Brandon’s voice was passionate as he talked about his plans for the company. “That means we’re all going to have a lot of late nights.” He looked around the room, and his eyes fell on me for a brief second before moving on. “Does anyone have any questions?”“Will we be getting raises anytime soon?” A guy across the table asked seriously and some others nodded.“Let’s talk about raises when we actually start seeing a profit.” Brandon’s tone was brusque. “Anything else?”“Excuse me, Mr. Hastings.” Priscilla walked into the room and interrupted the meeting.“Yes?” He snapped.“Maria is on the phone again and she says it’s an emergency.”“Ok.” He nodded and jumped up. “Excuse me, everyone. I’ll be right back.” He walked out of the room, and I sat there in stunned immobility. Had Priscilla just said Maria? It couldn’t be the same Maria, could it? Not the one he was engaged to when he was in college? My heart started racing, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
