A Royal Love Affair

Chapter 2-Eliana

*Three years later*

Eliana

    I'm late! I kept repeating to myself as I hurried down the sidewalk to enter the office. I can already hear my boss yelling at me for my tardiness when she was the one who requested an article on the latest fashion trends for the summer at eleven at night! Who does that? Having to pull an all-nighter to get this done, I'm now five minutes late, which would translate to five hours for my boss. I love my job. Becoming a journalist was always my dream and although I have to work with the devil in woman form, I would not give up my job for anything in the world.

    I'm an accomplished lifestyle journalist after thankfully scoring a job straight out of University. Having a terrible stroke of luck in the past, this job was a sign that my life was turning around for the better and I was deserving of all the good things that life has to offer.

The year following my departure from Greece was an emotional rollercoaster. My stomach clenched just thinking about this. Things were finally looking up for me and if I had to endure a b***h of a boss to live out my dreams, then so be it.

    I rushed through the doors of The Beat Press and made a beeline for the elevator, greeting the receptionist as I rushed past her. Tapping my feet as I impatiently waited to be taken to she-devil in the flesh's office.  Arriving at her door, I knocked at waited for her to invite me in.

    "Come." came the curt response. I entered the grandiose office. Marble floors, all-white furniture and, a wall lined with covers to every major magazine issue the company released. Sitting in the center of this angelic office, was my boss Maria Brown. I quickly approached her desk and laid the article I spent all night working on.

    "Here you go, Miss Brown. I ensured to include several options of each style for you to choose from and I already proofread and edited the article." I let out in a rambling mess. I've never been this nervous and fearful of anyone. Okay, maybe one other person and that didn't get me anywhere. I work for the leading fashion magazine in London. One wrong move and my career could be ruined. Being ever the overachiever, every article I've ever written has been a hit. I was confident that my latest work would be right up there with all my previous submissions.

    "Hmm, you may leave," she said without even sparing a glance in my direction.

I rolled my eyes as I knew she was not looking and silently left her office. I got to my desk and began catching up on what's new in the lifestyle world this week. It was my job to keep up with the latest trends and if my wardrobe was a reflection of my diligence, it would reflect how great I was at this.

    My day was progressing rather uneventful when I got called over the intercom to report to my boss' office.

"What the bollocks did I do now?" I thought as I adjusted my skirt and made my way to the elevator up to Miss Brown's office for the second time that day. On the ride up, I began to go over the article I wrote in my head to search for anything that I may have messed up. Unable to come up with anything, I shrugged my shoulders and proceeded to her door. Seeing it slightly opened, I peeked in and entered since she was expecting me anyway. I took a seat on one of the velvet white chairs on the opposite side of her desk and waited for the dragon to slay me.

    Something about this summons to her office had me a bit uneasy as this never happened unless you were being fired or about to be berated for a submission that was not up to her standards to represent the brand. I wasn't exactly which end of the spectrum I was about to fall on so I sat up straighter in my seat, ready to take on anything she threw my way.

    "Eliana.," she said after an eternity of waiting and looking at me over the rim of her eyeglasses. "As you know, every year I select a few of my journalists to take on month-long assignments in various parts of the world to keep things fresh and appeal to a wider audience." I gulped and nodded. Am I thinking she's about to say what I think she's about to? The yearly summer overseas assignments commonly known as the Fab Five were reserved for the best of the best journalists. My first few months at the publishing house leading up to the selection announcement were met with persons running around like headless chickens to ensure they got the best articles out to earn one of the five spots. I never forgot the chaos the spaced was in, yet the rush of it was exhilarating to witness.

    "I've been watching you over the past year and make no mistake, I don't say this often but your work is exceptional. You're my first pick for the Fab Five. Get ready to pack your bags, you'll be leaving for Greece a week from now to study their food, music, and fashion for an entire month. I'll be expecting updates every Monday..."

    Greece? Did I just hear my boss correctly? She was assigning me to the one country I vowed never to return to. Being a part of the Fab Five would be a great boost for my journalistic career and turning this down would compromise my reputation with my boss and the trust she has now given me. I missed Greece but returning would reopen wounds that I've spent the last three years healing from. I snapped out of it as I saw my boss pause to have my input on something she just said that I completely missed by being wrapped up in my thoughts.

    "I'm sorry what was that?" I said as I shook my head to clear the fuzz that the mere mention of the destination brought upon me.

    "I said, do you accept the offer?" she spoke in an annoyed tone as she tapped her red fingernails on her desk, visibly upset that I spaced out in the middle of quite a meeting.

    "I am honored to be chosen and would not let you down." I quickly replied. There was absolutely no way I would ever turn down this opportunity despite how nervous I was about returning. We wrapped up the conversation after itineraries were discussed and I was on my way back to my desk. Ready or not Greece, here I come.