“You’ll be fine,” she said with her reassuring voice. “With or without me.”

Bruce was an extremely smart and confident man, who seemed to be successful no matter what business he went into. He was now in the software business, but had started as an Internet publisher and quickly built an impressive empire. His company had been sold for several hundred million dollars, which he had reinvested in real estate and stocks. His investments had quickly soared and he became a billionaire by the age of thirty-three. Therefore, Jennifer knew for a fact that he could handle her absence.

He sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. “Sometimes, I feel like I'm lost when you’re not around...”

Jennifer blushed and looked down, confused by his statement. Did he really mean it? Or was he just tired? Or was it a desperate attempt to make her stay and cancel her vacation? In any case, the words sounded unreal coming from his mouth.

The previous year, a famous gossip magazine had featured him on their cover, as the winner of their contest “Hottest Bachelor of the Year”. Since then, Bruce had been seen with many gorgeous women, and Jennifer couldn’t help thinking the same man was telling her “I feel like I'm lost when you’re not around...”

Really?   

She said nothing and the silence became somewhat uncomfortable. Bruce raised his head, suddenly aware of the situation. “Professionally of course,” he said with a mysterious smile.

“Off... of course, Mr. Wilson,” Jennifer said, slightly relieved, kind of disappointed and totally confused.

In five years, it was the first time Bruce had given such a compliment about her. He had always been very nice to her, and very polite – a real gentleman; but his high rolling and demanding lifestyle represented an incredible amount of work for Jennifer, who often had to be available late at night and during weekends. A little gratitude from her employer meant a lot to her.

Jennifer had no life outside of her job, and at twenty-eight, she was still single, living in a small apartment. At $50K a year, she couldn't complain and was able to save, but most of the money was spent taking care of her grandmother. Plus, money wasn't everything and all she wanted now was less stress and more time to take care of herself.

She was very independent, had a strong personality and had never been afraid of challenging work. However, the line between work and her private life had been crossed many times over the years, and she was now desperate to take a break from her employer's professional and personal demands.

Ironically, her lifestyle was like a perfect shadow of Bruce’s. Whenever he needed something, Jennifer was never too far, acting like a silent facilitator. She’d always thought that her salary had to be justified, so she was willing to accept a lot of unusual demands and requests. As a consequence, her personal life had suffered many times in the past.

She had been single for eighteen months, and had seen her last boyfriend less than ten times in six months. She knew because she had to make appointments with him. And, each time they’d met, she had been interrupted by Bruce calling her, making it almost impossible to enjoy her dates. Needless to say, her sexual life was extremely limited but she was too busy to even think about it.

“I have to meet Mr. Sakamura next week to negotiate the terms of our joint venture,” he said. “He's ready to open the Japanese market for me. You know they’re huge in terms of technology. We're talking about half a billion dollars in gross revenue per year. He's a big guy and must be received accordingly...”

Jennifer knew about this deal and how important it was. “Don't worry, Mr. Wilson, I have arranged everything. I gave my personal number and email to Benny in case of an emergency. And I made sure I can receive international calls when I'm over there.”

“Who?”

“Benjamin Travis, or Benny. He's the new trainee. He's been here for four months only, but he's very sharp and I trust him.”

“You trust him?” Bruce asked with a hint of skepticism in his voice. “Is it the guy who's always shaking when he comes to my office and spilled some coffee on me the other day?”

Jennifer wanted to laugh but just smiled. Benny was a twenty-four-year-old young man with excellent grades at school, who used to live in the countryside. Landing an internship with international company Wilson Corp. and working directly with its founder and CEO, self-made billionaire Bruce Wilson was the opportunity of a lifetime; one many people would definitely die for.

“It's him,” she said. “But I think you exaggerate a little. He’s far from being dumb, and the coffee that day was my fault. Anyway, he's just very nervous around you. I think he's impressed and kind of intimidated. You represent the ultimate success that any young man can only dream about.”

Bruce looked at her, skeptical. “Yeah?”

“Yes. Honestly, he's very competent and catches on very fast. He’s very responsible and thoughtful, in my opinion. You can count on him.”

“Well, if you say so,” Bruce said, sweeping the air with his hand. “Okay, I know you want to leave. That’ll be all. Enjoy your trip Jennifer, and be safe. Good night.”

“Thank you, Mr. Wilson. See you in three weeks. Good night.”

***

It was 10:00 p.m. when Jennifer finally got home. Organized as she was, she didn't really need to do any last minute packing. She had already prepared everything a few days ago, so she could take some time for herself before leaving.

She had a light dinner, a Caesar salad, and decided she deserved to take a nice, warm bath.

At last, she could really relax and forget about the office. In five years, it was the second time she was taking such a long vacation. And it was the first time she was taking a bath. Yes, her life was that busy, but she enjoyed her job.

Bruce was sometimes difficult to work with, but Jennifer had learned a lot around him, and she knew it was worth the pain. Her dream was to have her own cooking school, but she lacked the confidence to do it; therefore, working with a business savvy leader such as Bruce was an incredible opportunity.

After thirty minutes in the bathtub, she went back to her room to dry her hair. She looked at herself in the mirror. Jennifer had a very athletic body thanks to the three yoga sessions she took every week, during lunch break.

She had beautiful long platinum blonde hair, but in the last few months, she had neglected her look. She wanted something different, maybe to change her style or do something but had never found the time to really think about it.

As she was blow-drying her hair, she looked down and saw that her passport was on the floor, next to her suitcase. It probably fell while I was packing, she thought. She picked it up and turned off the hair dryer. She took a look inside of the little hard book, just to see her face on the photograph.

Ha-ha! Look at that face, I was so young! Jennifer Stuart. Blonde. Blue eyes. 5'7”... What? Wai... wait a minute! Oh my God...

She quickly grabbed her cellphone, and checked the date. She couldn't believe it. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “I am SO stupid! Oooh my Goood!”

Her passport was expired.

“How in the world can I be SO stupid? I can't believe it!” she cried out loud, letting herself fall on her knees, her head in her hands.

Her cellphone rang. She looked at it. It was Bruce. Come on, not now! She didn't answer. She wasn't in the mood. And she was supposed to be off, damn it!

Bruce called again, but she didn't pick up. Finally, he sent her a text message: Major acquisition. Call me back, now.

He wasn't going to leave her alone. She was angry. It was so easy for him to get whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, and there was always someone to get things done for him. Like making sure his passport was not expired for example...