Hello, Privet! #1: Hello/Привет

Chapter 10

SOPHIE

I can tell that Chloe Barnes-Knightley hates me the second I'm introduced to her.

Chloe Barnes-Knightley is a PR Associate who's been working for Bergstrom and Bergstrom for about four years, and according to Isabele, she's dating one of the Bergstrom heirs. I'm not sure if it's Sam or Walter, only that it's one of the grandsons of Bernie Bergstrom. She's one of those perfect girls—a tall, impossibly thin, stylish, stiletto-wearing blonde with a British accent.

I like accents, especially posh British ones I hear in Merchant Ivory films and Jane Austen adaptations. So at first I couldn't tell if it was just Chloe's natural speaking voice—to be all snooty and haughty, as if she's talking to her social inferiors. But the fact is, Chloe Barnes-Knightley really, truly hates me.

Incident #1

On my first day, Chloe tells me about my tasks for the day. She says to me, "Just because you're a family friend of John's, don't think that I'm going to give you special treatment."

I think that she's joking, so I quip, "That's okay because I don't want any special treatment."

But that must have been the wrong thing to say, because a sour expression creeps into her face just then. She flicks her wrist at another intern named Molly.

"You will help Molly collate all the news reports about Anton."

"Okay."

"That includes all news items, or photographs on the society pages. Any time he is mentioned."

"Okay." I don't understand why she feels she needs to repeat herself. And then Molly dumps two stacks of magazines on the floor beside my desk.

Chloe seems to enjoy the look of mild disbelief on my face at the sight of those magazines.

"I have to go through all of these today?"

"Don't be silly." Chloe gestures to Molly again. She has the poor girl acting like her personal assistant. "There are three months' worth of newspapers too," she says.

Molly is unearthing the said newspapers from behind her desk and dragging them to me. I walk towards her to help her move some of them to my area.

"I want you to cut the articles and paste them in an album, and I want them scanned. You will provide me with soft and hard copies."

I nod.

"And when you email them to me, I want a short summary for each relevant story." She pauses. "Is that clear?"

"Yes."

"I didn't see you writing my instructions down."

"I remember. Scanned and hard copies. Emailed, with summaries for each relevant story." I pause. "What would you consider relevant?"

She makes a barely disguised impatient sort of noise. "Use your discretion as to what is relevant."

"Um, what about gossip?"

"I'm sorry. Do you think a respectable company such as Bergstrom and Bergstrom would deal with gossip? We don't have time for gossip, Sophie."

"Yes, of course, but I think it would be in our best interest to be well-informed about the gossip surrounding the clients, since PR is all about reputation management, don't you think?"