♬ ✥*

Serenity.

The scent of vanilla immediately filled my sense of smell when I set foot in my apartment. The aroma was purely warm and relaxing, calming my body from the stressful toxins within it. I let my eyes flutter shut, once I closed the door, and leaned against it. I dropped my gym bag and keys somewhere near me, ignoring everything else around me.

However, I was brought out of my thoughts when I felt a familiar feline move around in my home.

Luna walked up to me, lifting up on her rear legs, her two front paws clawing lightly at my leg. A small smile formed on my lips as I bent down and picked up my tangerine-hued tabby in my arms. I tickled her stomach, which caused her to wrap her limbs, capturing my hand. A soft purr vibrated out of her body, enjoying the sensation.

Before I adopted Luna, I already knew what I was going to name her. She was just four months when I got her, and it was definitely was one of the best days of my life. We've had the closest bond since then. She understands me, even though there's no way for her to know what I'm actually saying. I know that she can still read my body language and is still able to tell if I'm happy or sad. I believed that all animals were capable of that and I stuck to it — no matter how many people called me weird.

"Hey there, pretty lady. My Luna Tuna Loonie Toonie," I cooed softly.

I let her down when I reached the kitchen, washing up, and prepared myself a smoothie. Specifically a banana, mixed berry, with coconut milk smoothie — it's a dream.

My home always looked like it was lived in. The apartment was small and was an absolutely perfect fit for me. In actuality, it wasn't much larger than a studio, but only because the bedroom was separate. Cosy and classic was the look I always obsessed over.

Along one of the walls, were two parallel floating shelves with several framed photos, some books, and nifty storage baskets I found at a vintage shop. Purple was my favourite colour — specifically, plum and lavender. Of course, I accented with cream and marigold yellow.

My bedroom followed with the same vibrant colours and similar décor, but besides the unused wall space that my closet didn't occupy, was an external closet system I'd added. I needed space for all of my pointe shoes, materials, slippers, and outfits. That dedicated area was dance central. The room could only fit a double bed, which I scattered fairy lights scattered all along the headboard. It left just enough room in the space for a small night table next to it. It was small, doable, and very liveable.

My favourite part about my apartment was from the large window in my living room, I could see some of the mountainous regions from a very far distance away. Admittedly, it was no million-dollar view, but it was more than enough for me. 

I was happy with 'content'. One day, if my dreams come true and my studio turns into a well-known company, and I can afford a penthouse suite overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Now that would be a whole other story.

"Alright, let's check up on this Urban Corp. Gotta do some research and figure out who I'm dealing with," I spoke aloud to myself.

I was thankful that I didn't have any classes to teach today so that I could do this. Then again, it's not like I had that many lessons in general. I missed being able to enter my studio every day. I missed hearing harmonious music, listening to the sound of dancers fall so I could tell them to get back up again. I missed seeing smiles on their faces when they perfected certain forms or styles of dance.

Now, I mainly entered there for my own sake of dancing — to let out my emotions in the only way I knew how.

I carried my laptop in one hand, my smoothie in the other, and went to curl up on my couch. Luna jumped up and laid herself next to me, sceptical that she would sit on my keyboard — like she's done countless times.

"Don't you dare," I warn, seeing her green eyes observe me carefully. Softly narrowing my view on her as I opened my computer, I just hoped she understood what I meant with my look.

She didn't move.

Success!

Opening up a new browser, I began my search. My fingers typed at lightning speed, noting down various pieces of information that would be useful to know. Anyone who wanted a particular individual to invest in something, they had to make sure they knew enough about them. You had to know who you were dealing with, and that involved a lot of factors.

Who the CEO actually is? What are some of their hobbies or interests? What about the founders, their sister companies, any subsidiary companies, what they actually do? Do they host or attend events or fundraisers? And most importantly, in my case, what are some of the businesses that they invested in?

The list was long but extremely vital.

After numerous windows and tabs, opened and closed, bookmarked and noted, I finally compiled a hefty list of details.

Urban Corp. was founded by a man called Mateo Romero who built his company up over time — eight years to be precise. He originally wanted to go into cybersecurity but switched to mutual fund investments.

The company currently has over 150 funds with 11 million individual and institutional investments. It was his passion for over 45 years but retired when he felt that his company was ready to be handed off to someone who deserved it.

That man was Harry Styles. He started off as an intern at the age of 21, while studying at UBC Sauder to earn his Bachelor of Commerce. After graduating with honours, he continued to achieve his master's in Business Administration. Working his way up over six years, Mateo handed the company in his hands, believing that he would continue to let it grow.

And he did.

Now, at the age of 28, he was more than just successful. He branched out further and partnered with multiple companies all over the world. Several Urban Corp. buildings were now located in some cities like Calgary, Toronto, and London — which apparently, was where he's originally from.

Infrastructure development was added on, and the desire to invest in small businesses only triumphed everything; that, along with introducing an environmental sector. Each building was built green and LEED-certified — of course, he aimed to renovate to update the original headquarters here in Vancouver, but after multiple attempts, only part of the structure took those classifications.

It was highly impressive for only being CEO for just under two years. I couldn't imagine having so much power and decision making under my hands. I'd fail after less than two days. A quiet chuckle escaped my lips at the thought.

Even when the economy crashed a year ago, the company faltered a little bit, but not by much. He seemed to have kept some resources hidden through his building in London, which helped it still stand strong because it was in another country. There was no doubt about it, Harry was smart, on his toes, and always was two steps ahead — not just one.

The only issue was that there was no information about Harry himself, except what's his hometown city. Everything business-related could be found, but not a single detail on his personal life. The only thing that I noticed was that there was no plus-one on his arms during press meetings, fundraisers, events, or ribbon-cutting ceremonies. There was almost nothing.

And that only frustrated me.

Realising that I hadn't actually clicked on any of the photos in full view, I decided on doing so — and I immediately regretted it.

This man was incredibly handsome — and that was an understatement. Gorgeous, stunning, alluring, and those were just some words to describe him. I was undoubtably positive about one thing was that he was beautiful and so pretty.

All I knew was that if I got a chance to meet him in person, I don't know how I'd be able to stay standing.

Throughout my dancing career, I'd met a lot of good looking guys, especially being partnered with them, but I didn't find it appropriate to ever be in a relationship with them. If it didn't work out, it would only make things awkward. Whenever someone would ask me out, I'd honestly tell them the reason, and they — most of them — understood.

Photographs upon photographs existed from all of those events to a point where they seemed endless. Videos were also in high abundance, but I couldn't find it in me to watch them. I was just merely nervous I'd swoon over the sound of his voice. Would it be light and soft or deep and mysterious? I preferred to simply not know.

It was for the best.

I'd even searched if social media existed for him, but it didn't — not even something that he might've created during his university years. I was exasperated with the lack of personal information that he had.

Okay, that's enough.

It was time for the phone calls. I quickly located their main number, but I knew that I had to find a way to directly get in contact with Mr Styles, himself. That seemed impossible; however, if anyone could do it, it was Serenity Marie Hayes.

♬ ✥*

"Luna, you want to take over?" I asked my cat, who was now curled up on my lap. I caressed her soft fur, as I took a glimpse outside the window, seeing the hustle and bustle happening outside. The rain had let up, and the light deep blue sky began to peek through parts of the clouds. The corners of my lips lifted upwards at the stunning sight ahead of me.

Nonetheless, with the beauty of nature, it didn't help lift my mood.

"Why is it so impossible?" I lowly muttered to my cat.

I received no verbal response from her but was gifted only a soft meow followed by a purr. A deep sigh escaped from my chest in vexation.

After dozens of phone calls, multiple hang-ups, and people on the other line hysterically laughing, I had enough. There had to be a way to get ahold of his secretary. The only problem was, I didn't know who he or she was.

During my search, I also found out that there was no co-founder; however, a slightly smaller sister company that might come in handy. After a bit more investigating, it wasn't just one company, but two with vital CEOs: Oliver Pemberton and Felix Grant.

Urban Corp. had dealt with them for several years in the past, before Harry took over, which only meant that they were still close with the CEO since positive relations still remained. Pemberton Inc. was located in Toronto, so meeting with him wouldn't work; however, Grant Enterprises was just a ten minute drive away from Urban Corp.

Perfect.

Thoughts rolled in and out, writing several on paper, scrapping them not so long after, until I formed a plan. I picked up my mobile again and started my phone calls from scratch. One conversation to the next, I managed to land a meeting with one of the leading investors at Grant Enterprises — Finlay Bryne.

And well, the steps after that, I just hoped they would work.

♬ ✥*

My heart was pounding, a mallet forcefully hitting against the beating the fabric of a bass drum loudly vibrating in my ears. I peered up at the tall man-made structure ahead of me, aware of the several passers-by move around me. Each of them living their own personal lives with multiple emotions — all remaining silent to me.

The sky was a pristine blue, very few clouds floating around above the world. Vibrant, verdant grass and shrubs, were perfectly groomed around the over-sized concrete landing leading to the main doors. As a sign, one would say that it was a perfect mid-May morning that would lead to greatness.

From the pictures I saw on Google Maps, Grant Enterprises was nice, but it didn't even compare to Urban Corp. — and that on its own made me nervous. I knew that this was just a step to get where I wanted and not the real deal, but I still felt anxious and jittery as my veins filled with slight fright.

When I made my way inside, the interior looked average. There was nothing so fancy or great about this building. It was industrial with infrastructure and development but showed no actual representation about actually happened underneath the final roof.

The fascinating part about it was that Grant Enterprises initially did business deals and investments in particular; however when Marcus stepped down as CEO, he handed off the reins to his son — Felix. He decided to change the direction of the company and did it justice.

It took some time to check-in with security, but I finally made it without being late. I couldn't be late — not to an important meeting like this. Something that put me at ease, though, was that Finlay's office was in one of the many rooms on the main floor. I wasn't sure of the reason, but I was surely thankful for that.

When I passed through the doors that led to where I needed to be, I was greeted by a beautiful blonde secretary.

"Good morning, may I help you?"

"Hello. Yes actually, I have an appointment with Mr Byrne at eleven."

"Name?"

"Serenity Hayes."

"Ah yes, you called yesterday." She smiled, clearly recognising me from a couple of days ago.

"Yeah, I did." I let out a short laugh.

"I've never seen someone so persistent to get a meeting with Mr Grant before. I'm assuming you don't personally know him."

"I mean, I would say it's a life or death situation, but it's not. I'm just really desperate. And no, I don't know him."

"I've got to admire your tenacious quality."

"Thank you," I replied, softly, glancing at her name block on the desk. "Kelly."

"I'll let Mr Byrne know you're here," she said with a smile, just before entering his office to inform him.

It didn't take over a minute before Kelly made her way back outside, gesturing for me to follow through the door.

"Good morning, Miss Hayes. What can I do you for? My PA told me how desperate you were to get a meeting with me," he spoke with a chuckle. His hand stuck out, and I gladly took hold, giving it a firm and formal shake.

A wide grin was on his face, expression beaming with excitement. The aura he gave off seemed inviting and joyful. I wasn't expecting such a pleasant greeting, but I was thankful for it. Think positive, S.

I walked towards the tall, ginger man, who seemed only a few years older than me. I made sure that I mimicked his expression, aspiring to help my desperate case. To do so, though, I knew I had to make up a story to get some information out of him.

"Good morning to you as well, Mr Byrne. Yes, I was."

"Please," he said, gesturing for me to take a seat. I obliged by his words, seeing him do the same. Placing his elbows on his mahogany desk, hands clasped together and leaned slightly forward. "So what can I help you with?"

"Well, I would like to propose my business to you. Someone close to me mentioned that you were investing in their company. It's a small business actually."

"Is that so?" he questioned, sceptically, and I nodded. "You must be mistaken. This company does not invest in small businesses."

"Oh, really? She really was sure that it was Grant Enterprises."

"Miss, we specialise in infrastructure, engineering, and construction."

"So to confirm, no investing?"

"No." He shook his head with his brows furrowed. "Are you sure that it wasn't Urban Corp.? They recently started to do so."

"I'm aware they do, but I doubt it's possible to get a meeting with someone of high position there. No offence to the rest that is. I mean, I don't want just anyone, I'd prefer to meet with the CEO," I explained.

Before saying anything, Finlay let out a short laugh. "Mr Styles? He's rough and very particular. Doesn't meet with just anyone. He owns an empire, and it's quite impressive with what he does and has done in the fairly recent past. Even I personally envy his success. I think anyone in the corporate world does."

I hummed in response, biting the corner of my lip, and let out a deep breath. "Well is there anyone you'd recommend me talking to?"

"Let me think for a second," he said, pondering in thought. His lips pursed, and his brows pinched together. "There's actually Joelle Larson. She's a good friend of mine and one of the best that I think could help you. I can give her secretary a call and get you a meeting."

"Really? You'd do that for me?"

"Normally, I wouldn't. But there's something about you that I have a good feeling about." He grinned. "But first, would you mind filling me in a bit about what the business is?"

My head shook quickly as I started to explain everything that would be beneficial for him to know. I left out specific details, not wanting to waste more of his time. Truthfully, I did put a gap in his schedule that he surely could've used it for something else, but this was precisely what I wanted when I set foot here. I needed a step in the right direction, or more like, the right company — and I got just that.

Success. Now, that's phase one of my plan that's complete.

After sorting out the details, calling her secretary and making an appointment for me for tomorrow. I thanked him and apologised once more for wasting his time before heading out.

Slowly but surely, I was going to get this investment. My young dancing prodigies and my studio were my entire life. If I was going to have to sacrifice my dignity for them, I was now prepared to do that.

Before, I was afraid and embarrassed to do that, but why should I be? Amara was right. I shouldn't. This economy affected me, but I wasn't going to let that stop me.

It was not the end of my journey.

...

A/N:

Okay, so I know you're all wondering, where is Harry? Oh don't worry, he's close by. Very close. 

Besides that, what did you think of the chapter? And how're you liking Serenity's personality? 

Please press on that little star on the chapter, I mean, it only takes a millisecond. They're nice gifts. 

Kissy, stay golden, and TPWK!

S x