Chapter 28 Chapter Twenty Seven

Berkeley and Matthews Advertising Agency topped the list of firms on Madison Avenue.The company's annual turnover exceeds the combined revenue of its two neighboring competitors.The main reason for this is due to the fact that most of its revenue comes from Kruger-Brent Ltd., and its dozens of subsidiaries scattered around the world.The advertising agency employs more than seventy-five account managers, copywriters, creative staff, photographers, engravers, painters, and media specialists for the Kruger-Brent business alone.So when Kate Blackwell called Alan Berkeley and asked him to find a job for Alexandra at his company, the answer was instant yes.If Kate Blackwell asked, he would not hesitate to make Alexandra chairman.

"I think my granddaughter is interested in being a copywriter," Kate told Ellen Berkeley. Berkeley assured Kate that there was just one opening for a copywriter at the firm, and that Alexandra could start whenever it was convenient for her. The following Monday, Alexandra went to work. ※※※ There are very few ad agencies that actually sit on Madison Avenue, but Berkeley and Matthews is an exception.On the corner of Madison and Fifty-seventh Streets, the advertising agency had a large modern office building.The company occupies eight of the floors, while the other floors are all leased to other companies.To save wages, Alan Berkley and his partner, Norman Matthews, decided to resign a young drafter who had been hired six months earlier in order to place Alexandra.The news spread immediately.When the employees heard that the young girl had been fired because the granddaughter of the agency's biggest client was going to take her place, there was outrage.Before even meeting Alexandra, she was already recognized as a spoiled young lady sent to spy on them.

When Alexandra reported for duty, she was ushered into Ellen Berkeley's large, modern office.Berkeley and Matthews were waiting there to welcome her.The two partners look very different.Berkeley was tall and thin, with white hair; Matthews was short, stout, and bald.Yet they have two things in common: they are brilliant advertisers, who have come up with some of the most famous slogans of the past decade; and they are both downright tyrants, who treat their employees like slaves.The only reason those people put up with it is that it's a training place, and if you've worked for Berkeley and Matthews, you can work for any agency in the world.

When Alexandra walked into the office, there was also a man named Lucas Pinkerton.This man is the deputy general manager of the company, and his sneering demeanor to cater to his boss set off a pair of cold eyes.Pinkerton was younger than his two superiors, yet he compensated for his "weakness" by punishing his subordinates. Alan Berkeley seated Alexandra in a comfortable armchair and said: "What would you like, Miss Blackwell? Would you like coffee or tea?" "Nothing, thank you." "Well then, you'll be working here with us as a drafter." "I thank you from the bottom of my heart for this opportunity, Mr. Berkeley. I know I will have a lot to learn, but I will work very hard."

"That's not necessary," Norman Matthews quickly interjected, but stopped again. "What I mean is—study can't be so fast, you have to take your time." "I'm sure you'll have a great time here," Alan Berkley put in. "You'll be working with some of the best people in the business." ※※※ After an hour, Alexandra thought, they might be the nicest people, but they must be the least friendly. Lucas Pinkerton took Alexandra around and introduced her to the relevant staff of the company, but everywhere she went she received the same icy attitude.After they greeted her, they found something else to do.Alexandra sensed their resentment against her, but she couldn't figure out where it came from.Pinkerton ushered her into a smoky conference room with a display case full of prizes against the wall.Sitting around the table are a woman and two men.All three are smokers.The woman was short and stout, with rust-colored hair.The two men were about thirty-five years old, with troubled expressions on their pale faces.

Pinkerton said: "This is the creative team you're going to join. Alice Coppel, Vince Barnes, Marty Bergamer. This is Miss Blackwell." The three stared at Alexandra. "Well, you stay here and get acquainted with them," Pinkerton said.He turned to Vince Barnes. "I'd like to see a copy of the design for the new perfume ad on my desk tomorrow morning. See what Miss Blackwell needs." Then he left. "What do you need?" Vince Barnes asked. The question caught Alexandra off guard, and she replied, at a loss, "I—I think I just need to learn about the advertising business."

Alice Coppel said sweetly, "You're in the right place, Miss Blackwell, we'd all like to be teachers like hell." "Rest," Marty Bergheimer told her. "Did I do something to offend you?" asked Alexandra, puzzled. Marty Bergheimer replied: "No, Miss Blackwell. We're under a lot of pressure here, we're running a perfume campaign, and Mr. Berkeley and Mr. Matthews have by now They are not satisfied with the manuscript paper we submitted.” "I'll try not to bother you," Alexandra promised. "That's great," Alice Coppel said.

※※※ The rest of the day was even worse.There is no laughter here.Because of the arrival of this rich lady, a colleague they used to work with was immediately fired, and they wanted her to pay the price. Before get off work, Alan Berkley and Norman Matthews walked into the small office where Alexandra worked to ask her if she was okay.The courtesies have not escaped the attention of colleagues. ※※※ Everyone in the company is called by first name—except Alexandra.To all, she was Miss Blackwell. "Call me Alexandra," she said. "Oh," the people replied. And the next time people called her, it was "Miss Blackwell".

※※※ Alexandra is eager to learn and contribute.She attends seminars where drafting staff brainstorm ideas together.She watched art editors draw ad designs.She watched Lucas Pinkerton tear apart the plans that had been handed to him for approval.He is a very mean guy in the inner world.Alexandra sympathized with the humiliation suffered by the drafters who worked under him.Alexandra found herself shuttling between the floors of the building and attending meetings.Such as meetings of department heads, meetings of customers, photography technology meetings, strategic discussion meetings, and so on.She said nothing, just listened and learned.By her first weekend at work, it felt like a month had passed.Coming home every day, she was exhausted, not because of work, but because of the tension that her presence created.

When Kate asked about work, Alexandra replied: "Very well, Granny. Very interesting." "I'm sure you'll do well, Alex. If there's any trouble, go to Mr. Berkeley or Mr. Matthews." But that was the last thing Alexandra wanted to do. ※※※ The second week after work, Alexandra went to work determined to find a way out of the predicament she was facing.In the afternoon coffee break in the media, people often gather around to chat and talk about everything. "Did you hear what happened to National Media Corporation again? Some talented fellow wanted to draw attention to their stellar year, so they printed their financial reports in scarlet letter in the New York Times!"

"Remember that airline initiative: let your wife fly for free? It was a great idea until the airline wrote thank you letters to the wives and got a bunch of people trying to figure out who their husbands were flying with. Letters on the—” When Alexandra entered, the conversation in the room stopped. "Shall I get you some coffee, Miss Blackwell." "Thank you, I'll do it myself." There was silence in the room as Alexandra put a quarter in the coffee maker.And as soon as she left, the conversation started again. "Did you hear that 'Yu Jie Soap' brand was screwed? That angelic model they used turned out to be a porn star..." ※※※ At noon, Alexandra said to Alice Koppel: "Are you free at lunch? I think we—" "Sorry, I have a date." Alexandra looked at Vince Barnes, who immediately said, "I have a date, too." She turned to Marty Bergamer again. "I'm full," he said. Alexandra was so depressed that she didn't even want to eat lunch.They made her feel like a pariah, and she found a surge of anger in her.But she doesn't want to give up.She would find a way into their circle, to show them that beneath the name Blackwell, deep down she was one of them.She sat in the conference room listening to Alan Berkeley, Norman Matthews, and Lucas Pinkerton slamming the ad creators, who were actually doing their jobs as hard as they could.Alexandra sympathized with them, but they rejected her sympathy, or rather refused to accept her personally. Alexandra waited three days before trying again.She said to Alice Coppel: "I hear there's a very good Italian restaurant around here—" "I don't eat Italian food." She asked Vince Barnes again. "I'm on a diet," he replied. Alexandra looked again at Marty Bergheimer. "I'm going to eat Chinese food," he said. Alexandra's face flushed, they didn't want to be seen with me.Well, to hell with them, to hell with them all!She has had enough.She tried every means to make friends, but every time she hit a snag.What a mistake to work here.She plans to find a job in a company that has nothing to do with her grandma.Quit this weekend.But I want you all to remember that I was here.Alexandra thought stubbornly. ※※※ At 1 p.m. on Thursday, everyone except the telephone operator was out to eat, with Alexandra staying last.She found that the manager's office has an internal telephone conversation device connected to each department. If a manager wants to talk to a subordinate, he only needs to press the button under the name card of the subordinate.Alexandra slipped into the empty offices of Allen Berkeley, Norman Matthews, and Lucas Pinkerton, and spent a midday hour switching all the cards.Just after noon that day, Lucas Pinkerton hit the call button connected to his drafts director and said, "Get to me, right now!" There was a moment of silence, and then Norman Matthews roared loudly: "What did you say?" Pinkerton stared at the intercom and was stunned: "Mr. Matthews, is that you?" "You bastard, you bastard, get off to me, now!" A minute later, a drafter pressed a button on his desk intercom and said, "Come downstairs and deliver your manuscript." Allen Berkeley suddenly yelled in the microphone: "What did you say?" This is just the beginning of a mess.The chaos created by Alexandra lasted for four hours, but these were the most satisfying four hours for Berkeley and Matthews employees.Every time something new happened during this period, people laughed and shouted.The managers were called to run errands, get cigarettes, and fix toilets, leaving them disoriented.Alan Berkley, Norman Matthews, and Lucas Pinkerton launched a massive investigation to figure out who was the culprit, but no one knew. The only person who saw Alexandra doing it was a female telephone operator named Fran.But inside, she hated her boss even more, and when asked, she said: "I don't even see a ghost." That night, as Fran lay in bed with Vince Barnes, she told him the cause of the mess. He sprang up from the bed and said, "Did that Blackwell girl do it? What a bastard I am!" When Alexandra walked into her office the next morning, Vince Barnes, Alice Coppel, and Marty Bergheimer were all waiting for her.They looked at her without saying a word. "What's the matter?" Alexandra asked. "It's all right, Alex," said Alice Coppel, "these two lads and I were wondering if you'd like to join us for lunch, we've heard there's a very nice little Italian restaurant nearby . . . "