Hating the CEO

Chapter 2 - Office affairs

The next day she reluctantly left her small but cozy apartment in Brooklyn and started walking to work. Brand Today was renting a couple of floors in a building in Manhattan on Lexington Avenue, so there was no way Julia would manage the whole way on foot, but she didn't want to rush there today. Why speed things up? She would see him again sooner or later, and judging by where her desk was located it would rather be sooner and probably often too. She occupied a small office next to Zoey's, and Zoey's office was on the management floor, next to Jack's old office. So unless Jack suddenly decided that he'd like to work on the floor occupied by HR and Payroll, Julia would be seeing him every day. Oh joy!

Julia owned a one person company Perfect day organizing family and business events. Originally, when she had still lived in Seattle, she had been organizing weddings, but after moving to New York and starting the cooperation with Zoey she added balls, charity events and conferences to her offering. For now however she was mainly involved in Brand Today, organizing events for the company and since recently for their clients as well. She would always organize the events as Brand Today, keeping Perfect day as a subcontractor behind the scenes. That was the idea when Zoey had made the offer to Julia a year ago; knowing that her friend had been running from the ghost from a rather recent past Zoey came up with this idea that would have helped Julia keep a low profile, but still allowed her to do what she loved.
Julia was extremely grateful to her friend. Especially since their plan had been working out just fine. Well, until now. Julia had a gut feeling that with Jack coming back the cooperation between herself and Brand Today would not be going so smoothly anymore.

When she walked into the lobby it was already after nine. Everyone was probably at their desks by now as she did not notice the usual crowd by the elevators. The elevator doors popped open as she walked over, and as they were about to close she heard a familiar voice, a voice she so much did not want to hear.
"Hold the elevator!"
Instead of stopping the doors from closing, Julia actually pressed the 'door close' button, and not once but three times. Unfortunately Jack was too quick.
"Thank..." he trailed off and his charming smile disappeared when he noticed her.
Julia quickly pulled her hand away from the 'door close' button, but he anyway eyed her suspiciously.
"Good morning, Jack," she said with a charming smile. Fake it till you make it.
"Julia."
Finally the elevator door closed and the elevator started moving at a snail's pace.
Jack looked at his watch.
"Nine thirty... better late than never," he said. Julia assumed he was hinting at her late appearance in the office, but ignored his remark completely. This did not put Jack off, instead he turned to her with a serious look on his face. "We had a very important meeting yesterday, a meeting that required your attendance. But instead you decided to work on your couch?"
"I'm sure you had enough people to pat you on the back and cheer for you. Unless of course it was my approval you so desperately needed yesterday?"
"It's not your approval I needed," Jack answered in a tone that could freeze the ocean. "It's your attendance and commitment that are required. You work for this company, so I'd expect you to follow the same rules as all other employees."
Julia took a deep breath and glimpsed at the floor they were currently passing; five more to go.
"First of all, I do not work for this company, I work for myself, so I'm sure as hell that I am not your employee! Second of all, if you doubt my commitment to what I do, I suggest you talk to Zoey and verify your theory." Julia hoped her voice wasn't trembling. Every time she would get pissed, just like she was now, her voice would get stuck in her throat or would tremble annoyingly.
Finally the elevator reached the 20th floor. The doors opened showing a group of people wanting to get in. They stepped aside seeing who was inside.
"Have a nice day, mister Deschanel," Julia said with a smile, but put all her poison into these few words.
"Miss Stiles." Jack nodded stiffly.
She started walking to her office quickly, hearing his footsteps behind her. He would be following her all the way to her desk, since his office was right next to hers.