A long way to go

Chapter 1

"Good morning, boss!" greeted Catherine as she stood up to greet her new boss as he entered the office building.

"Good morning to you too" her boss replied in an official businesslike voice.  

Catherine James, 40, had worked for the Stevenson enterprises as a receptionist for 15 years of her youth. She had seen three generations of the Stevenson family taking over the business. Each one was more talented than the former and took the business to new heights.

The Stevenson family had been in Boston as far as anyone could remember. In fact, they were the oldest residents of modern Boston.

The Stevenson family was always regarded as the prestigious and a noble one not because of their wealth but due to their generosity.  They had set up a huge business empire from scratch. People liked them because of their honesty and sincerity.  The Stevensons were most respected by the business people across the US. They were known for their professionalism and high moral.

It was 2nd of October, a dark blue BMW car stopped in the slots of the vast parking area situated in front of the office of the Stevenson Enterprises. He was wearing a royal blue suit and brown shoes with dark aviator glasses. He was a tall, handsome guy with the features of a Stevenson. This is the new boss, the new CEO of the Stevenson enterprises.  The Stevenson family had unruly brown hair and icy blue eyes. Most of them had a dull complexion. He was looking absolutely handsome for a boss on his first day of office.

As he entered the office building, he was greeted by the manager and the receptionist. The manager, Mr. Joseph, shook his new boss's hand warmly. All the staff had been notified and reminded to arrive at 9 o clock sharp.  It was the first day for the new boss to visit the office. There was a strict punctuality code for the staff as well as the bosses and directors.

 Everyone was supposed to be inside the office premises at 9 am sharp. But today was an exception, the boss himself was late. It was the first time that a Stevenson was late for work.

First time in 15 years of Catherine's career at the Stevenson enterprises.  She was surprised as the other staff. As the manager introduced their new boss to the staff, the new boss, Derek Stevenson, wore a slight smile and shook hands with a countless number of people.

He even shook hands with the clerks, cleaning staff, security guards and drivers. They were all very happy to meet their new boss, Derek Stevenson.  Although he didn't smile much he had a pleasant personality.  

After meeting the staff of the office, Derek went to his office and took in the surroundings of the room. The room had big floor length windows at the other end. The front wall was decorated with the awards and honors won by Stevenson enterprises over the years.  On one side of the room was a large oak table set with Derek's nameplate on it. As a child, Derek always loved to visit his father's study in the Stevenson mansion but he was only allowed there when his father was on some business trip abroad. His father's study was the exact duplicate of his office. Derek was always amazed by the serenity of the rooms. Now when he had it, he wished he had never gotten it.

Derek Stevenson inherited the Stevenson enterprises at the mere age of 25 when he had just completed his studies and lost his dear father. Derek had always been very fond of his father even though he was seldom interested in his activities as a child. But as Derek grew up, Robert Stevenson took the reins of his son and trained him to be just like him. A Stevenson. Derek knew 5 major languages of the world.  He would never need to have a translator when dealing with foreign clients.  He was a business graduate from the Harvard school of business.

Derek always had a good sense of judgment.  He was always taught to think wisely upon a situation before making a decision. He always took his parent's advice very seriously.