January 1, 1997. New Year's Day.
Most people in America were home with their families, enjoying the holiday. But for Hollywood, this was the busiest time of year!
At the UPN Television Network, the employees were nervous.
Why? Because their new CEO was starting today!
"Did you hear?" one boss laughed. "The new CEO is a woman."
"I know her," another boss, a Black man, said with a smirk. "Her name is Donna Langley. I met her at a party once."
"Is she tough?" the first boss asked.
"Ha!" the Black boss shook his head. "Don't be fooled. She was just a normal movie producer at Universal. Do you really think she can run a whole TV network?"
He leaned in. "I bet she'll act tough at first, but in the end, she'll have to rely on us to do everything."
All the other bosses relaxed and laughed.
"Hahaha! So UPN is still our turf!" "That's right! We can just give her a hard time." "Exactly!"
They were chatting and scheming. They clearly didn't like the new CEO. In Hollywood, men usually got paid way more than women, and they didn't like women being in charge.
But... one young executive, Alexander, just frowned.
He was only 26 years old, the youngest boss at UPN. And he was Russian-American, which made his name stand out.
"A bunch of idiots!" Alexander thought angrily.
Unlike the others, Alexander just wanted the company to do well. If UPN failed, he would lose his job and look like a loser. And no one likes a loser!
"All they care about is their own power," he thought. "They don't care about getting more viewers! If the ratings don't go up in two months, Mr. Blackwood will fire all of us. What's the point of fighting for power on a sinking ship?"
Alexander looked at the older bosses with disdain.
...
Soon, the door opened.
Donna Langley walked in, wearing a sharp business suit. She was accompanied by Zane's personal lawyer, David. She looked serious and confident. She didn't seem to notice the rude stares from the men.
Everyone stood up to welcome her (they had to be polite, after all).
"Everyone," David announced, "I am here representing Mr. Blackwood. I am happy to announce that Donna Langley is now officially the CEO of UPN!"
Everyone clapped politely.
"My job here is done," David smiled. "Mr. Blackwood asks that you all work together and help Ms. Donna."
Zane's request? That meant: Back up the new boss, or else!
The scheming bosses looked unhappy.
"Everyone," Donna said, her voice strong and clear, "my name is Donna Langley. Starting today, I am your boss. I expect your full cooperation. I believe you won't disappoint me, right?"
"Of course!" everyone said with fake smiles.
Donna didn't say much more. But... after one week, things changed completely!
...
One Week Later...
Donna called her first big meeting.
There were a few new faces in the room—smart people Donna had hired from other companies.
Donna looked straight at a curly-haired man named Sykes. He was the head of buying supplies.
"Mr. Sykes," she said in a deep voice, "you were in charge of buying new office equipment three days ago, right?"
"Yes, that's right," Sykes nodded.
"Good," Donna said. She looked at a paper in her hand. "Mr. Sykes, you have been here since 1992. You are a senior boss."
"But," she asked, her voice getting sharper, "why did you steal $35,000 from the company when you bought that equipment?"
Stole $35,000?!
The room exploded with noise.
"Donna!" Sykes yelled, his face red. "Don't think you can just accuse me because you're new! I am an honest man! Everyone knows my reputation!"
Another boss, Thompson, jumped in to help his friend. "Ms. Donna, Sykes is famous for being honest. Maybe you made a mistake?"
"Heh," Donna sneered. She looked at Thompson. "Thompson, I haven't gotten to you yet. But don't worry, your turn is coming."
Thompson shut his mouth, glaring at her.
Donna turned back to Sykes.
"Sykes," she said sternly, "you went to a good school. You've been doing this for years. Do you really think you can trick me with this?"
She held up the paper. "Look at this receipt! You say you paid $120 for a desk and $12 for a trash can? You might fool a regular person, but you can't fool me."
"Also," she added with a confident smile, "you bought everything from 'Frankly Office Equipment.' Did you forget that company is owned by Universal Pictures?"
Sykes froze.
"I worked at Universal for years," Donna said. "The owner of that store is my old friend. Do you really want me to call him and get the real receipt?"
Boom!
Sykes was speechless. He had been caught. Donna wasn't just a "normal producer." She was smart, tough, and she knew exactly what she was doing.
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