Page 44 of The Rebel Billionaire

His lips tilt slightly. “Good move,” he says, but it’s impossible to miss the glint in his eyes.

“Are you laughing at me?” I ask before I can stop myself.

“No,” he says, his smile spreading. “It’s just very by-the-book of you.”

“I don’t want to make a mistake.”

“This is a party, but if it makes you feel better, you can run everything past either Sue or myself. She can also arrange for one of her team to introduce you to the various department heads. With Callie leaving in a week, there’s not much time. I think there’ll be a lot of people wanting to attend.”

I scowl as the scale of the task begins to sink in.

“No pressure, then,” I say under my breath.

Some of my earlier excitement is waning. This could be my downfall in one fell swoop.

I purse my lips, but then I remember this is for Callie.

“I’m on it,” I say, standing up. “Anything else you need or want?”

He stares at me before inhaling. “That will be all. When you go downstairs to speak to Sue, switch the phone so it diverts to your mobile. You do know how to do that?”

I hold up my initial notebook and wave it in the air. “In here. Callie, as I said before, is a great mentor.” I turn to leave before spinning back around. “I’ll try hard not to screw up.”

I don’t wait for an answer, although I could swear I hear “I know you won’t,” under his breath.

* * *

I spend the next hour listing everything required to organise a successful party. Now I simply need to identify who will oversee each task. A week is not a long time. Is Alessandro setting me up to fail? Is this the perfect ‘I told you so’ moment?

I call Sue to see if she’s available.

“Hi, Sue, this is Brooke, Alessandro’s PA,” I say awkwardly.

“Brooke, how’s it going? I’ve been meaning to pop up and see you. How are you settling in?”

“It’s been a steep learning curve,” I admit, wanting her to know I’m not blasé about my position. “Callie is an amazing mentor, which is part of the reason I’m calling. Alessandro has asked me to contact you with regard to the leaving party he wants me to organise for her,” I say. “I was ringing to see if you have a moment to go through my ideas. He mentioned you might be able to have someone assist me and introduce me to the people I need to approach?”

“Of course. Do you have time now? I have an hour before my next meeting,” she says.

I’m sure everyone was surprised when Alessandro said I got the position, though maybe not too shocked since Sophia had introduced me to them.

“On my way,” I say.

I grab my notebook and head to the elevator.

Shit, the phone.

I run back and switch the number to my mobile, sliding a pen into my pocket. I don’t want to be asking for one if I do get a call.

Sue is waiting for me and ushers me into her office, closing the door behind us.

“So, what do you have?”

I list the items I’ve already noted, including speaking with the cafeteria about catering for the event.

“That’s a pretty comprehensive list,” she says with a smile.

She opens her computer and gives me a list of names to contact, before firing off an email to each head of department telling them to expect me.