Chapter 4

Sophie returned to her office at RIB Editora in the late afternoon after the meeting with her employers and the three men from GHShow. Fortunately, all the employees had been alerted about her arrival by one of RIB's drivers who had brought her back. As the elevator stopped on the floor where her office was located, she dramatically took off her Michael Kors sunglasses and walked determinedly to her personal workspace.

It didn't matter that her mind was in a chaotic mess at that moment. On the outside, she maintained the same inscrutable and not-so-friendly expression. Her steps were firm and elegant, and the air of being the master of the world, a persona she had earned at the company since starting her job there.

Her assistant was already holding the door open for her to enter, which she did without paying much attention to his presence, except for the fact that she practically tossed her Louis Vuitton bag into the young man's arms, then occupied her wide and comfortable black leather chair behind the imposing glass desk with brushed steel legs. She sat with her back straight and her gaze at the horizon line.

"Blaine, pay close attention so you don't make even the slightest mistake, okay?" she requested, sounding somewhat impatient. "I need you to bring me an iced peach tea... very cold, but without the ice cubes... and pre-sweetened... not with that leftover sugar at the bottom, understood?" He nodded affirmatively, even though she wasn't looking at him but at her computer, where she had begun to work. "A ricotta and turkey breast sandwich on whole wheat bread... no salad. And two painkiller tablets... my head is about to explode!" she finished, massaging her temples.

"Okay. Very cold peach tea... no ice cubes, pre-sweetened without sugar at the bottom. Ricotta and turkey breast sandwich on whole wheat bread, no salad. Two painkiller tablets," he repeated, waiting for any corrections. "And... uh... it's... it's... B-Blaine, Miss Parker."

"What?" she asked, distracted.

"My... name, Miss Parker. It's Blaine... not Maine."

"Whatever," she said wearily, still not taking her eyes off the monitor. "That's all for now," she added a few seconds later.

In a few minutes, Blaine returned with the requested snack as well as the medication, placing them on the table in front of her. She took both pills in one gulp with a big sip of her tea and took the first bite of the sandwich.

"Still here, Paine?" she asked after finishing chewing, rolling her eyes. Then the young man left, understanding that as a signal that if she needed anything else, she would call for him.

And that was exactly what she did, about forty minutes later.

"Can I help you, Miss Parker?" he introduced himself as quickly as he could.

"What took you so long? I thought you died at your desk." She was always dramatic, but on that day, she was particularly demanding. "Call me Sophie, and drop the Miss.," she requested.

It wasn't a friendly request, however; it was rather curt. It had nothing to do with wanting to make things less formal between her and her subordinate. She just didn't like to be constantly associated with her last name, with the name of her powerful family, given that she had reached her position through her own merits, without resorting to it even once to gain privileges or contacts.

"Tell Ted that I didn't approve of the layout he developed for tomorrow's cover... he'll have to present me with another option. I asked for something cheerful, inviting, and exciting, and he sent me something sad and unappealing. Make sure the second reviewer pays special attention to Andy's column; there were several typos in Sunday's issue." She exaggerated again, referring to two typos that both the journalist and the two reviewers had missed. "Confirm my attendance at Ginnifer Badwin's party tonight. I want a driver to drop me off at ten and pick me up at midnight. Ask the second assistant to pick up my dress from Dante Kammel's atelier... and let him know it's coming. His website is on the internet with his contacts... Kammel with a K and two M's. Also, tell him I need a wow-factor dress for a cocktail next Wednesday; he'll understand."

"Dante Kammel... K with two M's..." he was jotting everything down.

"I need Sharon, Sunshine, Lauren, and Michael in the meeting room in fifteen minutes and..."

"I'm sorry, but it's not possible, Miss Be-... I mean, Sophie... The four of them were assigned to the first shift today and have already left."

Unlike most magazines that publish monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly, TVZoom was a daily publication. This was one of the many innovations that RIB wanted to incorporate into the magazine. It made the editors' task even more challenging, as the magazine's editorial department had to operate twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, all year round, never stopping, much like major printed newspapers.

For this to work, journalists worked in shifts, posted at the beginning of each month, including some night shifts. While the next day's issue was being printed and distributed to bookstores, convenience stores, cafes, markets, and subscribers, there had to be someone already thinking about story proposals for the following day.