Yup, that was her team... no-nonsense, capable, loyal, honest... and the hardest-working, most talented people in the industry. And they were all business, just like her.
Her chest swelled as she watched them leave to get back to work, patting each other on the back as they walked out, taking the noise with them.
Julia started this company at only twenty-six years old. She’d disappointed her parents by changing her major from pre-med to business administration. She lived off ramen and PB&J sandwiches for a good year just to scrape by as she worked tirelessly to research the industry, to find the holes, the opportunities. She fought pushback from the Korean beauty companies whohadn’t exactly welcomed her with open arms. And she stomached the start-up community’s boys’ club as she tried to secure funding for the company.
And four short years later, they were on the verge of something huge. Hard work and dedication had brought them to this level of success. So yeah, she was proud of them, proud of herself. And at only thirty, she was finally in a position financially to take care of her family without worry.
When the last person left her office, Julia turned to look out the windows, the hustle and bustle of Santa Monica ten floors below. She took a deep breath.
“That’s right, motherfuckers,” she screamed, while pumping her fist. She shook her hips back and forth, adding in some aggressive hair throws and, why the heck not, followed it with a body roll. “Oh yeah, uh-huh...”
“Oh dear, that’s something I’m not likely going to forget seeing.”
Record scratch.
Julia halted her celebratory dance and quickly patted down her hair, trying to tuck her I-knew-I’d-regret-these bangs behind her ear as her assistant, Annette, entered the office.
“Unlike what your schedule says on paper, you’ve onlyactuallyattended that hot yoga class once. Should you really be trying to move your body like that?” Annette asked. “I wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself.”
“You’re fired.”
Annette passed her the cup of black coffee in theMorning Personmug that she knew was a lie, along with a multivitamin and a probiotic. Breakfast of champions.
“Just remember that I know where the bodies are hidden. Oh, and I have those pictures of you from that one holiday party...”
“Okay, fine, you can stay,” Julia conceded.
“Is it a good time to ask for a raise?”
Julia tried to shoot Annette a glare but couldn’t keep back the smile. It was a secret to no one that Annette was invaluable to the Starlight team, and most days she was the one bossing Julia around. Julia shook her head and took a seat at her desk. “Can you forward theOmagazine email to the team so they know all the details?”
“You betcha,” Annette said. “Have you told your folks yet?”
“No, not yet. I don’t think they’d even understand what a big deal this is.”
“Make sure to tell them.” Annette wasn’t only her assistant, she was also her work-mother as well. “Oh, and here is the updated short list of investors we might want to approach for global expansion. One bad meeting doesn’t have to halt progress.”
One bad meeting was an understatement. The last time Julia had met with an investment firm for an informational meeting, they kept asking about her significant other, driving home that they were a family-run business built on traditional values. They looked at her as young and inexperienced not because of her age—she knew plenty of male CEOs who were thirty—but because she wasn’t married with children. In their eyes, Julia wasn’t reliable because she wasn’t settled... settleddown, that is.
Her accomplishments, alone, weren’t enough.
I’ll show them, she thought to herself as she gritted her teeth.
Julia grabbed the list from Annette with a little bit more force than necessary and nodded. “Thanks.”
“Hey.” Annette softened her voice like she so rarely ever did. The one word in that tone made Julia surprisingly emotional. “It’s a good day, boss lady. You should be proud.” She patted Julia on the shoulder before walking back to her desk just outside Julia’s office.
“It really is a good day,” said a bright and familiar voice from the doorway.
Julia pulled back as she saw her best friend, Sonia Oh, there with a bottle of champagne in one hand and a... saber?... in the other.
“They let you through building security with that?” Julia lifted her chin toward the very dangerous-looking knife.
“It was in my bag,” Sonia said, as if it was the most normal thing to be carrying around in one’s tote. Julia’s eyebrows shot up as she slowly leaned back away from the saber’s sharp point. “Don’t give me that look. Sabering champagne bottles is a lost art. Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”
Sonia lined the blade up to the top of the champagne bottle, and with a dramatic flick, the cork went flying.
Impressive.
