A First Step

Chapter 7: A First Step

“Nice to meet you, Derek Reynolds,” she smiled at Derek, who stared at her in fear and shock. His mouth was wide open, and his face showed fear, shock, and horror.

Derek stared at the most unexpected figure, as he tried to figure out if he was dreaming or seeing things. As his eyes stayed on Rose, his mind reflected on what had happened five years ago—the night he and Sofia had pushed her down into the ocean. He was certain he had seen her drown into the depths of the ocean, so definitely, he was obviously seeing things, because there was no way Rose could be back.

“Are you alright, sir?” a voice pierced into his chain of thoughts, pulling him back to reality. “You have been absent-minded; are you sure you are okay, sir?” The voice proceeded.

Derek stared stupidly for a while before letting out a reply. “I am fine,” he said, his eyes not leaving Rose, who only returned a smile.

“Are you really okay? You seem flustered,” Rose spoke up, her eyes glittering around Derek. But Derek had no response for her; he was too shocked to reply.

Rose stared at him, a smile lurking around her lips. She was glad about his reaction—that was exactly what she wanted and expected: to throw him into shock and confusion. Shocked by seeing her and confused about whether she really was who he expected.

“I think we should continue the meeting,” she suddenly said. “I have no time to linger here; I have other important places to be,” she added with a stern smile.

“Yes, ma’am, we will just continue,” Derek’s secretary answered immediately and went on to explain things to Rose.

“All we want is for you to be the face of our company for a year, ma’am,” Mrs. O, Derek’s secretary, started. “Our company is willing to work with you because, if we work with you, it will boost our company’s growth and connect us with more potential clients,” Mrs. O cleared her throat and continued.

“Working with us will not only achieve the stated benefits but also increase our reach locally and internationally,” she said with a smile and a light bow.

“I know you will be wondering what you will stand to gain from us, and I won’t hesitate to inform you,” she continued, staring at Rose, who listened keenly.

“So, as for what you will gain from us, you will gain more visibility, which is a great way to empower your occupation further.”

“Not only will you be getting more visibility, but you will also be getting more potential clients, more contracts, more concerts, more money, and a lot more,” Mrs. O concluded with a smile and a bow.

“It’s up to you now, Miss Rose. How does this sound to you? I am sure this is an offer you would be willing to take,” Mrs. O smiled, 109% positive that Rose wouldn’t refuse such a juicy offer.

“This sounds fair,” Rose bluffed, as she expected, and her smile widened.

“Yes, ma’am, this is fair enough. You see, this is a win-win situation for everyone. We would be winning, and you would be winning too,” Mrs. O added with a proud smile.

Rose chuckled before replying, “Do you know what I love more about you? Your bravery and smartness.” Rose chuckled again.

She grabbed her bottle of water, cracked it open, and gulped down its entire content. “It seems you don’t know me well, Mrs. O,” she continued, but this time with a stern smile.

“What do you think I am? A fool? Did you call me out here and waste my precious time to tell me this?” she spoke, her eyes reflecting fury.

“Listen! I have signed contracts with companies bigger than yours, and I know how things are done. You know, Mrs. O, I am someone with high principles who doesn’t cheat others and doesn’t expect others to cheat me either,” Rose said with a silly giggle.

“Tell me, how can you call this a win-win contract when you guys stand to gain more?” Rose asked, her voice rising.

“Listen, I have been in this business for five years, so I know everything there is to know. When you are ready for an honest deal, do well to let me know,” Rose concluded, rising from her seat.

Mrs. O stared at Rose in great shock, never having known that Rose would discover that they stood to gain more.

She knew Rose was the one to promote them, since she had millions of fans and followers. She also knew Rose had tons of more important clients waiting for her, so they weren’t really promoting her; furthermore, she knew they would earn more than Rose if the contract was signed.

She had only followed her boss’s instructions, and now it had landed in a mess. And now she knew she needed to rectify the mess or face her boss's wrath.

“Please wait, ma!” she screamed at the top of her voice as Rose made for the exit. She stood up and bowed her head in submission and apology. “I am sorry for lying to you,” she apologized, her head still bowed.

“I did all of that because we didn’t want to lose you, so we thought lying was the best way to bring you to our side,” Mrs. O continued, shamefaced.

Rose watched her as she apologized, and all she could do was feel grateful. Her plans were finally making sense, and this was the right time to implement them.

“Hmm, that sounds interesting,” she giggled, to everyone’s amazement. “I am impressed that you saw your wrongdoing and apologized immediately,” she continued.

All the while this was going on, Derek remained mute. He was still reeling from the shock of seeing Rose again. He couldn’t say or do anything throughout the meeting; he was more like a puppet used for decoration.

As he watched Rose try to use the exit, he wished he could stop her, because he knew this deal was his life. But he just couldn’t do anything.

He was still too shocked to act, but it was sad and pathetic to watch all he had worked for crumble down. He didn’t want to take chances, but at the same time, he couldn’t help himself.

He watched as his secretary stopped Rose to apologize, and he felt a sense of hope. “Maybe she would sign the contract,” he wondered. But then he thought again, “If it was really Rose, she wouldn’t sign the contract so she could get back at him.”

Reeling from these possibilities, Rose’s words struck him: “I will sign the contract.” He stared at Rose, his eyes wide open in shock. “Was he dreaming or hearing things?” he wondered in great shock.

But the next words from his secretary proved to him that he wasn’t hearing things: “Really, ma’am? Thank you so much, ma’am. This means a lot to us, and we are forever indebted to you,” Mrs. O, his secretary, said, thereby proving to him that he really wasn’t hearing things.

Rose watched the shock on Derek’s face, and her smile widened. Things were turning out just the way she wanted them to. Signing the contract was the first step in her vengeance.