The urge to interrupt him before he had finished was overwhelming. Not that his ideas were completely terrible. They were just too naïve for the business. Of course, a 22 year old man who quit law school and got a job at his father’s marketing company wouldn’t be the best choice to lead a worldwide campaign. Apparently, Eliza was the only one who thought that. While everyone was sitting at the edge of their seats, breathing in every word from the slideshow that the handsome young man in front of the table was (excruciatingly, she might add) unraveling, Eliza was just staring at the blank space on the wall, trying not to look too bored. It sounded like he was reading some sort of prescription for an ultimate success, like that was the best idea of all fucking times. For crying out loud, an intern could do better than that, and this morning one of them broke the coffee machine on the third floor because he didn’t know how to turn it on.
Why she was so bitter about it, Eliza didn’t know. She wasn’t losing any money or prestige in the company. She should be grateful that no one was waiting for her to come up with a brilliant idea and make even more money than they expected, like she did all those years before. It was exhausting. But something in this change of characters, especially at such an influential position, made her feel unnecessary. Eliza knew she could come up with a better campaign than that stupid little kindergarten one that Mr. Oh My God He’s So Smart And Handsome did. Something sophisticated, that would say “I studied years in marketing school to be able to come up with such a brilliant commercial about feminine products, look at those minimalistic banners I just made.”
Everyone in the company talked about Alexander Edgecombe like he was some sort of prodigy in the advertising industry, but Eliza could only see him as the spoiled brat that he was, quitting a honorable college because he couldn’t handle the pressure of doing things on his own. He preferred to get back to his hometown and drink onto his father’s fountain of money, because he wanted everyone to kiss his precious ass for the rest of his life instead of reaching for independence.
When Alexander finished his presentation, everyone applauded. “What a surprise” Eliza thought, clapping her hands in slow motion, looking at Martin Ass Kisser with a hint of disapproval. The man looked like he had just watched the greatest piano concert of all times, and it was played by a 4 year old.
She was so caught up at staring at Martin’s stupid smiling face from the other side of the table that she didn’t notice all the claps fading. Two lonely claps were heard in the great conference room until she realized it was her. Eliza stopped clapping and shoved her hands on her pockets, trying not to look embarrassed. Some of her co-workers were still looking at Alexander with admiration, so she directed her eyes to the front of the table.
Alexander was looking right back at her. His chocolate brown eyes had a hint of surprise in them, but his smile was getting bigger by the second. Eliza noticed that his cheeks got a light shade of pink. “He’s probably too thrilled about the presentation.” She thought. “Asshole.”
*Hey guys, I hope you liked this really short first chapter. Sorry if there are any grammar mistakes, English isn’t my first language, so I’m getting used to it. This is my first English story on Wattpad, so I would appreciate any suggestion you guys send me. Also, this might seem like another cliché “girl hates boy and then she realizes she was wrong about him all the time and they fall in love” type of story, but I promise you it isn’t. Thanks for reading the first chapter, I will be posting something new in two days or less. Please, please, please, don’t be afraid to send me any comments or suggestions. *
Maria.
