Chapter one
I looked up at the illustrious architecture with a sign that had two golden uppercase ‘P’s overlapping side by side with a side profile of a teal origami frog as the backdrop. I stopped to admire the building's size and structure walking towards the glass revolving doors. I placed a piece of my long auburn hair behind my ear as the cool breeze tied itself around my legs breathing itself through my sky blue sundress.
‘Peeper’s and Pages, it is quite a peculiar name’ I thought to myself as I looked down at the name of the company in the email on my phone and backed up to the smaller golden letters underneath the frog that read the same title.
I took a deep breath of salty air before I continued inside to the reception desk, people buzzing around with large amounts of papers in hand as they hurry to where they are going.
In awe I spun around to take in the atmosphere but bumping into something in the process, as a reign of papers showered over me, before I realized what had happened a booming voice snapped me back to reality.
“Look where you’re going will you!” A man's voice echoed in the same southern accent as my own.
“Oh, I am so sorry!” I say quickly bending over to pick up the disarrayed papers.
“You should be, if any of these papers are bent or dirtied I’ll have to print them all over again.” The man spoke irritably.
“Weirdin, stop playing fifty-two pick up there’s work to be done,” A stunningly handsome man yelled over the balcony before walking off.
“It’s Reirden!” He yelled back just as annoyed as I helped him clean up the mess. “How many times do I have to say my name correctly. It’s not that hard.” he muttered under his breath.
I took a moment to glance up at his face, He had red tousled hair and deep chocolate brown eyes, that could break you if they tried with freckles that gently grazed his nose.
He grabbed the rest of the papers out of my hand and stood up, he looked to be about five, seven. Three inches taller than me, he walked off without another word, shocked I watched him walk off.
After a few seconds I walked to the reception desk as a lady wearing a black dress shirt and an emerald green pencil skirt and earrings to match with dark eyeshadow and red lipstick.
“Good morning, how can I help you?” the woman asked while typing on her keyboard.
“Oh, hello I’m here to see Mr. Frost.” I explained with a smile.
“Most people are, do you have an appointment, Mr. Frost is a very busy man.” She says looking me over.
“Yes, ma’am, the appointment is at ten, am.” I nod in assurance, pulling my purse closer to my chest.
She smiled then, making me ease up a little. “Sorry it’s just we get a lot of walk-ins off the street just trying to talk with the big CEO without an appointment.
“Oh that makes sense, it's understandable,” I bring down my purse a little.
“Vivienne will be down in a few minutes to take you to see Mr. Frost so you can go take a seat on the black sofa over there okay?.” The receptionist
instructed more friendly now.
“Okay thank you,” I replied, and turned to go take a seat on the seat on the sofa.
A few other people were there, a man around his fifties, with salt and peppered hair, looked over his brown rimmed glasses and his paper at me in curiosity, an abandoned coffee cup placed on the glass coffee table.
Another woman with messy light brown hair, that stops right below her hair as the sounds of tapping a laptop keyboard, looked up for a quick second acknowledging that I was there and continued with her typing.
The ding of an elevator nearby and the sound of tapping heels on tile became more prominent until the sound stopped altogether just beside me.
A woman strikingly dressed in a red business dress, with bright red lipstick and red stiletto heels.
“Aritzia Teagan” The woman greeted me with a smile.
“Actually I believe they are before me,” I say, gesturing to the people who were there prior.
“They have been working here for quite some time, so you don’t have to worry about them,” She
says smirking.
“Oh,” I laughed off my awkwardness, as I stood up to follow her.
“Now did you bring your manuscript today Miss Teagan?” She asked to make small talk.
“Yes, They are right here,” I patted my purse.
“That's good to hear.” She smiled kindly.
I looked at my overly stretched reflection in the elevator door, my lips shiny and pink as my dress was blue looking at my pale blue strappy heels, realizing I don’t match the description of the other employees who work here.
“Are you nervous?” Vivienne asked, slightly amused.
“Is it that obvious?” I say giggling nervously.
“A little, but not that I blame you, I felt really nervous too when I first started working here,” She said smiling remembering when she first arrived to work for the company.
“What is your job here?” I ask curiously with a small smile.
“I’m an assistant, one of the closest people to the C.E.O and E.A,” She beamed with pride.
“That's impressive, you must work super hard!” I flame her ego a little bit, everyone loves a good compliment.
“I do the work no one else wants to do,, and I’m damn good at it too!” She laughed, and I smiled alongside her.
After what felt like an eternity; we finally got to our stop and we finally got off the elevator on a red velvet carpet with gold decals throughout the velvet markings.
“Wow,” I say breathlessly, the hallway reminded me of a hotel hallway leading to a deluxe suite that awaited us.
The walls had gold trimmings over the more beige walls, a more simple look then the carpet but keeping the same elegant feel over all.
“Yes our E.A, seems to have quite an elegant taste for decor,” She boasts walking me towards the dark oak door with the name ‘Reuben Frost” written on a golden plate.
Vivienne knocked on the door, and waited for him to answer.
“Come in,” A familiar voice echoed from inside.
Vivienne opened the door as light from the grandiose of the panoramic windows circulated from behind him to beside the desk, nearly blinding me for a moment making me squint.
Mr. Frost stood solemnly looking out the window overlooking the ocean, with the sun beaming in.
We stood there in silence for a moment, getting nervous. I tried to think of something to say but before I could he motioned me to join him swiftly.
I gathered all the courage I could muster, took a deep breath and took my first step towards my goal. I was nervous; but I wasn’t backing down, slowly picking up the pace I found myself standing beside him, enveloped in the stunning view that laid before me.
“Aritzia, is it?” He said my name, breaking me out of thought.
“Ye-yes sir,” I say, stuttering a little.
“When you stand at this point, and gaze out at the horizon, what do you see?” He questioned.
Taken back by his outburst of a question I took a moment to think, the grained colored sand and the blue ocean rising and falling as the waves hit the shore, as the sky the color of pink roses to a blue that reflected off the water.
“I see a painted canvas that could be put into many words and many possibilities,” I say with confidence.
“An intriguing answer, if I do say so myself.” Sending a bright and chipper smile my way, his ice blue gaze slowly melted away.
“If you were to ask me what I see, when I gaze over the horizon is a sea of endless possibilities,” He paused before continuing on. “-Which is why I am located here, to remind myself of that; I am the sort of guy who knows exactly what I want to see in the world, and exactly how to get it.” He says with a wink, sending all the color to my face.
“Oh and before I forget ms. Teagan, your interview begins now.” He added ushering me to the chair in front of his desk as he sat behind it.
“O-oh, right,”
I followed suit and sat down in front of him, as my flushed cheeks slowly cooled down.
