Always By Your Side: Jensen Ackles FanFic

21

Ellie sat in the conference room during the first day at her new job. She felt like the odd one out. Everyone was so experienced and knowledgeable and she felt so inferior to them. She had an uneasy feeling that she made a mistake uprooting herself from her home to move across the country for this job.

"Ellie, what do you think about the collection." The CEO of the company asked her.

Everyone turned to look at her and she felt her heart rate quicken and her cheeks blush. She licked her lips and cleared her throat before answering.

"My honest opinion?" She asked in a quiet voice.

He nodded and she looked over the designs again, unsure if she really should give her honest opinion or if it was going to get her fired.

"I think it's not flashy enough." She said.

People's eyes widened and an eerie silence settled into the room. The CEO cleared his throat and raised his eyebrows at her.

"Elaborate." He said dryly.

"Well, this brand is the leading fashion brand in the world. Everyone is looking at us to set the tone of the trends of this year. These designs have been done before and by competing brands. Those brands are going to be coming out with something new and we are going to be taking the backseat because we are playing it safe. Fashion isn't what's safe, it's what's exciting and frankly, this is not exciting."

Everyone turned their eyes to the CEO, waiting for his reaction. He stared at Ellie, his hands clasped tightly together, his knuckles turning white.

"So you're suggesting we create a whole new line when it's supposed to be released at the end of this month." He said sarcastically.

"Not a new line. This line can be modified, sir."

The room was so silent that a pin could be heard hitting the ground. Ellie felt her cheeks flush a bright red and she hoped her foundation was doing a decent job hiding it. She wasn't sure where her sudden bravery came from but she felt it subsiding now. It was her first day and this was going to set the tone of the rest of her time here, good or bad.

"Today is your first day, correct?" He asked.

She nodded.

"See me in my office." He said sternly.

He stood up and left the room, leaving the rest of the employees stunned. Some of them looked at Ellie with respect and others looked at her with disgust. They began to get up and leave, some of them snickering as they walked by her. She took a deep breath and began to walk to the CEO's office.

She knocked on the door and he told her to come in. He was busy on his computer, typing fast and pressing down hard on the keys.

"You got some balls insulting our soon to be released line on your first day." He said, pausing his typing to look up at her.

This was it, she thought, she was going to be fired on her first day. At least she could add this to her list of firsts.

"And to be so blunt in front of all your coworkers who put their pride and dignity into each component of those designs." He added, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry, really. I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, I'm glad you did say it. They needed to know those designs were trash. Everyone is too comfortable in their positions and they are forgetting that to stay on top, we have to be on our game. I've been looking for someone like you. Someone to push the rest of them off their high horses and start producing quality designs."

"So you aren't angry?" She asked a little confused.

"Angry? I'm proud. I have a proposition for you." He said, leaning back on his chair, "you give me your craziest designs by tomorrow morning and I'll pick ones for the upcoming line."

"That means I only have one night to create several designs."

He nodded his head, "You can leave now. Get a head start."

"Thank you, sir." She replied as she exited his office.

She had a stupid smile on her face when she left his office but she quickly wiped it away and replaced it with a frown when she realized her coworkers were watching. She figured she should make it look like she had been reprimanded or else she was going to be the most-hated in the office. She grabbed her bag and jacket and left, pulling her phone out and dialing Jensen as soon as she got into the elevator. She went straight to voicemail and her happy mood dropped. She really wanted to tell him about how her first day went.

"Hey J, its me. Give me a call when you can. Love you." She said, leaving him a message.