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Rowan offers me a bored look. “Go on.” He looks around the room. “Get back to work, everyone.”
Everyone follows his royal decree like the faithful foot soldiers we are to the Kane brand.
Jenny takes the time to show me my new workspace. My jaw drops open as I take a look inside my cubicle. I’ve never had my own office, and I’m in awe at the L-shaped desk in the corner with dual monitor screens taking up a chunk of space. There’s even a shiny new laptop in one corner, just waiting to be opened up.
I drop into the luxurious rolling chair and run a hand over the ergonomic keyboard.
Look at me, having grown-up things like a desk and my very own stapler.I click it twice to make sure I’m not dreaming.
Jenny readjusts her already pristine ponytail. “We’re thrilled to have you as a part of our team, Zahra. I’m glad Sam backed down pretty fast during our fight for you.”
“A fight overme?” The words seem ridiculous leaving my mouth.
She grins. “Don’t worry. I took it easy on him. I laid on the fake tears and he broke down quicker than a McDonald’s ice cream machine.”
We laugh. Compared to Regina, Jenny is a breath of fresh air.
“I’m the one who thought Mr. Kane needed to read your submission himself. Sam was a bit hesitant given the nature of the content.”
I wince. “I’m sorry.”
She waves her hand in the air. “Please. No apologies needed. We’re in such a time crunch and there’s no reason to apologize for stating how you feel. You’re the kind of Creator we need on our team.”
“Wow. I mean—thank you.”That went so much better than I thought.
“Let me give you a quick rundown of how things work around here. On Fridays, each Creator is responsible for presenting a new proposal. There’s a multi-step six-month process set in place to give Mr. Kane as many options as possible to choose from.”
“Choose for what?”
Jenny smiles. “He’s planning a fiftieth-anniversary update. A lot is riding on a project of this scale, so he expects us all to be at our best.”
“You got it! I won’t let you down.”
“I’ll let you get settled in. I hope you like Italian because the Betas planned a welcome lunch for you.”
“Only monsters hate Italian food.”
She laughs. “I knew you’d fit right in. See you at noon.” She walks out of the cubicle, leaving me with all my shiny new toys.
I might collapse from how nice everyone is here. It’s a much different vibe than I expected based on the stories I’ve heard about the Creators. My worries from before seem kind of silly now.
I slide my backpack underneath my desk before giving my rolling chair a spin. After my dizziness goes away, I swipe the stapler and press it together over and over again. Staples rain around me like celebratory confetti.
I feel Rowan before I see him. My neck tingles, and I look over my shoulder to find his eyes piercing my back like he wants to stab it.
“Yes?” I smile wide because I enjoy the way it makes his right eye twitch.
“Do you mind putting away your weapon before I start speaking?” His eyes narrow at the stapler.
“Is the big bad Mr. Kane afraid of a little stapler?” I click it a few times in his direction. The staples fly in the air before landing a few inches from my ballet flats.
“I wouldn’t trust you with bubble wrap, let alone a stapler.”
“You’re right. That choking hazard warning should be taken more seriously.”
A strange noise between a scoff and a groan escapes from his throat, and I classify it as a laugh.Looks like he has a personality after all.
I place the stapler back on my desk where it belongs.
