WAKING UP WITH THE CEO

“Where are you, Elaine?” she said slowly looking outside the window. She then turned and started gazing around the room. Being part of a shiny, rich, boring crowd such as this one wasn’t the way Annalise hoped to spend her evening. She always hated participating in social events but most of the time, they were solid gold occasions for someone in her line of work. However, this fundraiser was a bit different than the usual ones she’d attended. And she knew exactly why it was important to take one for the team. Lance Hamilton was there! The new ‘King of Los Angeles’ was the main attraction of the event. Annalise was standing way back, near one of the large windows of the ballroom, sipping white wine and observing him thoroughly, gazing away every time Lance would look in her direction, trying not to show him how impatient she was to deliver the decisive pitch and start working for him. Being an advertising executive (A

Enough socializing for one night… It was time to go back to his hotel suite and unwind. All these events were draining the life out of him. Lance walked out of the hotel that was hosting the fundraiser and went straight to the parking spot. He asked the valet to bring him the car. Up until a couple of weeks ago, his headquarters were in New York. But then, he decided to move the “HL Sportswear” base to Los Angeles. Lance dropped off the old advertising team and started looking for a new one, able to put his company on the right path to universal success. He never thought that all this would include socializing, meeting people willing to do anything to get the big prize, to have his approval, to get their hands on something so important as his pet project. Their behavior was understandable, though. “Hamilton Inc.” was well-known in the business environment and everybody wanted a slice of the pie. But this business development wasn’t the only reason that

‘Come on, Anna! Suck it up!’ she thought. ‘It’s just another Saturday like all the other Saturdays... The good thing is you’re not going to be alone this time.’“I have to get through this day and be there on time,” Annalise whispered, taking a quick glance at her wristwatch.“Don’t you worry,” the cab driver replied. “I’ll get you to your destination in no time.”“I hope so, for both our sakes,” Annalise told him smiling. “Otherwise, you will be the one explaining to my mother the reason for my arriving late.”“Piece of cake!” the man exclaimed.“Don’t bet on it! My mother is an iron lady. Even Lucifer would be afraid to face her when she’s pissed off.” Annalise was a bit anxious about that particular day. It was her mother’s birthday. And since she had no wish to be alone with her mother, as always on Saturdays, Annalise ‘summoned’ for the event the most important men in her life: her two siblings, Brandon and Jeremy. She even asked her ex-boyfriend to be there, ‘

Yes… she left home to get away from the strange, awkward relationship with her mother and at that time, San Francisco was the best option in the world. And it had been for a while, until the CEO, Todd Crosby, brought his wife, Wanda, to work at the same agency, as executive creative director. Two of the best in the business… Two of her idols… Annalise felt the rage overwhelming her. But she knew she had to calm down and avoid unnecessary drama. Jeremy rising from his chair pulled her away from her angry thoughts. Annalise forced her fingers to relax and winced at the marks she had left on her palms while once again walking down memory lane.“Mom, this was amazing, but…”“What? Are you leaving already?” Annalise asked watching the clock. “Stay until tomorrow morning…”“Anna, sweetie, I can’t. My team is expecting me bright and early in the morning. We have a lot to do for the campaign.”“But…”“Anna, leave your brother be. He’s got bigger responsibilities now,” her m

Lance walked into the suite of offices he bought the moment he decided to move “HL Sportswear” headquarters from New York to Los Angeles. He nodded a good morning to Kelly, his receptionist.“Mr. Hamilton!” Her high-pitched voice made him halt. Lance turned and saw her coming out of her desk. Kelly had a concerned expression on her face. The young woman was usually very calm and professional, so seeing her so agitated left Lance a bit bemused.“Kelly… tone it down a little… I’m right here…” he replied.“Sir,” she said a little softer this time, her voice almost a whisper, “I’m sorry for raising my voice…”“It's alright, Kelly. What’s going on?”“Mr. Hamilton, if I was you, I wouldn’t go there right now… or any time soon for that matter…” the receptionist whispered to him. Lance raised an eyebrow when he realized that Kelly was gesturing toward his office. But, from where he was positioned, Lance couldn’t see who was the person Kelly was referring to.“Why the hell n