How It's Going To Be [h.s.]

Chapter 89

{Kate's Point of View}

The day was already bad before I even got out of bed. Sometime during the night, the smudge of grey clouds that had been haunting London for weeks opened up and released a thick layer of snow over the city. The streak of winter dryness ended and people were left fumbling through the mess.

It wasn't the snow that was bad—it was the effect. Eli's building had lost power so he couldn't make it to my flat in time to get me to work. I nearly slipped down the old wooden stairs in my building because they were wet from snowy shoes. I had to wade through slush to get to the bus stop. I blew warm air on my fingers and bounced on my toes to ward off the cold as much as possible. The bus was late because roads were icy and traffic was slow.

The minute hand on my watch ticked passed the top of the hour as I dashed across the marble lobby of my office building. I pushed through the double doors leading to the main part of the office and saw Mr. Hendrix pacing up and down the main corridor.

"Kate," he said in an unreadable tone.

"I'm sorry I'm late! My bus arrived late and traffic is a nightmare in the snow and..."

Mr. Hendrix raised a hand to silence me. "I don't mind. You aren't even four minutes late. I was actually hoping to catch you because I would like to speak to you in my office. Have you got the time to do that now?"

"Yes, sir."

"Excellent. Go ahead and put your things in your office. I'll be waiting in mine."

I knocked twice on Mr. Hendrix's office door before walking in. He was sitting at his desk with his fingers steepled in front of his mouth. When he looked up and saw me, he gestured to the open chair opposite his desk. "Please, sit."

"Thank you," I muttered.

"Mr. Carter and I extended the job expansion offer to you and you agreed."

"Yes, I did," I said confidently.

"We were very pleased that you did. Your talent is undeniable. That being said, we have a few tasks to give you."

"Go on," I nodded.

"You are fully aware that next month is Zayn's launch party for his album and the time is slipping by rather quickly. Details were finalized over the holidays regarding time and location of the party. The launch will be the twenty-fifth of February at The Cuckoo Club."

"That will be amazing," I gushed. "I already have ideas."

"That's what I like to hear!" Mr. Hendrix beamed. "We have a little over a month before the launch. By the end of the month, I want you to take Zayn to the club and do a run-through of how the party will go. I want him to give the final approval of all decisions. This will be his big night."

"Understood," I nodded.

"As for today, I have emailed you a list of people who need personal invitations to Zayn's launch party. I'll admit I'm exploiting your ties to One Direction on this. I would like special invitations sent to management. But I would like you to personally call the band members. I really think having them there will be good publicity for Zayn. And, he called me over the holidays to express how much he'd like them there. Can you handle doing that?"

"Yes, absolutely," I nodded. I couldn't possibly let Mr. Hendrix know how nervous the very thought made me.

"Excellent! One last thing. Have you heard of the magazine called Advert?"

"I don't think I have," I shook my head slowly. Truthfully, I may have heard of the magazine at some point, but not to my limited memory.

Mr. Hendrix smiled, "Advert is a magazine that focuses on advertising, marketing, and branding. I have a friend that has worked there for many years. When she heard about our rebranding of Zayn for his music career, she was extremely impressed. So impressed, actually, that she asked to interview you for Advert."