CHAPTER 7
ELLEN
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
"I'm surprised you didn't want to wait until you started working to have this meeting," Jamie said as they got out of the car in front of One Macquarie Street.
"You don't always have to understand what's going on in my head. I just think today was the right time." Ellen tried her best to hide her nervousness and excitement at the thought of seeing Roxy again in a few minutes.
Jamie, composed and professional, walked just behind Ellen, tablet in hand. On her other side, Richard Fournier, AtMedias Canada's head of security. Richard's presence was key to Ellen's plan to make her excuse for seeing Roxy again seem legitimate.
A young woman greeted them on the 16th floor, exuding corporate charm and a practised smile.
"Ms. Caldwell, welcome to Macquarie Security Services.
They're expecting you," she said, handing them visitor badges and gesturing toward the hallway.
"Please follow me, I'll take you to the conference room. "
A knot of unease tightened in Ellen's stomach as she entered the conference room.
She expected Roxy, but instead, a tall, robust man, clearly possessing the discipline and build of a former officer in the army, was waiting for them.
"Miss Caldwell, it's a real pleasure to meet you.
Carl Burns, Director of Business Development at MSS," he said, extending his hand.
"Thank you for welcoming us," Ellen replied, maintaining a facade of apparent calm.
He gestured toward the seats across the table, inviting them to sit. "Please, make yourself comfortable. We can start as soon as Roxanne joins us. She has been held up on a call."
Thank goodness Roxy would be there, Ellen thought.
While they were waiting, Carl tried to chat with Ellen about the expansion project, but thankfully, Jamie swooped in and took over the conversation. Then, the door opened, and Roxy stepped in.
She was as beautiful as she recalled from the previous Thursday, perhaps even more radiant.
Roxy was dressed in a crisp white silk blouse paired with sleek black pants.
Uncomplicated, but sophisticated. Her hair was meticulously secured in a ponytail, so perfectly arranged that not a single strand dared to escape its confines.
But the most striking thing was how confidently she walked in.
"Good morning, everyone," she said, then her eyes locking directly with Ellen. "Ellen." Without a shred of self-control, Ellen would have broken down solely based on Roxy's smile at that instant.
She held Roxy's gaze and, in a gentle voice, said, "Roxy."
They held the silence for half a second too long.
Then, Roxy nodded to the others. "Mr. Fournier, Ms. Sanders.
Real pleasure to meet you." Her eyes darted to Ellen once more, a swift movement, before she made her way to the empty chair at the other side of the table.
At that moment, Ellen wasn't sure what to think until she recalled Taylor's exact words: "You are in a lot of trouble, Twinie. "
Whatever this meeting was supposed to be, Ellen already knew she wasn't ready for it.
Carl cleared his throat. "First of all, we would like to thank you for your interest in MSS.
We are a company that is proud to be Australian-owned and able to attract talent from all over the world.
For example, Roxy and I are both originally from the UK.
Now, as I understand it, AtMedias is reviewing its risk posture considering upcoming expansion in the Australian market.
" He turned to Roxy. "Roxy will walk you through our approach. "
"Sure." Roxy slid a black folder across the table toward Ellen.
"Our team conducted a preliminary analysis of AtMedias' security issues using only information that was available online.
The approach is designed to be adaptive throughout the analysis, implementation, and real-time monitoring process.
Of course, we are targeting three important areas: digital security, physical security, and the security of confidential information.
We also want to strengthen your security protocols with regard to human resources management.
If you open the file on page 4, you will find. .."
Roxy launched into a detailed technical overview. Ellen glanced down, pretending to scan the page, but the words were blurry. Her focus was entirely on Roxy, to the point where she couldn't think about anything else—even what she was saying.
Roxy's voice became a soft backdrop, rhythmic and assured.
Although she mentioned something about data retention thresholds and incident escalation matrices, Ellen focused on her tone and the way her mouth moved with each precise word.
There was a quiet elegance in how she explained chaos containment.
And then— "Ellen?"
Roxy's voice gently cut through the fog, causing Ellen to blink.
Roxy was looking straight at her, holding her still with those impossible eyes.
Her lips were parted slightly, waiting for a response to a question Ellen didn't hear.
Whatever the question, the only thing that could have come out of her mouth was a heartfelt 'My god, she's stunning! '
Ellen cleared her throat. "Sorry, Roxy. Could you repeat the question?"
"I asked you whether the scope of the mandate would be limited to Australian operations or whether you were considering including global operations, which, in my opinion, would be a better return on your investment. It is always better to look at the problem on a global scale."
Ellen hesitated for half a second, caught in her gaze. Then she managed quietly, "It would be something to discuss with Montreal."
The meeting wrapped up in less than forty minutes, and a follow-up was arranged. Jamie had to deal with some messages that she and Ellen received, so she quickly left. Richard and Carl continued their conversation, while Richard described his previous experiences in law enforcement.
Roxy crept up to Ellen, a wide grin stretching across her face. "It seems our paths have crossed again."
Ellen felt herself blushing. "Thank you for your time," she said.
"It was a pleasure, Ellen," she replied.
"Sorry if I overloaded you with technical details.
Typically, the sales folks do these meetings.
My usual jam is being on the field, but hey, why not make an exception for you?
" Ellen gulped. "We should do something soon if you want, so you can get to know the city.
We can understand each other as expats."
Ellen managed a polite smile conveying her desire, but she felt like a schoolgirl caught staring. She couldn't find the right words fast enough or couldn't even remember what the right ones would be. Roxy's unexpected offer completely threw Ellen off balance, and she didn't even bat an eye.
Then Ellen nodded, turned and walked out, her pulse quickened. In the elevator, Jamie looked down at her phone, already drafting an internal summary. "It was quite interesting," she said simply.
Ellen answered with a soft "Mm," the sound barely audible. It was a relief she didn't ask for more, since Ellen wasn't ready to spill the beans on why she already wanted to see Roxy.