Five

After taking a swift look at the small sign which signified she was already on the ninety-fifth floor, she checked her phone’s timer and saw that she had two minutes and some seconds left.

Anna knew she could stop, go back home and pretend the day never happened. She could pretend Drake Blunt didn’t ask her to do something that might lead to her slumping.

But she didn’t put a pause to her struggles up the numerous steps. As she jumped and skipped and panted and also swore occasionally, her sister’s calm face before the casket was closed kept playing in her head. And that served as a reminder.

A reminder to do whatever it takes to get the truth.

Soon, she was running past the sign that read, ‘ninety-six’ and Anna began to have some strong feeling about completing her task on time.

She was already taking a turn to the next flight of stairs when she heard, loud and clear, someone say, “Oh, this is for Darcy Hendrick.”

Anna’s attention was diverted immediately and without thinking twice, she retraced her steps and walked through the only door in that area.

“Poor soul she was. If only she got to wear this beautiful necklace.”

"Excuse me,” Anna called, her chest heaving, her lips giving off loud gasps.

The woman who had a frail voice turned, her face looking startled for a second. But, after a closer look at Anna, her subtly wrinkled face wore a smile and she said brightly, “Good morning. Are you here to find something you have lost?”

“That necklace…” Anna took cautious steps forward, her eyes trained intently on the red box in the woman’s hand. “Who did you say it is for?”

“Darcy Hendrick. She actually misplaced this necklace but she never had the chance to get it back. Oh my.” Her head danced pitifully. “Poor soul. Why did she have to die like that?”

“Can I have that necklace?” Anna resisted the tears that were stinging her eyes.

“Oh, I was already wondering who to dash it to, so you can definitely have it.” Anna smiled gratefully. “Actually, her box filled with her office materials are all here, you might find something useful,” the lady dropped as she handed the box to Anna.

A quick look at the simple silver necklace got Anna’s legs going weak. But the woman caught her. “So…” Anna swallowed her sadness. “Her stuff are all here?”

“Yes. By the way, are you dating anyone?” Anna questioned the woman’s query silently. “Actually… I find you very pretty and I think you will be a good match for my neighbour’s son.”

“Oh.” Anna signaled towards the woman’s firm hold on her right arm and she let go without a fuss. Anna hoped the woman wouldn’t make a fuss when she rejects her blind date offer.

“So, are you?” The lady pushed her earlier question with a wide look of admiration and Anna sighed.

“No, I am not,” she replied as politely as possible. “I have a boyfriend actually.” Anna half-heartedly wished it were true. She was never lucky in the relationship department.

“Right?” The woman hid her disappointment with a large grin. “You are too pretty to be single, I was just trying my luck.”

Trying her luck for a man that’s not her son? Anna was tempted to scoff.

“Anyway, are you certain Darcy Hendrick’s stuff are all here?” she asked, her finger running through the smoothness of the small box in her hand.

“Yes,” she replied enthusiastically, her finger pointing in a direction on her right after. “Just come in whenever and check the box over there.”

“Alright.” Anna finally recalled she was supposed to be running past stairs, jumping over them if possible and with her latest discovery, she became enlightened on why she shouldn’t let go of the job offer. “Thank you very much for your help ma’am.”

“You are most welcome. I-”

Anna didn’t get to hear the rest of the woman’s statement as she dashed out of the room. She had only few seconds left but she was going to show desperation and finish the task.

So with every tactic possible, she dashed past the remaining flight of stairs, pushing the thought of getting excessively tired aside.

Soon, as she panted crazily, Anna pushed through the door she believed led to the office she would be working in and as expected, Drake Blunt and Alex were both waiting for her entry. Drake in particular had a smug look as she pushed her feet which were already tired and heavy to the center of the room.

“Miss Hendrick…”

Initiating drama mode, the woman groaned in response and fell onto her knees suddenly. Clutching her chest like one having an attack, she further fell into a cuddled position, the cold tile reminding her how much of a punishment she was giving herself.

“Miss Hendrick, you are-” Her loud moan interrupted him again and she maintained the whale-like sounds for a while, making sure to wither like she was being set on fire. His steps announced his exit from where he was and Anna decided to intensify her act.

“Oh… I am so sorry.” Her moans turned to wails. “I tried to make it in time but the stairs…” she sniffled. “The stairs were so much.”

“Were they?” Her boss asked with indifference in his voice and she almost ruined her act with a snicker. When she was certain her eyes were filled with made-up tears, she lifted her buried head and locked eyes with the man who had already squatted beside her.

His brows quirked when he noticed the tears. “Are you crying?” Anna swore silently at the excitement in a corner of his question.

“Please don’t fire me,” she pleaded softly.

“Why Miss Hendrick? You clearly finished your task late.”

She scrunched her lips into a pout. “Please, don’t fire me.”

Anna was already finding the situation ridiculous but something within her wasn’t minding the little ridicule. That part of her reasoned that the ridicule would be a sacrifice to pave a way for something greater.

Drake Blunt studied her for a while, a blank look gracing his face. “In that case…” He sucked in a deep breath. “I hate to inform you that…”

He was so serious, Anna knew it was already the end for her.

“Sir…” she whined with a low voice.

“I was just joking around Miss Hendrick, you won’t be fired.” Her pretense became long forgotten as she abruptly sprung out of her posture. Drake Blunt chuckled as her eyes narrowed.

“So… I ran for nothing?” she asked, her voice approaching the anger route.

“Well, not for nothing. Two good things came out of the whole thing.” Her nostrils fumed as she prompted him, with a slight nod, to say what those two things were. “One,” a finger shot out, “you got to exercise before work and trust me, only a fit body can undergo working in my company and two…”

His head shifted to the side a bit as another finger sprouted. “I got entertained. Wow, really entertained. I even got a little crying show after and isn’t that just wonderful?”

Anna managed a grin which she hoped was more of murderous than condoning. Wiping off her fake tears, she continued swearing at him within her, but to spice things up, she imagined herself punching the hell out of him.

“Why are you not saying anything?”

Like an hypnotized fellow, her eyes fell ahead and she monotonously said, “I can’t believe I ran past those stairs just for your entertainment.”

“You should stop sulking now. You have work to do,” his serious voice came back and he got up after dishing out his quick commands.

Wishing to mourn the temporary loss of her craziness, Anna remained on the ground, looked up at him and asked, “What do I have to do?”

If he were to mention some ridiculous task, her craziness might have to quit it’s vacation.

He looked thoughtful for a while and while that happened, Anna noticed the man called Alex was still around he looked really apologetic. A small smile fell on her lips as she saw Drake would be the only one making life hell for her.

“Before you go and pick up my date…” Anna groaned within her at that remainder. “… go into the store and sort out the mess in there.”

Anna’s eyes traveled to and fro before they landed on a small sign that informed her that the store was just opposite the desk in the room. It was then she began to notice the nice arrangement of the spacious room. The hude desk and a few chairs were the only furniture around.

Far from the end of the desk was a spiral staircase. There was even a clear view of the city from where she was and it was quite a therapeutic one.

Drake continued, “This is your office and the stairs at the side lead to my office. If I need you, I’ll call you through the intercom. That’s clear, right?”

Anna sighed and took a look at the box in her hand. It was already happening, she was already starting the journey. As she realized she hadn’t gotten an ID yet, she wore a small pout, she was really looking forward to stuffing it in her mother’s face.

“Miss Hendrick, I am pretty sure this is no jewelry shop, so please stop hugging that box and get to work,” the man commanded sternly and Anna snickered a bit loudly.

She didn’t worry about him hearing her. In fact, she looked up, locked eyes with him securely and waited for him to condemn her action. But he never did. The man just kept his smirk on as he pocketed his hands again.

Another deep release of breath and Anna was up on her feet, ready to get to work. So, she dropped her things on the empty desk, took her phone out from the document file and made for the store room with confident strides.

“Don’t you think you are pushing her too hard? She just started,” Anna heard his friend say.

Then, a loud scoff came from her boss who said with an air of silly importance that angered Anna. “She will get used to it,” he said and Anna made her hands into a fist to contain the urge to turn and punch him in the face.

~

Her annoying boss was definitely the most… annoying.

He had not informed her how disastrous the state of the store room was. It was like a tornado attacked the room. Files were mixed with each other, papers formed some kind of overlapped mat over the room.

Anna had already spent three hours in the Goddamn room and she was yet to see the end of the task. To worsen matters, she was so sweaty, she concluded the space had to be some purgatory.

Getting off the floor with urge to curse loudly at the tip of her tongue, Anna struggled to place the third box in which she had arranged the paperwork, onto the other two.

She was already concluding on taking a break when a small knock from outside snapped her out of the hell she was in. When she looked towards the entrance, Drake Blunt was leaning against the door frame, legs crossed, his usual smirk on his face.

“How come you haven’t done much Miss Hendrick?”

Her finger rubbed through her nose gently as she urged herself to keep calm. Anger wasn’t the right answer, she said to herself.

“Well, Mr. Blunt…” She walked towards him. “In case you never noticed, this room is a complete disaster and it will take days if not weeks to take care of this crazy mess.”

“Mmm,” was all he said in response. “So when exactly are you planning to finish it?”

“I-”

“Never mind.” His raised hand put a pause to what she wished to spit at him in the most polite way. “Take a break from what you are doing and get my guest something to eat.”

“Your guest?” she questioned. But her real question was where on earth she was going to get that ‘something needed to be eaten.’

“You heard me right? So…” He clapped twice with urgency. “Move it Miss Hendrick. My guest is starving.”

The only clap back she could give the man was a tongue stuck out to his back. As his steps receded, Anna took a pause to ponder on how to go about his request. Just as she took out her phone to search for something useful, another set of footstep graced the empty space ahead and as she looked up, Alex’s wide grin and a tray of food in his hands greeted her.

With a gentleman poise, he said, “I am certain this tray of food will come in handy.” Anna was short of words for a second. “I guessed you’d be tired, so I helped you out.”

“Oh…” she finally said, her voice carrying a certain softness.

“You should hurry, he hates waiting.” He pushed the tray into her hand and after she gave him an appreciative smile, she made for the stairs. As expected the space the stairs led to was exquisite but she was too tired to take in the sight.

So, she made for the door that stayed in the middle of a partition built in a stragetic way, her eyes landed on the fair buttocks of her boss who was repeatedly plowing into a red haired woman who couldn’t stop professing her love for the kinky moment.