Just then, another car pulled up in the long driveway of the house, distracting Clark from his thoughts. The husband was hastily getting out of the car, apologizing profusely. “Don’t worry about it,” assured Clark. “Your wife is already in the backyard, let’s go join her,” Clark replied as he once again checked his phone for Aria’s reply. Still nothing. He sighed, leading the husband towards the backyard.
The office was buzzing with gossip after Whitney left. Everyone was wondering why a board member had visited the boss. There were already plenty of rumors going around as all the employees speculated who their next boss would be. And if they would pick between Aria and Wayne or bring someone completely new.
Aria felt everyone eyeing her as she made her way to the conference room. She has heard some ridiculous rumors so far, and it hasn’t even been two hours since Whitney left. She understood why everyone was on edge. Coons has been a fantastic boss to everyone, and it was a tad bit scary to imagine working under someone else. She was sure no one would be able to fill in his shoes, but hopefully, they are hiring someone that will at least be considerate towards all the employees.
She took a deep breath outside the conference room and pushed the door open. Wayne gave her a superior smile, “Ah! You are late!” he said.
“I am two minutes early, Wayne,” Aria rolled her eyes at him as she took a seat opposite him. Wayne smirked. “This won’t do once I become your boss. I would expect you to be at least 20 minutes early when I call you in for a meeting.”
Aria scoffed. “In your dreams, pal.”
Coons walked in and nodded at them both as he made his way to his seat. “I see everyone is super excited today,” he chuckled, as he made himself comfortable and placed a few folders on the desk.
Aria smiled and opened her mouth to speak, when Wayne interjected, “Yeah! Everyone is talking about Whitney Fox coming to the office. I saw Aria having a total fangirl moment.”
She glared at him as Coons laughed.
“Well, she is an impressive woman with an incredible success rate in this industry. Most people can’t even dream of achieving these heights in their careers,” said Coons as he pushed a file each towards Aria and Wayne.
Aria looked smugly at Wayne and opened the file. It had news clippings about the recent success of a young entrepreneur who had the whole country buzzing. She looked at Coons, who smiled. “Our new client.”
“Seriously? Cooper Jones!” Wayne looked up excitedly. “This guy is amazing! He made the whole stock market go crazy. People are dying to get even the tiniest of shares for his company.”
Aria replied, “Look who is fangirling now.” Wayne gave her a dirty look.
Coons sighed. “Yeah. Mr. Jones wants us to manage his company’s finances and budgeting. He is one of the biggest clients our company has ever represented.”
“Is this why Whitney Fox came today?” Aria asked.
Coons nodded. “She wants me to handle his account, but since I only have a few months left in my retirement. I convinced her to let one of you lead this account with me. You will be handling it once I leave.”
Aria and Wayne looked at each other. “So, which one of us will be leading with you?” Wayne asked.
Coons leaned back in his chair and smiled smugly, “That’s the best part. I am leaving it up to the client. You will both pitch him your ideas next week, and he will decide which one is right for him. The other person will follow their lead.
Coons got up from his chair to leave and closed the conference room door saying, “May the best person win!”
Chapter 2: A Little Charm Goes a Long Way
Aria entered her house, exhausted after a long day. She couldn’t believe so much had happened in a span of a few hours. All she wanted was to put her feet up, snuggle in a blanket with a glass of wine in her hand, and watch some cheesy movie. Unfortunately, she had a lot to do and didn’t have any time to relax. This was her chance to impress Wayne and get the attention of the board members, especially Whitney Fox.
She still couldn’t believe that she actually saw her and wished she had the guts to at least say hello to her. But hey! Aria thought, she will wow her soon by scoring the Cooper Jones’ account. How? She had no idea yet. But she knew she would. She has to.
She plopped down on the sofa and closed her eyes. Just for a few seconds, she thought as she drifted away to nothingness.
Across the street, Clark lifted the panel of the blinds in his kitchen window ever so slightly. He could see her car in the driveway. He sighed. It wasn’t like him to behave this way, but he genuinely liked her. He pulled out his phone from his jeans’ pocket and started composing a text and then paused for a second. Shaking his head, he erased the message he was about to send her.
“Uggh! Come on, Clark,” he said to himself out loud. “No message is also a message.” He placed his cell phone on the gleaming counter and took out a beer from his refrigerator. Moving into his living area, he switched on his TV and chugged his beer.
The neighborhood was usually quiet at this time of the evening. The majority of the houses had families with kids residing in them. There were only a handful of singles living in this community with beautifully constructed double and single-story homes neatly lined in rows. There was one swimming and fitness center in the area, which is where most of the mingling happened.
Even though Clark and Aria were living across the street from one another, they started talking in the gym. Right from the first day, he sensed a spark between them. They were both ambitious and successful in their respective careers, both in their thirties, and loved watching movies. Even before they started interacting, he was attracted to her – the dark brown hair flowing down to her shoulders, beautiful brown eyes, and her mesmerizing smile. However, it was when they started getting to know each other; he knew they would be great together.
Sadly, she doesn’t seem interested; he sighed.
He had to meet another client the next morning, so he decided to turn in early. He picked up the empty beer can and went into the kitchen, then headed outside to take down the trash.
Aria jerked away at the sound. Shit! She thought as she looked at the time, she slept for almost an hour. She sat up and glanced outside the window to see Clark wheeling the trash can towards the curb. Aria smiled to herself. Damn! He looked gorgeous, even while taking out the trash. She enjoyed looking at those deep blue eyes, neatly trimmed bread, and that beautiful blond hair. It was a pleasant surprise to know that he wasn’t just all good looks, but also had a great sense of humor and the ability to have intriguing conversations.
“I was so sure they stopped making such men!” she thought to herself and chuckled.
It was then Aria realized she had forgotten entirely about his text. She took out her phone from the bag and checked her messages.
“So, when are you giving me the honor of taking you out?” the text said with a winky face emoji.
Aria smiled. “He is so cute!”
She quickly typed a text and sent it before opening her laptop and files to study her client. She desperately needed to create a good pitch. It would kill her if Wayne got the client. He would no doubt make her life miserable. She stole another glance at Clark, who was heading back inside his house and focused her attention back to her work.
Clark locked his kitchen door and noticed that his phone’s screen had lighted up. It was still sitting on the kitchen counter. Before the light disappeared from the screen, he caught sight of Aria’s name. Finally! He thought, relieved, picking up the phone to check the text.
“So sorry for replying late. Work was crazy today! Next Saturday? Hope you're free.” The text said.
His face broke into a big smile, and he replied, “Saturday is perfect!”
He received her reply instantly, “Can’t wait!”
Clark knew exactly where to take her. It will be great, he thought.
“If you are here to get me to help you with this pitch, then let me save both our time – i
t won’t work,” Coons said, as he continued going through the file placed before him.
“I haven’t even said a word boss,” was Wayne’s instant reply.
Coons looked up at Wayne still at the door looking offended and smiled, “I am just messing with you, Wayne. Come on in.”
Wayne hesitated for a minute and then said, “Oh, I just wanted to say hi.” He gave his boss a wide smile before getting out of the room. He sighed. While he was hoping to get some advice from Coons before Aria arrived, he wasn’t worried. Not one bit! He was sure that his pitch would be the best one, without a doubt. However, he knew how much Aria wanted this opportunity. It didn’t help much that she looked like a stunner. He hated to admit it, but she also had the brains.
“Focus!” he told himself. “You have what it takes to take her down. Cooper Jones will choose me.” He assured himself as he walked by the elevators just when the doors opened.
“Ah! I see you are already worried!” Aria teasingly said, as she stepped out and stood in front of Wayne. He rolled his eyes. “Not even in your dreams!” he scoffed, walking away.
Aria was feeling stressed, but there was no way she was letting him see that. She hurriedly walked towards her room and closed the door behind her. She made a pact to herself to fully focus on her pitch throughout the week, with no distractions. “Once I get this account, I will celebrate on the weekend, starting with that date with Clark,” she thought happily.
Someone knocked on Aria’s door and opened it without waiting for her response. It was Coons. She gave him a nod, too tired to say anything. He made his way to her desk and sat down on the seat opposite her.
“How are you doing, kid?” He looked at her sympathetically.
She shrugged, “I have been better.” Aria had been working on the pitch tirelessly for the last three days with little to no sleep. She came in early in the mornings and left late. She was glad that Tanya was helping her.
“Give yourself a break,” Coons said kindly. “You are going great, but you also need to rest a little to recharge yourself.”
Aria nodded.
“I know it is a huge deal for you both. I think Wayne even slept at work last night,” Coons said, shaking his head. “I hope neither of you views this opportunity as your only chance of growing in this company. You will get plenty of chances to prove your worth; you already have plenty of time.”
Aria sighed, “But it is exactly that. This account will take me forward.”
Coons sadly shook his head, “Aria… I know your goal is to become one of the board members of this company one day, but I want you to understand that it’s not all that it seems to be.”
Aria frowned. “What are you saying?”
He hesitated, “I mean… it comes with a lot of responsibilities …”
“You mean, I don’t have what it takes to handle responsibilities!?” She said, cutting him off. She was starting to get furious. It had been a rough three days, and there was just one day left for the pitch. But instead of motivating her, her boss was trying to discourage her.
There was a look of frustration on Coons’ face, “That’s not what I am saying, Aria.”
There was an uncomfortable silence between them.
“All I am saying is that being a board member or even in my position, there are certain decisions you have to make that you may not like,” said Coons.
Aria rolled her eyes. “I do understand that. That’s the job of a leader. They have to make some tough decisions for the company and their team. Some decisions might make them unpopular among their team members, but it is what it is.” She paused for a while. “I am prepared for this challenge…”
“Listen, Aria ...” Coons started, but Aria interjected immediately, “You have taught me a lot of things, I am grateful for that. But you should also have some confidence in my abilities. I don’t see you discouraging Wayne like this,” she fumed as she got up.
Coons stood up too, apologizing. “I didn’t mean it like that, Aria. You know how proud I am of you both. I know you can do anything you set your mind to. I'm sorry I offended you. That wasn’t my intention.”
Aria glared at him as she gathered her things. “It’s late. I am heading home now. I will see you later.” With that, she stormed out of her office without looking back. Coons let out a frustrated sigh and shook his head.
It was finally the day of the pitch. Aria was nervous but prepared. Her last encounter with Coons renewed her motivation to show everyone what she could do. There was no way she was letting this account go to Wayne.
“You must dress to kill,” Tanya told her two days ago.
Aria had rolled her eyes at her. “I want to impress him with my ideas, not my clothes.”
Tanya glared at her. “Girl! You already know you will win him over with your ideas. All I am saying is wow him with your look and blow his mind with your pitch. Wayne doesn’t stand a chance.”
She chuckled as Tanya raided Aria’s closet to find the perfect dress. “Aaannd… don’t forget to turn on those charms too.” Her voice muffled as she dug deep into the closet. Aria had let her friend select a dress for her.
She was fidgeting with her pencil skirt when Tanya entered her office.
“Damn, look at you!” beaming at her. Before Aria could reply, her friend continued. “I think Cooper is about to arrive. You ready?”
“Yeah!” Aria said excitedly. “I hope things go well.”
Tanya turned to her, “Aria, you deserve this. I do admit that Wayne is good at what he does, but you are unstoppable. You have achieved everything so far based on your skills, without the need to butter people up.”
Aria smiled. She was so grateful to have a supportive friend and colleagues. She had received emails from many people in her department wishing her good luck. Her heart warmed up with joy when she saw how many of them were supporting her.
Tanya was still bucking her up. “… and you have to show Coons you have what it takes to handle this responsibility. I can’t believe he was discouraging you like that. I always thought you were his favorite. Ugggh! It makes me so angry.”
She felt her heart sinking a bit when she recalled the conversation she had with her boss. It was disappointing, but she can’t let it get to her. She was also a bit confused about it. Why would he say those things? He was always encouraging her and telling her that she could handle demanding clients, even when she was doubtful.
“Thanks, T!” Aria hugged her friend.
There was a knock on the door, and her assistant opened the door, “Hey, Aria! Sorry to disturb you, but I think you should head to the conference room now. Coons has some last-minute instructions.”
“Thanks, Carla,” Aria smiled.
“Best of luck! I know you will get it,” Carla said as she closed the door.
“Okay, tiger. This is it!” Tanya said. She looked more nervous than Aria.
Aria laughed. “Tiger?”
Tanya rolled her eyes. “Just go!”
Aria picked her things up and headed straight to the conference room. Many people wished her good luck on the way, and she simply smiled and nodded at them. She took a deep breath outside the door and entered.
After 15 minutes of briefing from Coons, Mr. Jones had arrived. The minute Cooper Jones entered the room, Aria was in awe. The guy sure commands attention just by entering a room, she thought. He was followed by Jones’ team, Whitney Fox, and another board member. Coons made the introductions, and Jones shook hands and nodded at Aria and Wayne.
Aria noticed his eyes lingering at her. She was glad that she let Tanya pick out her dress. She definitely felt more confident.
“Okay then,” Coon cleared his throat. “So, Wayne and Aria are my shining stars. Both of them are going to share their ideas and future strategies for your company. The one that impresses you the most will be leading your account and implementing their ideas.”
Cooper Jones nodded. “Sounds good. Let’s start then.” He smiled at Aria. Flushed, she stood
up to begin her presentation.
Coons couldn’t help but feel proud by the end of the presentations. Wayne and Aria had both done outstandingly well. He could tell Cooper Jones was impressed, and he was relieved to see Whitney giving him a happy nod before she left.
“I will discuss it with my team and will get back to you next week. I must say, I am happy with both of you,” said Cooper smiling at Aria and Wayne. “I can tell you guys put a lot of effort into it.”
He stood up, and everyone else automatically followed. “I will see you guys soon.” They left with Whitney.
“I thought I would know by the end of the meeting that they have picked me,” Wayne said, grinning. Aria looked at him and scoffed. “Yeah, right!”
Coons looked at both of them and smiled, “Well done, guys. You both surpassed my expectations today.”
Aria bit her lip and forced a smile, hiding the fact that she was still angry at him. Right now, Aria was elated and wasn’t going to let Coons ruin her mood. It was time to celebrate. She knew it was premature to celebrate, but she had poured all her heart and soul into this. Her efforts were appreciated, and she was thankful for that. Aria had a feeling she had it in the bag. She waved at them both and walked out of the room, ready for a relaxing and exciting weekend. Her date with Clark was tomorrow, and she can finally have some fun!
Almost everyone had left by the time they got free, so the office was pretty much empty. Aria picked up her cellphone and saw multiple messages from Tanya, who wanted to know how it went. There were also two texts from Clark wishing her luck for the pitch and asking how it went. Aria felt incredibly blessed at the moment. I know it is my time now. She thought to herself as she wrote a quick text to Clark telling him it went great. She was planning to call Tanya once she got home, as she was desperate for some tips on how to dress for her date. It has been months since she went on one, and years since she went out with someone she actually liked.
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