Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23393 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 117(@200wpm)___ 94(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23393 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 117(@200wpm)___ 94(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
I’m filled with such happiness that I’m having a hard time believing it’s real as I watch Kyra being absorbed into my company and into my family at the same time.
It’s been two weeks and this woman has already changed my life in so many ways.
I’ve never felt so happy. So complete.
She makes life exciting.
I’m looking forward to everything with this amazing woman.
And it starts now.
Epilogue
Kyra
One Year Later…
“Miss Black, what do you think of these?” Natalie asks as she shows me the photos from yesterday’s photoshoot.
“Love that model,” I say as I look them over. She looks like she could be the girl next door or sitting in front of you in a college class. She has natural beauty. Exactly what I’m going for. “Did you pick her out?”
“I did!” Natalie says with a big proud smile.
I smile back at her. “Great job!”
I’m about to keep walking, but she takes a deep breath like she wants to say something. I give her a second. “I just wanted to tell you,” she says to me, “that I love what you’re doing here. I love this new direction you’re taking us in.”
I thank her as a sense of pride fills me up.
Instead of firing me like I thought he might, Brandon put me in charge of the entire beauty division of The Hammerhead Group. I’m now in charge of overseeing and making decisions for all eighteen beauty-related companies in the huge Hammerhead portfolio.
Each individual company has their own CEO—I put Aisha in charge of She’s The Sun—but they all have to answer to me. They get to steer the individual ships, but I’m steering the armada.
Brandon loved my vision of bringing real beauty back into the world, so he cut me loose and let me transform my vision into a reality. I got some pushback among the executives at some of the companies, but the employees and more importantly, the customers, all seem to love it. They’re finally feeling beautiful again now that they’re seeing women just like them on their city billboards, magazine ads, and on their TVs.
I want them all to feel as beautiful as Brandon has made me feel.
I thank Natalie and continue walking through the corporate office of Versenchy Perfumes. I have a meeting with Angie, the CEO, in a few minutes, but I’m getting the feel of the place first, speaking with the employees on the ground instead of walling myself up in an ivory tower like most other high-ranking bosses. The people working inside the trenches are always the ones with the most insight and the freshest ideas.
“Miss Black!” one of the sales reps says as she approaches with a nervous smile. “Can I have a second of your time?”
“Of course!” I answer with a warm smile. “And call me Kyra, please.”
“Okay,” she says, looking less nervous. “Kyra. I have an idea for a new line of perfumes for teachers.”
“For teachers?”
“Yes,” she says with a big excited smile. “Something subtle that’s also hypoallergenic, so they’ll be able to wear it around students. My sister is a teacher and none of the teachers at her school can wear perfume because there’s always a kid in the class who’s allergic to everything. They all want to, but they can’t. There’s nothing made specifically for them. It would fit in with the wonderful new marketing campaign about to launch. Could be a new untapped market…”
I like it. Perfume for teachers. It could work.
“A+ Perfume,” I say, contemplating it. “A Whiff of Wisdom in Every Spray.”
She nods her head enthusiastically. “I like it. What about, Fragrance That Deserves an A+?”
I’m getting goosebumps.
“Empower Minds, Enchant Senses,” I say. There are so many possibilities. “Come to my office after my meeting with Angie. We can talk about it some more.”
She pumps her fist in excitement. “Okay!”
I love this job.
My pulse is racing with adrenaline as I continue walking through the office on the way to my meeting.
I still miss working with my Aunt Linda, but I’m happy that she’s doing well in her new adventurous life. She’s been shacked up in Scotland for the past couple of months with a big burly highland man who she is absolutely head over heels for. I’m so happy she’s found someone special like I have.
Brandon has been a dream come true. He’s my soulmate. There’s no doubt about that.
We’ve been living together for about seven months now and he keeps talking about wanting to start a family. I’m a little nervous about that, but I can’t help but smile and think wistfully about a little toddler running around whenever he talks about it. I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately and I know it’s only going to be a matter of time before I’m pregnant.
I love him so much. We fit so perfectly together.
“Angie?” I say as I knock on her open door. There’s no answer.