he was careful not to leave bruises.”

Yes, their rage was full blown now. She leaned into it. “Then last week happened. Voula found about David Jones being murdered and she sat in her office here wondering what would happen now. Would she be free? Or should she have committed suicide in the first place after all? Would Bob pick up where the last powerful man who owned her body left off? I know that would never happen but Voula could not. After Bob took possession of the business documents at David’s home, Anna started going through his other documents, and she found a list of his mistresses, and other things that upset her much more than that. In her anger, she planned revenge, and last Friday morning, she posted that tweet outing the four mistresses she knew about, and at the same time, someone acting on behalf of Anna informed Voula directly that she’d been outed. Well, that was the final straw for Voula. Most of you heard what happened next, and then she left after that huge meltdown.”

“Phil,” she said, turning the HR manager, “you were able to get ahead of the problems of the other three mistresses, thank you. Phil cannot speak about that ever, but he has my and Bob’s gratitude for a supremely difficult job performed under significant stress and done very well.” Those were the words Bob had given her. Phil did not respond - he was sobbing. “But Phil was not able to get in contact with Voula. No, Voula intended to commit suicide, what she thought she should’ve done in the first place. Was trying to bring herself to do it. Bob found out about Voula from Phil, and asked me to talk to her. I called, and drunk, she answered the phone, which she had not intended to do, and we talked.”

She paused and took a deep breath – she needed it. And her audience was doing much worse than she was. She took a few more.

“So. Voula has made some decisions. She has not committed suicide, though it was very close. Nor does she plan to now. But her husband has rejected her because she cheated. Her family have rejected her because she shamed them by being outed for having an affair in public. She cannot return to this place or this company and face the memories this would bring. But she asked me to tell you that she loved all of you very much, that in her pain and sorrow, you were truly a group in which she found comfort, and she wishes that she could work with you again. But she cannot.”

She had to stop again for the fresh outburst of tears that caused, and she let them cry for a minute.

“Voula is making herself a new life now, with our support, far from any memories of that man. But because she loved you so much, she asked me to tell you the truth, to tell you her story, so you understand why she must have a new life apart from you.”

She paused, looking at them.

“I’m sorry to bring this terrible news to you, so very final, but I promise you that we will look after Voula, give her the best chance we know of to have a life. This is personal to me, I won’t let it slide.”

She looked around the room.

“So. Some outcomes from this. If you are another victim of David, please seek help. If you want, you can approach Phil, or me. If you know Voula’s family, leave them be - they are victims too. If you know of other mistresses, please report them to Phil or me, so we can check on their health and safety. If you know, in your life, of other women who have had affairs, or who are exposed for them in the future, the first question you should have is, how much coercion was involved? Train yourself to be compassionate first, before you judge. Also, this story is deeply upsetting; if you need to talk to someone, do. If you need help, Phil’s team can organise that for you, and we’ll cover that.”

“There are also some corporate consequences. You all know who I am, and you all know what this ribbon means, or should.” She held her arm up, making sure they saw her ribbon. “So from today, all office parties and corporate functions will be dry. No alcohol under any circumstances. If you are hosting guests from other companies, you will explain that ‘this is an expression of our corporate values, that we care for people’s health and safety’. No wine or whisky or anything else like that for performance rewards.” Voula had told her about that. “If you are in other places representing the corporation and alcohol is served or available, your standard will be that employees never drink over the legal driving limit, and you here will encourage everyone to wear my ribbon, and support them to not drink at all, and show leadership in this regard. Feel free to use my name. For parties involving tradies, labourers etc, the business may provide light beer or light wine, if and only if all women present agree. If any part of the business sells alcoholic beverages as part of its normal operations, then it is required to be a partner of the women’s organisation running my campaign, and to comply with the requirements for that.”

“Further, all HR departments will review their policies and procedures to ensure that every woman this company employs has a safe reporting path should anyone attempt to place them under such coercion at any time, and that they are confident that the women know and trust that path. Well, and men too, of course. All departments will report when they are sure about that. To me. For those of you who work directly for Bob, you may report to me directly, if you trust me.”

She looked at those at the front, and they were nodding. They, at least, trusted her.

“OK. Questions.”

There was silence for a while. Most people were still crying, and a fair few were sobbing, and hugging each other. Voula had clearly been very loved.

Eventually, Phil said, “My heart’s been torn out of me all over again, I’ll never be the same again. Larissa, is Voula OK? What can you tell us to comfort us all? We loved Voula.”

“I understand. I can only tell you what Voula said I am allowed to. And I speak from experience: Voula will never heal fully from this, but she can be happy and strong, eventually. But not yet; for now, she is deeply wounded and broken. But she is settling into a new place, finding her feet, adapting to her new name, and new everything. At least she feels like she has a purpose, for now. This small comfort may help you: Voula lost everything, a terrible price, but that gave her the freedom to follow her heart, and she is.”

Another woman, one who’d sobbed and cried the most, said, “Larissa, is there any way that we can tell Voula just how much we loved her?” She burst into tears again. “Poor Voula. I’m ripped apart.”

“I didn’t ask Voula that question, sorry. I suggest that you all write in a book how much you loved her, and happy memories you have of her, and when it is complete, give it to me. When I judge the time to be right, I will pass it to her, and if I can, I will give you feedback. But I can’t make any promises. Would you like to make that book happen for us?” The woman nodded her head, too overcome to say anything else. “Thank you for doing that.”

Then someone else asked a question. A man, his voice and his whole body shaking. “Larissa, how do you control your rage? How do we control it? I worshipped that man, and he was a monster beyond belief.”

“I know. He was a monster. Nearly the worst person I’ve ever come across. Except for the man who was my birth father. I looked in that man’s eyes when I was fifteen and understood that he could kill me, probably would. And all that Voula had, my mother had, and worse, and I watched it happen. And I have talked to many women who have their own dreadful experiences. Maybe a third of all Australian women are raped, and more than that of the women I know well enough have been, though perhaps we seek each other out. So I understand that there are many men who would do what he did if they were in his position where they could. But not all; most of you are honourable, decent, caring, loving men who would never consider behaving anything like that. Bob is one such man, and I, who am naturally suspicious of all men, am now certain of that. So understand this, because every woman knows it in their gut: any man that you respect and admire can suddenly turn out to be that man who rapes you unless you know them very well indeed. So my rage is tempered by that knowledge.”

“On the other hand, I still feel it. That rage drives me every day. I will never compromise, never choose anything but the most right action. I must channel that rage. So must you. That’s why those courses of action I have said you must take: channel your rage into them. Make sure you do them without compromise, as an expression of how strongly you feel about what that man did. Never again in this business.”