Of Course, It's You

Chapter 8

HANNAH

Of course, it was her.

She stood tall and powerful, and just as gorgeous as the first time Hannah saw her. Carmen wore a black pencil skirt and black blazer over a maroon blouse. The ensemble looked perfect for an introduction to the entire company. And she was staring back in shock. Unable to mask it. Hannah was pretty sure she mirrored the same look.

Hannah tried to fix her hair and Carmen cleared her throat. They broke eye contact and Carmen's face went neutral again. She tugged at the bottom of her blazer and stood taller, rolling her shoulders.

"I know everyone is very curious as to why some of my team and I are here. We've kept a lot of information hidden and in the dark up until this point, and we felt it would mean more to be here personally to deliver the news."

As she continued to speak, Hannah pulled out her phone to text Jason.

Hannah: Oh my God. She's here. She's at my meeting!

Jason: Who?

Hannah: Carmen! From the wedding!

Jason: What do you mean?

Hannah: I mean she's RUNNING THE ENTIRE MEETING!

Jason: Well don't go off with her around any dark corners this time.

Jason: Or do, I don't care.

Hannah: I hate you.

Jules nudged Hannah's arm with her elbow.

"What's wrong with you? How hard did you hit your head?" She whispered.

Hannah knew she didn't have a concussion, but given the state she was in, others might believe she did. She was trying not to have a full on panic attack. She looked back up to Carmen.

Was she freaking out too? She definitely didn't look like she was. But, it was hard to tell. It felt like she was avoiding eye contact.

When Carmen was done speaking and Terry... Tom? Lenny? Maybe it was Ken? Began to speak, they locked eyes. Hannah felt the need to sit up straighter in her chair. There was a jolt that went through her entire body. She could feel her pulse quicken, her limbs felt heavy, and holy shit, was she about to sweat? Did she actually get a concussion? Hannah didn't even know what they were talking about.

She understood the words merger, that there was a head company in New York, everyone keeping their jobs. But, any filler information wasn't absorbed.

"At least we now know for sure that we aren't being let go." Jules said.

Hannah smiled. "Mhm" She nodded as if she understood what was going on.

"Seriously, are you sure you're fine? You don't look fine." Okay, so obviously she was terrible at faking her understanding. "You look really pale."

Hannah gave a small nod. "Yeah, I'll uh- I'll tell you later."

"Oh-kay?" Jules shot her a look of doubt.

They returned their attention to the speakers. Carmen was back to giving her portion of her presentation explaining the predicted future profits.

"Based on the trends in the label's historical financial performance, a decision has been made. There will be a few changes based on the multifaceted corporate-level decision that Mills Records has bought this office, studio and label as a whole."

She let everyone sit on her words for a beat, but Hannah seemed to be the slowest of them all.

They had been bought out. They were merging with a New York label, or rather, that New York label was absorbing them. Carmen was here to assist with this consolidation and absorption.

God, how can this woman be so sexy even while saying words like 'financial performance' and 'multifaceted corporate-level decision'? And who knew those words could be a turn on? Listening to her talk business was both confusing and hot.

Wait!

Hannah almost choked.

Mills Records. What was the name they said when they introduced everyone? God dammit, why did she have to go and get that pen? It was just a pen.

No. It couldn't be her. It most certainly was not.

Carmen Mills.

It just had to be a coincidence, right? Nope. No. There was no way that Hannah had fooled around with the owner of the company, the company that now is the same one she works for. No way. Nuh uh. There is no chance that Carmen was in charge of this entire operation.

"This is a monumental situation for all of us." Carmen said.

Yeah, some more than others.

"We have projected substantial financial growth based upon this decision and it is only up from here." Carmen continued.

Doubtful. Hannah could literally feel her stomach dropping and falling to the floor at her feet.

"And, learning from Music City of all places. This epicenter is a new starting ground for us and this new era we want to embark on. We want to learn from the best and hope to gain great tools of the trade. But, we also want to share our insights and knowledge as well. In doing so, we will start with a brand new business plan and shape it into something wonderful."

Hannah looked at her watch and turned to Jules with a panicked look. She couldn't be late in picking up Lyvie from daycare. Not again.

"I will be revamping our business model and connecting it with what you already have in process here. I will be conducting interviews with everyone to see how your day-to-day tasks can be reshaped to not only help you to maintain your own personal goals but to also help the company in meeting our big scale goals. I look forward to meeting each and everyone of you one on one."

Hannah was the first one out the door. She hurriedly told Jules she would see her tomorrow and that they would talk about everything then... maybe.

She chanced a glance at Carmen through the glass windows as she sped past. She was facing the opposite direction gathering paperwork. Some higher-ups had thrown a bunch of questions at her, and she was taking them one at a time.