Chapter 2

Becky was not the type of lady to be clumsy, but the night earlier, she'd cried herself to sleep thinking about him. She remembered the same day last year; 22nd of June—two days after her birthday. How they'd broken into a fight, and later made up with a steamy passionate sex. They were in Paris—her first and only time ever visiting the city of love.

"Taxi!" She yelled out as soon as she darted along the main road of L.A, waving her hands to slow down cars but neither of them seemed to have seen her. "Taxi!" With a croaky voice, she yelled again.

A gush of hot wind seeped down her nostrils; it reeked of motor oil and car exhaust. 

"Why aren't they stopping?" Out of a tinge of frustration, she muttered, "Tax--" 

A cab finally stopped at her wave, and she jumped in, directing the description of her workplace. 

****

Logan hated one thing the most when it came to work. Tardiness. 

He'd been up in his office twenty minutes before the working hour at seven. There was a wedding ceremony of a Duke from a distant country, and they'd entrusted HMT center to handle it well, as they used to do. Logan expected people to have been around, fully preparing for the conference meeting that would be held at 7:30. 

He never mixed business with pleasure, but that certain morning, he felt he was going to. 

A knock was heard on the door, and he instantly remembered there was a young lady who was supposed to resume that morning. "Come in," he said in a firm tone, and the door opened to a towering young man, peeping from outside. "Oh hi Steve, come in," Logan was a bit startled to see him as he was based in the promotion coordination department and although he could report to him, he usually didn't have to. The event planner manager handled issues from there. The thought made him wonder why she wasn't around yet. 

"Good morning, Logan." He smiled in a friendly manner, and Logan forced himself to do the same, despite his befouled mood. "The meeting is still set for seven, and of course you look so prepared."

"Yes thanks," he didn't know if he should smile or not. 

"Alright then, that's why I'm here. To remind you of the meeting."

Logan was impressed. "Thanks. I'll be there in fifteen." 

"Sure." And with that, he turned and was about to leave when Logan called back. 

"The new staff, she isn't here yet?" 

Steve paused, "uh, that's true. I'll give her a call right now."

"Alright." 

****

Becky was in the car, wishing that she had the superpowers to fly. She'd been especially ordered to get to work before eight, and there she was still in the morning traffic by past eight. How sad and pathetic of her life; to land herself a great job, and then get fired on the first day of resumption. 

She'd prepared everything needed for Monday morning, and even went to bed early. Then faced the doomsday—her own doomsday. How was she supposed to explain to the company that she had been cowering indoors as the thugs of West LA started their riot? 

They called the cops but it took them a while. In fact, Becky had risked her life by coming out because the cops never arrived till she left. She'd never experienced such drama before that it looked like some Mafia gang movie. Her roommate, Mel, and friend of barely a week, hadn't returned since Saturday when she went on a love trip to Paris with her boyfriend. 

The car was moving quite fast at an enough pace, but it still wasn't flying. Becky hadn't even had time for makeup or complimentary shoes. It was her first day at work and she knew it was obvious she looked her best. Yet, a simple blue knee length dress and a beige low-cut flats was the best she had come up with. It would have been better if she had the comfortable time to apply her makeup, but via the shootings and screaming, she couldn't dare concentrate. Instead, she was glad for her neat hairstyle that pulled her hair into a low bun sitting right at the nape of her neck. It shone light to her dainty face. Becky knew all women were still pretty, makeup or not, so she tried not to think too much about it. 

She remained agitated throughout the ride.

Some minutes after—though it felt like hours—she arrived at the company and fear of the unknown crept inside her lungs. She swayed slightly where she stood, as the tall intimidating building threw her to a brief state of panic. It was exactly the type of building she only saw in movies—dauntless red and gray painting beautifying the towering building. The company's eye-catching logo was next to its boldly written name; HMT Event Planning Center, the sign bringing the exterior to life and conveying the brand by sharing exactly what the company does. 

The lawn was entirely trimmed and the shrubs pruned. 

Truly, appealing exterior design captured the customer's attention and complemented the surrounding structures: the staff of this company knew that much. It pleased her in a way. She knew she would be tested to her limit, and that was just the exact challenge Becky was looking for. 

What was worse was that she was late. Her confidence had been robbed. Her breathing accelerated as the thought of what to say and how to act, disarrayed her mind. "Hi, I'm uh... My name is Becky and um, I..." she cleared her throat. "Well this is gonna suck." 

She got past the security quite easily and that formed her heart with a tinge of confidence. When she arrived at the main entrance, a tingling sensation seeped through her fingers, and the muscles in her legs tightened. "Design a bold entrance that makes a statement about your company’s brand", so she'd heard from one of the mini courses she'd taken in college, and the CEO of HMT didn't wait before implementing this idea. 

The glass before her was clear, yet magnifying and almost too excellent to touch that she feared if she did, it would break into pieces. That type of delicacy. 

She pushed open the door and made her way into a wide spacious hall. The large room was brightly lit with satisfying light reflecting from every corner. She stared around and saw its high ceilings and neatly painted walls. Everything was magnifying. With a dry throat and nervous jitters in her belly, she strode over to the most focal point of the building, and definitely the obvious and eye-catching center. 

The receptionist's desk. 

Instead of being a standard office desk, that very one was customly made with some wooden and marble materials that did well to enhance any visitor’s first appearance. 

Making her way over to the slender dark receptionist lady, she put on a cheery smile. "Hi, uh sorry. I--"

"Ms Lawyers?" The lady asked and her eyes widened.

With a stunt of astonishment, she replied, "Yes,"

"Your attention is needed at the conference room." The lady said, almost a little scary. Becky couldn't control the nerves that was steaming inside her. 

Every tiny bit of hope she left for her communication skill, died. "Uh--"

But the woman saved her the trouble of embarrassing herself. "Go left and take the elevator to the top floor."

***

Of course that didn't put her mind at ease. She made her way over to the elevator and stepped in. Series of thoughts began to ponder on her mind as the lift elevated up. What would they think of her? Was she dressed well enough for a big company like that? How would she confidently interact with the staff? And just what had the receptionist meant by her attention being needed at the conference room! 

***

Logan checked the time on his watch. Eight thirty. His lips curled inwards as he patiently waited for the new staff. She wasn't pulling much of a great first day impression. 

"Mr Smith?" A woman on a shouting red dress called, and he turned to face her. "What do you think?" She asked, and the rest of the staff turned to face him. Her name was Lily, and she was in the advertisement department. Lily was a young smart lady who said to the entire firm that she was the perfect soulmate for Logan Smith, and made her point everyday by shamelessly seducing him. 

She dressed almost half naked, applied too much makeup and would occasionally address herself as the first lady of HMT Event Planning Center. If there was one thing Logan liked about her, it was her desire for working. Lily was truly a hardworking staff. 

They were seated on a long rectangular table, Logan positioned on the top executive chair being the director. To his right was an empty chair, vacant because the new event manager hadn't made her way to the company yet. It was rather embarrassing for him because there had to be no other option than one: she heard fake news about their firm and resigned without even ever resuming. 

There was no way she could have been late to work. On a Monday morning. He turned to the woman on his left, the head event planner. "Mrs Jones," she instantly replied with a warm tone. "The new staff, has she suddenly resigned?" 

A blank expression fell on her face. "I don't think so... I mean we've tried multiple times to reach her but her line has been switched off." 

His doubt had been confirmed. "I guess she's no longer interested. Make sure the reporters handle a great story in case this person decides to speak blasphemies at the company." 

"Yes sir."

It wouldn't be the first time a random employee had transported themselves over to his company, and made up some believable lies just to ruin the name of the firm. Running a competitive job like event planning in L. A made room for a wide range of enemies. He knew that much, yet his passion for his work made him proceed, regardless of the trials he would face. 

"Alright then, let's proceed." He said. 

"The theme of the party is strictly romance," said Lily. 

"Lily, all wedding planning is supposed to be in a romantic setting." Logan flashed her a raised brow. 

She lowered her head, "right, of course." 

"It's to be held at 4th street avenue, or does anyone else have a different venue in mind?" Dean, a man with a slightly chubby face asked. 

"Sure the venue is fine. Except, the weather forecast isn't accurate." Another man replied. 

"What's the announcement?" Logan asked. 

"It might rain, probably won't." He replied. His name was Chuck. 

"We'll find another location then." Logan said, his eyes not leaving the scattered files of documents before him. "Any other problem?" There was silence. And that was when Logan knew the answer to his question was a screaming loud; YES.