Open Concept

Chapter 2

Courage is not the Absence of Fear, but rather the Judgement that something else is more Important than Fear

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Chloe

The very next day, I took a cab and showed him the address on the card, and was driven up to a very tall building, I paid the driver and walked up to the entrance of the building. Let me tell you, it was very intimidating.

I walked in, and headed towards what I thought was the receptionist, "Hi Ma'am, I'm here to see Mr Richardson"

"Name?" she asked abruptly 

"Chloe Elliott" 

She then pushed some buttons and repeated my name, and then coughed at me.

"Take this key use it for the elevator, go to floor 19" she said handing me a gold card on a cord.

"Thank you Ma'am"

She didn't answer, well that was rude. I walked into the elevator and said hello to the attendant inside, and asked for floor 19, when I arrived I was met with yet another receptionist, she was an older lady, with white hair and corded glasses, she reminded me of my Grandmother. 

"Hi Ma'am, I'm here to see Mr. Richardson" I said shyly

"Oh darling, don't call me Ma'am, you'll make me feel older than I really am" she said sweetly

"Oh I'm sorry"

"Don't worry about it Hun, why don't you have a seat, and I'll find someone to lead you to him"

"Thank you very much, Ms.?"

"Pataluga, and you're very welcome" 

I smiled and went to take a seat, on the chairs nearby. About 20 seconds later a women in a nice business suit came out from double glass doors towards Ms. Pataluga and said "Where is she?"

"Right there" responded Ms. Pataluga

The woman turned around without a word and came up to me "Follow me"

But before I could do that, I said "One second please" and the lady rolled her eyes at me, I walked up to Ms Pataluga and said. 

"Thank you, for being so nice to me, the rest of the ladies are sort of... hostile"

"Oh, don't worry about it sweet cheeks. These other girls think that the only way to make it higher, is to make other people feel inferior, but the thing is 'You must always be a little Kinder than Necessary', don't ever forget that" she winked

And I thanked her once again before walking of with the lady. I don't think I'll ever forget that Ms. Pataluga and what she said to me that day.

I followed the lady in the business suit, through a glass door, and another elevator, to a floor marked number 23. I guess, if we all haven't figured it out by now, it seems like Mr. Richardson was no ordinary producer.

As we walked outside of the elevator the lady I was following suddenly stopped, and said, Mr Richardson and his associates are waiting for you in that room, then she walked off to her desk, and didn't say another word to me. I thanked her, and followed the direction to which she had pointed, and knocked slightly. 

I opened the door, to see a table of about five men and two women, waiting for me. 

"Ah, Chloe you're here" said Mr Richardson

"Yes I am." I smiled

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Once I sat down, they immediately got down to business