The Musicians (Damian Wayne x reader)

80. Respect | Wayne Enterprises part 2

~~~Your point of view~~~
       As the day sped by, you were pleasantly surprised that your meetings didn't take longer than expected. They actually were very short and productive. Your last meeting of the day was with Adrien and Joseph during which the three of you discussed the direction of the album and started the creative process with the leading track's overall sound. You and Damian had come up with a plan, and you had managed to get Adrien on board. When your meeting with Joseph was over, the two of you drove to the Wayne Enterprises building where Damian would be holding his meeting. Adrien had changed into a professional navy-colored suit and tie with a white button up and black polished shoes and you slipped on a blazer you kept in your car. You rolled his eyes at how he had dressed as formally as Mr. Wayne did every day. "Ready to give your speech?" You asked as he checked his appearance one more time to make sure his hair wasn't messy.
       "Definitely," you grinned charmingly. "But can I ask why you couldn't do it?"
       "Because I live with Tim, Damian, and Mr. Wayne," you answered. "Besides would you take your boss seriously if he brought in his girlfriend to get the employees to be serious."
       "If my boss's girlfriend was bad*ss like you then I'd definitely listen up, but I see your point," he shrugged.
       "Thanks?" you gave him a questioning look, trying to figure out whether or not he had complimented you. He simply stuck his tongue out at you, resulting in you rolling your eyes. The two of you entered the lobby to meet the receptionist who had watched you yesterday and you could feel the air conditioning blast you as you entered through the glass doors. His familiar tan skin and black hair allowed you to easily recognize him. His hair was styled with product, and his suit was clean and fitted to him properly. His brown eyes fluttered towards you with recognition as he noticed you walk up to the desk.
       "Welcome back (Y/n)," he smiled kindly. "Should I tell Mr. Wayne you're here?" You raised an eyebrow at this and the receptionist quickly corrected himself. "The younger Mr. Wayne." You laughed politely.
"Yes, please tell him that Mr. Wolf is here," you nodded with a smile. The man called up to wherever Damian was and had a short conversation before hanging up.
"Alright, you're good to go," the receptionist beamed. "Go on and take the elevator up to the 38th floor. Mr. Wayne said he would meet you there." You and Adrien thanked him and headed towards the elevators. You could hear the classic ding as you reached your destination and the doors slowly opened. As the doors opened, they revealed Damian with his hands stuffed in his pockets and a clearly relieved look on his face.
"Is your meeting about to start?" You asked and he nodded in response.
"Then we made it just in time," Adrien grinned his signature smile.
"Yes, you did," Damian responded before turning to lead the two of you to a meeting room with a set up projector and a large table with rolling chairs all around it. The glass walls allowed people to look in on meetings, so you could see some young men had already started gathering. You could see them chat casually with each other and recline lazily in the spinning chairs. You rolled your eyes. Damian hadn't been kidding when he said they were worse than you guys. However, you were happy to see a few young ladies rush in with organized binders and coffee mugs. You could hear their heels click confidently against the marble floors. You watched as they quickly sat down and set up their stuff, trying their best not to get mixed in with the unprofessional socializing. A few of the men had attempted to follow their example and you mentally applauded their efforts. "I'll go in and get them quieted down then introduce you Mr. Wolf." Damian entered and attempted to get the room's attention, but the young men and women had already noticed you and Adrien standing outside and started waving and eagerly chatting with each other. You and Adrien nodded at each other and entered the room quietly, moving to stand in the corner behind Damian. "We have a guest speaker today."
"You brought your girlfriend in to lecture us?" One of the more audacious employees asked with a cocky attitude. He was cleanly dressed and his blond hair was styled to prevent it from falling in his face. His green eyes burned with mischief and his smirk would easily scare any person into keeping a hand on their pepper spray. He would have been attractive had he not had a sour attitude and you hadn't spent time with the Wayne family and people of the industry. To put it simply, in your eyes he was an average looking nuisance.
Damian was about to say something, but Adrien spoke up, "I am your guest speaker, not Ms. (l/n)." Damian switched places with Adrien who made his way in front of the projector screen. Damian moved to stand by your side. "First of all, my name is Adrien Wolf. You may know me as the famous singer, but that doesn't discredit me in business, especially since I don't use an agent to organize and arrange everything for me. The same goes with Ms. (l/n) who does her own business, meetings, and finances, and she's only in high school. And I have no doubt that if she took your job she'd rise higher in the ranks faster than you would in a lifetime."
"Yeah, because she's sleeping with the boss," the cocky man whispered to the woman next to him. She simply waved him off angrily.
"Statements like that are going to get you fired sir, so I suggest you keep your mouth closed unless it is relevant and helpful. I wouldn't try that again because everyone here can hear you, including your boss who doesn't look very happy with your statement," Adrien continued. He was right, Damian was giving the man a disapproving look. "That leads us into respect. I hope we all know what respect is and how it works. There is a difference between flattery and respect. You don't need to kiss up to someone to do well; in fact, I suggest you don't make it obvious if you're trying to. However, you should be respectful. Be mindful of what you say and how you say it. Respect can take you far in any industry and if you ever need a referral, jobs will certainly look at your conduct during work hours and outside. With today's technology, no matter where you are or who you are with, your job can find out if you have done something they don't approve of and it can get you fired. Keep that in mind as you go to work or just go out for fun. Your coworkers deserve respect, especially your boss. They're the one that will decide whether or not you will be fired or if you're a good candidate for a higher position. Your attitude can greatly affect their decision." You watched as the same childish man didn't pay attention and proceeded to try to mess with the female employees. You coughed loudly to gain his attention. He looked up with minor irritation.
"I suggest you pay attention sir," you stared directly into his eyes. He shrunk back, slightly intimidated.
"Why should I listen to the arrogant bad boy of the music industry?" the man rolled his eyes and continued to pester the female employee sitting next to him. She tried swatting him away and focusing but he was quite the distraction. You walked over, your heels making the only sound in the room. You gently helped the woman clean her things and move to an empty seat far from the arrogant man, next to a clearly more serious and respectful one. Once she was set up again, you moved back to where she once sat and pulled the chair out to allow you to stand in its place. You leaned on the table, making you seem far more intimidating to the sitting man.
"What's your name?" you looked down at him as he leaned back to look up at you in shock. He didn't say anything. "Don't make me repeat myself. What is your name?" He proceeded not to answer.
"His name is Paul Williams," Damian sighed, answering for him. You looked at Paul with disappointment.
"Do you really need Mr. Wayne to say your name for you Mr. Williams?" He shook his head. "You're a big boy. You can use words," you prompted.
Paul cleared his throat, "No mam."
"Good. Now Mr. Williams, I suggest you don't touch your coworkers like that. You keep harassing them and you will have a sexual harassment complaint pushing you out those lobby doors faster than you can apologize. Be quiet, listen to Mr. Wolf, and maybe you'll learn something that won't get you fired," you stared directly into his dirty green eyes that flitted around nervously. You took the seat and sat next to the trouble maker to keep him in check. When he sat in a dazed state, you sighed. You snapped your fingers in front of his face which caught his attention and you gestured to Adrien who patiently waited for him to finish his scene. It was honestly worse than babysitting children.
"Thank you Ms. (l/n)," Adrien continued. "As I was saying, your behavior matters. I hope you all understand that. Effort is just as important as the work you do. If your boss sees your effort and is impressed, you can make it far. If you sit around, chatting, playing games, or distracting your coworkers, you're not only sabotaging yourself; you're sabotaging them." Adrien continued to explain basic workplace etiquette and expectations of any job for another hour. To your surprise, Paul didn't cause any more trouble. You weren't sure if it was because you were sitting right next to him or you had addressed him in front of his coworkers, but you were glad that there wasn't more trouble. When Adrien finished his piece Damian excused the employees to pack up and go home. It was reaching five in the afternoon and you finally stood to go stand next to Damian and Adrien when you heard Paul muttering under his breath. Apparently others could hear him too because many stopped to look at him.
"D*mn b*tch," he grunted. Some of the women held their hands over their mouths and Damian looked like he was going to smite him. You simply held your hand up calmly, gesturing for him to not act on his impulse. You directed your attention towards Paul who turned to glare at you. His glare was good, but yours was better.
"Mr. Williams, I take it you didn't understand anything Mr. Wolf just said," you sighed. He just scoffed. "I do wish you well Mr. Williams, but I hope you realize with that attitude you won't last long in this environment. As I understand it, neither Mr. Wayne older or younger is accepting of abuse, verbal or otherwise."
"What do you know? You're just a stupid little pop star. I've got a steady job that probably makes more than you," he smirked.
"Trust me. You don't want to compare numbers," you laughed. "Ive made my mark on this world starting far younger than you. Is an angry man who belittles a female who is also—may I remind you—a minor by using misogynistic slurs against her really the kind of mark you want to leave?" Paul was fuming. "You've been warned countless times by your boss as well as two outside speakers about your behavior. You've already started forming your reputation. I'm certain that young woman you touched will remember you and warn her friends about your atrocious behavior." You glanced up at the young woman who watched in horror as Paul scowled at you. "You really should get your act together." You turned your back to him to leave, but you expected an attack. Violence seemed to follow people with his character.
"Ms. (l/n)!" The young woman called in a panic. You spun, grabbed Paul's wrist, and twisted him so you were pressing him against the table. You pressed his arm up towards the area between his shoulder blades. He grunted as you did.
"That's attempted assault Mr. Williams. As I stated before I believe neither of the Mr. Wayne's that oversee you in this company are fond of assault of any kind. Now I could press charges, but I'm certain you don't want that. Do you?" He shook his head madly. "Are you certain? Because with the behavior I've seen today has said you're screaming for a lawsuit. Now you could attack me in any way, but I guarantee that if you dare do anything against me it will not end how you hope it will. Now, you can apologize and improve your behavior if Mr. Wayne is generous enough to give you a second chance or you can give into your anger and you will not like the consequences of that." You released his arm and went to stand by your boyfriend's side.
"D*mn (l/n)," Adrien muttered in awe as Paul stormed out. A few of the female employees nervously made their way up to you to shake your hand which you gladly complied with.
"Should I be expecting a complaint later?" Damian asked miserably.
"Can he really complain about someone who doesn't work here?" Adrien asked.
"That's the point of me doing it. He can't act against the company because I don't work for Wayne Enterprises and he would only expose himself to the higher ups. All his hate has to be directed personally to me which my fans can take care of. They will most likely expose him too if they can get their hands on the story," you smirked.
"Tricky," Adrien grinned mischievously; however, his mischievous smile was far more charming that Paul's. All the employees had returned to their desks to pack up and head home, leaving you, Adrien, and Damian standing in an office room in overly professional getups for your ages. You noticed Mr. Wayne making his way to the room and enter through the open glass door.
"Mr. Wolf," Mr. Wayne nodded casually.
"Mr. Wayne," Adrien grinned, returning the gesture. You watched as Damian stood tensely.
"Mr. Wayne," you smiled at him. He directed his attention towards you and held out his hand, gesturing for you to join him. You calmly made your way to his side as your heart pounded wildly in your chest.
"I hope you are aware that we tend to try to address misbehavior of staff privately," he raised an eyebrow at you. You stared at the ground and fiddled with your fingers and ring behind your back.
"I assumed that there would be such a policy. I apologize," you sighed guiltily.
"I don't want you thinking you did something wrong. You stood up for one of my employees. It was simply the manner in which you did it," he stopped and directed you to look him in the eyes. "You're very mature for your age, but I understand that you have moments where you're still growing. However, I believe your reaction was based on what happened with Luke. Mr. Williams' behavior reminded you of that incident didn't it?" You nodded slowly, trying to stop yourself was crying. You could feel your face burn and your throat close up. If you tried talking you'd probably break down. "We'll let HR handle it, but I think the background will be clear when they reveal the surveillance footage." Right, Wayne Enterprises is going to have security everywhere.
You managed to calm yourself down enough to choke out, "Thank you Mr. Wayne." You fiddled with your ring more behind your back.
"You're very welcome, and before you ask, Damian isn't in trouble," he smiled kindly at you. You stared at him in shock and he winked. "I'm very proud of you (Y/n)." You ran up and hugged him, despite being in his office building.
"Thank you Mr. Wayne," you mumbled.