Page 8 of Twisted Truth

The elevatordings, and I rush out, heading to the conference room on the marketing and PR floor. Through the glass windows, I can see that the meeting is well under way. I take a deep breath and pray.

Here we go.

I pull open the door as quietly as I can, but all eyes immediately snap to me.

“I’m so sorry,” I say quietly, but profusely, as I make my way to the table. But a few steps into the room, I freeze. And then my soul exits my body. And then it re-enters, and I wonder if I’m seeing things or if I’ve gone insane.

Mr. Langford is standing at the head of the conference table.

Mr. Asher Langford—the CEO of the company—is in our little conference room, seemingly heading up this meeting.

What is he doing here?

His eyes pierce me, and I don’t breathe. For two reasons. One, the shock of him being here in our PR meeting. And two, he’s the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. I’ve only seen pictures of him until now, and I can say with certainty that they don’t do him full justice.

The smart part of my brain is screaming at me to stop staring and to get moving, and the idiot part of my brain is still frozen, completely hypnotized by him. His deep navy suit hugs his tall, broad frame, and his dark hair contrasts with his bright, crystal blue eyes. Also, his jaw could cut glass. Oh, and his lips are perfect. He looks like a model and businessman in one package. It’s so much to take in that my brain is struggling to fire . . .

Until I notice that his glare could burn a hole through me. Everyone in the room has stopped taking notes, and their heads bounce back and forth between me, the idiot stuck like a deer in the headlights, and the annoyance bordering on hostile anger rolling off of Mr. Langford.

“Thank you for your punctuality,” Mr. Langford sneers. “Would you like to have a seat so we can continue?”

My brain finally snaps back into place, and I hurry forward. The room is loaded with silence, so every footstep of the atrocity that is these shoes can be heard on the tiled floors as I make my way to the only open seat—which is of course at the front of the table right next to Mr. Langford.

All eyes and ears remain on me as I sit and set my things down. I lift my laptop bag and start to unzip it, cringing as thez-z-z-z-zof the zipper sounds like it’s magnified by a microphone. When I finally set my laptop on the table and open it, I can still feel the burn of all the eyes in the room on me, and I want to crawl into a hole.

“What’s your name?” Mr. Langford snaps.

I look up and clear my throat. He’s staring straight at me. Of course it’s me he’s asking.

“Ella,” I say in a small voice. “Ella Hale.”

“Well, Ms. Hale, this meeting started at nine o’clock. Can you tell me why it is that you’re stumbling in here at nine twenty?” he asks, checking his stupidly expensive watch.

“I . . .”

“Ella has been on remote work from home, sir,” Emily chimes in, and I could kiss her. “She was not alerted of the meeting until almost eight thirty this morning. And she’s living at a place all the way across town. I told her to get here as soon as she could. I’m sure she got here as fast as possible in the New York morning commute.”

Mr. Langford’s eyes snap back and forth between Emily and me. “And why have you been working remotely? I didn’t think this department operated in that fashion.”

“It normally doesn’t, sir,” Emily says. “But Ella had some extreme personal circumstances that made it a necessity for her. And now that she’s been assigned to this team, I’ve let her know that her remote work will no longer be feasible. Ella will be in the office like normal from now on.”

Mr. Langford looks down at a paper, then looks back up at Emily. “I don’t see Ella Hale on this list. Why is she on this team?”

“I added her at the last minute this morning. I feel like she’ll be a great addition.”

Mr. Langford looks me up and down with barely veiled disgust. “How so?”

My cheeks heat. God, I want to melt into my chair.

“Ella is one of our best with marketing and content creation.”

“This is PR and image.”

“Yes, but I think that this project will need a more comprehensive strategy, and content creation could play a large role in that. We can’t undervalue a strong social media strategy. Ella excels at selling without the consumer even realizing they’re being advertised to. In this case, we’re selling you and your new image, but it has to feel authentic. If it feels forced or heavy handed in any way, we will get backlash. I think a subtle, nuanced approach is key.”

“And you think she is the one to provide that?” he asks, hisvoice dripping with disbelief as he takes in my hideous outfit, which is anything but subtle or nuanced.

“I do,” Emily says, shifting uncomfortably in her chair. “This morning has been a bit of a whirlwind for all of us. This new assignment is a surprise to the entire department, but I assure you, you’re in good hands. We will create a strategy that is sure to accomplish the board’s directives. Ella will be a vital part of that; she is an exemplary employee. She’s just had a shock of a morning, like the rest of us.”