THE STALLED ELEVATOR almost made me late. Fortunately, I’d gotten to work a bit earlier than usual since this was my first day at my new job. I would be slightly late, but not massively so. I was about to be the executive assistant to the CEO. I’d never had such a stellar job offer as this one. I had started working at Quinn soon after high school and cycled through many d epartments since, mostly in admin assistant roles. I’d never managed to get a degree. Every other executive assistant job I’d found required a degree, so I couldn’t just go out and find a similar promotion with pay like this job offered. And I needed that pay. In fact, the timing had been just about miraculous. I hadn’t made a payment on my mortgage in a few months. Instead, all my money had gone to helping my dad get back on his feet after he’d been laid off from his job. I’d bought him a tiny house in the coun try, which had been the only thing I could afford to get him into. Had it been a good decision? I wasn’t sure. It had been the only decision. He didn’t have anyone else who could help him, and he hadn’t been able to find work again quickly. The result had been that I was now standing on the precipice of financial ruin. If I couldn’t get my mortgage paid, I would end up living in that tiny house in the country with him. I could not live in a tiny house in the country. With my dad. I just couldn’t. Over the past few years, my life had gotten sadder and sadder. My best friends and my cousin, who I was close to, had all moved away. My mom lived far away. I hadn’t really made new friends. And no w I was failing at home ownership. Moving in with my dad would be one more heavy load on my shoulders. I needed this pay raise to save me. This was my big break — in more ways than one. I was confident I could pull it off. I’d admin assisted my heart out. I could do this!
Before my interview, I’d never been to the tenth floor. It was the executive floor, the stuff of legends, a place where the plebes from the other nine floors were never invited. Just outside of the elevator was a lobby with marble tile floors. Three chairs lined the wall next to the elevator, s eparated by tables topped with plants. They were probably real plants — not like the dusty fake ferns in the break room on the fifth floor wh ere I’d come from. The chairs were made from some kind of fancy wood, mahogany maybe. I wondered who sat there. Who waited in this place, and for whom? Most importantly, how could this ritzy floor possibly be part of the same run - down business I had worked at all these years? On the far side of the lobby area sat a gray marble rec eption area with wood accents that matched the chairs. While there was space for a few people at the desk, only one person sat there — a man wearing the crispest suit I’d ever seen, his blond hair coiffe d perfectly, and his eyes fixed on me like I might rob the place. “You must be Evangeline Day,” he said, his tone not especially welcoming. “Please call me Evie.” I st epped closer to him. My heels echoed on the marble floors, and I fought off thoughts that I didn’t belong here. His jaw slid forward, and he looked a little annoyed. “Please wait,” he said, and indicated the chairs along the wall. Who got to sit in those chairs? I got to sit in those chairs. That’s who. So I sat, and I’d never felt fuller of myself than I did right then, sitting in the fanciest waiting room chair I’d ever seen. I touched a plant. Definitely real. I ignored the fact that the man at the desk had his gaze laser - focused on me. I glanced at him, and he k ept his eyes glued to me, which struck me as bizarre. Why the glare? I shifted my focus to the paneled glass wall behind the rec eption desk, with a door at its center. I wondered if it was bulletproof glass, protecting the leadership from an invasion of lower - landers. I could see frosted windows, offices, maybe a boardroom. Then I looked back at the desk, and the man was still glaring at me. “Am I waiting in the wrong spot?” I asked. He didn’t even blink. Just shook his head slowly.
Maybe he stared everyone down who dared to show up on the tenth floor, whether or not they belonged there. Maybe this was part of the security process, or a test to see if I really deserved to be on this floor. Whatever it was, I didn’t appreciate it. I gave him my sunniest smile, hoping to get a smile in return. We might be working together, so I wanted to start off on the right foot. All I got back was more glaring. I picked up a magazine on the table beside me . I didn’t care what was in that magazine, so long as I could avoid that man and his unwelcoming stare. Not long into fake - reading an article about Cancun, I heard the man say, “Follow me, please.” I stood and smoothed my skirt, then made my way toward the least pleasant rec eptionist I’d ever met. He held the glass door open for me. His expression pinched. I followed him through the door and into another world — one with offices instead of cubicles. When the stern man wasn’t looking, I ran my fingertips along the glass wall of a meeting room. I had to focus on playing the part of someone who was posh enough to work on the tenth floor, not get lost in the gorgeous decor. I had been so sure of my ability to do this job that it had never occurred to me that working on the tenth floor would be any different from working anywhere else at Quinn Financial. But it was. And I wasn’t sure I belonged here. Because I was not posh enough to work on the tenth floor. Not even close. I was twenty - nine and still ate boxed mac and cheese at least once a week. I’d need to fake it. I could totally fake it. I hadn’t met the CEO of the company yet. An email blast had gone out that we were getting a new CEO, but it hadn’t included a picture. I only knew his name and that he was the COO’s brother. I knew that second part from hearsay around the office. The COO was a woman named Rebekah. She was the reason I’d gotten this job. I’d worked with her in the marketing d epartment, and she had been an amazing boss. She’d even requested that I interview for this position, which surprised me and thrilled me and sc ared me all at the same time. During the interview, she hadn’t mentioned that the new CEO was her brother. I guessed they didn’t want to advertise it. I wondered how that worked out, why two siblings would be executives at the same company, but I hadn’t as ked. At the end of the hallway was a door, and I knew that door was waiting for me. The blond man reached it, opened it without knocking, and moved aside to let me through. “Thank you, Lochlan,” I heard someone inside say. Lochlan. His name was Lochlan. Noted.
My stomach twisted. This was it. Moment of truth. Could I pull off this promotion from admin assistant to executive assistant? I st epped into the CEO’s office with a smile, ready to do my absolute best. But that smile froze on my face when I saw my new boss. It was the man from the elevator. What was I supposed to do now? I didn’t know, so what I did was stare at him, which was a mistake because then I noticed how hot he was. Not that I hadn’t noticed in the elevator. He was so gorgeous I could hardly process it, all dark brown hair, and sharp jawline, and stark eyebrows that made his brown eyes stand out in a way that completely turned me upside down. In the elevator, his attractiveness had been a perk. Who doesn’t want to get stuck in an elevator with a hot stranger? But this wasn’t an elevator. This man was going to be my boss. How was I supposed to focus on work with that as my boss? I hadn’t had a firm vision of who the CEO would be, but it hadn’t been this. Quinn Financial had many CEOs over the years. One hundred percent of them had been... well, not this. The opposite of this. This man looked more like a model than someone who could r un a company, and far younger than I ever thought a CEO would be, too. Plus, he looked familiar. So familiar, but I couldn’t place him. Rebekah was sitting in a chair in front of his desk when I entered the room, then stood to shake my hand. “Good morning, Evie,” she said with a shining smile. Her long, dark hair looked like she’d just come from a salon. She had always been a beacon of per fection. “Welcome to the tenth floor and our team. Would you like anything to drink?” “No, thank you,” I said. “And thank you. I’m happy to be here.” “I’d love to invite you to sit, but we’ve got a busy morning ahead of us, so we’ll have to jump right in. Rex, this is your new assistant, Evie. Evie comes from a strong background at Quinn. She has worked in many d epartments, and served as an assistant to several managers and d epartment heads, including me. Her experience should serve you well.” Rex frowned, but didn’t take his eyes off of me. I wondered if he was as surprised as I was that we’d been stuck in the elevator and not known we’d be working together. Or maybe he had known it was me somehow and simply not cared. “Evie,” Rebekah went on, “This is my brother, Reginald Claremont. He goes by Rex.” I still couldn’t place him, but the name had triggered a feeling that I really did know him beyond the elevator. I’d known Rebekah for years and never questioned her name, but hearing their
names together made me sure I’d heard of them. I held my tongue, though. I’d been accused more than once of asking too many questions, and this was the CEO, not a new pal. I don’t know what I expected. A more personal introduction? A greeting? I didn’t feel picky about how he responded to me, but what I got was a grunt and a frown. Again, the feeling that I didn’t belong here lodged inside of me, but I forced it away. I belo nged here. At least, if I didn’t, I would make myself belong here. All of these overly serious tenth floor people needed some cheering up — they needed me. I could make this work. I had to make this work. I smiled brightly at him — the only thing I could think to do. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Claremont. I look forward to working with you.” “Lochlan,” Rebekah said, “can you get Evie set up? Evie, we’ve got a meeting at ten - thirty this morning. Please join us and be pr epared to take notes for Rex. Conference room A.” I nodded and then followed Lochlan back down the hall. While we walked, my brain continued to spin, trying to place where I’d seen Rex before. The only thing that k ept flashing into my mind were images of a man on the street, in a suit, walking away from photographers, but that made no sense. But it did make sense! I gasped so hard that Lochlan spun around to look at me. “The Claremonts!” I said, and he stared at me like I was incredibly stupid. Maybe I was. “That was Rex and Rebekah Claremont, the two oldest kids of Reginald Claremont... the billionaire.” “Wow, you’re a sharp one,” Lochlan drawled and then k ept walking. How had I not known Rebekah Claremont was the Rebekah Claremont all this time? God, I was dumb. She’d always been so down - to - earth. She’d never mentioned anything about being from one of the richest families in the country. Her younger siblings and parents were always in magazines and tabloids, but Re bekah was not. Not often, at least. I’d completely missed it. But why were she and her brother both here? I had to suppress another gasp as the answer came to me. “Do the Claremonts own Quinn Financial?” I asked. “You are now the executive assistant to these people. I suggest you do your research. Your lack of knowledge is not doing you any favors, but, yes, they do.” I stopped saying my thoughts out loud at that point, but in my head, my panic played on r epeat.
What had I gotten myself into? How had I not known it was them? I’d been at this company for ten years and had no idea who actually owned it. That couldn’t be right, and yet it was. There had never been any mention of a Claremont connection. The Claremonts operated hotels, not a rundown financial firm in Seattle. I couldn’t work for Rex Claremont. He was the heir to a billion - dollar fortune. I’d seen his pictures in magazines and online for years, always avoiding and dodging paparazzi. The man did not like attention. He was famous for that. I’d never once seen a ph oto of him smiling, either. He was the world’s most well - known grouch. I was just about the opposite of a grouch. How was this ever going to work? If I were famous — I’d never be, but if I were — I’d be famous for hating grumps! We would never be on the same page. LOCHLAN LED ME to my desk — a sleek glass thing with two monitors sitting atop it. My desk was in the rec eption area where he sat. At the other rec eption desk now sat a woman with light brown hair pulled back into a bun, exquisite makeup, and a dark navy sui t as crisp as Lochlan’s. “Good morning, Tasha,” Lochlan said. “Tasha is Rebekah’s executive assistant.” “Who is this?” she asked, looking at me. “Mr. Claremont’s new assistant. Evangeline Day.” “Please call me Evie. It’s nice to meet you.” I smiled at her. In return, she arched the most delicate eyebrow I’d ever seen. “A new assistant for a new CEO?” she asked Lochlan. “Yes,” he said. “I know. It should go swimmingly, especially with this CEO.” “Well, good luck with him,” Tasha said. “I’ve only met him a few times, but he seems like a peach.” “I heard him telling Rebekah this morning that he would prefer to choose his own assistant,” Lochlan said, turning on my computer for me. “Lochlan, don’t be rude,” Tasha admonished. “Well, I did. I wasn’t eavesdropping. They’d left the door open.” “If you want to risk your job slinking around the halls back there, that’s your choice.” He didn’t respond to her. Instead, he sat at my computer where he opened my email and the same team chat program we used in other d epartments. “Your passwords and email address
are the same as what you had before, and already set up for you on this computer. I’ll reach out to the tech d epartment and get an order put in for a cell for your work use. They should have that to you by tomorrow.” I sat down and stared at my computer. “Mr. Claremont hasn’t given me anything to do yet. How can I help you guys out this morning?” Lochlan looked like he’d just taken a bite of something putrid. Tasha smiled. “It’s your first day. It’s perfectly fine if you have some downtime. Mr. Claremont is also new, so he might need a few days to settle in. I’d recommend you take a cruise around the Q drive. That’s where we ke ep all of our files. There are ple nty of things to review there — phone extension lists, policy documents, and what have you. See if there’s a folder for you already. If not, feel free to set one up.” Lochlan returned to his work station, and Tasha seemed absorbed in a task, so suddenly I was quite alone with my new desk. I did the things Tasha had listed, then I dug through the drawers and found an employee manual to review. The last time I’d read it with any level of detail had been when I’d first started at Quinn, when I was nineteen years old. I checked my email r epeate dly, hoping Rex — the Rex Claremont, I still couldn’t believe it — would send me something to do, but Lochlan’s words haunted me. Rex wanted to hire someone else. So why had Rebekah hired me? The thought left me insecure, which was not what I needed, so I took a few minutes to psych myself back up. I could do this. I would do this. I would be the best executive assistant this company had ever seen. When ten o’clock rolled around, I turned to Tasha. “Could you tell me where Conference Room A is? I’ve been invited to a meeting.” “I’m going, too. You can follow me in another few minutes.” “Okay, thank you.” She didn’t even look up at me, but continued working as she spoke. This was not a warm and fuzzy floor, but maybe I could change that. A few minutes later, as we walked toward the conference room, she remained quiet, but while I had her alone, I needed to know. “Is Lochlan always so... friendly? Did I do anything wrong so far that you’ve noticed?”
“He’s a bit of a snoot,” she said. “But also, he wanted your job, and Rebekah didn’t even give him a chance to interview for it.” “What? Why not? That doesn’t seem fair.” She laughed softly. “It’s not about being fair. Rebekah doesn’t like Lochlan. She’d fire him if the CFO didn’t insist he stay.” She entered a meeting room and took a seat at a table with about fifteen chairs. I sat next to her and tried not to think about Lochlan wanting my job and hating me for it. I hoped someone on this floor might want to be friends with me, but so far, the fri end forecast was not looking positive. That was fine. I had plenty of time to win these people over. All of them. Maybe all they needed was a friendlier coworker. The meeting largely consisted of introductions so that Rex could meet the team. Rebekah led the meeting, inviting each person in attendance to speak, and that was how I learned the key players. I wrote their names down for Rex in a bulleted list, but it wo uld take me a while to remember all of them — chief investment officer, chief finance officer, various global heads, and more. I was focused on the names, but then realized they were talking about Quinn Financial’s shortcomings, letting Rex know what he was facing. I’d never heard this perspective before — the insider’s view. “Jensen didn’t ke ep a tight rein on finances,” Andrew Bailey, the CFO, was saying. I knew the name Jensen. He had been the last CEO I’d been aware of, but he must have been gone for at least six months. Someone had been the acting CEO. Perhaps it had been Andrew. “We’ve been hemorrhaging money in some d epartments, and hoarding it in others.” I noticed Tasha’s eyes glued to Andrew with every word he spoke. I sensed a crush, and Andrew was a good - looking man in a silver fox kind of way. “Our infrastructure is also really weak,” Rebekah added. “The building hasn’t had any significant updates in decades. This floor has, but the rest of the building and the Tacoma location both look the same as they did in the nineties. We will not get and r etain top talent if it feels like a time warp to walk in here.” I almost snort - laughed. The building totally felt like a time warp! The Tacoma location was even worse. I wanted to chip in with an opinion on the break rooms down there, but I doubted I was welcome to join the conversation or that break rooms were their b iggest concern.
The chief investment officer, an older man named Ian Green, delved into the investment arena, and I did my best to take notes on things I barely understood. I’d have to learn. I decided I’d spend that evening doing some reading about investment terms. My takeaway was that Quinn Financial had more problems than I would have guessed, but it all made sense. I’d felt like the company had gone downhill, but hadn’t known just how true that was. The meeting did not last long. When it was done, the executives filed out, shaking Rex’s hand as they went. Even Rebekah left, saying she was going to go for a walk over lunch. I was occupied trying to organize my notes, scribbling down a few things before I forgot them. “Ms. Day,” I heard, and looked up to find Rex at the far end of the table, eyes locked on to me. “Oh, I should go,” I said, flustered at the intensity of his gaze. “Don’t go,” he said. “Not yet. I have a question for you.” Everything in my lower body tightened, and that made me shift my eyes down fast. I had to look away from him. The man was far too attractive to make direct eye contact with. He was wearing a tie so his shirt was buttoned all the way up, but even through hi s crisp, white shirt, I could see how fit he was — the planes of his stomach, the definition in his chest. Or maybe I was imagining it. “What do you think of what the executive team was saying about this company?” “What do I think?” I asked, my voice pitching higher, and I made the mistake of looking up again. Nope. Not imagining it. He was hot. And fit. Heat immediately rushed into my cheeks and ears. Oh, God, I was not coming off cool and confident today. “Yes, what do you think?” His voice sounded a little annoyed. “Rebekah gave me your resume. You’ve been in many of the d epartments they’ve mentioned. What’s your take?” “My take is... well... things definitely have gotten a little dated around here, especially in the Tacoma building. I can’t especially speak to all the financial matters. That’s not really my area of expertise. The break rooms definitely look like they’re from t he nineties, though.” Dammit. Why did I say that? Who cared about break rooms? He folded his hands on the table. “And what is your area of expertise?” “I...” My words faltered in the wake of his stare. I was tempted to say my area of expertise was the break rooms, but I didn’t think this man was ready for a joke.
“Being an assistant? You’ve been an assistant in every d epartment you’ve worked in — marketing, sales, financial analysis, data entry. Why not move to another kind of position?” I smiled and shrugged, and then immediately regretted that. Real power move. Go, me. I sat up straighter. “I excel at ke eping other people organized, and love the hands - on nature of being an assistant where I can get things done and make a difference every day.” His expression immediately grew stony. “I don’t want to hear buzzwords and corporate - speak.” “Oh, no, I — ” I stammered. “I didn’t mean it that way. I meant what I said honestly. I’m not trying to say just the right thing.” “You love dealing with other people’s messes? Getting none of the glory?” I tried to ke ep a smile on my face because this man was my boss and I wanted him to trust what I had to say. He held the keys to my financial future. “Mr. Claremont, you seem sk eptical of my skills, but I assure you I will prove myself to you. Whether you’ d like me to focus on getting you the best coffee each morning or managing your schedule or helping with r eports, I promise you I’ll be the best assistant you’ve ever had.” “Evangeline,” he said, and I had to cut him off. I couldn’t stand being called Evangeline. “Evie, please,” I said. “I have trouble remembering to respond to Evangeline.” “I am not interested in platitudes or overly polished answers to my questions. I am not interested in you saying what you think I want to hear.” I nodded. “I am interested in honesty,” he added. “Of course, Mr. Claremont.” “Real honesty. You can say whatever you’d like to me. If it’s honest, I’ll appreciate and respect it.” “I would never dream of saying only what I thought you wanted to hear,” I said with a smile. He threw a squint my way. Maybe he didn’t believe me. This boss of mine was difficult to read, grumpy, and closed off. I could see what Tasha meant. He was a “peach,” in every sarcastic meaning of the word. But I didn’t care. I would win this grouchy CEO over. He wouldn’t even know what hit him. I would do whatever I had to do to make a place for myself on the tenth floor.