"Is Sophie Parker the chief editor of TVZoom?" Nicholas asked incredulously, looking at Ryan Montana, Ian Brown, and Brad Ford, the owners of RIB Editora, which had placed a major bet on the TVZoom magazine.
"Yes... do you know her?" Ian asked, confused, while Brad and Ryan were by her side, more concerned about her health.
"Um... yeah... I do know her, but we hadn't seen each other in many years," Nicholas replied awkwardly.
"She's waking up," Brad observed.
"Sophie, my dear, are you alright? Maybe it's better to see a doctor," Ryan commented, worried.
"No, no... it's not necessary," she assured, getting up with the help of her bosses and adjusting herself. "It was just a sudden drop in blood pressure," she said, meeting the eyes of the person who was the real cause of her fainting spell, staring at her.
"Are you feeling well enough to work? We can always reschedule the meeting," another man, whom she hadn't met yet, suggested, and she saw Nicholas shoot him a look that perfectly conveyed his disapproval of the comment.
"As I said, it was just a drop in blood pressure," she smiled politely. "I came here for a meeting, and we can start it right now."
"Very well, then," the man smiled as well. "William Golden... but you can call me Will," he extended his hand to the girl, who shook it immediately. "Nice to meet you, Miss Parker. I've heard great things about your work."
"Likewise, Will. Please call me Sophie," she replied formally.
"John Brener," another guy she didn't know, younger than the first one and probably around her age, introduced himself. "A pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise," Sophie replied again, following the protocol. She still didn't exactly know what kind of business RIB had with Will, John, and Nicholas, but there was certainly something, and she was a professional. She knew her employers expected her to behave at least politely, and possibly friendly, in such situations.
"It seems you already know Mr. Pierce?" Ryan chimed in, noticing that Sophie and Nicholas hadn't greeted each other, despite him claiming to know her, and that he had returned to his seat at the head of the table.
"Um... Pierce?" she asked, confused.
"I added my father's surname to my name a few years ago," he explained curtly.
"Your father?" she asked, surprised, but he looked serious, indicating he didn't want to chat about it like two old friends who've just met and are catching up. This wasn't that—it was a business meeting. "Well, that's... great, I presume," she said awkwardly, and he simply nodded in agreement.
"Sophie, we're here because Ryan, Brad, and Ian have signed a contract with Mr. Pierce..." Ryan began, trying to steer the conversation back to business, noticing that the atmosphere between Sophie and Nicholas wasn't great, and pulled out a chair for her. "...to exclusively feature behind-the-scenes content of GHShow's new show on TVZoom."
Sophie wasn't quite sure what Nicholas had to do with GHShow, one of the country's biggest TV networks, and she couldn't dwell on that at the moment. She needed to pay attention to the six men around her who were there to discuss what seemed to be a promising business opportunity for both companies. She took out her iPad from her bag to make notes, as she did in every meeting she attended.
The young woman had stayed in the United States after traveling to her grandmother's sad funeral, specifically to be the chief editor of RIB's new magazine, TVZoom, which focused exclusively on television programs and TV-related celebrities. The invitation had come from RIB's President, Ryan, who had met Sophie in England some time before. She couldn't even consider disappointing one of her greatest idols in journalism.
"Will is the producer of the new show, and John is the director, so they're here to tell us about the program details, so we can plan our coverage, probably on a daily basis," Ian added.
"And Mr. Pierce?" she took the opportunity to ask.
"It's quite clear you've been out of the country for many years..." Brad chuckled at her.
"And not paying much attention to what's been happening around here!" Ryan laughed as well. "Pierce is the major shareholder and president of GHShow, Sophie," he said, and her jaw dropped as Nicholas smiled, satisfied. If he had to deal with that girl he wouldn't wish to have met again, at least it was a good thing that he was on top.
"But I'm not here for that. After all, my role as president has already been fulfilled. We've already signed the contract," he observed.
"That's true. He's here because he conceptualized the program and will also be its star. And maybe only he can answer certain questions that may arise," Will added.
Parker was increasingly surprised and confused, but she chose to let the men talk about the program as planned and only ask something when it was relevant to her role as editor. It didn't matter that the all-powerful Mr. Pierce, the network owner, program ideator, and also the star, was the same person she had met as Nicholas Rosemont when she was thirteen.
"Would you like to talk about the reality show format to Sophie, Nicholas?" John asked, but knowing his friend well, he could tell from the look on his face that he wasn't in the best mood. He decided to go with another option. "Or maybe I should introduce the program myself since I'm better at presenting."
He stood up, starting a PowerPoint presentation on a large TV while everyone watched and a secretary appeared, dimming the lights, and a server offered coffee and water to the attendees.
"Well, the program aims to find a future wife for a bachelor who's tired of his inconvenient single status... despite my attempts to dissuade him, I must say," he joked, but couldn't help noticing that Nicholas wasn't finding anything amusing, which honestly worried him, but there was nothing he could do about it now. "As everyone already knows, the bachelor is Nicholas Rosemont Pierce, and fourteen girls will make up the rest of the cast. The girls will be chosen in the first episode during a cocktail party, where fifty pre-selected women will be present, and he'll be able to talk to them
Both Nicholas and Sophie were irritated at this point, while the others were smiling at the potential success of the program.He was in a bad mood because of Sophie's sudden presence. Not only was she going to participate in that meeting, but as the chief editor of the publication to which he had promised exclusive access to the show's behind-the-scenes, she would probably be present in his life for the next fourteen weeks.The girl was annoyed by the fact that she would have to provide journalistic coverage for a program she considered extremely sexist, the type that portrays women as objects for men's entertainment. In this program, a millionaire plays at being pampered and competed for, under the false image of romance, constructed from the very start by the show's title: "The Key to the Heart.""I talked informally with Ryan and Ian, Sophie... and we're thinking of providing daily coverage, showing everything that happens in the mansion or even during the dates. There will be twen
Sophie returned to her office at RIB Editora in the late afternoon after the meeting with her employers and the three men from GHShow. Fortunately, all the employees had been alerted about her arrival by one of RIB's drivers who had brought her back. As the elevator stopped on the floor where her office was located, she dramatically took off her Michael Kors sunglasses and walked determinedly to her personal workspace.It didn't matter that her mind was in a chaotic mess at that moment. On the outside, she maintained the same inscrutable and not-so-friendly expression. Her steps were firm and elegant, and the air of being the master of the world, a persona she had earned at the company since starting her job there.Her assistant was already holding the door open for her to enter, which she did without paying much attention to his presence, except for the fact that she practically tossed her Louis Vuitton bag into the young man's arms, then occupied her wide and comfortable black leath
"Why is it so difficult to find certain professionals from this magazine when I look for them? Am I asking for too much? I know I'm not... they work here, after all," Sophie huffed. "Patience. If it can't be now, I want a meeting with them tomorrow as soon as I arrive... which means you and the HR department need to modify the work schedules if necessary, so that the four of them are here for the morning shift again.""No problem," Blaine assured."I'm heading home, mon Cher. I should receive the new cover and any missing details for tomorrow's edition via email, okay? And tell the girl... what's her name again?" she pointed towards the wall, in the direction of the second assistant's desk."Rose... Rose Pepper.""Tell Little Pepper to handle my dress carefully," she said, standing up and extending her hand for him to give her her bag, which was hanging on a fancy coat hanger in the corner of the room. "And tell her to also order some work clothes from Dante, on my account... and arra
Sophie wasn't certain about the supposed haunting, and she was relieved not to encounter it at the party. If Nicholas wasn't present, his absence had nothing to do with Ginni and Josh working for ABC, one of GHShow's major competitors. In fact, he knew both of them personally, as they had made minor appearances in series produced by his network. He had indeed been invited to the party, but he chose not to attend and instead opted to send a nice gift to the birthday girl along with a congratulatory card. He also sent an elegant thank-you telegram to her boyfriend, the host.Nicholas wasn't much of a party person. He preferred spending his evenings in the comfort of his apartment, enjoying home-cooked meals prepared by Mrs. Spencer, drinking beer straight from a long-neck bottle, and reading a good book or watching a movie, accompanied only by his old golden retriever Uno. He only attended events when absolutely necessary due to his role as the president of a major TV network or when hi
It wasn't worth arguing with Nicholas, and Will knew that. He had known it since the time he had welcomed Nicholas to GHShow and, along with other long-standing professionals of the company, helped him understand and adapt to the job. He knew that Nicholas never put business ahead of friends and family. They had become like a family since then: Will was the father Nicholas never had, and although Emma wasn't old enough, she acted like a mother, always caring, affectionate, and willing to listen and advise. To top it off, little Reese was about to arrive any moment, already forming another strong bond among the three, even before being born.Nicholas remained occupied with work for the rest of the day, as there were numerous issues to resolve before he became both the president and the star of one of the network's attractions. Not far away, a few hours later, Sophie arrived at her own office, which was equally bustling with decisions to be made and activities to be carried out with her
"Your shoes are everything, diva! Are they new?" Sharon asked Sophie as they walked toward the restaurant."They're Chanel, darling," Parker replied, but not in the snobbish tone she used with most people. Instead, she spoke playfully, a tone she reserved for a select few, like her best friend. "But they're not new. They were my grandmother's. They seem new because my grandfather used to buy her all sorts of things, but she didn't really have many opportunities to wear them.""She must have left behind a lot of things, huh?" the friend commented."Yeah... lots of jewelry, clothes, shoes, bags... fur coats, which weren't politically incorrect back in her time...""Table for two only?" asked the restaurant manager at the entrance of the restaurant they had reached."As always," Sharon laughed."But most of her belongings were left in her will to the social foundations she used to support when she was alive," Sophie continued the conversation as they were led to their table. "She specifi
"Sophie, I think you're mistaken about the show," Sharon commented when her friend finished working and the two went to the living room to choose a movie to watch. "Nicholas doesn't seem like the type of person who wants or needs to appear... not at all! He's one of the richest men in the United States right now, he's appeared on those lists of the country's sexiest men a few times, he's invited to practically every important event here in Los Angeles... and also in New York... and he politely declines most of them...""Fine. Maybe he doesn't need a show to get attention... and maybe he doesn't even like attention, which I find hard to believe, but okay," she handed a few new DVDs for her friend to choose from. "Still, I bet it's staged. Maybe he's dating some girl that nobody knows and wants to make her famous before the wedding, for example.""I told a friend who works in GHShow's journalism... just now on MSN... that I'm going to do some articles about the show," she handed one of
Pierce might have had terrible memories of Sophie and preferred that she had never stayed within his sight again, but he had to acknowledge that she was beautiful, she had always been beautiful, and the years had made her even more wonderful. She still had the same large eyes, the same full lips, the same shiny hair, the same petite stature that made her delicate as a woman should be, the same long legs for her height. Moreover, she was more tanned, her legs more toned, her body more curvaceous, her manner more mature.Nicholas had to greet a bunch of people along with John, but he didn't let slip the smile Sophie had at that moment, watching something Will showed her on his phone. It was the same pure and sincere smile of the thirteen-year-old girl he had met when he was sixteen, and that he hadn't seen at all after they reconnected.His smile wasn't forced like all the ones she had managed during the meeting where they had reencountered, but he soon realized that the only thing Will