SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL, J.HUGHES

SEVENTEEN

My morning went pretty well; for the past two weeks, I've been doing great. I've been running, eating well, and my skin is pretty much clean. This morning, I went on a little run and on my way back, I bought myself some flowers because it's Wednesday. And I'm still putting out into the universe the hope that one day, I'll be gifted some flowers on a random Wednesday.

I threw on my nicest, most fashionable outfit for this morning's meeting at the office because we have a formal meeting with Burberry for the winter campaign we are participating in. We are presenting some ideas that we prepared over the summer.

"Should we be nervous?" asks Sam, chewing nervously on the end of a pen.

"What, no, absolutely not. We are prepared, and I'm confident," I reply.

Leia, my other colleague, gets up from her chair and stretches her body. "Yeah, that's what we do best, right?"

Sam nods with a newborn smile on her face. I love my little team, and I know that we've got this. Since the last event with Sam, it feels like we've grown a new friendship between us. She's more like a sister to me now, and I'm truly grateful for her work here at the office. So, I'm excited to experience this great opportunity with her.

I ensure that all our videoconference equipment is in top condition since that's how the meeting will be conducted, through Zoom. Yep, it's another Zoom rendezvous. Seems like that's our jam these days.

In three weeks, I'm off to London for the last stretch at Burberry HQ. Big stuff! And guess what? I'm taking a detour to Paris for some apartment hunting. Leia and Sam are totally in on the adventure, making it a mini-vacay with my work girls.

Of course, I've made arrangements for our other two employees to hold down the fort back home. I trust them implicitly to keep the business running smoothly in our absence, knowing that they're just as committed to our success as we are.

"Ooh, they're ringing!" Leia announces with a grin, her eyes lighting up with excitement as she settles back into her chair at the table. Her fingers tap lightly on the polished wood surface, a nervous energy evident in the way she shifts in her seat.

I quickly scramble to adjust the camera angle one last time, my fingers deftly maneuvering the device to capture the perfect shot. With a flick of my wrist, I ensure the lighting is just right, casting a flattering glow over our faces. Can't have any shadows stealing the show, especially not when we're about to chat with Burberry!

Finally satisfied, I flash Leia a quick thumbs-up before reaching out to answer the call, anticipation as stressing as the countdown of New Year's Eve. 

The screen lights up with the Burberry logo, and soon we're greeted by the familiar faces of our counterparts on the other end of the line.

"Good morning!" chirps their team lead, her British accent ringing clear through the speakers. "Lovely to see you all again. Shall we dive straight into it?"

Leia exchanges a quick glance with me, a determined glint in her eye. "Absolutely," she replies, her voice steady and confident. "We're all ears."

As the meeting progresses, I unveil a series of captivating visuals, each meticulously crafted to embody our vision for the interior decor of the winter collection photoshoot.

 I present the images, my voice infused with an infectious enthusiasm as I guide Burberry's team through our creative concepts.

"Allow me to showcase the culmination of our brainstorming sessions, encapsulated in these visuals," I begin, my tone brimming with anticipation. "Each image is carefully curated to evoke the essence of the collection and serve as a captivating backdrop for the campaign."