Chapter One

My hair was a mess. No, it was more than just a mess. It was uncontrollable. It angered me, but I had no choice but to deal with it. Eventually I decided to leave it down. "Elena, I cannot thank you enough for doing this interview for me." Caroline said hoarsely. She was sick and yet, she manged to look ten times better than me. "It's not a big deal. I'll do anything for a friend." I smiled, placing a bowl of soup in front of her. She sat up, thanking me for the soup. I picked up her recorder and notepad. "Remember to ask every single question on the notepad, and please don't leave anything out." she said. I nodded and put out another box of tissues for her before leaving. Mystic Falls was the home of the five founding families - the Salvatores, the Lockwoods, the Forbes, the Fells, and of course, the Gilberts. It was a long drive to Richmond and I didn't want to be late for the interview with the billionaire Damon Salvatore. I hardly knew anything about him and I spent all last night studying for school. Caroline Forbes had been one of my best friends growing up. In all honesty, I would do anything for her and that included the interview. I parked my car right in front of the building, entering into the main lobby. "Hi, I'm here to interview Mr. Salvatore." I smiled at the receptionist and even I thought she was beautiful. She handed me a vistors pass and told me to go to the twentieth floor.

I thanked her before making my way to the elevator and as soon as the doors opened, I stepped in. The elevator stopped at the twentieth floor and I got out into another lobby, similar to the first but this one had much larger windows. "You must be Elena Gilbert. Please have a seat. Mr. Salvatore will be right with you." The woman smiled, motioning to one of the sofas in the lobby. I sat down and patiently waited to be called. Every woman I had seen had blonde hair, which meant that I stood out from them. I never really thought of myself as being a looker. A man stepped out of Mr. Salvatore's office, shaking hands with him. "I'll call when the process is done Salavtore." The man smiled. After releasing his hand from the handshake, he walked to the elevator. "You may enter Miss Gilbert." The woman said. I stood up, straightened my clothing that I didn't want wrinkled and entered through the door.

The room was large and spacious. It took my breath away. I closed the door behind me after entering, and then I was met with a pair of blue eyes. My heart pounded against my chest and I found myself staring at him for too long because I caught him smirking at me. I looked away, blushing a bit. Oh god. Why didn't Caroline tell me he was young and that he's hot? I wonder how he is. I quickly snapped out of my thoughts. "I was expecting Miss Forbes." He said, sitting down on one of the couches in the room. They were white leather couches. "Miss Forbes is not well." I told him. He motioned for me to sit down and I sat on another couch, facing him. "Ah, well that's too bad. I see you have a few questions to ask me." he said. I nodded and quickly added, "Yes. They're for the school newspaper." He made a motion for me to ask him. I pressed the record button on the recorder and began asking him questions from the notepad.

"What was the reason you started this business?" I asked.

"I want to help make the world a better place, but also help those poor kids who aren't able to get good nutrition in the places where they live. It kills me that people don't realize not everyone is treated equally." he answered.

"What are your upcoming plans?"

"To work on the situation that we have here. First, I'd start with Mystic Falls."

"Why Mystic Falls?"

"It's a beautiful town with lots of history. I wouldn't want to see the town being built for commercial purposes. I want to keep Mystic Falls the way it is. I know some of the buildings may be old, but they've been there for over a hundred years. You can learn a lot from a town that's been around for that long."

"Are you gay?" I simply regretted asking him this question, but it was on Caroline's notepad of questions. I mean, was it really necessary to ask a guy like Damon Salvatore if he was gay. He worked with girls, yet he was never seen in public with one. That thought really stuck in my mind. "No." he said. The door opened and the woman peeked her head in. "Mr. Salvatore, your next appointment is here." she said. Damon looked at her and said, "Cancel my appointments for the rest of the afternoon." The woman flustered slightly and gave him a nod, then closed the door. I guess it wasn't just me who thought he was hot. I reached over and turned off the recorder. "I hope your questions aren't getting too personal." he said. I looked down at the notepad for any more possible questions I could ask that wouldn't get too personal, but sadly, most of them were asking about his family and I wasn't sure whether or not I should ask them. Maybe next time, if there is a next time. I thought to myself. "They're not mine. Caroline, I mean, Miss Forbes constructed these questions for the newspaper." I told him.

"I must go." I said, standing up as I gathered my belongings. "Let me walk you to the door." He stood up, opening the door for me and I walked out. We went to the elevator as he leaned over to press the button, my heart pounded against my chest. He was just inches away from actually touching me. We entered through the doors, into the empty elevator, and he pressed another button as we descened to the main lobby. The ride down was just as quiet as the ride up. The doors opened and I stepped out, then turned just in time to see him before the doors closed.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the only chapter that will be similar to FSOG (Fifty Shades of Grey) but other than that, the story itself will be different... MUCH different. Anyways, hope you enjoy! xoxo