I was too overwhelmed by the positive responses and reaction that the commercial had received to even focus on anything that Julianna said during her presentation. That wasn’t such a bad thing because I already reviewed her presentation and knew all the key points that she wanted to get across to the judges. “Well, I’m glad that everything ended fine…” Jeremy comment before he reached up both his arms and stretched. “You had no idea how much work I had to do to get us that meeting. Everything better turn out fine…” Julianna muttered darkly.The presentation ended with overwhelming success. The judges liked our commercial and were also in support of our launch and marketing plans. What that meant was that we didn’t need to make any edits to the commercial. To me, that was the best news of all because that meant that we didn’t need to waste any more time in reshooting or reediting anything. Most of all, that meant that the commercial that we had come up with was perfect enough.I felt
Men’s fashion is on the third floor of the mall…Feeling lazy and too in a rush to take the escalator up, I decided to take the elevator instead. The third floor was indeed filled with men’s wear, accessories, and shoes. After walking around aimlessly for a while, I realized that I was going through a classic first-world problem of having too many options to choose from. There were just so many things available for purchase that it was hard for me to choose. That coupled with the fact that I didn’t really have anything in mind in the first place, just made it even harder for me. “Do you need some help? Are you looking for something?” a saleswoman said when she approached me.Her pleasant smile told me that she was all ears and that she was here to offer her sincere help. However, I wasn’t sure if my reply would give her enough to work off of. “Well, my…umm…boyfriend’s birthday is coming up and I’m trying to pick a present out for him…” I replied a little shyly. There was no doubt a
It was quite late when I made it back to my apartment. Although all we had to do was find something that would match with the pendant that Ace gave me, it took us a long time to find something that would work. I didn’t think that there would be so many options for a pendant in the shape of a sun, but there was. The bigger problem was to choose a design that would fit Ace’s character. The worse outcome that I wanted to avoid at all costs was the one where he wouldn’t wear the gift that I got for him.In the end, the saleswoman helped me settle on something. Although it was pricey, I willingly paid for it and asked it to be gift wrapped. I had to say that the staff did an over-the-top job of gift wrapping the pendant in its small box and the package looked so flashy that it made it look like a Christmas present for a kid instead. Now that I was back in my apartment, I took out the small, gift-wrapped box and stared at it. My heart fluttered in my chest when I thought of Ace’s reaction
Why did the party have to land on Ace’s birthday of all days?“I like it. Thank you so much, Ace…” I thanked him while trying to sound very cheerful.“Glad that you like it. I’ll pick you up tomorrow at your place,” he reminded me again.“Sure. Good night…” I replied.“Good night, Rina. Get loads of rest,” Ace said before hanging up. …Although it was his birthday, Ace was busy the whole day. He didn’t give me a call, but he did send me a text to tell me that he had some business to attend to but for me not to worry because he was going to turn up to pick me up on time. I spent the whole day restlessly waiting for time to pass by. I wondered if we would have time after the party to spend together. Usually, these business events in the evening didn’t last for too long and would usually end around midnight at the latest even if there was an afterparty. Ace can probably opt out of the after-party if he wanted so maybe we can still enjoy some private time afterward. I wondered when woul
Ace took my hand just as the driver opened the car door for us. He helped me out of the car while I tried my best not to trip. I could feel the attention of the press on us as the large crowd of reporters and cameramen swarmed us like bees attracted to raw honey. The security team quickly came in to control them. It might just be me, but I felt like they were extra excited to see Ace. After a lot of shouting from the crowd that was hard for me to pick up any coherent words, Ace seemed to give in and allowed for a short interview. I felt extremely uncomfortable, but I knew that I had to do as Ace had instructed. While smiling as politely as I could, I stood by Ace’s side as the reporters shoved their microphones closer to us. It was all thanks to the security guards that we still had some space to ourselves otherwise, I was certain that the reporters would have stepped right on us. All attention was on Ace as the reporters took turns flooding him with questions about his business. Ev
“Do you throw a big birthday party like this every year?” I asked.“Not quite but very similar. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I enjoy throwing these parties, but it is partly required for business. It’s also a way to connect with our clients and the public scene. We are a media company, so we need to stay in the spotlight as well. It would be bad if they forgot about me and the company,” Ace explained.“I see…” I murmured.I guess he was right about that. Even from where I was standing next to Ace, I could already spot a few executives from our client companies that I recognized walking by. The hall where the party was being held was very large and there was a large stage right in front where a band was currently playing. It truly was a fancy birthday party, and I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do. “My father always made sure to throw these kinds of parties. If you’re interested, I can invite you to his birthday party as well. Trust me, it is much fancier with many more guest
“Of course, it is. Come this way…” Ace said.I felt the warmth of his comforting touch on my elbow as he helped support me. The walk felt so long but we finally reached the round table where I could take a seat. “If you need to greet your guests, you can go ahead. Just leave me here, I’ll be fine…” I said with a smile. “No need. I’m pretty much done with that. Plus, the main part of the event is about to start,” Ace said as he sat down next to me.The seats at the round table were still empty and there was no one else there except for us. However, it didn’t take long for the other people to arrive at the table. Although I should have expected it, I was still surprised when Ace’s father appeared and took a seat at the same round table that we were. A few other people that seemed to be his father’s VVIP guests joined him at the table. “This is Karina, my personal secretary,” Ace introduced me smoothly. “It is a pleasure to meet you…” I replied as politely as I could.Thankfully, the
I had no idea if Ace knew about this but glancing over at him told me that he wasn’t at all flustered by this. Suddenly, there was a blinding light that made me wince and squeeze my eyes shut for a moment before I attempted to open them again. The spotlight felt blinding as it focused on Ace. I watched as Ace calmly got up from his seat amid the loud cheering and applaud from the crowd before he made his way over to the stage. I guess a birthday party isn’t complete if the birthday boy doesn’t get up on stage to say a few words. Ace made his way to the podium while the cheering in the venue did not subside at all. It made me feel like Ace was some kind of celebrity and these people were his avid followers and supporters. Maybe that was the case, I had no idea.Perhaps, like me, there were many people who truly admired his work and achievements. I wondered what Ace was going to say now that he had everyone’s attention and now that he has taken the stage. Maybe he would politely thank