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HAYLEY: TODAY
(Present Day)
San Francisco, California
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THE NUMBER ONE THINGI’d learned before dropping out of business school was the art of bullshitting. It was a delicate balancing act between looking as if I was completing the work and procrastinating until the last possible moment the project was due. It also involved making sure that I always appeared intrigued and excited about things I had no interest in, and today, I was definitely putting the latter lesson to work.
“This is where you’ll be working when you start here, Miss Statham.” My brother’s assistant, Angela, cleared her throat as she showed me a corner office that overlooked the bay. “I mean, Miss Smith. I’ll walk you through everything for the next few weeks until you get the hang of it.”
“What exactly is my official position again?”
“You are Mr. Statham’s new executive liaison.” She smiled, handing me a sheet of paper. “You’re going to be responsible for making sure that the people who want to meet with him have all of their files and presentations in order before they come face to face with him. It saves him a lot of time and enables him to make the best decision once the deals are presented.”
“So, I’m like an executive assistant?”
“No, he already has three of those.” She laughed and looked at her tablet. “And you’re not responsible for those types of tasks. You enjoy reading tax and finance laws, correct?”
I nodded, unable to get the lie to fall from my mouth fast enough.
As she walked around my future office and explained the other things I would be responsible for, I couldn’t help but look outside the windows. In the distance, there was a bright pink billboard bearing a picture of a coffee cup and the words, “New Coffee Shop Downtown! Come See Us for Brunch!”
I held back a sigh and focused on Angela again.
“Mr. Statham has given you the highest level of clearance,” she said, handing me a photo ID badge. “You’ll have access to every building on the Statham Industries campus, and no meeting is off limits. Whenever we have a meeting with the shareholders, you’ll have a reserved seat at the back of the room with me, and we’ll take notes together. Any questions so far?”
“Um, where will my friend Kelly be working?” I asked. “Is she sharing an office with me?”
“Not at all.” She walked across the room, opening a hidden panel and stepping into another massive office with a beautiful view. “Miss Proby will be working right next to you.”
I ran my hand along the golden name plate on the desk.
“Mr. Statham checked her educational background and found that she once worked for Proctor and Gamble. So, he’s going to have her assist in the marketing department.” She escorted me to the elevator. “The next places I need to show you are the Zen lounge and the executive floor.”
I forced myself to smile and follow her lead. For the remainder of the morning, I tried my best to pay attention to the rest of the tour. I tried to match her enthusiasm for all things corporate America, but my heart sank with each step my heels took across the company’s marble floors.
Everything my brother built here—every sPhone, sTablet, and sLaptop was a beautiful marvel to be reckoned with, and the people who created and managed these products clearly took pride and loved their work. But this world of technology, rigid schedules, and salaried hours, was the complete opposite of everything I wanted in life.
At midday, Angela showed me to the basement level of the main tower for lunch, and my heart skipped a beat at the sight of a colossal coffee bar.
Until I stepped closer.
Ugh. It’s a Starbucks!
Putting my annoyance to the side, I ordered a hazelnut latte and watched the barista’s every move as she made it exactly to Starbuck’s super basic standards. Without any passion whatsoever.
When she handed it to me, I walked over to the self-serve station and began remaking it the way it deserved to be.
“Good afternoon, ladies.” My brother stepped next to Angela and me. “How was the first phase of the tour?”
“Wonderful,” Angela said, handing him a folder. “I’m going to grab some lunch. Be back in thirty.”
“Thank you for giving Miss Stath—” He cleared his throat. “Miss Smith a tour, Angela.” He smiled at her as she walked away.
“It was nice of you to let Kelly have a big office, too,” I said. “Thank you for doing that.”
“You’re more than welcome.” He took my coffee from my hands and sipped it. “This will probably be one of the very last times I talk to you outside of the executive floor since you insist on wanting people to be oblivious to the fact that we’re related.”
