Confident about the stealth-marketing program, Brian Storm was preparing to scale up sales of the anti-aging pill. The numbers indicated that the business strategy was sound, and it was time to increase marketing and sales. That, however, would bring a whole new dimension to the scope of Brian’s work.

Brian realized that he needed to establish a corporation. He needed to hire an operations manager, a production manager, and a marketing manager. Knowing that his friends Alex Freeman, Adrienne Jewel, and Bill Warner were all busy with their work, he decided to go outside his circle of friends. Brian would look around society to find appropriate people to work with him.

One day Brian flew from his oceanic island to mainland America. He landed in Ohio, and went to a factory for supplies. Brian walked in the main warehouse and immediately noticed the vastness of the place. The ceiling was several stories high, and there were shelves filled with goods stacked to the ceiling. He was in awe of the immensity of everything. While staring at the large inventory, Brian heard a voice say, "Can I help you?"

Brian turned around and there stood a tall, thin man with black hair. His brown eyes were full of life; this man looked alert. Brian replied, "Yes, I came here to order some supplies."

The thin, black-haired man walked up to Brian and held out his hand. He said, "Hi, I’m Chad Taylor. I’ll help you with whatever supplies you need."

Brian automatically reached out to shake Chad’s hand. Brian said, "Nice to meet you Chad. My name is Brian. Here’s a list of items I want to buy."

The two men walked over to a counter and reviewed the list. Brian watched Chad take a pencil from behind his ear and begin making notes on paper. Then Chad went to a computer, verified that the items were in inventory, and calculated a price for Brian. Everything was done within a few minutes. Brian was impressed.

Brian said, "You seem to know what you’re doing. Have you been doing this for a long time?"

Chad replied, "I’ve only been here for a year."

Brian asked, "Are you planning on becoming the manager?"

Chad replied, "I am the manager."

"Oh, that explains it," said Brian.

"Explains what?" asked Chad.

"Your level of competence. Rarely do I encounter plain workers with the efficiency you have. My thought is that people like you quickly rise into management." Brian replied.

Chad laughed. He said, "Well, I’ve got a Masters degree in Business Administration. I know a thing or two about business. But when I came here, I chose to work at an entry-level position along with everyone else. Now that I’m the manager, I just have more responsibilities. But I always come back to the roots of this business: serving our customers and making sure the shelves are stocked."

Brian thought for a moment about Chad. He realized that in front of him was a man of rare competence, a truly valuable man. Then Brian asked Chad, "Tell me about your education. Where did you go to school?"

Chad said, "I got my Bachelors degree in history at USC and my Masters degree at Wharton School of Business. Why do you ask?"

Brian replied, "Well, I’m looking for…ah…tell me something, do they pay you well?"

Chad said, "I made $40,000 my first year here."

Brian replied, "What would you say if I offered you $50,000 per year plus a $10,000 sign-up bonus to work for me?"

Chad looked at Brian intently and said, "It depends on the type of work, the hours, and the location. What do you have in mind?"

Brian reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a business card. He handed it to Chad and said, "Here’s my business card. Let’s discuss this tomorrow over lunch. Where’s a good place to eat?"

Chad said, "There’s a good restaurant just down the road. We can get sandwiches and eat on the outdoor deck. I think you’ll like it."

"Great," Brian said, "I’ll meet you here at twelve noon tomorrow and we’ll drive over to the restaurant. Meanwhile let’s wrap up this order."

The two of them walked down the aisles looking at various supplies to ensure Brian was purchasing exactly what he needed. Chad completed Brian’s order and charged it to Brian’s credit card. Then Brian left the warehouse. On the way back to his hotel, Brian drove by the restaurant to see what it was like.

The next day Brian met Chad for lunch and offered him the opportunity to be the production manager for the immortality business. That was the most unusual offer Chad had ever heard. But with the $10,000 sign-up bonus, Chad figured he had a financial cushion in case the new job did not work out. And the prospect of helping people become immortal was truly fascinating. So Chad accepted Brian’s offer. He signed a contract to be the production manager for the immortality pill business.

___________________

Brian flew from Ohio toward his secluded island in the South Atlantic Ocean. On his way back to the island, he stopped in Florida. He wanted to look at a large property for sale. So Brian Storm landed near West Palm Beach, Florida.

When he got off the plane, sunshine and warm weather greeted Brian. He replied with a smile. The cool breeze felt good, and the sight of lush tropical plants complementing South American architecture was refreshing. Brian rented a car and drove to a nearby hotel.

After checking into a hotel room, he drove to a large property that was for sale. He arrived a little early, and so had time to survey the property before the seller arrived. Brian saw that the property extended to the ocean, which was the reason for the exorbitant price.

Eventually, the seller showed up. Brian talked with the seller as they toured the property. Brian liked the plot of land; he considered it a potentially good location for a business. But he knew the price was too high and wanted to buy it for less than the asking price. The seller would not budge on the price, so Brian thanked the seller for his time and left.

Brian drove through the streets of West Palm Beach, absorbing the beautiful scenery. He loved what he saw. The scene was like a huge work of art made by hundreds of different artists: various architects, landscape architects, civil engineers, building contractors, landscape contractors, and sculptors. The blue sky, bright sunshine, tropical plants, and manmade environment culminated in a masterpiece on a grand scale. While driving through the streets of West Palm Beach, Brian said to himself, "Beautiful."

When he arrived at the hotel, he went up to his room. He put his security card into the door, but the door would not open. Puzzled, he looked at the room number on the door. It matched the room number on the security card. He tried the card a couple more times without any luck. So he turned around and got into the elevator. Brian went downstairs to the service desk to find out what was wrong.

He stood at the desk waiting for help. There were two girls working behind the service desk. One had black hair; the other had blond hair. Brian noticed that the brunette was pretty. Then his eyes wandered to the blond girl. Upon seeing her, everything inside Brian seemed to grind to a halt. The sight of the blond-haired girl behind the counter scrambled Brian’s inner world. Brian just stood at the service desk, unable to move. He was frozen like deer paralyzed by car headlights.

"Are you being taken care of sir?" asked the brunette.

Brian just stood there, mesmerized by the beautiful blond girl.

"Sir, how can I help you?" asked the brunette again.

"I want to speak to her." Brian said as he pointed to the girl with blond hair.

The brunette turned to the blond-haired girl and said, "Lea, this man wants to speak with you."

Brian immediately linked the name Lea with the blond girl so he would remember her name. She finished a task behind the counter and turned toward Brian. She walked over to him and looked directly into his green eyes. She said, "Yes?"

Brian’s inner world came to a halt again. He tried to gain control of himself, but this was very difficult. He looked at the girl carefully and thought to himself, "She’s the one."

"What do you need sir?" asked the blond-haired girl.

Brian snapped out of his inner world and said confidently, "Lea, I’m having a problem with the security card. It will not let me into my room."

The blond-haired girl held out her hand while asking to see the security card. As Brian reached into his pocket to get the security card, he saw a gold nametag on her blouse. It said Lea Parker. He linked the name Lea Parker in his mind with this girl.

Lea Parker was in her late twenties. She appeared to be 5’5’’ tall and 120 pounds. Overall, she was thin but had a shapely body. She also had a healthy glow—like someone who was mentally alive and passionate about life. Her green eyes glittered like stars. Her full, long blond hair was breathtaking. Her face was flawless. And her voice was very feminine, able to put Brian into a trance. Standing in front of Brian was the woman of his dreams. He had been waiting to meet a girl like this all his life.

"Here’s my security card. I’m in room number 1231." Brian said.

Lea looked at the card and swiped it through a machine. Then she pressed some keys on the keyboard. Finally she said, "I’m sorry; you shouldn’t have got that room. The person who gave it to you didn’t know it was going to be repaired today. You’ve been reassigned to another room. Your new room number is 1254. Here’s a new security card." Lea said.

Brian said, "Ah, that would explain it. What about my luggage?"

Lea replied, "It looks like your bags have been moved to your new room. I’m sorry for the inconvenience. How can I make this up to you? Would you like a complimentary dinner at our lovely restaurant?"

Brian thought for a moment and said, "This is a bit of an inconvenience, but I think I’ll survive…"

"No, I mean it. I want you to be happy with your stay here. What will it take?" Lea said genuinely.

"There’s only one thing I can think of." Brian said.

"Yeah? Name it." Lea said.

"You joining me for dinner tonight." Brian said.

Lea turned around to see if the brunette was listening. Then Lea said, "Oh sir, I’m really not supposed to…"

Brian said, "I understand."

He turned around and began walking away from the service desk when he heard Lea say, "Wait!"

Brian turned and saw Lea Parker smiling and nodding yes. Brian’s whole life was about to change from this seemingly insignificant occurrence. He smiled in return and said, "Let’s meet down here at 7:00 tonight. I’m sure we’ll enjoy each other’s company."

Lea nodded in agreement and watched Brian walk away. As soon as Brian disappeared into an elevator, the brunette said to Lea, "Who is that man and what did he want? He was looking at you a bit strange. I think he likes you or something."

"I didn’t even ask him what his name is, but I’m going to have dinner with him tonight! Can you believe it?" Lea said as she got back to work.