Page 55 of Chandelier Enthralled
She didn’t invite me to sit.
Behind her glass desk, she sat reading my email—which she’d printed out and held with a taut reverence. Julia was known for a natural charm that transcended mere beauty. Her infamous voice, imbued with a scorching confidence, added to herpower-womanallure.
“This is what you’ve been working on?” Her tone carried a dash of accusation, like she was questioning how my time had been spent.
Having been here just one day, not counting the weekend, my story was too fresh to share, but being invited to meet with her was an opportunity I didn’t want to pass up. I’d guessed that not every new employee got the chance to step into this room.
“It’s a good start.” She forced a smile.
“Thank you,” I said, not sure if it was appropriate to address her as Julia.
I was seeing up close the hard edge of a woman who’d flung herself right through the glass ceiling and kept on going.
“You’re already making an impression, I hear.”
I smiled. “Oh, who mentioned that?”
“Everyone you’ve met.”
Coming from her that meant everything.
She was wearing makeup that looked harsh under the fluorescent lighting. She was set to present the news in less than fifteen minutes, yet she sat relaxed like she wasn’t about to face millions of viewers. “What’s your take?”
I drew in a sharp breath. “Date rape drugs are more common than people realize,” I said. “It’s downplayed. Women need to be more alert. I believe if we can reach out to viewers of your show, we can prevent more incidents.”
“The more people that talk about this, the better.”
“Exactly.”
“Tell me more.”
“There’s a chemical you can drop into your drink if you suspect it’s been tampered with. The alcohol changes color to signify a toxin is present.”
“Other than the alcohol itself.” She winked, and I remembered that it was a reference to her being alcohol-free for over twenty years. Everyone admired her for that. “But is anyone leaving their drink unattended these days?”
“Sometimes you believe your friend is watching your drink while you head off to the restroom, but what if they’re distracted?” I lowered my gaze. “I mean, drinks are expensive. Sometimes we second guess ourselves and drink it anyway.”
“I don’t.”
I met her gaze. “Right.”
“Your intuition is your compass. Don’t forget that.”
“I believe that, too.”
“What was it about your resumé that made you stand out to us?” she asked.
I hesitated for a moment. “My grades. I worked hard on my application. I wrote a story that was published. It was Pulse360 that reached out to me.”
“Brown is competitive, and so many people get in because of the right circumstances—people they know, situations they were born into.”
My face flickered with uncertainty.
She glanced down at her desk for a second. “Things aligned for you in ways that aren’t just about your effort.”
Familiar doubtcrept in, but I pushed it aside. “I earned it.”
“It’s interesting how often we take credit for things we don’t control. Makes you question how much of our success is really ours to claim.”
