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I wouldn’t say young, though, since his forty-years of age was a huge difference to my twenty-five.
“I mean if I were you, I'd be imagining what he looks like.” Naomi continued to ramble on. “I’m sure more people, at some point, have wondered what he looks like. I bet those photos from behind do not do any justice to the real deal.”
“If you’re going to daydream, do it outside my cubicle please,” I reply curtly, feigning anger.
Naomi raised a brow. “Girl, don't make me have to teach you all about the joys of daydreaming again. How do you even write without a little splash of that ability?”
“Yeah yeah.” I rolled my eyes at Naomi. It was the same old story she always told me since we were in college, and like always, I wasn't the least bit fazed. “Go, please. I’ve got a lot of work to do.”
“Fine, but this conversation isn’t over,” Naomi said as she stood up, pointing a finger at me. I knew to expect this. She’ll keep talking about it just like always.
I returned to digging up as much information as I could on Ethan Beckett the instant Naomi was out of my cubicle—that's if you consider furiously typing all sorts of questions into the search bar and coming up with nothing but click bait articles productive.
I realized then if I did this interview with him and wrote an article, it would be the first ever piece to be written about this man personally. Instead of feeling honored as some people would, I only felt the heavy weight on my shoulders becoming unbearable to carry.
Throughout the morning, I tried to prepare myself as much as I could, reading through the pre-determined questions and coming up with scenarios if he didn’t answer the way I wanted, and how best to tackle such situations. I knew I'd have to come up with some on the spot depending on how the interview went, and I could already anticipate how difficult it may be with this mystery man.
After doing everything I could to prepare, I knew I was as ready as I would ever be. So, as I left for the Beckett Technologies headquarters that afternoon, I tried my best to put on an extra coat of confidence and a shield of aloofness too. I was more than ready to deal with whatever could be thrown at me by this man.
The journey to Beckett Technologies swarmed me with anxiety as every time I turned on the busy streets of New York, something reminded me of the great assignment I was aboutto embark. Billboard after billboard had an advertisement forHealthverse, and so did many of the passing buses. The revelation of just how popular this healthcare platform was gave me a kind of propelling force of energy. The public needed to know a few things about the man behind the platform, and I wanted to be the one to bring it to them.
Feeling reenergized, there was a spring in my step as I hailed a taxi and hopped in, ready for this adventure.
When I arrived at Beckett Technologies, my imminent fear set in as I glanced around the huge metallic and glass-looking building, wondering how anyone managed to contain the excitement of working at such a place. There were reception desks and security guards at every corner of the building and luckily for me, Mr. Beckett was expecting me, so I didn’t have to go through too much of a hassle.
By the time I was finally led to the main office of Ethan Beckett, I still had about ten minutes to spare. His assistant, Miss. Kent, asked me to take a seat since Mr. Beckett’s schedule was always tight. He was currently in another meeting but would be back by three.
What a lovely approach to life.
I made a mental note, not wanting to tip off his assistant by writing it down in my notepad. I didn't know if she could tell I was nervous as I sat in one of the guest chairs, glancing anxiously at my wristwatch every other second. I wondered if he would even show up or arrive on time, believing there was no way a human being could stick to such a rigid schedule without any delays. And as time ticked by, my worries were confirmed. Or so I thought.
About two minutes to three, I heard the elevator ding and a tall figure in a dark-colored suit walked in briskly and headed right for the huge double doors to the right side of the assistant.I didn't even know when I did it, but I realized I was standing as soon as those broad shoulders had disappeared into the office.
Damn it, I couldn't even get a look at his face! Why did he have to walk so fast?
Miss. Kent picked up her telephone then and made a call to Mr. Beckett, and when it was exactly 3:00 pm on the dot, I was ushered into his office.
What a detailed man. Interesting.
As I walked through the door, I felt a daunting sense of awareness wash over me as I glanced around the dimly lit office. The place was large and every piece of furniture was intimidating, but not as much as the man seated right behind the big black desk. As my eyes closed in on his well-structured and angular features, and locked gazes with those sea-green eyes, I felt my entire world shatter as realization flushed through my brain.
How on earth did I not guess that this Ethan Beckett and my brother’s friend were one and the same? Well, I never expected that douchebag to become so influential.
Memories of the two other times I've met him flashed through my mind as I felt my stomach knot up in pain and my chest tighten with disgust. I remembered his mocking tone when he annoyingly criticized the article I wrote for the high school newspaper eight years ago. To others, it may not have seemed to have been that big of a deal, but to me, it was devastating. It took until my sophomore year in college to get over his harsh criticism and to be able to write again. Now I was expected to write an article on this same person.
Even though it has been eight years since that life-altering day, I still hated this man with every fiber of my being, even though he was the most attractive man to ever grace the face of the earth.
What was wrong with me?
2
Ethan
My gaze remained on the projector in front of me as my fingers drummed a slow rhythmic beat on the table. I could feel the bated tension in the air as Daniel, the head of the marketing team, stood up to explain to me why this interview they wanted me to do would be beneficial to Beckett Technologies andHealthverse.
Although I’d reluctantly agreed to the interview two days ago and asked number 44, what I called my assistant, to set up a meeting with one of the reporters atThe Daily Chronicle, it had been on the condition that the marketing team would do a presentation for me, explaining the perks of this interview. Not exempting the pros and cons of the article.
It might appear this presentation was uncalled for, but I valued my time more than anything else and if I’m going to be sparing it for something I consider unnecessary, I needed convincing. And Daniel knew that I would call off the interview, even if it was scheduled for thirty minutes from now. I couldn’t care less what happened and I already had another meeting tentatively scheduled for that time in case the marketing team wasn’t able to convince me to move forward.
