“Oh, I will.”She dumps the paper in the trash viciously, glitter floating through the air like malicious confetti.
It takes Eve an hour to sweep the glitter away and set up her desk properly again.She keeps muttering under her breath as she does.The ground is still sparkling, but the janitorial staff will deal with it.I make a mental note to leave them each a small gift for the extra work they’ll have to deal with.
The rest of the morning passes in tense silence as Eve and I work on the Serastra 70 campaign materials.Despite our mutual hostility, we fall into a surprisingly efficient rhythm.She handles the market research and demographic analysis while I focus on the visual concepts and messaging strategy.
Every so often, I catch her shooting murderous glances my way, but she keeps her comments strictly professional.“The target demographic skews older,” she says, sliding a report across to me.“Median age fifty-five, established wealth, traditional values.”
“Which is why the heritage angle works,” I reply, making notes on the mood board.“Classic elegance with modern upgrades.Not flashy, but sophisticated.”
“Exactly.”For a moment, she almost sounds like she’s agreeing with me, until she catches herself and adds, “Obviously.”
Around eleven-thirty, I overhear Iris talking to Holly at her assistant’s desk.“If Richard calls, tell him I’m in meetings all day,” Iris says, her voice strained.
Holly nods, her expression carefully neutral.“Of course.”
Flora, who’s just arrived late and is settling into her desk with her usual flurry of animal-themed accessories, catches my gaze and shakes her head, mouthing, ‘Trouble in paradise.’Iris disappears back into her office, and I can’t help but notice the tension in her shoulders.
By lunchtime, Eve and I have actually made significant progress on the campaign framework.She begrudgingly admits that some of my ideas have merit, though she phrases it as ‘not completely terrible.’
“I’m getting lunch,” she announces, standing and stretching.“Try not to sabotage anything while I’m gone.”
“Where’s the fun in that?”I call after her.She flips me off without turning around, which makes Joshua snort with laughter.
I’m finishing up some notes on the campaign timeline when my phone buzzes with a text from Ethan.The message makes me sigh:
‘My office.Now.’
* * *
Growingup with four siblings is not easy, especially when you’re the middle child.Out of all my three brothers, Ethan and Nick are the most ambitious.Ethan set up The Wilder Group five years ago by taking over failing companies and fixing them up.Nick has his own tech company.Jake, Ethan’s twin, took over our father’s law firm.Megan’s studying fashion.That leaves me.The lazy middle child.
I’m not ambitious.I’m not one to throw himself into his work like my brothers.I was perfectly content to fly under the radar.
I never wanted to run a company with employees under me.I didn’t want the responsibility.I also didn’t want to work for someone.So I started my marketing consultancy, a one-man show where I have to worry about no one but myself.
Of course, that makes me easy pickings for Ethan who keeps dragging me into his corporate messes like this one.If the company he acquires has a shitty marketing department, that somehow becomes my problem.The money is always good, but he’s a hard taskmaster, always wanting reports and constant updates.I just know that’s why he wants to see me today.I’ve not even been on the job for two weeks.Does he expect me to produce the corporate spy out of my ass?
As I approach, I spot Clarice Jameson at her desk just outside Ethan’s door.Ethan’s personal assistant has been with him since he started The Wilder Group, and she runs his schedule like a well-oiled machine.
“Afternoon, Clarice,” I say, pausing at her desk.
“Caleb.”She looks up from her computer screen, her sharp brown eyes giving me a professional smile that’s genuinely warm despite her no-nonsense demeanor.Her short cropped hair is perfectly styled as always, and in her tailored pencil skirt and crisp white blouse, she looks every inch the competent executive assistant.“How are you finding the Marketing Department?”
I think of Eve covered in glitter this morning, threatening to murder me with craft supplies, and fight back a grin.“Never a dull moment.”
“I’m sure there isn’t,” she says with a slight smile.“He’s waiting for you.Fair warning—Jake’s in there, too.”
“Should I be worried?”
She gives me a look that says she’s not buying my innocent act, but there’s no malice in it.Clarice has always been straightforward with everyone—friendly enough, but she keeps her professional distance.
I knock twice and push open the door without waiting for permission—a habit that’s gotten me in trouble since we were kids, but one I’ve never been able to break.
“You know, it’s lunchtime and I’m starving, so this better be—” I start, then stop short.
Ethan sits behind his massive mahogany desk, looking every inch the intimidating CEO in his perfectly tailored charcoal suit.His dark hair is slicked back without a strand out of place, and his amber eyes hold that cold calculation that’s made competitors wet themselves.At six feet tall with his trim beard and sharp features, he commands the room even when he’s sitting down.
Jake sprawls across the leather couch against the wall, looking perfectly at ease despite being in his brother’s domain.My older brother is the complete opposite of Ethan.Where Ethan is all sharp edges and controlled intensity, Jake radiates casual confidence.His expensive suit is slightly rumpled, his dark hair mussed like he’s been running his hands through it, and his tie is loosened.His hazel eyes sparkle with amusement.He may be Ethan’s twin but you’d never know it from looking at them.The only thing they share is their height and their terrifying competence in the corporate world.
