OWNED BY THE RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE

I have passed by this imposing white granite building in Santa Monica dozens of times and never thought I would someday be working here. But here I am, on the tenth floor of the Peak Group - one of the top hedge funds in Los Angeles. Heck, from what I hear, this is one of the top hedge funds in the world.

To be honest, I don’t know much about finance. So, how did a 20-year old end up with a $50,000 a year job as an as**sistant account executive? Easy, I lied. Or to be more specific, I submitted someone else’s resume to their recruiter. A girl can do desperate things when she is one month away from eviction and homelessness.

My days at the Peak Fund are filled with a mixture of mundane tasks coupled with a sense of impending doom. I keep my head down and simply follow the orders of my direct superior, senior account executive Dan Greenland. The 35 year old father of two doesn’t seem to suspect that I am completely unqualified for my job. The poor guy is on the phone all day with the fund’s investors. So far, my most complicated as**signment has been to score a lunchtime reservation atThe Grill On the Alleyin Beverly Hills.

Nevertheless, I don’t know how much longer I can keep up this charade. In fact, I plan to quit today. Payday! The check should arrive on my desk this afternoon. After that, I am out of here. My first paycheck should be enough to cover my half of the rent for the next few months. From there, I will think of another way to keep a roof over my head.

Lunchtime is my favorite time at the Peak Fund. All the important people are out of the office, enjoying overpriced salads and steaks at the best spots in LA while we “little people” fend for ourselves at the local burrito shops. Since the NYSE and NASDAQ stock exchanges close at 4PM Eastern Standard Time, we usually wait until 1PM local time to ditch the office for some grub.

Right now, I am actually rather relaxed. After all, today is my last day at the Peak Fund. When the office clears for lunch, I head I outside and enjoy the lovely ocean breeze coming off the Santa Monica coastline. Normally, I would stay in the office and check for incoming calls. But, what the hell, I’ll be out of there in a few hours. Why not take a stroll down to the ocean?

The Peak Fund is located about three blocks from the Santa Monica pier. In fact, you can see the ocean from the office. I will certainly miss that view. I check my iPhone and see it’s about ten minutes to two. Time to head back.

I walk back into the office and find the place half-empty. It was like this last Friday. I guess everyone wants to get a jumpstart on the weekend. Well, I will just have to wait. Most people have their paychecks direct deposited into their bank accounts. I opted for a paper check. Hopefully, I won’t have to stick around for much longer.

I am sitting at my desk, keeping my head low, just waiting for that paycheck to come. My desk phone rings. I press the speakerphone button. “Sarah. Please come to H.R. immediately,” the woman’s voice booms on the other end of the line.

My heart begins to race. Oh my God. They know. Why else would I be called into Human Resources? I look around the office. My eyes peer over at the red “exit” sign leading to the emergency stairs.

When I rise to my feet, the first thought in my head is to run. Just run. Everything on my resume is a lie. What is there to gain by going to Human Resources to suffer the humiliation of being fired. What if the police are waiting for me?

I can hear my heart beating through my chest. I can feel the heat emanating from my cheeks. My temples throb. I walk down the hall to the large glass panel offices of the Human Resources department. I see Anne, the woman who gave me my orientation. She is sitting at her desk with a rather confused look on her face. This can’t be good.

“Anne? You wanted to see me?” I say softly.

Anne looks at me, shaking her head. “Mr. Peak wants to see you in his office.”

Mr. Peak. Mr. Ryan Peak. The owner of the Peak Fund. The Billionaire Owner of the Peak Fund. His mere name makes people’s backs straighten. I have been here for two weeks and have yet to lay my eyes on him. And now he wants to see me!