Enthrall

Chapter 3

Landing In Manchester

Evie

Jet lag was a complete nightmare, and I never forgot to complain about how much of a nightmare it was. We had arrived in England two days ago, but it felt like we had only just landed today. The Hyatt hotel suite George had arranged was beautiful, but nothing felt familiar yet.

I looked over at Lizzie, who was completely in her element. She had already logged in and started her classes for the day since she had decided to start school online rather than wait for me to move in with her. Her setup was impressively organized color-coded notebooks, three different highlighters arranged by priority, and a schedule printed out and taped to the wall.

"How are you adjusting to the time difference so well?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"I researched the optimal adjustment strategy and began shifting my sleep schedule three days before we left," she replied without looking up from her screen. "Also, the university portal is much more organized than I expected. British educational systems are quite efficient."

I had a meeting with George today at ten AM, and it was already eight. The thought of seeing him in person for the first time made my stomach flutter with nerves.

After showering and getting dressed, I found myself staring at my reflection longer than usual. In a few hours, I'd be meeting the man who was about to help me change my life forever. Was I really ready for this?

"You look nervous," Lizzie observed from her spot at the dining table.

"I am nervous."

"George Evans has a reputation for being fair in business dealings. His companies have a 94% employee satisfaction rate, and he's never been involved in any major scandals. Statistically, you made a good choice."

"Thanks, Lizzie. That actually helps."

"Ugh, it's so cold here," I said out loud to no one in particular, just complaining to myself.

"Well, you could have sold the shares to someone in Australia, and then you wouldn't have to complain about the cold," she countered bluntly.

"Aren't you supposed to be in class or something? And just so you know, I was just thinking out loud."

"I already finished my classes for today and answered all my assignments. I'm trying to get the lecturer to give me more work, but he says he can't at the moment."

That was my sister for you – always three steps ahead of everyone else.

Downstairs in the hotel restaurant, I spotted George immediately. He was exactly as I'd imagined tallll, distinguished, with silver hair and kind eyes. He stood when he saw me approaching, and his smile was warm and genuine.

"Evelyn! How wonderful to finally meet you in person." His handshake was firm, confident. "How are you finding England so far?"

"Cold. Really, really cold," I admitted, and he laughed.

"Don't worry, you'll soon get used to it. I've arranged for us to tour some buildings for Enthrall's headquarters. Some really amazing properties I trust you'll come to love."

As we talked, I found myself relaxing. George had a way of making business feel less intimidating, more like a conversation between friends. He told me about his sons, about how he'd built his own empire from nothing, about his vision for what Enthrall could become.

"I asked my son Liam to act as CEO, at least until the launch, since you mentioned you weren't comfortable doing that yet. But you get the position of president. My HR team has already started hiring people. Right now, we have fifty factory workers, ten accountants, eight people from HR, a receptionist, and I was thinking of hiring a few assistants."

The reality of it hit me again. Fifty people were already working for my little brand that had started in my bedroom.

"George, I have a favor to ask you."

"Of course, what is it?"

"I'd like to act as assistant to Liam, the CEO. I want to learn from him without him knowing who I really am. I want to remain unknown, if possible."

George looked genuinely shocked. "Why would you want to do that?"

"I want to be treated like any other employee. No one would want to talk back to the president, would they? I need to understand my company from the ground up."

"I'll warn you now, Liam is not known for his kindness. The next few weeks will be tough on you."

"I can be tough too."

He smiled at me with something that looked like respect. "Well, let's go and tour those buildings now, shall we, Evelyn?"