Chapter 43


    Even if everyone else doesn’t know that I slept with Ace, the fact that I knew was bad enough for me. I


    knew that there were people who took these shortcuts in life to climb up the corporatedder but


    ‘sleeping my way’ up wasn’t how I wanted to progress in my career. I wanted to get up there with my


    own merits and achievements. I threw my phone onto the bed before I sighed loudly.


    The reason that I wanted to make it up there wasn’t that I could be up there, but it was because I


    wanted to have the skills and the opportunity to put my creative ideas out there to touch the hearts of


    people with my work in various forms of media. Sleeping my way up wouldn’t give me the skills


    required to achieve my dreams even if I ended up making it up there.


    Plus, without the real skills, how long can I keep fooling geniuses like Jeremy, Richard, Julianna and


    the other on the team for?


    I closed my eyes and turned onto my stomach before burying my face into my pillow. The answer to


    that was simple: I can’t fool them when I can’t even fool myself.


    When tomorrowes, I’ll find a chance to tell Ace that I’ve decided to turn down the role of his


    personal secretary and all that came with it. Come what may. Even if I have to lose my job, I’ll take it


    that I’m just paying for all the sins that I’ve umted for the past two years of secretly dating Kyle.


    Kyle…that rtionship was aplete and utter failure as well…


    …


    Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get a hold of Ace before the meeting in the morning started for Project


    Alpha. Catching him after the meeting seemed like the only sure way for me to get to meet him so I


    decided to join the meeting. The meeting was held in one of therge meeting rooms on Ace’s floor on


    the other side of the floor, away from where his office was.


    When I walked in, everyone was already seated. Although I was five minutes early, the other people


    were already seated at the meeting table. Ace was nowhere in sight, though. The other people had


    their eyes on me while no one said anything. Jeremy was the only one who nodded at me in slight


    acknowledgement that I was present in the room. Despite their slightly cold attitude towards me, none


    of them look surprised that I was joining.


    “Excuse me…” I whispered softly as I sat down on an empty seat.


    The atmosphere was full of tension, and it felt very suffocating to me as I nced around at all the


    superstars seated at the table. I felt like a fangirl stuck in the presence of her favorite celebrities. My


    chest felt so tight, and I didn’t know how to react at all. The other’s stared at theirptop screen,


    The sound of the meeting room door opening broke the silence. Every got up from their seat and


    started greeting Ace as he strode confidently into the room.


    “Morning, everyone. I apologize for the early morning meeting…” Ace said before he took his seat at


    the head of the table.


    Ace nced over at me, and a small smile curved his beautiful lips. He didn’t say anything to me, and


    the meeting started immediately.


    “We’ve got a new project on our hands. Project Alpha is just a simple code name that I came up with.


    We’ll stick with that unless anyone has a sexier name because it doesn’t really matter. Jumping in,


    Julianna will take us through the requirements as this is a project that came in through our marketing


    team,” Ace said as he gestured with his hand for Julianna to take the center stage.


    “Yes, Sir!” Julianna said enthusiastically as she stood up from her seat.


    Everyone’s eyes, including mine, were on therge presentation screen as Julianna stood next to it and


    began walking us through the details of the project.


    “Once again, this year, the Ashford Creativepetition is upon us. As all of you are probably already


    aware, the Ashford Award is awarded to the best advertisement that will be used to support a non-profit


    organization of the Ashford Foundation’s choice. Although the non-profit organization that the


    foundation chooses to support changes every year, the theme of thepetition remains the same.


    The Ashford Award will be rewarded to themercial that best represents the goal of the foundation


    and the non-profit organization and attracts the most PR and attention from the general public to


    support the cause,” Julianna exined in her clear voice as she flipped through the slides of her


    presentation.


    Everyone nodded along with her in understanding. She was right, everyone in the industry and also


    some out of it, knows about the Ashford Foundation and thepetition that they hold every year.


    However, probably only those involved in the industry and its clients will know the true meaning behind


    thepetition and what it really means in the business world.


    “Thispetition isn’t just about supporting a good cause. For advertising and mediapanies like


    ours, it is thepetition that decides who will dominate the market this year. Every year since the


    founding of thispany, we have participated in thepetition with the intent to win. It ismon


    for the winner of thispetition to be referred to as the best advertisingpany. Of course, that also


    means that clients will flock to us if we win this. After all, our clients are following very closely on the


    progress and result of thispetition,” Julianna went on to exin the true meaning behind this


    I’ve heard of thispetition before and the fact that Jesses & Hills participates every year. Of course,


    thepany has managed to win thepetition for most of the years since its founding and that is


    partly how thepany has cemented its position as the best advertisingpany. I have never been


    involved in a project of this scale that has the pride of thepany riding on it before. This was just


    huge…


    --To be continued…