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My eyes bugged out of my face. “What?”
Adele rolled her eyes. “NotthatAdele.”
I laughed warmly. “Well, no, but you do bear a strong resemblance to her. Did you know?”
“I’ve been told so, but I honestly don’t see it.” Adele crinkled her cute nose. “I couldn’t hold a tune if I tried.” She handed me some items. “Now, here is your lanyard. It’s important not to lose your lanyard. It has your security card attached to it.”
I studied the card tied to the black lanyard which sported the Estate Styles brand name. “Security card?”
“Yes. You’ll need it to move around certain parts of the building. It’s a secure place. It’s not open to everyone. Otherwise, our design ideas would walk straight out the door.”
I’d never thought high-end fashion was a competitive market, so her explanation made perfect sense.
“Speaking of security…” Adele pushed a stack of paper toward me. “This is your contract. It’s also a confidentiality agreement. You need to read it over and sign it before I can allow you to go any further.”
I flicked through the pages. “This is serious stuff.”
“It certainly is. All of our livelihoods depend on everyone’s ability to keep company secrets. I had to fill out a similar one when I started.”
I read through the clauses. Basically, if I even told someone about any business practices that weren’t public knowledge, I could be sued.
After a few moments, Adele dangled a pen in front of me. “Are you in, or are you out, Sienna?”
With a gulp, I took the pen from her and signed my damn life away.
“Brilliant. Welcome aboard. Everyone’s already in the conference room on the first floor.”
While making my way to the first-floor conference room, I noticed the eight other trainees already seated around the large glass desk.
“Ah, another new face.” A woman with a sharp bob of brown hair approached me and held her hand out. “Linda Barnes.”
I shook her hand. “Hey, I’m Sienna. So nice to meet you.”
“And you. Please, take a seat, and we’ll get started, shall we?”
After shedding my coat, I straightened my cream cheesecloth blouse, then slid into the one remaining empty swivel chairs.
A redhead with pale skin tapped me on the shoulder. “Hi, I’m Riva.”
I inclined my head. “Sienna.”
“You’re from America?”
“Yeah.”
The young woman’s eyes widened, and I stifled a laugh. This girl couldn’t have been more than nineteen or twenty. It looked like she wasn’t just starting in the fashion world but also in life as an adult. “I’d love to go there one day.”
Before I could respond, Linda cleared her throat. “Riva? You can drill Sienna all you like in your spare time. As for now, please pay attention.”
Riva grimaced. “Sorry, Ms. Barnes.”
“It’s Linda.” She clapped her hands together. “Right, now first of all, let me say I am incredibly glad you’re all here. I know a lot of you have put in great effort to be here for this incredible opportunity that most people in this company would die for. The reason you were chosen for this training course is because during the interview process, we saw something special in you. You all stood out from the crowd in one way or another. After today, you will be allocated to different departments, depending on how you perform today’s tasks. Think of today as not only your induction to Estate Stylesbut also a practical assessment of your abilities, your strengths, and weaknesses.” Linda held up a hand. “I know it sounds terrifying, but trust me, its purpose is truly nothing more than to split you into your placements. We want the best people in the best positions.”
Beside me, Riva began breathing exercises.
“First of all, let’s go around the group and introduce ourselves.” Linda pointed at me.
I flashed a slight wave at the group. “Hi, I’m Sienna. I’m from Northern California, and I arrived in London yesterday. I’m so excited about my job with Estate Styles.”
