The black car looked shiny in the sun. Elysia Hawthorne got out. Her dark blue suit looked different from the bright clothes she usually wore. People in the Cambridge courtyard looked at her as she walked to her makeup company, Hawthorne Cosmetics.
"Ms. Hawthorne!" Beatrice hurried over with a tablet. She told Elysia what she had to do that day: a meeting about new makeup, a video call with people who sell her products in other countries, lunch with Mr. Tanaka who provides eco-friendly packaging, and a fancy party in the evening.
They reached the big entrance, and the security guards nodded politely. "And what about tonight?" Elysia asked quietly, sounding a bit tired even though she looked very professional.
"A fancy event at the Boston Harbor Hotel," Beatrice said. She mentioned that Elysia would give a speech about being responsible when getting ingredients for the makeup.
Inside the nice lobby, the light, pleasant smell of their special rosewater perfume seemed to follow Elysia. "Is there anything important I need to know right now?" she asked, looking closely at Beatrice.
"There's a small problem with someone who talks about our products online," Beatrice said carefully. "Ms. Dubois will tell you all the details about the newest online campaign."
Elysia's perfectly made-up lips tightened a little. "Make sure Ms. Dubois has backup plans. Our brand's image is very important."
They went into the private elevator, going up to the main part of Elysia Hawthorne's successful beauty business.
When the elevator doors opened to her quiet, stylish office, Elysia immediately looked at the bright screen on her desk. "The numbers for the partnership," she said, wanting to get right to the point. Beatrice tapped on her tablet, and colorful charts and numbers appeared in the air.
Elysia, her eyes looking great with her own "Midnight Bloom" eyeliner, looked closely at the information. A small line showed up between her eyebrows. "Tell me why the recent work with that online person for the 'Radiant Renewal' face cream isn't doing as well as we thought it would."
Beatrice leaned closer and explained carefully, "We thought that because Ms. Lyra Vale has many people who follow her online, about twenty out of every hundred would buy our cream. But only twelve out of every hundred are actually buying it. Ms. Dubois thinks..."
"What she thinks is not as important as what's actually happening, Beatrice," Elysia said clearly but calmly. "Please ask Ms. Dubois to come here now. I want to understand why this is happening before we go to the marketing meeting."
Soon, Ms. Dubois, looking a bit worried, was standing in front of Elysia's desk. She explained that maybe the people who follow Ms. Vale aren't very interested in skincare right now, and maybe her recent posts don't really match what people who would buy the cream like.
Elysia listened carefully, asking specific questions about their agreement with Ms. Vale, how often she was posting, and how well other similar campaigns had done. After a short but focused talk, they started to see a way to fix the problem.
"Ms. Dubois," Elysia said, looking right at her, "we need to change what Ms. Vale is posting. She should show real people using the cream and explain how it works better. At the same time, Beatrice, let's also work with smaller online beauty experts who we know have people who really like skincare. We need to get those sales numbers up."
Everyone in the office seemed relieved. The problem, which could have been bad for the company, was being handled quickly and effectively.
"Good," Elysia said, sounding a bit pleased. "Now, let's go to the meeting about our new makeup line. Beatrice, make sure everyone has the updated numbers about the partnership and knows what we're planning to do to fix it."
With the immediate problem taken care of, Elysia walked out of her office, the earlier worry gone and replaced with a feeling of control. The meeting was waiting, and the busy work of Hawthorne Cosmetics continued.
The marketing meeting ended, and the excitement of new ideas slowly disappeared. Soon, the team left, each going back to their work. Elysia returned to her quiet office.
Sitting on one of the soft velvet chairs was Julian, her close friend. His bright, stylish clothes usually made any room feel more lively, but today, he looked softly concerned as he watched Elysia's quiet mood.
"Hey, Elle," Julian began gently, using his nickname for her. "You seem... off. Is everything okay?"
Elysia sat down in her big chair, feeling tired from the day and something else deeper. She sighed, running her hand through her smooth hair. "Not really, Jules. I had that dream again."
Julian's eyebrows went up. He knew about "the dream," a nightmare that had bothered Elysia for years. "The one with the little girl?"
Elysia nodded, looking far away. "It started differently this time, though. Before... before the chase, I saw him. The man from my dream. He... he killed an old woman. Right there. It was so real, Jules. The cold look in his eyes..." Her voice faded, and she shivered even though the afternoon sun was warm through her big window.
"And then... then it was the little girl again," she continued, her voice very soft. "The same scared look in her eyes as he chased her. The same feeling of helplessness... the same feeling that it was somehow... about me." A sad look came over her face, and the strong, calm look of the CEO broke for a moment, showing a sadness she didn't usually show.
"Is that why you're acting... distant today?" Jules asked softly, his usual playful voice now caring. He leaned forward a little, looking closely at her face. "Because you're usually so warm, Elle. You know everyone's name, even the newest people. Beatrice even mentioned it - said you seemed a little... far away during the marketing meeting." He paused, letting his words sink in. "This dream... it's really bothering you, isn't it?"
Elysia hesitated, looking out at the city skyline. "Maybe," she admitted quietly. "I think so. I don't know, Jules." She sighed deeply, sounding tired. "It just... it stays with me. That feeling of fear."
She shook her head a little, as if trying to get rid of the upsetting pictures in her mind. "Just forget it," she said, trying to sound normal again, but her voice still shook a little. "It's probably just stress. The gala is tonight, after all. We still have a lot of things to finish."
Julian, who was very good at understanding people, saw that she was trying to avoid the topic. He wouldn't push her now, but he decided to talk about it again later. For now, he changed the subject and gave her a supportive smile. "Alright, Elle. Gala prep it is. What's happening with that? Have you looked at where everyone will sit?"
Elysia managed a small, thankful smile. "Not yet. Beatrice just dropped them off. And I still need to approve the slides for my speech." She pointed to a stack of papers and her laptop on the big wooden desk. "Why don't you get us both a drink, Jules? Then we can work on this together. Two people can always figure things out better than one, so we don't have any last-minute problems."
As Julian went to the small bar in her office, Elysia pulled the seating chart closer, the upsetting images from her dream going away for a moment as she focused on the practical things for the evening. The show, as always, must go on.
With drinks in hand - a fancy gin and tonic for Julian and sparkling water with lime for Elysia - they spread out the gala papers on the big conference table in her office. Julian, who had a great eye for detail and experience in planning events, was very helpful. He quickly saw some problems with the seating chart and suggested good solutions. Elysia, meanwhile, looked over her speech, making sure it sounded both informative and inspiring, and adding stories about how Hawthorne Cosmetics is careful about where they get their ingredients.
Hours passed as they talked, marked papers, and made quick phone calls to Beatrice and the event organizers. As the late afternoon sun started to go down, making long shadows in the office, Julian looked at his watch.
"Alright, Elle," he said, putting the papers in neat piles. "I think we've got this under control. Now for the important part - getting ready." He smiled, his earlier worry gone and his usual happy self back. "What are we thinking for tonight? Something that says 'beautiful and responsible'?"
Elysia laughed a little, a real, lighter sound than before. "Something that says I haven't been having scary dreams all night, hopefully," she joked. "But yes, beautiful and responsible it is."