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Olivia
Walking into the bustling newsroom ofThe Daily Chronicle, I could feel my heart racing with anticipation. I’ve been here just under a month and every day there’s an air of excitement, and today was no exception. As I glanced around the large, open space, everyone seemed busy; some typing away on their computers or talking on the telephone and others were rushing around like there was a fire to quench.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see my editor, Mr. Thompson, waving his hand at me, trying to get my attention. I walked toward him, careful not to keep him waiting.
“Good morning, Mr. Thompson. You wanted to see me?”
“Olivia,” Mr. Thompson greeted me with a smile as I entered his office. “I have a new assignment for you.”
I didn’t know my editor very well yet, but he seemed like a nice guy and he was always juggling multiple things at the same time, which seemed rather impressive to me. Getting a new assignment was definitely something I loved. I didn't want to walk on eggshells just because I'm the newbie, nor look like I couldn’t do much.
“What’s it about?” I asked.
“It’s a profile piece on Ethan Beckett,” Mr. Thompson said, handing me a folder with information on the man, “for our May issue of our monthly magazine. He's the CEO of Beckett Technologies, one of the largest healthcare technology companies. He's notoriously private and an aloof person, and no one has been able to nail down an interview, until now, and I want you to take on this assignment.”
I scanned through the folder, trying to get a feel for what kind of man he was, the company, and what the job would entail. As I read through the file, I realized it was full of information about his company and the new healthcare platform that was making waves,Healthverse. But there wasn’t really anything about the man himself. In fact, there was very little background information and no pictures as though he didn't exist as more than just a name. At this point, worry set in. I worried that I wasn’t the best person for the job. I’m the new girl, the new person on the team.Wouldn’t someone more experienced be better for this assignment?
I could feel my palms start to sweat as I looked up at Mr. Thompson. “Are you sure, sir? I mean, am I the right person for this assignment?”
Mr. Thompson gave me a look suggesting he wasn't about to change his mind. I couldn’t tell if he was perturbed by my question. “Olivia, you have the makings of a fine journalist. The pieces you have done since being here and the samples of your prior work prove this. I think you will do a good job and your demeanor may just be the ticket to finally get him to open up. Besides, this is an excellent opportunity for you to showcase yourself here at theChronicle. Don't let the opportunity go to waste.”
I nodded as though I was convinced, but I knew deep down Mr. Thompson was more convinced than I was. Without muchpersonal information about this man, my mind started to go through so many scenarios on how best to approach this.
“Mr. Thompson, can I ask why he is agreeing to an interview now?”
“Honestly, I don’t know.Healthversehas been making a lot of waves in the industry and on the news. I think some of his team members must have finally convinced him to do an interview. Oh, I forgot. It’s scheduled for today at 3 pm.”
“Today?” I half yelled, perturbed. “Why so soon if the magazine isn’t coming out until May?”
“Yes, today. We always plan several months out for our feature articles. Now get to it and make the magic happen.”
Make the magic happen.
As I walked back to my desk, I could feel the weight of the assignment on my shoulders as those words followed me. This could be big. It was the biggest assignment I have had since I started and I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare.
How am I going to write a profile on a man who has been so aloof in the past that there was little to no information on him?How am I going to get him to open up and find the real story?
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. I could do this. I’m a journalist, a good journalist after all and I thrived on challenges like this. But, as I sat down at my desk and started going through the folder once again, I knew those words weren’t ingrained in my mind at the moment. There wasn’t anything in there that would help me get any kind of inkling on what kind of person Ethan Beckett was and what I should expect from him.
What have I gotten myself into?
As much as I wanted to sit here and brood all day, I knew I needed to do something. I pulled out my laptop and keyed those names into the search bar, believing I may find something different from what Mr. Thompson had in the file. Well, as theyalways said, believing was the key ingredient to faith. Not today though. I couldn’t find anything else about the man other than his name and age. I mean what was I supposed to deduce from the fact that he's forty years old?
He was mentioned on the Forbes list under forty CEOs to watch when he was thirty-six and even then, there was no picture of him or anything personal.
How does someone manage to be so socially inept?
“Hey, girl,” I heard Naomi's cheerful voice and looked up to find her walking into my cubicle, her hazel eyes blazing with curiosity and excitement.
“Morning, Naomi,” I replied, my mood a contrast to hers.
“Why the long face?” she asked, pulling a chair back and sat down comfortably. “Shouldn’t you be brimming with excitement about your new project?”
“I wish.” I scoffed. “How can I be excited about having to interview someone whose name and age is the only thing the world knows about him? Is this interview with a vampire or something?”
Naomi chuckled, throwing her head back. “Come on, aren’t you the least bit excited about it? He's mysterious, rich, and quite young.”
