Page 2 of Perfectly Wrong

It was past nine when I finally set the papers aside. Five hours of uninterrupted reading had given me excellent ideas for our strategy, and all I needed was a list of songs designated for singles to organize a plan for each. If we executed everything I had in mind, this kid would shoot for the stars in no time.

Taking a deep breath, I smiled to myself, feeling satisfied. I was in such a good mood that I decided to treat myself to breakfast at Tim Horton’s, a well-known coffee shop here in Canada. I took my time getting dressed, singing to myself as I walked out of the house toward the nearest shop. I just didn’t expect to find it closed.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I murmured, vexed. Looking up, I searched for some divine assistance. The sky was a clear and inspiring blue, and the sunshine was lovely, which kept me from turning back. I decided not to let a closed coffee shop ruin my morning and walked a few more blocks to a small, cozy café. Rooster Coffee House wasn’t my first choice, mainly because of the distance. It was easier to walk to Tim Horton’s, practically around the corner from my house, and I was too lazy to walk unnecessarily. But I had to admit, Rooster was much better. Their muffins tasted like something your grandma would make, and they had the tastiest coffee I’d ever tried.

When I arrived, I ordered a cappuccino and a bagel with cream cheese. Once I found a comfortable armchair by a huge window, I began drafting my marketing plan in the little purple notebook I’d brought for that exact purpose.

I couldn’t tell how long I was lost in my thoughts and writing nonstop, but suddenly I began to feel eyes on me. For someone who had been through what I had, it was a terrifying sensation. I glanced away from my notebook, carefully surveying my surroundings. No one was sitting in the armchair next to mine, let alone watching me from outside the shop, yet the feeling of being observed persisted. I took a deep breath, trying not to panic, and continued scanning the café.

That was when I saw him for the first time, sitting on a stool in a distant corner. When our eyes met, he tried and failed miserably to appear nonchalant. A shy smile crept onto his face, and a bright red flush spread from his cheeks to the tips of his ears. It didn’t take much effort to recognize him, especially after spending five hours studying everything about him and reviewing the photos in Jeremy’s file. I lowered my head and focused on my notebook, which contained nothing but my plans for his career, pondering whether I should introduce myself. I weighed politeness against the many meetings we were already scheduled for and concluded that it would be unnecessary to preemptively introduce ourselves. Truth be told, I just wanted to remain at peace and on my own for a little while longer, which meant I had no interest in socializing anytime soon.

He stood up, and for a split second, I thought he might walk towards me. I prayed he’d walk away, and thankfully, he did. My new project headed to the restroom, giving me a chance to escape. I still had too much to think about and study, with no time to waste on Sam Martin—not then.

Chapter two

Monday finally arrived, and I was so excited to present the SM Project that I woke up an hour early just to prepare. I took a long shower, enjoyed an amazing and fulfilling breakfast, and headed to the office feeling light, chipper, and happy, like a little fairy.

Most of the team hadn’t arrived yet, so I invited my faithful sidekicks, Katie and Peter, to hang out at the cafeteria at Icon Records.

“So, how long until we get a little spoiler?” Peter asked, pulling out a chair at the table near the door that we had managed to score. The competition for seating was fierce at that time in the morning.

“Yes, please, Lena! Jeremy took all our projects; it must be something big! I barely slept a wink this weekend; I was so anxious for today’s meeting!”

“Calm down, you weirdos,” I laughed, stirring my juice nonchalantly. “Let’s wait for the rest of the team so I can present the artist and my marketing ideas all at once. What I can tell you now is that it’s really cool; the artist is a big deal, and we’re going to have a lot of fun.”

“Any chance we’ll get to travel this time?” Katie asked excitedly.

“Maybe. I’m not sure yet, but I think so.”

As they continued to pry for information, my eyes met his again. Sam Martin was standing by the door, looking shocked to see me there. We had a meeting later, but I hadn’t expected to run into him in the office this early. Jeremy was to his left, and another suited man was on his right. When our boss spotted us, he decided it was a good idea to stop by our table.

“Good morning, Elena,” he said, directing his attention solely at me, a habit that irritated me greatly.

“Jer, good morning.” I stood up. “You remember Katie and Peter from my team?”

Once again, he ignored them. “I’ve got Martin here,” he introduced, gesturing to Sam, who looked like he was about to pass out amidst our pleasantries. I could bet he never expected to see the woman he’d tried to seduce in the coffee shop again. And there I was, all smiles and politeness, shaking his hand while trying not to laugh at his expression.

“I thought our meeting was closer to noon. Did I misunderstand?” I asked.

“No, no, it’s set for 11 a.m. Sam and his lawyer just came early to settle some contractual and bureaucratic details, but the meeting with the marketing team is still on.”

I nodded and took a seat as I watched them look for a table. When I glanced back at my colleagues, I found them staring at me, mouths agape.

“So…” Katie mumbled, her fingers gripping the table so tightly that her knuckles turned white. “Sam Martin is our next project?”

My only response was a wink, followed by the realization that it was time to head upstairs to our floor. The rest of the team was probably already there, and a busy morning awaited us.

“YOU’RE NOT GONNA BELIEVE THIS!” Katie practically burst through the door of the meeting room, startling everyone inside.

“Hey, hold your horses there, girl,” I said, trying to hide my laughter. “Good morning, everyone. I scheduled this meeting to announce that we’re about to embark on a new project. It’s such a significant project that we’ve been booked to work on everything from the album concept to the world tour production. So get your hearts and minds ready—it’s really amazing.”

The five pairs of eyes remained fixed on me, waiting for more instructions, but no one dared to speak.

“I’m calling it SM Project to keep it under wraps. SM stands for Sam Martin, the teenage heartthrob and, apparently, Katie’s crush. He’s our new artist, and our focus will now be entirely on his career.”

Katie couldn’t stop bouncing in her seat, Morgana was almost hyperventilating, and Jordan looked like he might burst into tears. I had completely forgotten that he had been a Sam Martin fan since the days of his early videos, and he’d been pestering me to catch a glimpse of the singer in the hallways. Maybe I should have talked to him about this sooner, so he’d have had time to prepare his heart. I had no interest in causing any of my employees to have a premature heart attack.

“I understand he’s a big deal, but is it really enough to stop working with anyone else?” Matthew asked. “I was enjoying working with that indie group, and our plan for them was solid.”

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