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Aria’s amber eyes told me that she knew exactly what I was doing, and she was quiet for a minute while she decided if she wanted to press the issue. Finally, she just sighed and shook her head. “No, but I have some meetings with a few potential clients....”
Monday mornings atPoleman’s were usually pretty quiet. Most of the stylists spent the day working on style guides for their clients while they nursed their hangovers from the weekend. My Monday morning, however? It was pure chaos.
As soon as I stepped off of the elevator I was greeted by June’s assistant frantically gesturing for me to follow her. When I sat down in front of June, I was handed a box of files that were kept on Chairwoman Bells. Along with the box was a list of dos and don'ts that equated to: ‘Dotell her she looks wonderful in everything,’ and ‘Don’tever bring anything in the color yellow.’ They were pretty typical stylist rules, but with the grave face that June wore when she handed them to me, I would need to read and re-read the list so that I didn’t mess up.
From there I was ushered into the bullpen to gather my stylist tool kit and past a now full office of stylists who shot me looks ranging from neutral to downright nasty. Zoey was conspicuously absent, but Yvonne, Natalia, and Marina more than made up for that with their pinched expressions.
I spent the short car ride to the San Francisco Omega Academy frantically going through the files and trying to formulate a game plan. I wasn’t bringing any clothing since June told me to treat this like a stylist consultation, but I still wanted to have an idea of Amelia Bells’ style just in case I was asked. Looking at the outfits that Zoey had styled for her in the past, Amelia Bells preferred sleek, monotone looks that made a statement. There were several pictures of impeccably tailored pantsuits and elegant ball gowns. I also saw that she spent a near exorbitant amount of money on clothing—more than most of my clients did at least. I knew that she was mated to one of the state senators and that the other two alphas in her pack also made pretty good money in their jobs, but the amount I was looking at was still ridiculous.
Not your business, Madeline,I scolded myself.Remember: she hates stylists who have opinions on things other than clothing.
The driver of the car that I was riding in pulled up to the curb and turned to look at me. I had driven with him a few times before, and he’d always been pretty friendly. He was an older man with wild gray hair that had been tamed under a tweed flat cap.
“How long do you think you’ll be in there?” He nodded towards the SFOFA building, a place I’d only been a few times before when I was with Eloise visiting Tibby.
“Uhh...” I honestly had no idea how long I’d be inside. It could be a quick twenty-minute introduction or much, much longer, and I couldn’t give him any kind of timeline.
The driver just smiled, “how about I come back in an hour?”
“That works, thank you....” I realized that I’d never gotten his name.
“Tobey.” The driver supplied.
“Thank you, Tobey. Sorry I didn’t ask the other times that you drove me anywhere.” I was usually so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I barely noticed who was driving me to my next appointment, let alone what their names were.
“It’s alright, Ms. Zhao. Most of the stylists ignore us completely.” Tobey tipped his hat at me like he was an old English gentleman, and I slid out of the backseat and onto the busy sidewalk. Tobey pulled away from the curb, leaving me and my nerves still standing on the sidewalk.
Okay, Madeline, big smiles. Cheerful. Bubbly.I chanted inside of my head as I greeted the front desk assistant inside. The lobby was empty of omegas, who were probably all still asleep since it was still before nine. The front desk assistant led me to one of the elevators.
“Chairwoman Bells’ assistant will be waiting for you on the twenty-fifth floor.” The grumpy-looking blonde said.
Cheerful and bubbly,I reminded myself as I shot the assistant a bright smile. “Thank you so much!” I said as the doors slid shut. As soon as they were closed, the smile slipped from my face, and I was left alone with my nerves. I mentally went over the dos and don’ts again in my head as each beep of the elevator signaled another floor climbed.
Finally I made it to the top floor of the SFOFA building where all of the upper-administrators worked. It was also the location of Chairwoman Bells’ office.
The doors slid open, revealing a friendly looking young woman in a floral business casual dress. My cheerful mask was back on as I stepped off of the elevator and greeted her. “Hi there, I’m Madeline Zhao, Chairwoman Bells’ new stylist.”
The woman didn’t hold a hand out to me, which I expected. Chairwoman Bells’ hated shaking hands, and the rest of her office emulated that. It was number twelve on her don’ts list.
“Hi, Madeline, the Chairwoman has been waiting for you. She’s got about an hour in her schedule for you, but I’d keep it to thirty or so minutes.” Number sixteen on her don’ts list was don’t waste her time. That was fine by me, I just wanted to get a list of events that she’d need me to dress her for, and what colors she was thinking of for the upcoming Christmas season.
“Thanks for letting me know...?”
“Charity.” The woman seemed surprised by my question, but a genuine smile stretched across her face. It was clear that most people didn’t ask for her name when they came through the office. Charity led me past the closed administrator’s office doors and into what looked like a secondary waiting room. The ceilings of the room were vaulted, and a long desk sat in front of a closed wooden door.
Charity rounded the desk and pushed a button on her phone. “Chairwoman Bells? Madeline Zhao is here from Poleman’s for your nine o’clock appointment.”
“Thank you Chelsea. Send her right in.” Bells’ voice came through the speaker, and Charity winced.
“Right away ma’am.” Charity replied and took her finger off of the button.
“How long have you worked here?”
“Two years.” Charity said and gave a sheepish shrug of her shoulders. “The Chairwoman is too busy to learn a secretary’s name. She’s got a lot on her plate.” Was the only explanation she gave. It was obvious immediately to me exactly what kind of person that Chairwoman Bells was, and it did nothing for my nerves.
Charity held the wood door behind the desk open, and I sucked in a deep breath, and let it out slowly before plastering the brightest smile that I could manage on my face and stepping inside.
The office was huge, and featured floor to ceiling glass windows that had the perfect view of the bay in all of its gloomy glory. Sleek white leather couches were arranged in the middle of the room with a coffee table in the middle, and there were several pots of plants that provided greenery into what would otherwise be a cold space. A long antique wood desk was placed in front of the windows and the leather chair behind it was turned so that it was facing the window.
