Chapter 10

• As I hurriedly prepared for work, I couldn't help but ponder over my limited options from the clothes Evan had bought me. I settled for a pair of non-ripped blue jeans and added a sleeveless t-shirt. Fortunately, I found a brown knee-length coat to cover the sleeveless top. I tied my hair neatly into a ponytail, grabbed a matching handbag, and applied light makeup, considering the importance of my meeting with the CEO at the office. Ready to face the day, I headed straight out without even stopping in the kitchen. My loyal bodyguards followed closely, and they rushed me into the car. To my surprise, Evan wasn't there.
• An argument ensued about the number of cars we should use for the journey. "One car is enough. I'm not the celebrity; Evan is," I argued with Eric, the driver.
• "People know that you're the boss's girlfriend. They can target you to get to him. Besides, he instructed that we use two cars; I'm just doing my job," Eric explained.
• Frustrated, I relented but insisted on sitting in the front passenger seat. "I'm going in the passenger seat, and I'm not taking 'no' for an answer," I declared, quickly taking my place without waiting for Eric to open the door for me.
• As he entered the car Eric asked, "Would you like to stop anywhere, or is there anything you'd like to pick up, Miss?"
• "No, just straight to work. You have the address, right?" I inquired.
• "Yes, the boss sent it this morning, Miss," he replied.
• I sighed and requested, "Try calling me by my name, Amy. All this 'Miss' stuff is driving me nuts."
• Eric hesitated. "Boss will kill me."
• "But he can't if he can't hear you," I pointed out, convincing him to try it.
• "I am Evan's most trusted guard," he explained. "It was always me and Jonathan, especially for important events. When he asked me to be your personal driver to and from work, I realized your importance to him."
• As I tried to divert the conversation away from Evan, whom I wasn't eager to discuss after last night's incident, I asked about Jonathan's whereabouts. "Where's Jonathan? I haven't seen him. I hope he's out of his 'frozen' state."
• Eric reassured me, "Yes, he's okay now, not 'frozen.' I wish you could have met him before he left. He's such a good guy."
• "Went? He went with Evan?" I inquired.
• "No, Jonathan was fired today, Amy," Eric revealed, his tone laced with sadness.
• "Fired? By Evan or someone else?" I asked, surprised by the news.
• "Yes, Evan made the decision. You know he was paying for his mother's medical expenses, and now I know he can find a new job as soon as today this is New York, but this job paid much better," Eric explained, his voice heavy with sympathy for Jonathan. I sighed and Eric shook himself out of his thinking state.
• "No stopping anywhere; I'll send the location now," Eric stated as he communicated with his colleagues through a small device. We followed the car in front of us, the rest of the ride passing in silence. I found myself contemplating possible reasons for Jonathan's dismissal, but I had no clue about what Eric might be thinking.
• Finally, Eric pulled over after the car in front of us did. "I will come to pick you up by five," he informed me.
• "No," I corrected, gathering my things, "I mean, I'm going back to my apartment today."
• Eric quickly responded, "Yes, don't worry. Evan said we should take you anywhere, whether to his apartment or yours, but we should pick you up."
• I didn't want to engage in another argument with him, so I acquiesced. "Okay, I will let you know when I'm done then. Have a great day," I said, and with that, I exited the car.
• As I made my way to my office, nearly everyone I passed greeted me. When I reached the reception area, I spotted Samantha, my assistant, engaged in a conversation with the receptionist. Samantha immediately turned her attention to me, taking my bag and offering me a cup of coffee, which I accepted. "Good morning, Miss Fords," she greeted.
• She mentioned, "I can have the coat too."
• I responded, "I'll hold onto the coat for today."
• I clarified, "No, I mean the shirt underneath isn't appropriate, so I'll hold onto the coat for today."
• She nodded in understanding and followed me into my office, informing me of my schedule. "You have a meeting with Alan at one. He prefers lunch as that's the time he's free, and two new samples came in from two different authors. You should evaluate and choose the best for our firm to invest in," she explained. I nodded in response.
• Samantha continued, "The meeting with the CEO is canceled. He's out of town for a book show, and he will be back next week to reschedule."
• I felt a sense of relief, as I didn't want to meet the CEO in a sleeveless shirt. "Alright, I will have a look at these samples, and please remind me about my lunch meeting with Alan in case I forget."
• Samantha assured me, "I will. Alright, let me leave you to your work." She exited my office, and I immediately delved into my tasks, focused on my work, and determined to avoid any Evan-related drama.
• A knock on my door abruptly drew me back to reality, and I called out, "Come in."
• Samantha reentered, apologizing, "I'm sorry if I disturbed you, but your meeting with Alan starts in less than ten minutes."
• I quickly stood up, prepared to leave. "Thank you," I replied, grabbing my handbag and the notes Samantha had prepared for me. We briefly discussed the two sample books I had reviewed. I expressed my desire to sign both authors, but Samantha informed me that the final decision rested with the CEO.
• Undeterred, I acknowledged the potential risks but remained optimistic that the investment could bring significant success to the firm. "But I must warn you," Samantha cautioned, "if it fails, you might just lose your job, especially because you will be going against the head editor."
• I nodded, accepting the reality of the situation, but with my growing number of followers, I remained confident that great advertising would lead to success.
• "Alan has been the target for this firm for over a year now. He's a talent and could significantly benefit this firm. Please do your best to convince him. You could earn a great title in this company," Samantha encouraged before I exited my office.
• As I headed to the restaurant where I would meet Alan, located conveniently next to the firm, I couldn't help but notice the lingering stares from nearly every male employee I noticed even ladies were staring at me too. While I was well aware of my appearance, I recognized the importance of maintaining a professional demeanor and discouraging any inappropriate behavior. I walked on, acutely aware of the admiring gazes that followed me.
• Our table was already prepared, and I spotted Alan waiting for me. He waved, and I approached. "Hello, Alan. My name is Amelia. I'm from Imprint Ink Publishing," I began, but he cut me short.
• "Nice to meet you, I'm Alan. What's your deal?" he asked, sounding eager.
• I responded professionally, "Well, we offer a 70% revenue share. We cover all promotion and other costs in that 30%."
• He was quick to agree, "Alright, do you have the contract? Where should I sign?"
• I explained, "No, the contract is prepared, but I didn't bring it with me. You can come to sign it tomorrow morning if that works for you."
• He readily accepted, "Yes, please. Now that I'm your author, I'll be available anytime."
• We agreed to discuss the contract further tomorrow and decided to enjoy our meal. Alan called over the waitress, placed our orders, and we had some time to chat.
• I initiated the conversation, "You can send your manager to pick up the contract if you'd like to review it before signing."
• Alan, however, mentioned he didn't have a manager and wanted to sign right away.
• I proceeded to explain our managing services, "We also offer management. We can handle your work, but that would reduce your revenue share to 50%."
• Alan seemed to hesitate, so I continued, "But the management comes with benefits. For example, if your book doesn't sell well in a particular month, you'll receive a bonus to ensure your monthly earnings can't fall below $5,000. So, if you make $5,000 in a month, you'll get the entire amount without any promotion or managing fees. Not many firms offer this."
• He still pondered, but I decided to share my own experiences to convince him, "Alan, I used to write my own novels for web novels, and trust me, this is the best contract."
• His expression shifted, and he finally made up his mind, saying, "You know what? I'm gonna take it...thank you so much, Miss Fords."
• As our food arrived, he changed the topic, saying excitedly, "Food is here." I nodded and kindly acknowledged the waitress before diving into our meal.
• After our meal, Alan and I shook hands and agreed to meet early the next morning to finalize our contract. I returned to the office and continued my work, and before I knew it, it was time to leave. I finished work around 3 PM and had texted Eric earlier to pick me up at that time since my schedule allowed me to leave early this week.
• As I was about to send another text to remind Eric, I noticed the three cars waiting for me. There was a slight disappointment when I realized Evan's car wasn't among them. Despite my desire to avoid him after last night's incident, a part of me still yearned to see him.
• I didn't engage in much conversation during the ride back home. I exchanged greetings with Eric and replied to his attempts at conversation with short responses, blaming my lack of engagement for work.
• About thirty minutes later, we arrived at my place. After a shower and the usual chats with Sky, Ife, and my parents, I retired to bed. Of course, I couldn't resist checking for Evan's message, but it didn't appear. Still, I refused to succumb to the temptation of stalking his social media profiles and refrained from opening those apps.