Chapter 3 The Proposal
By Monday afternoon, Orm had developed a very simple strategy for surviving the office.
Don't look at her phone. Don't look at the people whispering near the pantry. Don't look at the social media notifications. And, most importantly, don't look toward the executive offices.
The strategy was working beautifully. For approximately twelve minutes.
Then Bow ruined it.
"You're doing it again."
Orm continued typing.
"I'm working."
Bow leaned over slightly to look at her screen.
"You've been staring at the same sentence for five minutes."
"I'm thinking."
"About the Aurelia report?"
"Yes."
"Or Ling?"
Orm's fingers stopped above the keyboard. Slowly, she turned her head.
"Why does everyone keep saying her name?"
Bow smiled.
"Because you keep reacting."
"I react because you're annoying."
"That's fair."
Orm turned back to her computer and tried to concentrate again.
She had good reason to be distracted. The photograph from Saturday night's company ball had somehow followed her into Monday and refused to leave.
It had appeared on social media before she had even finished breakfast, and by lunchtime, people in the office were behaving as though she had personally announced an engagement.
Someone had asked her if Ling was "really that sweet in private."
Someone else had asked when they had started dating.
One particularly fearless colleague had winked at her in the elevator and said, "Congratulations."
Orm had nearly walked out on the wrong floor.
The worst part was that she didn't even know what she was supposed to be congratulated for.
She had simply lost her balance. Ling had caught her but a photographer had happened to be standing nearby. That was it.
Apparently, the internet had decided otherwise.
Orm rubbed her forehead.
"I hate that photograph."
Bow smiled.
"You've said that twelve times."
"Because it's still there."
"That's generally how photographs work."
Orm glared at her.
"You're not helping."
Bow laughed.
Then her expression softened.
"You know what I'm actually worried about?"
Orm looked at her.
"My career."
That wiped the smile from Bow's face. Orm looked down at her hands.
She was still new to the company. She had only recently joined Veyra as a creator, and although she had already been trusted with the Aurelia project, she hadn't forgotten what it felt like to walk into the building on her first day and know almost nobody.
She was still establishing herself. Still proving that she deserved the position.
Still trying to make sure people remembered her for her work rather than the fact that she was the newest person on the team.
The Aurelia campaign mattered to her. It was one of her first major opportunities, and she had put everything into it.
She couldn't afford for a photograph to turn her into office gossip.
"I just don't want this to become the thing people remember about me," she admitted.
Bow nodded.
"They won't."
"You don't know that."
"I know your work."
Orm looked at her.
"And?"
"And your work is good."
Orm smiled faintly.
"Thanks."
Bow nudged her shoulder.
"Besides, if people are going to gossip about you, at least give them something interesting."
Orm laughed.
"I hate you."
"No, you don't."
Before Orm could answer, someone stopped beside their desks.
"Orm."
She looked up.
Fluke stood there with a coffee in one hand and a folder tucked beneath his arm.
Unlike most people in the office, Fluke had never seemed particularly intimidated by Ling's position.
He had worked closely with her for years, long before Orm had joined the company, and their relationship had become something between trusted colleagues and close friends.
He was one of the few people who could walk into Ling's office without making an appointment, challenge her during a meeting without worrying about offending her, and tease her afterward without immediately regretting it.
Ling trusted him because he was honest with her. Unfortunately for Ling, Fluke knew exactly how to use that privilege.
"P'Ling wants you in Meeting Room Four," he said.
Orm's stomach tightened.
"P'Ling?"
He nodded.
"She said to bring everything you have from the Aurelia campaign."
Orm immediately sat straighter.
"Did she say why?"
"No."
"Did she look angry?"
Fluke considered the question.
"She looked like Ling."
Orm frowned.
"That's not helpful."
"I know."
Bow tried not to smile.
Fluke glanced between them.
"Actually, don't panic."
Orm narrowed her eyes.
"Why would you say that?"
Fluke's expression changed.
"I probably shouldn't have."
"Fluke."
"I'm leaving."
He turned.
"Wait."
He stopped.
"Is this about the photograph?"
Fluke hesitated.
"Maybe."
"That means yes."
"Probably."
He started walking away.
"Fluke!"
He turned around with a grin.
"What?"
"Why do you look like you're enjoying this?"
"Because I've known Ling long enough to know that when she says something is 'just a meeting,' it usually isn't."
Orm stared at him.
"That's reassuring."
"It's not supposed to be."
He walked away laughing.
Bow watched him go.
"You know," she said, "he's probably the only person here who can get away with talking to Ling like that."
Orm picked up her notebook.
"Why?"
"They've worked together for years. He's one of the people she trusts."
Orm nodded slowly. That explained a lot. She had noticed before that Fluke treated Ling differently from everyone else. He didn't treat her like the untouchable Executive Director. He treated her like Ling.
Someone he knew.
Someone he trusted.
Someone he could annoy.
And, judging by the way Ling usually looked at him, someone who occasionally drove her crazy.
Orm stood.
"Wonderful."
Bow smiled.
"Good luck."
Orm sighed.
"I really hate that phrase."
?
Meeting Room Four was already occupied when Orm arrived. Ling sat at the far end of the table, a folder open in front of her. Of course. Orm should have known. She entered and closed the door behind her.
"Good afternoon."
Ling looked up.
"Good afternoon."
Orm sat opposite her.
She placed her notebook on the table.
"Fluke said you wanted the Aurelia materials."
"I do."
"Why?"
Ling closed the folder.
"We're having a meeting."
"About?"
"The campaign."
Orm frowned.
"The campaign has already launched."
"I know."
"And it's doing well."
"I know."
"Then what's wrong?"
Ling studied her.
"Nothing is wrong."
Orm waited.
Ling added, "Not yet."
Orm's eyes narrowed.
"That is an incredibly reassuring sentence."
Before Ling could answer, the door opened.
A woman entered carrying a tablet and a coffee.
Ling stood.
"Khun Dew."
The woman nodded.
"Ling."
Her attention moved toward Orm.
"And you must be Orm."
Orm stood politely.
"Yes."
"I'm Dew."
She extended her hand.
"Executive Marketing Director."
Orm shook it.
"Nice to meet you."
"Likewise."
Khun Dew took a seat. Orm had heard her name before, but this was the first time they had actually met.
Now she understood why Ling had been so serious.
Khun Dew was responsible for the company's broader marketing strategy and its major client relationships.
She was involved when a campaign carried significant commercial weight, especially when major clients and partners had invested heavily in its success.
This wasn't a routine meeting. Something was happening. Khun Dew opened her tablet.
"Before we begin, I'll introduce someone else."
The door opened again.
A woman walked in with two folders tucked under one arm and a phone vibrating in the other. She glanced at the phone. Then at the room.
"Sorry."
She silenced it.
Khun Dew gestured toward her.
"Orm, this is P'Cherry."
P'Cherry smiled.
"Hi."
"Hi."
"P'Cherry is our Senior Campaign and Talent Manager," Khun Dew explained. "She'll be coordinating the practical side of the campaign if we move forward with what we're discussing."
P'Cherry sat down.
"Which means I'll be responsible for schedules, appearances, production, talent coordination and making sure everyone arrives where they're supposed to be."
Khun Dew added, "And preventing unnecessary disasters."
P'Cherry nodded seriously.
"That too."
Orm smiled.
She liked her immediately.
P'Cherry looked between Ling and Orm.
"I've heard quite a lot about the two of you."
Orm's smile disappeared.
"About us?"
P'Cherry laughed.
"Professionally."
Orm relaxed.
"Good."
P'Cherry leaned back.
"Although the internet seems to have a completely different interpretation."
Orm covered her face.
"Oh, no."
Khun Dew smiled.
P'Cherry looked at Ling.
"Congratulations, by the way."
Ling's expression immediately hardened.
"Don't."
P'Cherry laughed.
"I'm joking."
Orm looked between them.
She had a feeling P'Cherry was going to be trouble.
She wasn't wrong.
?
Khun Dew turned the screen toward them.
The Aurelia campaign appeared.
THE WAY WE CHOOSE LOVE.
Orm's expression changed. This was the campaign she had worked so hard on. The campaign had already been released several weeks earlier. It wasn't new. The audience had already seen the advertisements, the digital content and the main campaign material.
And it had done well. Very well.
Khun Dew moved through the results.
Reach.
Engagement.
Audience response.
Brand searches.
Commercial traffic.
Orm leaned forward.
She knew these numbers mattered.
Aurelia House had invested heavily in the campaign, while Veyra and Siam Horizon Media had invested resources into its production, distribution and promotional reach. The campaign had delivered. That was important. Because this meeting wasn't about saving a failing project.
Khun Dew changed the slide.
The photograph appeared.
Orm immediately groaned.
P'Cherry smiled.
"That's the one."
"I know."
Ling remained silent.
Khun Dew continued.
"The photograph was taken at the company ball."
Orm nodded.
"Yes."
"It was not staged."
"No."
"It circulated shortly afterward."
"Yes."
"And public engagement increased."