"You look tired," Megan greeted Ashtyn when she walked into the staff kitchen.

Ashtyn's lips curved into a smile. "Good morning, Megan," she greeted back.  She was indeed tired. She didn't get home until after midnight, which was always the case during the weekends.  She took a cup from the cupboard and started making her tea.

"You should have come with us last Friday," Megan told her. "The party was smashing!"

"Was it a Hart party?" she asked.

Megan stuck her tongue out and made raspberry noises. "Nah! A Hart party is no party. If you're in one, you don't realise it but you're still working." She started twirling around. "We went clubbin' and dancin', uh-huh!"

"And we went boozin'," Ken's voice boomed from behind them. "And we're doin' it again this Friday! Uh-huh! Really, you should come with us next time."

She watched both of them dancing to the beat of some imaginary music. Megan and Ken were both Event Coordinators who handled the smaller accounts from bachelor and bachelorette parties, twenty-first birthdays, bridal and baby showers. They worked as a team and she was hoping that one day they would ask her to join them. Well, she will have to improve her schedule first. How am I supposed to plan a party with them if I can't even join them for one!  "Would love to, but—"

"Here we go! There's the but!" She rolled her eyes. "Really, Ken? Is there a point in asking Ashtyn when the answer will always be 'no'?"

"Sorry, girls!" She always wanted to join them for a night out but with rehearsals every night and a performance on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, a social life was impossible. "Maybe one day, perhaps?" She gave out a heavy sigh. No one at Hart Enterprises knew that she had a weekend job as a singer. She had no intentions of letting them know either. When she was offered her job, it was under the condition that her availability was flexible. She had to be available to commit to projects. If they knew she had another job, it might ruin her chances to move forward. Or worse, she might end up being the mere entertainer for the events and not be part of the coordinating team. However, she knew that they would soon find out. Hart Enterprises had more than three hundred employees. For sure there should be at least a handful of them who have gone to The Andromeda and may have watched her performance. If that was the case, no one has recognised her so far. On this occasion, all she asked for...Prayed for was to give her a bit more time to keep her secret safe until she finally gets a permanent offer from the company—and then she can say goodbye to the stage.

Ken pouted and mouthed, "Maybe one day, perhaps?" He opened the refrigerator to take out the milk for Ashtyn's tea. "If I got paid a dollar every time you said that, I'd be a millionaire!"

She gave out a soft chuckle. "Actually, you'd probably have about thirty-four dollars or maybe less. I haven't been here that long!"

 He waved a hand at her. "Oh you know what I mean!" 

With a frown on her face, Megan tilted her head to the side in wonder. "How did you get thirty-four?"

"Assuming that I say 'maybe one day' once a week." She noticed that Megan replaced the red company shirt with a magenta blouse and ditched the black slacks and wore a skirt and a new pair of heels to show off her shapely legs. She touched up on her make up, adding more colour on her lips and eye shadow that brought out her blue eyes. She has also pulled her peroxide blonde hair into a bun. Megan wasn't much of a pretty girl; she wasn't ugly either, but she knew how to fix herself up. She turned to Ken. Like Megan, he has also changed from the casual company getup, which comprised of jeans and the company polo shirt, into a white long-sleeved shirt and tie. He has also added more gel into his spiky blonde hair. "Are you guys attending a power meeting or something?" she queried. "Who are you trying to impress?" Megan suddenly squealed loud enough to wake her up even more.

"Woah! I don't think I'll be needing my hearing after that!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, Ashtyn! This meeting will be the bomb!" Megan swooned. "Rhys McLaughlin will be there!"

A frown of confusion formed on her face. "Rhys who?"

Ken wrapped his arm around Ashtyn's shoulder. "Rhys McLaughlin," he repeated. "He's the Madam's super yummo son!" He put a hand over his chest. "When I say yummo, as in he's delicious, baby! I could eat him in so many ways!"

"I could do and eat him in so many ways!" Megan swooned.

Ashtyn grimaced. "Oh-kay! That's giving me disturbing images!" Forcing a smile, "I'm heading off to work now." She picked up her mug and was about to walk away.

Megan and Ken stood in front her of, stopping her in mid-stride. "I don't think you understand," Megan pointed. "Rhys McLaughlin is the heart of Hart Enterprises."

"He's a genius! If you walk into the boardroom, you can feel the powerful aura and the intense sex appeal!" Ken seemed as if he was already devouring the man.

Disturbing images! "I get it," she reassured them. "Really, I do! He's a powerful businessman who's oozing with yumminess," she stated with a blatant hint of disinterest. "I get it." 

They both sighed at the same time. "Oh you poor girl.  You haven't seen him, have you?"

"I haven't even heard of him," she told Megan. "Okay, I'm going to work now. Excuse me!" She walked through them and managed to reach the door without being blocked. She was relieved to finally be out of the staff room until she heard the staff room door squeak open and shut. She could almost feel the cadence of their stride vibrate against her feet as they followed behind her.

"How could you not have heard of him?" Ken asked in disbelief. "He's Madam's son!"

Ashtyn froze for a moment. "With all due respect to Madam, I don't know who he is." She didn't look as impressed as they were hoping her to be. She shrugged, "Maybe because I spend most of the day in an office, doing edit logs," she reminded them. She definitely knew Geena Hart, the company's Chief Executive Officer and owner—the woman who everyone refers to as Madam. If it weren't for her, she wouldn't have a job with the company in the first place.

When she set foot in the enormous lobby of Hart Enterprises for the first time, armed with a simple resume and a copy of her diploma, her heart was beating as if she has just ran a marathon. She approached the receptionist desk to ask if she could be directed to the Human Resources department.

The lady behind the desk didn't even look up at her. "Do you have an appointment?" she asked as her wrinkled fingers busily tapped across her keyboard. She was probably in her fifties.

"Yes, I have an interview at eleven a.m., " she answered confidently.

The lady finally lifted her head up and studied her. "The Human Resources Department is on the fifth floor." He handed a clipboard for her to sign in. "I'll need to see some identification before I hand you your pass."

A pass? She looked around her. She noticed that any one who walked passed the security team that guarded the elevator doors had to show them a card before swiping it through a scanner. What is in this building? Gold bullion?

She lowered her eyeglasses and looked at Ashtyn's overwhelmed face. As if she could read her mind. "I know, love, but we're very strict with who comes in and out of this building."

She nodded. "Of course! Understandable!" She dug through her wallet and presented her driver's license.

"So you applied for the Events Assistant job they advertised, I take it."

Ashtyn's eyes lit up. "Oh, yes!" Crossing her fingers, "I hope I get it!"

The woman smiled. "I never saw anyone look so eager. Why in the world would you want to work in this jungle anyway?" she laughed. "Everything is so hectic!" She leaned forward and whispered, "People over here have a tendency to develop an obsessive compulsive disorder."

Ashtyn's smile got even bigger. "I think, with the nature of the job, OCD should be an essential requirement to have that great attention to detail!" she laughed. She liked this woman. She seemed like someone who was very strict and stern, yet relaxed at the same time.

The lady laughed with her. Getting up from the reception chair, "Have you attended any of our parties?"

"Only one," Ashtyn replied. "And it was a wonderful experience. It's good to see how stress-free the hosts are, at the same time creating moments that everyone would just cherish." The lady gazed at her in sheer amusement. Suddenly, she felt silly. "Well, to me, it was fantastic. I guess to anyone else, it would just be another party." She watched the people coming in and out of the building. She can't deny how envious she was feeling.

The woman gave her license back along with a pass. "Here you go! Good luck at the interview."

"Thank you so much!" 

When she reached the fifth floor, she was surprised to see how packed the waiting room was. Are they applying for the same job? She counted about fourteen people filling out an application form. Judging by their corporate presentation and the thick folders they had, which probably had their portfolio; she could tell that they had the skills and experience to qualify for the position. Ashtyn felt intimidated. She turned her head towards the exit. Compared to these men and women, she would probably be a waste of time for them. Maybe she should come back when she has something more relevant in her resume other than a Bachelor's degree and a brief stint as a waitress during her work experience requirement in high school. She didn't mention anything about her so-called 'singing career.'

"Are you here for an interview?" a short lady asked her.

"Y-Yes." She felt her fingers get cold. "At eleven."

The lady smiled at her as she gave her an application form. "Have a seat and fill this out for me. Your name will be called when it's your turn."

"Excuse me." She leaned forward and whispered to her. "Are all these people for the same job?" The lady nodded she suddenly felt nauseous. Oh boy! 

She watched each man and woman go into the interview room and out.  She wondered what questions they were asking. She noticed that the candidates weren't in there long. Probably ten minutes at the most. Was it because the interview only took that long? Her anxiousness grew every minute that went by.

"Miss Montgomery," a lady called from inside the office as soon as candidate number twelve came out.

I'm number thirteen! She felt her stomach turn. Was that a sign that she should have backed out earlier? She stood up and entered the room. "Good morning," she greeted confidently, even though she was shaking deep inside.

"Good morning, Miss Montgomery. I'm Geena Hart."

Ashtyn's mouth fell open upon seeing the woman from reception. She felt that she has read nearly all articles about Hart Enterprises and have seen her featured in business magazines. How could she not have recognised her? "N-Nice to meet you!" she said as she shook Geena Hart's hand. Get a grip! It was bad enough that she may not be as highly experienced as the other applicants seemed. The last thing she wanted was to stammer her self to another level of embarrassment. 

"Have a seat and we shall begin."

Ashtyn smiled, "Thank you." She watched her flip through her paperwork. The silence between them felt awkward. I can do this! she encouraged herself. Just be yourself, Ashtyn!

"I admire your enthusiasm. I've never seen anyone talk about what we do here with such gusto!" She looked at Ashtyn in the eye. "I was going to ask why want to work for us, but you've already answered that downstairs." She flipped the pages of her resume back and forth. "So, you've just finished university." She paused briefly.  "Your work history doesn't show any experience relevant to what we do..." her voice trailed off. "Would you be able to tell me if there has been any situation where you have planned an event?"

Her heart pounded harder. "If you're referring to functions, parties, exhibits, weddings and the like—" she smiled shyly. "My answer is 'no'."

Geena Hart arched an eyebrow and leaned back on her chair, as if saying 'what are you doing wasting my time then?'

Ashtyn's mind was racing.  She really wanted this job. If this woman compared her to the other applicants, it was going to be easy to tell her then and there that she wasn't suitable. She knew that she could definitely do the job. If they gave her a chance, she could prove her competence and she has the potential to be the best. At the same time, she was also being realistic. 

You can always tell yourself that you're the best in everything you do...It's great for your ego and self-esteem, Hayley used to tell her in one of her sisterly speeches. But at the same time, you have to be prepared in case someone better than you came along. When you meet that person, you have the choice whether to concede and let this person take the limelight or you can strive to be better and be competitive. Never let the competition consume you though. If you can't win, accept defeat with grace and move on. Ashtyn smiled to herself. She could almost hear Hayley's voice at the back of her head. Thinking about her boosted her confidence. She has set her heart and mind in working for this company. She spent months researching and preparing for this opportunity. She was determined more than ever to make sure she made an impression on Geena Hart—an impression big enough that this woman will remember her.

"However," Ashtyn continued. "I have been involved in planning birthdays and bachelorette parties for my friends, if that counts. I know how to canvass for the best deals and supplies and work around the budget. In this process, I have established a good network that will continue to grow."

Geena found herself leaning forward, taking in what Ashtyn had to say. "Go on," she told her.

"I know that my work history is not much  but no matter how short, I do hold these experiences with high regards."

"Oh?" The look on Ashtyn's face was as if she was challenging her. Warning her. There was fire in the girl's eyes. Her body language was screaming don't you dare underestimate me!

"Yes, of course! Food and drinks bring people together and make conversations last longer," she said as a matter-of-factly. "Where there is food, there is something happening."

By saying that, she had her undivided attention. "I have been told by someone of almost the exact same thing," she smiled.

"Plus," Ashtyn continued. "The demand in customer service very high. I am very confident with my customer service skills," she told her. "I believe that it's one of the skill that should never ever be taken for granted. In any industry, in any job, there will always be customer service. I can guarantee that, if I am successful in being offered this position, your clients will have excellent customer service." She leaned forward and her smile was even bigger. "I am aware and very well understand the demands of this position, Ms. Hart. Your question is whether I have planned an event." She didn't know how many times she took a deep breath within the mere five minutes that she was in the office. "I won't count the friends' parties, so...No, I haven't." There was a long pause between them. "But if I am given the opportunity to work here, you'll be surprised."

This young lady was different from anyone she has met. She can come across as shy and meek but the self-confidence that she sensed from her was intimidating. "You are very interesting, Miss Montgomery." She started to gather the papers into one pile. "We'll be reviewing all the applications and we'll be ringing the applicants sometime next week."

That's it? "Thank you so much for your time." She stood up and shook Geena Hart's hand, hoping that it won't be the last time, before she headed off.

She didn't hear back from Hart Enterprises for over three weeks. She was tempted to enquire about her application but decided not to. She would just waste their time. She'll just wait for her rejection letter in the mail, if they even send her one.

Ashtyn was in the middle of her vocalisation exercises when her mobile phone rang. She quickly rummaged through the pile of sheet music that was strewn all over the small dining table until she finally found the phone. The call was from a private number. "Hello, this is Ashtyn," she answered.

"Hello, Miss Montgomery," greeted the person from the other line. "This is Geena Hart."

Ashtyn's heart jumped. She closed her eyes and held the phone tightly. Oh my god! She'll tell me herself that I'm not good enough! "G-Good afternoon, Ma'am, how can I—"

"I see a great potential in you but I'll be honest though."

Here it goes. Ashtyn slowly dropped herself on the living room sofa, starting to feel disappointed and rejected all over again. At least it was nice of her to call me herself to deliver the bad news.

"We need someone who can get straight into the job with minimal training—"

Wait for it...

"Unfortunately, you've been unsuccessful on this occasion."

There you go! Ashtyn forced a smile. "Thank you anyway for your time. I really appreciate—"

"What about coming down to our office tomorrow. We'll see if we could find something for you to do."

Ashtyn was confused. "I don't understand," she admitted. "I thought I—"

"Ten-thirty tomorrow morning?" she cut her off. Without giving Ashtyn a chance to answer, "Excellent! It's done then," she snapped. "When you get to reception, say that you have an appointment with me. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Have a good day!"

Ashtyn didn't know how long she was taking a trip to memory lane for but the sudden shriek from Megan has brought her back to the present. "Are you trying to break my eardrums?"

"I'm sorry! I'm just too excited!" She stared at Ashtyn, studying her from head to toe. "Do you want to put on some make-up?"

Ashtyn threw her head back. "Say what?"

She gestured towards everyone around. "Newsflash! Look around you. Anyone who's got boobs—" she paused as she took a quick glance at Ken, "and those who wished they had boobs are dolling up."

Ken gave her a playful squint. "Darling, if I had boobs, no one will take notice of you." Megan stuck her tongue out at him before giving out a chuckle. 

"Oh no, thank you," she refused. Although, she did seem out of place all of a sudden. Everyone made an effort to impress this Rhys McLaughlin. Compared to everyone else who was in their fashionable business attire, she felt ridiculous in the unflattering red company shirt that was two sizes bigger than she was and a pair of faded jeans. Then there was a sudden tug on her shirt that pulled her a step backward. "Hey!"

It was as if Ken read her mind. "We can clip this ugly shirt at the back," he said as he tightened the shirt around her waist with his hands. "This is not doing anything for your figure. You're practically swimming in this."

Ashtyn broke free from Ken's tugging. "Thanks, ladies, but I don't think I'll be needing the makeover. I'm not attending the meeting." Stating the obvious, "So I don't think I will be seeing this Rhy McLaughlin or will he be seeing me." Pointing towards the direction of her office, "If you need me, you know where to find me." She waited for a response but all she got were dazed faces. "You all right?" 

"Good morning, Mr. McLaughlin," the two said in unison.

Ashtyn froze. He's behind me?

"I hope that everyone is doing well this morning," he said.

Ashtyn could feel her face warming up as she heard the sound of his deep voice. She turned around slowly and found herself staring at a solid torso that could only belong to the god that everyone has been fussing about. She lifted her head to see the face that came with the strong chest and a voice that she could listen to all day.  She took a quick intake of breath upon seeing the chiselled work of art. The deep-set blue eyes, the manicured facial hair that framed his pink lips, the strong jawline and the dark brown hair—these were what she had fantasised about running her fingers through. It was the man from the party. He has not changed one bit since that day. However, with two other men in wearing black suits and ties standing next to him like bodyguards, he seemed even more intimidating. "You're not the security guard," she gasped under her breath.

His eyebrows arched. "Excuse me?" he asked, puzzle more than anything.

Her knees weakened as her face turned bright red once again. "I mean....Good morning, Sir." She turned to her two friends who stood stiff like star-struck fans.

"Likewise," he nodded. "I haven't seen you before. You're new?" 

She felt her heart drop. There was no sign of recognition in his eyes. How stupid of her. It has been nearly a year and she was just an overwhelmed university student lost in a sea of glamour. Why would someone like him remember her? "I-I've been here about eight months," she explained meekly.

Megan quickly jumped between them, sensing the discomfort from Ashtyn. "Sir," she began, "This is Ashtyn Montgomery. She does the edit logs."

He was looking more puzzled. "So she's with the post-productions," he concluded. "I'd be interested to see some of your rough and final cuts—"

"Actually, I just do the digitising and logging," she cut him off. "Sir," she quickly added.

His face frowned once again. "Oh. Digitising and logging?"

The way he looked at her made her feel small and insignificant. "Yeap! That's what I do," she exclaimed, forcing some excitement in her voice.

He straightened up. "Anyway, we'd better get going," he said, changing the subject. He turned to Megan and Ken, "I'll be seeing you in the meeting." Then turning towards Ashtyn, "Nice to meet you and welcome to Hart Enterprises," he said to her dryly.

"Likewise," she said softly. I think. She watched the three men walk away and disappear as they turned around at the end of the corridor.

"Wow!" Ken swooned. "He gives a whole new meaning to 'edible'!"

"Mmmmm!" Megan sighed in agreement.

Ashtyn tried to catch her breath. She didn't expect to ever see him again. So, his name is Rhys McLaughlin. She couldn't believe that the security guard who demanded to see her invitation was actually the heir to this company. How was I supposed to know? He kept a sharp watch on what was happening around like an eagle searching for a prey. After that night, she was constantly building castles in the air. Day and night, fantasies of him beset her. She longed to hold him, at least see him, but knowing that she would never see him again, she prayed her hardest to at least see him in her dreams. After that night, every love song she sang was dedicated to him. She swore that every time she performed, she had wished that he would walk into the lounge, sit at the table just across the stage and watch her sing to him. She didn't know how or when she came to terms with the fact that she had to get over him. It was just a crush that strangely developed from a one-night encounter.  When she got too busy with school and her night job, he was easily forgotten. After all that effort, he was back in her life again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hello! Due to some issues that happened, which compromised the security of our stories, Chapter 4 onwards have been set to private. More detailed information has been included in the "Important Message to Readers" and "Notice to Readers". To access the private chapters, please read the instructions that are in those messages.

Thank you so much for reading!