Scarlet Dreams

Chapter 6: A Rare Resource

Scarlet

After my visit to ZYNOTECH, I had made a decision I had previously conveniently been leaving for the future. Well, what could I say?

I'd been making excuses that had seemed relevant at the time, but I'd reached a point where I couldn't deny I was totally procrastinating. My dream of building my own company from scratch and making a difference couldn't be left collecting dust at the back of my mind anymore. Being too young wasn't holding me back, not now, and never again.

I was eighteen now, an adult by law. Not enough knowledge to begin? Well, from all the books I had read, all the people I had talked to, I found no one ever did have everything planned out from the beginning. The ones who waited for everything to be perfect were the ones who saw life passing them by, and the ones who came to live with regrets.

And I—I just had no reason to wait. In truth, I didn't want to wait anymore.

I was going to start my own business. And I already had an idea how.

Which was why, three days later after school, I found myself standing in front of this smooth round reception desk, trying to make my way to the top floor.

"If she's busy for now, can I at least set an appointment?"

The slightly plump woman looked up at me and smiled politely. Although she was hiding it well, I could see she was getting slightly annoyed. I couldn't really blame her, either; I was holding up a line by refusing to leave.

"To set an appointment with Mrs. Turner, please contact her assistant."

I held back a frustrated groan. "I already tried that."

"Then there's nothing I can do, Miss."

"I'm willing to even work here for free just for the chance of meeting her for an hour."

The woman named Stacy gave me a tired look. "Miss, I really can't do anything about it."

I wanted to say more but a cough from behind me made me press my lips together and I nodded tightly. This wasn't going to work.

"Very well. Thank you for your time, Stacy." I smiled at her and turned around.

What now? Was I really going to just give up like this?

I looked at the elevator that was bustling with people. Maybe...?

I shook my head and headed for the door. That had been a crazy thought. I couldn't just go barging in, they would surely kick me out before I even made it to the top floor.

I was about to step out when I felt someone's eyes on me. Turning my head, I saw a man sitting in the reception wait area, looking at me from over the magazine that he was holding. When our gazes met, he lowered the periodical and gave me an easy smile. I had no idea who that man was, but he waved at me, indicating for me to come over.

I hesitated for a moment but the curiosity got the best of me.

"Can I help you, Sir?" I asked when I stood in front of him.

"Maybe. And maybe I can even help you. I need to kill some time before my wife comes down for our date."

I rolled my eyes. This was a weird way to pick up women. I was about to leave when his question stopped me.

"Why do you want to meet Jamie so badly?"

"How-?" I blurted but he cut me off.

"I just happened to hear the small commotion you caused at the reception desk earlier." He smiled. "It was hard to miss."

I considered him for a moment, trying to get what he was after. Was he really just trying to kill time?

"So tell me," he insisted and indicated for me to sit down across from him. I didn't know why but I sat down. He looked at me expectantly, leaning his elbows on his knees.

Oh, whatever. Just go with it.

"She is my greatest idol and I want to build a coaching business like her one day. She is the best you know, so I want to learn from her. I want to see her in action, not from the pages of the books I've read about her."

The man listened to me intently and turned thoughtful.

"How much are you willing to pay to meet her?" he suddenly asked, taking me off guard.

How much? I don't know. I hadn't really thought about it like that. Jamie Turner was a sought after business coach who probably charged thousands of dollars for an hour of consultation. Although I had money, it was from my parents, so I didn't want to use it for my own gain like this.

"I don't know. I don't have much money. But I'm willing to work for free for her to learn from her."

The strange man smiled and tilted his head a bit. "Okay, how much are you worth?"

This question shocked me even more. What did he mean by how much was I worth? Did he think that I was selling myself? On the verge of disgust, I started to get up, but he stopped me by putting a hand on my shoulder.

"You misunderstood me. What I'm asking is what is it, that you are offering in exchange for her time? Can you provide her some kind of special value that will help her be more efficient or do you have some great skills that she could utilize? A lot of people are misunderstanding the value of a person's time. Do you think that offering yourself to work for free for her is valuable enough to exchange for her time?"

"I..."

I didn't know what to say. I didn't have any special skills or tools that I thought would actually provide great value for her. In fact, I couldn't come up with anything.

When I was struggling to find an answer, my thoughts were interrupted by a sudden voice.

"Tom, sorry I'm late."

I stared at the woman who had appeared with shock. Jamie Turner was a short woman, but she made up the altitude with her black high heels. She looked like she had rushed to get here, her blonde hair slightly out of place. The man turned to her and smiled tenderly, pulling her in to kiss her cheek.

"No worries, dear. Your time is always a rare resource to have."

Jamie noticed me staring at her and turned to look at Tom with a questioning face. "And this is?"

Tom turned to me and smiled. "A rival, I guess. We're fighting for the same thing."

"Oh, is that so?"

He winked at me while taking Jamie's hand and moving towards the exit. "Good luck, girl!" He shouted before disappearing with the woman that was my biggest idol.