A gentle knock on the door made Hiram shift his gaze from the mirror. "Yeah,"
Callie walked in, fully dressed in a Vuitton dress toped off with a bright diamond necklace. He smiled on seeing her with the necklace, it had been his gift to her on her previous birthday.
"You look stunning!" He commented as his eyes ran from her hair to the bottom of the dress.
"You don't look too bad yourself." She walked to him and helped him with his coat, having picked it from the bed. "Your ride arrived more than half an hour ago you know." She said from behind him as he slipped his hands into the coat.
He turned his head down and looked at his watch. She was right. "We better hurry then."
Downstairs, they met their mother walking in. "My beautiful angels!" She exclaimed taking Hiram's face into her palms. She fixed his tie, brushed a bit of lint from the coat running her hands along his shoulders and down his arms. "You look amazing honey." She told him kissing his cheek.
"You go have fun tonight." She said to her daughter taking her hands into hers. "Make sure he doesn't take too much champagne." She teased letting go.
"Don't worry mom, I got you." She replied with a smile.
Outside, a black Range Rover SV sent by the magazine waited for them.
"Good evening." The chauffeur greeted opening the back door for them.
"After you." Hiram said to his sister and held her hand as she got in.
He shut the door and jumped behind the wheel and turned the engine on. In about forty minutes, he brought the car to a gentle stop in front of the red carpet leading to the hotel's entrance.
"Ready to meet Victoria Lane dear sister?" Hiram asked as a man pulled the car door open.
She replied with a nervous laugh as her brother alighted. She would be lying if she said she wasn't at all nervous. Being in the limelight was her brother's thing, he was always getting invited to openings, launches and red carpets.
He stretched out his hand which she took and stepped out of the vehicle with a smile to the flashing cameras from both sides of the red carpet. The two stood there for a couple of seconds giving smiles and little waves. Smiles and waves which they continued to give as they walked to the entrance.
They were welcomed in by a lady in a dark skirt suit. "Mister Michaelson," She acknowledged with a slight nod of the head. "Miss Michaelson. This way please."
The setting inside was posh and elegant, warm lighting and acoustic music decorated the venue. Waiters and waitresses moved around stealthily holding trays carrying champagne flutes. L.A Today executives here and there shaking hands and giving smiles to the attendees.
Hiram spotted Artemis and her boyfriend, Chester, in one corner in a conversation with someone he didn't recognize. She waved to the two siblings who made their way towards them but Hiram was snatched somewhere along the way. "Go, I'll be fine." Callie reassured him.
Casual greetings between Hiram and other attendees and a few compliments here and there spread. He found himself at the photo booth, decorated with backdrops and banners featuring numerous tiny L.A Today logos. After a few photos, one of the magazine's executives invited Victoria Lane to join Hiram up there. She climbed the single staircase and stood next to him looking at the cameras with a smile. His hand unconsciously found its way around her waist, as expected at such events where at one point or another, they were bound to take photos together.
"Never in a million years did I imagine this is how we would be meeting." He said to her in a low tone still looking at the cameras.
She laughed softly. "That makes the two of us."
She was a stunning beauty by anyone's standards, beautiful blue eyes with blonde hair that fell over her shoulders. At twenty-five, she had a couple of Emmys to her name, having featured in six shows and was the lead actress in four movies.
"I think they've had their fun. I can't spend another second of the flashes." He whispered top her.
"Took the words right out of my mouth Michaelson." She replied as they two laughed and walked off the photo booth.
A waiter walked to them offering them drinks, hew picked up two glasses and handed her one.
"To L.A Today." He presented the toast.
"To L.A Today." She responded raising her glass in agreement.
As they spoke, a man in suit and a bowtie joined them and introduced himself as Alex Carman, L.A Today's spokesperson.
"Very nice to meet you mister Carman." Hiram said to him shaking his hand.
The three of them talked for a while before Alex Carman got on to the stage and invited Hiram and Victoria to join. The room fell silent with everyone's attention on the stage. He greeted them, dropped a joke in there before turning to the Hiram and Victoria.
"We are so honored to have Victoria Lane and Hiram Michaelson with us here today. Thank you for being here." He added a smile before turning back to his audience. "And thank you all for honoring the invite, this launch wouldn't be happening without your presence." He paused as they applauded. "Have a fantastic night everyone!" He finished and the chatter continued.
The three of them walked from the stage and disappeared into the crowd with Alex leading the way. He introduced them to some of the board members in attendance, the company's executives, the magazine's partners.
"Well that was exhausting." Victoria cried when they finally escaped Alex and all the people he had them meet.
"I'll say." Hiram agreed. "I never imagined it being this engaging." He added.
"Victoria, Hiram," a male voice called from their right. The two turned to find a man with a wide grin on his face offering his hand. "Huge fan." He informed them shaking their hands.
From where he stood, Hiram spotted Callie looking their way. She gave a wave accompanied by a smile.
"Your sister, right?" Victoria asked turning to him.
"Yeah, Callie." He confirmed with a smile which was more to himself than to Victoria.
"What's with the smile Michaelson?"
"You know you are the reason she's here." He paused for a second. "She is a huge fan of yours, I asked her to tag along with the hope that you guys would meet." He explained and studied her face for a reaction but got none.
"That's nice of you." She complimented with a sip of her champagne. "Let's not keep her waiting." She added.
Hiram could almost see the shriek of excitement in his sister's eyes as they walked towards her and he mouthed "Relax" to her.
"Callie meet Victoria," he started looking at his sister then at the actress. "Victoria this is my sister Callie."
"Hi Callie," Victoria greeted warmly extending her hand. "Your brother was just telling me about you." She added.
Callie shook the hand, quite unable to believe whatever was happening. "The pleasure is all mine miss Lane."
Victoria could feel Callie's hand shake inside of hers but chose not to comment. "Please, call me Victoria."
"The pleasure is all mine Victoria." Callie corrected and the two chuckled softly.
Hiram smiled to himself as he watched them exchange pleasantries. He was surprised by the instant connection between the actress and his sister. It seemed like they had known each other for quite a while yet they had just met.
"Mister Michaelson," a female voice called from his side. He read her tag, Alessia Trueman, Capital News. "Can I steal you for a moment?" She requested wearing an uncomfortable grin.
Hiram excused himself from the conversation between Callie and Victoria and turned to Alessia with a polite smile. "Of course, what can I do for you miss Trueman?"
He walked away with her leaving the two to their conversation, a feeling of comfort resting on his heart having seen how Callie and Victoria were getting along so well.
As they conversed, Callie quickly found out that Victoria was a very warm and welcoming person, this quickly calmed her nerves. The initial awkwardness between them quickly dissolved, replaced by a connection that surprised both of them. Victoria was impressed at how enthusiastic Callie was in the questions she asked. By the end of it all, she found herself opening up more than she expected.
Alex Carman walked up to them with a friendly smile, "Excuse me, miss Lane, we need you for a moment."
Alex led her to one of the VIP lounges in the hotel where she found Hiram in a conversation with a man. Travis Logrham, the magazine's C.E.O.
"Miss Lane," Travis started standing from his chair and shaking her hand. "How nice of you to join us. Please, sit."
She shared the couch with Hiram, who held a piece of the lifestyle magazine they were going to launch. Travis handed another piece to Victoria.
"I'll get straight to business. We have a proposal for you."
"What proposal?" Victoria asked as they both looked up from the magazines. She turned to Hiram, thinking he had an idea what Logrhan was talking about but he seemed clueless.
"We would like the two of you to partner with us and be the brand ambassadors for this magazine."
Silence filled the room as Hiram and Victoria let the idea sink. They exchanged looks and turned To Alex when he spoke.
"Our research shows that you both command a massive audience, you have strong influence over our target demographics." Alex explained.
The C.E.O leaned in to explain further. "Your involvement as our brand ambassadors would not only widen our reach but also elevate our brand image in the industry." Travis added stretching for a folder on the table. "We prepared a comprehensive report for you to go through, outlining all the specifics." He went on and handed each of them a three paged document from the folder.
Victoria was the first to speak after scanning through the document.
"I'm obviously honored-" she suddenly broke off looking at Hiram. "We are honored by the offer but I think we need time to think about this and discuss it before we can give our feedback." She turned to Hiram again as if looking for his approval. He gave a nod in agreement.
"For sure, take your time." Travis told them with much vigor in his voice. They all stood and shook hands. "Thank you for considering this."
"Shall we go back?" Alex suggested and led the way out of the lounge.