Here it is! Chapter One of my newest. I hope you like reading it as much as I loved writing it.
Chapter-1 "Romeo? Where art thou?"
Juliana's point of view
"Please, Denise, you HAVE to let me stay" I wailed, earning some annoyed glares from the other employees. Denise Carlton only shook her head and continued to walk up the hallway, armfuls of papers and designing books.
I made a face as the hallways were filled with clipty-clop of office heels. I had never liked office heels; they weren't nearly as high and treacherous as I liked them to be. I was certainly never going to wear them while I was here.
IF Denise dearest let me stay, that is.
"Denise" I began but she cut me off, her tone brisk and official. I didn't like that tone she used on me.
"Juliana, there really is nothing that I can do. It's absolutely against the rules of the new contract. It clearly states that neither you nor Mr. Grayson's sons can work in this firm. And what would your father say…." Denise said but I broke in.
"My father never has to find out. Please Denise I need this job" I begged the older woman. Denise looked down at me, suddenly her age of sixty-odd years very apparent on her face. Wispy white hair and twinkling blue eyes, Denise was no less than a mom to me.
"Yes, I heard from the grapevine that you left home?" Denise scrutinized me critically behind those rimless glasses. We reached her desk where she sat down and I leaned against the wall, by the table.
"I didn't leave home" I contradicted but quieted at once when I saw her death glare. "I moved out temporarily" I murmured.
"And why would you even have reason to do something like that, Juliana?" Denise demanded, preoccupied by the papers on her desk.
"You KNOW why, Denise" I insisted, looking away. I heard the woman sigh.
She knew how Dana and my mother treated me for the past year. She knew what I had to go through. I think she even understood why I simply had to do this job.
She had practically raised me. Denise was my father's receptionist and had shifted her work from my father's HQ to the interior designing firm. The firm had been merged with another company's firm and nothing felt the same anymore.
For one thing, the décor had been updated. Other thing was that an equal number of employees had been imported from the Grayson firm as there were from the Ford firm.
'To balance it out' as Denise had said.
"Okay, but I know nothing of this" Denise finally complied and I solemnly nodded before rushing out joyfully.
'YES! I finally got a chance to prove myself!' I cheered and got into my Black Mercedes in the basement. If I was working in this firm, I had to become someone else.
I just had to get those corporate secrets for my father. I wouldn't rest until I had found them and clinched them. The firm was a joint venture of 3 parties actually; Ford Industries, Grayson International and the Prestige Group. We and Graysons owned 40% shares each so the other party was often neglected. My plan was to first buy out the 20% of the Prestige Group and then when we were the 60% majority company, handle the Graysons. I was confident in my abilities to do it.
I went a few blocks down, into lower Manhattan where I stopped at my favorite store.
Jimmy Choo.
If I had to blend in by wearing those ugly office heels, I might as well do it with style. I took my time, carefully choosing my Jimmy Choos in bold black. My next stop was at Gorgio Armani.
I simply had to buy a suit. And no Reid and Taylor or Raymond was enough for me. After my mini shopping spree and a coffee break at Starbucks, it was time to get back to the firm.
The new bosses and employees would be there and I had to figure out how to get them to let me stay on in the firm.
Of course, having the perfect skinny frame, brightest blue eyes, impeccable blonde hair and a million dollar smile always helped with my people-skills and came in handy while convincing anyone of anything.
I actually had an immutable law of the universe; nothing, and I mean, nothing can get past Juliana Ford's puppy-dog face without melting into a puddle of warm mush. (You had better note this down, it might come in handy).
So all I had to do was to look straight into the boss's eyes and tell him that I needed the job. Throw in a few heart felt tears if necessary. Then howdy, Ford-Grayson firm.
As soon as I entered the office building, I went into the office library to pick up a schedule. I knew that there was a box of programs in the library that listed all the meetings and things that were happening today. After all the legalities were completed, the staff would know who stood where on the totem pole of the firm and what their contracts were.
I found the schedules and scanned the page. There was a huge presentation in about half an hour, open to any aspiring interior decorator. It said that they could showcase a few themes that would be run past the board which would help them decide what post the candidate would be placed at in the firm.
Great!
I had great ideas and designs. All I needed were some techy-terms that would raise the bar a little. Maybe I should get a book on interior designing and presentations in the library.
That seemed like the perfect idea; to prepare for an impromptu presentation. So I began to search the vast oceans of shelves of the library for that one book I had read a few months ago. I knew it would be the best bet for the occasion.
After what seemed like an eternity, I located the book and pulled it out eagerly. Going through the concerned parts thoroughly, I felt ready for the presentation. I leaned against the shelves, confidence rushing through me.
I have always been an extrovert and public speaking was a pleasure to me. My overly-cheerful nature, stubborn beliefs and slight cynicism made me lovable and popular in high school.
But I had never lied or cheated. Those were the things I just couldn't stand. I had the faithfulness and loyalty of a cocker spaniel. At least my attention span was no longer than a spaniel's.
With my looks, money and personality, you'd think boys would be attracted to me like moths to a flame. But sadly, that was not the case. With my modeling and talent (cough, cough; those are not my words), I thought I'd have more romantic history than I do. What can I say, boys want a girl to like them and fawn over them. But I can never bite down my ego enough to do that.
Oh did I forget to mention that? My ego is the size of Mt. Everest. I can never take an insult or jibe, sitting down. I always rise up to a challenge.
This was why Juliana was on a mission; to get daddy's praise and Dana's forgiveness. I was completely focused on issue at hand, to rock the seminar today that I forgot one tiny little thing.
To notice a library ladder ram into me from the left.
At first, all I could feel was the blinding, nerve shattering pain that tore through my skull. Then the deadening feeling I got when the cold floor touched my cheek. The faint voices in the background.
The one overwhelming sense that I got was hearing a chuckle. It wasn't like any other ordinary chuckle I had heard before. This one was…amused.
Amused that I was lying on the ground like that!
"Are you okay?" my eyes regained sight and I took in what was before me. A young man, of about 22, my age, was leaning over me. He was trying to look concerned but I could that it took all his will not to burst in hysterical laughter right then and there.
I scowled furiously. How could he laugh at me? When I was lying on the ground helplessly. As if reading my thoughts, he held out his hand and pulled me up to my feet and stepped back, still smiling.
"Ow!" I groaned, rubbing my throbbing skull.
I heard a small, muffled cackle and I glared at him at once.
"Don't you know it's rude to laugh at someone who's hurt?" I demanded.
"I am so s-sorry" he managed to look solemn. But the giggles could not be contained. He exploded again and he held his stomach as if his sides were splitting.
I stood, glowering with my arms crossed. I used that to time to inspect the man in front of me. My breath caught as I took in his lithe, chiseled physique, muscular and yet very lean, light brown hair that looked exoctically soft to touch.
An attractive velvety voice that could be akin to that of an angel's; a glowing tan; angular and devastatingly inhuman facial features set in with marble and that smile. That smile could melt diamonds in a matter of seconds. His eyes were a hypnotic blue-grey that made you want to swoon.
I blushed, realizing that I was looking at him a lot longer than necessary and dropped my eyes to the floor.
An uncontrollable urge to laugh made its way onto my lips that stretched into an involuntary smile.
"See? Now there's a good sport" he grinned, seeing my face.
"Good sport? You could have killed me with that ladder!" I shouted. "I could have a concussion!" I yelled in exasperation.
"But you don't" he said in a sing-song voice that infuriated me.
We stood for a long time, just glaring at each other when finally I realized that I had a meeting to get to. I scooped up my book from the floor and hurried to the door.
"Hey, lady!" I heard him call out behind me. I turned to see him picking up his book off the floor too. What I didn't see was the closed door in front of me and I nearly rammed into it too.
"Watch where you're going" he said, laughing and turning away.
I yanked the door open in a huff and fled the room. I had to get that insolent, arrogant, gorgeous, chauvinist jerk out of my mind and focus on my seminar. I made my way into the conference room which had about 15 people in it. Judging from their attire, only a few were here to actually give the interview.
"Sorry I'm late" I practically ran to my seat and sat down with a plop. I earned some surprised and horrified glances from the former employees of the firm but thankfully, no one said a word.
"You are…" the boss asked me.
"Oh, I'm…Cameron. Cameron Santiago" I told him hesitantly.
Cameron was my middle name. So technically I wasn't completely lying. Was I?
"Okay. Do you want to present your ideas?" he asked me. I nodded. He wrote my name down and motioned to the front of the conference table.
I stood excitedly in front of the projector screen, mentally doing a happy dance.
"I'm Cameron Santiago and I want to show you my vision as an interior designer" I began confidently. "To begin with, I have this quote by my role model designer" I opened the book in my hands and opened Page 64, the one I had marked. I cleared my throat and began reading loudly.
"Romeo, Romeo! Where art thou, Romeo?!" I said clearly and froze. A feeling of dread crept over me. This wasn't…..not…..
I fingered over the title that read- 'ROMEO AND JULIET'.
Suddenly the door flew open and a young man came in.
"Hey I'm here! Sorry I'm late!".
At that, the whole audience burst into laughter and the young man looked at me in confusion. I saw his eyes widen as he recognized me.
The boy from the library.
The audience seemed to find this incident, this uncanny coincidence hilarious and began to hoot and whistle at 'Romeo'. 'Romeo' looked slowly from my petrified expression to the book I held open in my hands and shock registered in his crystal eyes.
He glanced sharply at the book in his hands- 'ARCHITECTURE AND DÉCOR', holding it up for me to see.
I knew I had grabbed the wrong book off the library floor so it was my fault but this was beyond humiliating. It was like time was frozen at that moment, with strident laughter swirling all around me, echoing in the room.
No one cared about Cameron's vision anymore. It was all about 'Romeo and Juliet' now. I held my breath, hoping for the moment to pass but it seemed to stretch out forever. These people were laughing at me!
I was a joke, a freak.
I had had enough. Grabbing the offensive book, I ran out the door, brushing past 'Romeo'. I could hear my pulse hammering in my ears, my heels clip-clopping on the marble floor, my breath coming out in ragged pants.
The tears of anger and disappointment prickled at the back of my eyelids, but I fought desperately to keep them at bay. I found an empty conference room at the end of the hallway and ran in.
The tears wouldn't be held back any longer. I came here to win my father's trust, make him proud. I came here to establish my name in the corporate world. I had meant to finally come out hiding in the closet and made a big splash. But wow!
Look what I had done!
I hadn't gracefully stepped out of the closet, with my new caterpillar-to-butterfly transformation; I had fallen out. On my face.
And I had never had anyone laugh at me like that before. So it stung. A lot. Maybe my father was too protective. If I hadn't experienced this, then surely I had missed out on a lot.
"Hey are you okay?" a head popped in through the door. I looked up and saw 'Romeo' peeing inside with a wary smile on his handsome face.
"No. Go away" I mumbled and buried my face into my hands.
"Look, these things happen. You just have to get over them and fight" he laughed lightly and I glared at him coldly.
"All those people were laughing at me! They were making fun of me!" I cried, trying not to sound like a 5 year old.
He studied me, bemused.
"I don't see what the problem is. People make fun of you. No big deal" he shrugged.
"No one has ever made fun of me before" I said, feeling embarrassed.
"What?! No one?!" he looked incredulous. I shook my head.
"Haven't you been to a place called 'high school'?" he asked me, kneeling down before me.
"Yeah. But in private school, I was always queen been and no one bothered me" and then I stopped myself as his eyes widened. I was acting like a rich brat.
'He must think I am a total snob' I thought helplessly.
"If you went to private school, why are you working here?" he asked me, his glorious eyes alight with curiosity.
"It's…complicated" I sighed and stood up.
He followed suit, smiling.
"Define 'complicated'" he prompted. I just shook my head.
"Oh well, we better get back" and he opened the door. I was relieved that he decided to let it go.
"Oh and by the way, I'm Cameron Santiago" I offered my hand.
"Oh I'm Spencer" and then he stopped suddenly, looking as if he had done something wrong.
"Steve!" he blurted, before I could fully react.
"Spencer or Steve…?" I pressed, surprised by his guarded expression. He seemed to be nervous.
"S-Spencer S-Stevenson" he murmured, looking like he regretted it. "Well, nice to meet you. Gotta go, I'll catch you later" Spencer told me and hurried off, like he couldn't get away fast enough.
'Hmmm, strange' I thought.
Very strange.
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