Eliana
“Eliana, it’s wonderful to see you again,” Catherine smiles at me warmly as she enters the boardroom. I rise and walk over to her, shaking her hand.
“Thank you so much for this opportunity, Mrs. Cole.”
“Enough with the formality. It’s just Catherine,” she reminds me while taking a seat at the head of the table.
Petra and Duke from legal join us.
“Hi, ladies,” Petra greets. “Eliana, I went over your final presentation, and it’s brilliant. I’d like you to take the lead on this one.”
“Really?” My eyes bulge. I hardly expected it. I geared myself up for harsh criticism.
“Really. You put a lot of work into it, and I’d like you to get due credit.”
It’s my second week, and Petra and I have managed to work through the hurdles. I understand what she expects from me now, and she’s actually not that bad. Regardless, my palms feel sweaty, and I keep fidgeting with my folder. Although Petra believes I have what it takes, I’m terrified that I’ll do or say something that will put this entire account on the line.
My thoughts are interrupted by approaching voices as Marsha enters, closing the door behind her. “Can I bring in the Paradigm team? They’re just outside.”
“Ready?” Petra asks me.
I nod, taking a deep breath.
I project my presentation on the screen at the front of the boardroom. We all stand, and I feel my heart rate pick up the moment the team walks in because leading them is none other than Ethan Ferreira offering me one of his cocky grins. After introductions are made, I feel my chest tightening. Focus. How the hell is this even possible?
Ethan’s eyes never leave me, and even when I am not looking at him, I know he’s gawping. I fidget with my papers, my finger shaking profusely.
“Are you all right?” Catherine whispers under her breath.
“Yes, of course.” I say, plastering on a confident smile, I don’t quite feel.
Once everyone is seated, I stand and try to ignore the fact that the man I loathe is sitting in the same room as I am. He also happens to be their senior legal advisor. It feels like the longest twenty minutes of my life, and when I finally take a seat, the room is much too quiet for my liking.
“Impressive,” Miss Tonya Ryan, CEO of Paradigm, breaks the silence. She’s a tall woman in her mid-forties, elegantly dressed in a suit with raven hair that falls down her back. “I really like where this is going. I’ve always been confident in you, Catherine, and your new team seems to know exactly what we’re looking for. If everything checks out legally with Ethan here, we can have a contract ready by the end of the week. In the meantime, I’d like to discuss this more at a banquet we’re hosting on Thursday evening.”
I feel a lightness in my chest. Petra and Catherine look toward me, their faces unreadable.
“Thank you, Olivia, it was all Eliana, she is quite the asset,” Catherine replies, looking towards me.
“That she is,” Ethan remarks, a gleam in his eyes. The arrogant bastard actually said that? The ladies look between us, but no one seems to have picked up on his arrogance.
“Then, Eliana, you must have a site visit, come and meet the PR team you’ll be working with on our end.” Tonya says,
“That would be wonderful. I’ll make an appointment,” I tell her.
We rise and shake hands with our new clients. Ethan walks over to me, standing far too close for my liking. My mouth is suddenly dry, so I reach for a glass of water.
“I didn’t expect to see you here,” his voice is low. Like hell he didn’t.
“Ethan, don’t insult my intelligence. You knew full well I’d be here.”
He mocks surprise. “You judge me too harshly, Eliana.”
Calm down, Eliana. He is a client, and the last thing you need is to jeopardize this transaction.
“See you on Thursday,” he runs his hands over my arms, and I stiffen.
“See you then.”
