Page 75 of 2 Books in One Bundle

Before Evolet could comment, the phone on Julie’s desk rang. Julie bustled back around and picked it up.

“Yes?...Yes, she just arrived. I’ll show her back.”

She hung up, grabbed a leather folio off her desk and turned to Evolet with another big smile. “Mr. Bradford is in the conference room with representatives from another company. He’d like you to join them there.”

Evolet frowned. “I was told I’d be working for Ms. Roberts.”

“Oh, there must have been a misunderstanding.” Julie gestured for Evolet to follow her down the hall. “Ms. Roberts put the call in to the agency for a temporary executive assistant, but it was for Mr. Bradford. She’s worked with them before, so Mr. Bradford asked her to reach out personally and find someone who had your experience.”

Momentarily unsettled, Evolet glanced out the window. She preferred to be prepared going into a new job. An online search of her new employer was a must and, if she had time, a quick check-in with the group chat the temp agency maintained to see if anyone else had worked for the company before.

Couldn’t be helped. But who, she wondered, was Mr. Bradford? Some intimidating billionaire who would bark out orders? Or someone spoiled with a lack of focus, someone who would expect her to do most of the heavy lifting?

“Is everything all right, dear?”

Evolet turned and smiled reassuringly at Julie. “Yes. I thought I was working for Ms. Roberts,” she confided to ease some of the concern in Julie’s eyes, “so I did some snooping on her online profile this morning. I like to know a little about who I’m working for and their interests.” She smiled again in reassurance. “I don’t like going in unprepared, but I’ll manage.”

“Well, I can tell you all you need to know about Edward Bradford,” Julie said as her heels clicked against the wood floor. “He likes to portray himself as stodgy and unreachable, but we’re very fortunate to have him leading us. Very intelligent, just like his father, and doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty. I’ve seen him work the assembly line at his manufacturing plants to understand what his workers are going through. You don’t get manyFortune500 CEOs doing that,” Julie added proudly as they neared a wide doorway.

Reassured by Julie’s staunch defense of her boss, Evolet relaxed. It was just eight weeks. She’d worked for a variety of bosses—some friendly and engaging, some distant and even downright rude. Just because this was the most profitable and esteemed company she’d worked for didn’t mean anything in the long run for her ultimate career goals.

Just a means to an end, she reminded herself.

Her eyes widened as she spied the last door at the end of the hall just past a flight of stairs that hugged the wall. Covered in tufted burgundy leather with gleaming brass buttons, the door stretched nearly to the ceiling.

“A beauty, isn’t it?” Julie said with pride. She paused and gestured toward the door. “Edward’s father had it in his office. When we moved here, Edward had the door installed.” Her smile turned sad. “David would have appreciated that. We don’t talk much about him, but Edward loved him very much.”

“You worked for Edward’s father, then?” Evolet asked gently.

“And David’s father.”

“His father?” she repeated. “But...you...” At the humorous gleam in Julie’s eyes, she plowed ahead. “You don’t look old enough to have worked that long.”

Julie’s laughter echoed down the hall. She reminded Evolet of Constanza, happiness and contentment radiating off her small frame in palpable waves that couldn’t help but make one smile.

“That is a wonderful way to start off a Monday. I think you’re going to do just fine here at Bradford Global, Evolet Grey.”

She resumed walking and turned into an open office space. People lounged on leather couches, sat around low-slung coffee tables scribbling on tablets and typed away at state-of-the-art computers at one of the many desks artfully arranged in the giant room. More of the black iron chandeliers hung from a soaring ceiling. The black-and-white photographs on the navy brick walls made Evolet feel like she’d been shoved back in time to the industrial era. A blend of past and present.

Her esteem for Edward Bradford rose. She’d seen enough bland office settings with cubicles that encouraged solitary work and little to no social interaction. Bradford seemed to have gone in the opposite direction, with a coffee bar in the corner and a balcony just beyond filled with sumptuous outdoor couches and chairs.

Julie called out a few greetings as she led Evolet toward a staircase that hugged the bricks and led up to a glass-enclosed room. Evolet responded to the curious glances with a smile. She liked getting to know the people she worked with on her assignments, chatting with them in the break room and making small talk. But the benefit of being a temp was just that—she was temporary. It was easy to brush off overtures of friendship because in a matter of days, weeks or even occasionally months, she would be gone. No need to get her hopes up or to have the threat of losing someone she started to care about looming over her head.

The interior of the glass room came into view. The glass was broken up by thick black beams, beyond which sat several men and women around a large conference table having what appeared to be a heated discussion.

“What was that?” Evolet asked as Julie murmured something under her breath.

“Titan Manufacturing,” the older woman responded. Perhaps Evolet was reading too much into Julie’s tone, but she didn’t sound like she was a fan. “They didn’t move past the first round of bidding for the Royal Air contract, and now they’re trying to...encourage us to partner up for the final round.” She turned and handed Evolet the leather folio. “There’s a tablet in there for taking notes. Please note any details about any proposals so Mr. Bradford can review it later. There’s a chair and a small table at the back where you can sit. Mr. Bradford will meet with you in his office afterward to go over the details for the next few weeks.” Her sunny smile returned as she laid her hand on the door handle. “Welcome to Bradford Global, Miss Grey.”

Just like before she went onstage, butterflies rushed through Evolet’s stomach. And then they were gone, replaced by determination and an iron will to succeed.

“Thank you.”

The door opened. An angry voice rolled out, vibrating with desperation. “You undermined us in the first round of bidding, Bradford! The least you can do is bring us on.”

“You undermined yourself, Thad. Don’t blame us for your company’s shortcomings.”

The familiar deep voice rolled over Evolet’s skin like a lover’s caress. The air grew heavy as her breathing quickened. Her head jerked to the right.

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