"Oh, we'll get to that. It's just one of the several things I've come here to talk about." Guul looks around your office then. "I visited this room occasionally when Anaru Katariki sat behind that desk. Did you ever come up here in those days?"
"No," you say. "I only met the man today."
"And now you never will again." He pauses, then says, "You've redecorated. The office had much more personality before."
"I've been too preoccupied running this company to go shopping for office artwork."
"Katariki was a thief," says Guul sharply, regarding you again with his mismatched eyes. "He betrayed MetaHuman, and stole from its shareholders. We wanted to punish him. But we did not kill him. We'd never have been so blunt, or done so on company property, in full view of all. If we'd managed to get our hands on him, his ultimate fate would have been far more…imaginative."
"You say Katariki was a thief, but Winston Q has also accused me of that crime. That's how he pressured me into this job."
Guul waves a hand dismissively. "Leverage. Now, I want to discuss three points. The first: this company's image. I don't care if you run this company with tenderness or an iron fist, or whether your employees here are cowed or cheery. I care about money and power. And I care about this company's public image, because it impacts people's willingness to deal with this company. The general public is, en masse, the greatest force in this world. Wiser not to anger them."
"And how do you rate my work in that regard since I took over here?" you ask, already suspecting the answer.
Guul considers your question a few moments, then says, "Adequate. But do not make the mistake of thinking your customers, or your public, will ever love you, or even like you. You serve their needs, that is all. The moment you cease to do so, customers and public alike will cast you aside."
Next