It was an alignment of the stars when Jim and Ella met. The crowded New York City street should've prevented any form of socializing, let alone the start of romance. Middle-of-July heat was visible hovering above the asphalt and the people jostling each other were in a mood considerably worse than even most New Yorker natives were used to. The heat wave had hit the city completely unprepared. Jim tried to avoid contact with the sweaty bodies around him as he waited for his car as close to the busy street as he dared. His suit was suffocating him; He'd already loosened his tie significantly. He glanced at his watch and groaned. The car was late. He made the quick decision to take off his jacket and roll up his sleeves.
Ella was in a rush to get to her new internship on time. She was starting as a senior at NYU in August. This was her last chance to be able to graduate on time. The intern orientation made it very clear two tardies would result in immediate termination from the program. She had been late yesterday; Yesterday was her first day. She absolutely needed to keep this internship or she'd have to repeat the fall semester in the spring. She wouldn't graduate with the rest of her class.
The sudden heat wave was wrecking havoc on her nerves. Ella couldn't stand the heat, especially not when she had to run in it. She was sure she'd already sweated through her blouse. It was a good thing she'd thrown another one in her bag before leaving the apartment. Ella glanced back and forth along the street looking for the right building. All these buildings looked the same. She never wanted to work in an office. She was only majoring in business because her parents were making her. Ella wanted to be a photographer, but her parents would only support her doing that if she earned a bachelors in business first.
The family owned a large company and wanted her to be able to work there in the future. Ella knew she never wanted to work at the family business, though. She was only doing this to make her parents happy. When they offered an internship at their company, Ella refused. She only allowed them to call in a favor to a family friend at the last minute once she was desperate. That's how she got this gig. But now she was about to lose it and the last three years would be for nothing. Finally, she spotted the right building. Paige Industries was displayed in large block letters on the building front. She sighed with relief when her watch said she still had five minutes.
She was about to rush in when her heel got stuck in one of the sidewalk grates. She nearly went flying. Instead she stumbled right into Jim. Startled, he nearly went down with her, but managed to regain both their balances. He was still peeved about his late car but the pretty girl somehow made him feel a lot better. Ella couldn't care less about who'd caught her, she was still going to be late. She pushed off him, throwing a quick thanks over her shoulder before diving through the building's doors. Jim stared after her. He really wanted to follow. He glanced at his watch and down the street for the nowhere to be seen vehicle, then hurried to catch up. He noticed she went into the build he'd just left minutes earlier.
Dozens of suits and pantsuits loitered in the lobby. The marble floor which had been polished to a mirror the night before was already tarnished despite the early hour. A coffee kiosk stood at the far end of the room and a sprawling front desk was to his right. He spotted the girl's blonde head hopping on an elevator. He rushed over but the doors dinged shut a second before he could stop them. He anxiously watched for what floor it'd stop at. He saw the light stall at four, jumped onto the next elevator, and excitedly slapped the button for the forth floor.
It's too bad that Ella hadn't gotten off on the fourth floor. In fact, a mail boy had finished on that floor just in time to hop on an elevator ride with the pretty new intern. Together they went up six more levels.
It was mere chance that later in the day Ella decided to grab a coffee at the kiosk on her break just as Jim was returning from the meeting he was leaving for earlier. As soon as he saw her, he rushed over and pleaded for a date. Five months later they were engaged. Six months after that they were married, two weeks post graduation. Their fist son was born the following February. They called him Jamie, short for Jamison, which was also Jim's name.
Ella did manage to became a free lance photographer and Jim, it turned out, was actually Jamison Paige II, son of Paige Industries' CEO. He took over for his father four years into the marriage.
The same year Jim became CEO, Ella gave birth to quintuplets via C-section, Casey Oliver, Matthew Brooks, Verona Rose, Elliot Ross, and Dakota Aaron.
Two years after the quints, the triplets were born. Mayella Blaire, Sterling Quinn, and Charlotte Lee.
Two more years later, a single girl was born, Chandler Ruth.
A set of sextuplets were born three years later. Phoenix Blaze, Holly Fern, Willow Forrest, River Stone, Skyler Raine, and Clementine Blossom.
Another set of quints came four years later. Peyton Piper, Aspen Amelia, Isabella Ivy, Garrison Gabriel, and Eric Easton.
Another set of triplets came three years later. Samuel Jack, Sawyer Noelle, and Parker Bailey.
Finally, the twins, Emery Grant and Eden Grace, were born in another three years.
In total, that happenstance meeting produced 26 children.
