Page 15 of VOGUEish

A chorus of gasps sucked the air out of the room.

It was a caricature of him as a superhero. On his cape were the words Bully of Manhattan’s Corporate World. Chandler broke into laughter.

The rest joined in, a few tossing Isabella a welcoming smile.

“Considering Amanda’s unplanned exit, the most important question of the day is, where are we on this month’s layout? Is it in the bag?” He knew he wasn’t using the right terminology, but what did they expect from an outsider.

“I returned the final proof to Amanda last night. It should be on its way to the printer now.” This came from the Naked Runway senior sub-editor. The person in charge of giving the magazine its final proofing for errors.

“Excellent.” His name escaped Chandler. “Could you check with the printer and make sure she sent it? If not, we’ll need to get that done as soon as the meeting is over.”

“I’m pretty sure it was on Amanda’s desk when I left to come this way with her coffee,” Isabella said. “Amanda said something about it requiring a last-minute change.”

“I’m sure you misunderstood,” the sub-editor said. “I proofed it, and it was flawless.”

Isabella shrugged. “This morning was crazy-ass. I could easily be wrong. My apologies if I’ve stepped on your dick.”

This resulted in more laughter.

Isabella turned twenty-nine shades of red and one shade of green. “I’m so sorry, I meant—”

The laughter drowned out what she meant to say.

“Speaking of crazy-ass,” Chandler said, coming to her rescue. “Am I right in assessing none of you want to bring Isabella into your fold until you’ve had a chance to discuss it with your teams?”

Nods all around.

Ziggy cleared his throat. “Will any of us actual employees of Naked Runway be allowed to throw our hat in the ring for either of the two open positions?”

“The new owner has your resumes. She will go through them and note your strengths. There is a chance several of you will be called in to interview for new positions.”

This resulted in a lot of murmurs.

“Where is the shirt I asked one of you to get for Isabella?” Chandler asked.

Ziggy produced a sweater. “It will need to be returned by the end of the week…dry cleaned.” He pushed it toward Isabella.

“Thank you.” Isabella gave him a smile. “And of course.”

“If there’s nothing more, this meeting is adjourned,” Chandler said. “Isabella, report to my office after lunch.”

CHAPTER FOUR

Instead of eating the peanut butter and jelly sandwich she’d stuffed into her purse that morning, Isabella escaped the building. Snowing or not, she needed freedom from all the stares.

She grabbed a slice of pizza from a bustling Italian eatery, took a seat near a window, and updated her blog. Blogging was an action she’d gotten used to over the years. It had been the first step she’d taken toward her big comeback moment.

The Monday following prom, Ms. Patricia had helped her set it up. She’d insisted Isabella do an online blog because, according to the fairy godmother who’d been assigned to Isabella’s case, others could benefit from Isabella’s wisdom.

Plus, it paid homage to the Bridget Jones’ Diary part of the comeback plan.

The 13 Going on 30 part meant she had to become fashion forward. Not a hardship.

And The Devil Wears Prada meant she had to eventually work at Naked Runway in a position of power. Dream come true.

The Billionaire Prince Charming part had not been pursued. Ms. Patricia had never mentioned it, and Isabella had let it slide. After all, it was a big ask, and truthfully, she wanted to find the perfect guy on her own. That guy might not be rich.

Using her thumbs, she quickly typed a new post.

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