I stand a few yards away from the party as I look at our few guests having a great time on the dance floor. Even Mary Alice seems to be having fun, although this wasn’t the wedding she planned for us. This isn’t happening in a castle in Europe, or at an elegant salon with crystal walls by an artificial lake. I know at first she was disappointed that I wanted to go in a different direction, but she eventually accepted that the wedding should reflect my taste, not hers. Constance Cassel was a different story, she resigned in the middle of the planning because she considered my ideas to be too “plain for her to work with”, and maybe they were, but this is what I wanted: A small intimate ceremo
I don’t need to look back to know that Alex is following me, the feeling of utter terror in the back of my head is enough to know that he is here. I try to speed up my pace, although I know that won’t help at all, Alex can follow me persistently for hours, no matter the pace, no matter what I do when he decides to follow me, every time I look back he is there. And he already knows the way from my work to my apartment by hard, even though I have tried to take different routes to confuse him.
Once I get to the tiny ugly apartment Eddie and I live in now, I feel instantly better. I feel safe here, maybe this is not the house we grew up in, but this is home now. We had to move out of our previous house after my parents died, the rent was just too much for us two to pay and my dad’s mechanical workshop was too much in debt, so we lost that too.I find my brother still
The desk phone rings. It’s one of the inner lines, which means someone is calling me from inside the company. I grumble because I can imagine who is calling.“Thunder Motors, Inc., this is Emma Green, how can I help you?” I reply automatically as I was taught on my first day here.My skin crawls the moment I hear Julia Anderson’s voice. It was her who I was expecting to be calling... unfortunately I was right.
My heart is pounding against my chest as I walk to the Human Resources department. I can’t get fired, I can’t get fired. I really need this job. There are just too many debts to pay, I can’t afford to be unemployed right now. I furrow my brow as the elevator doors open on the 15th floor. Eddie needs me... I can’t lose this job. I do my best to hold my tears back, but when I’m about to reach the HR department I’m no longer able to contain myself and I have to turn around and run towards the nearest restroom. I barely make it. I start to cry hysterically the second I reach the restroom. I can’t help it. If I lose this job my brother is going to die. This is just too stressful. I can’t believe I’m losing my job over the silly thing that happened yesterday at the board meeting, but I guess
I sit on my new desk and I comb my hair with my fingers nervously. Mr. Leopold Beckett is about to arrive. I try to look competent to give a good impression. I don’t want any mishaps like yesterday. I’ve been his assistant for the last 35 minutes without him knowing about it. I hope he has no complaints because I could really use the raise.Overall I feel happy, an hour ago I was crying inside the lady’s restroom convinced that I was about to get fired, but now I have a new job and a raise. So things turned out pretty good for me. Eddie is going to be thrilled when I tell him. He is being really struggling to find a job to pay for his debts. I can’t blame hi
At five o’clock I knock on Jame’s office door.“I’m about to leave, do you need something before I go, sir?” I ask shyly.“Why? Because you have been so useful so far?” He replies rudely.I clench my fists. This man is a jerk!
It’s been three weeks since I started working for Leopold Beckett, three long nightmarish weeks where he has been rude, demanding, and unbearable. But at least I have a good-paying job and I remain hopeful that he will leave any day now for one of his trips around the world. It must be my luck, because according to Sylvia he has never been in the office so many days in a row before, even she is surprised that it is taking him so long to leave again. All I can do right now is to wait patiently for the day when he finally stops showing up to the office.
I turn around and I see him standing next to me, so close I can smell his fresh cologne. Alex smiles at me in a way that I can see he has perfectly aligned teeth. He is wearing a suit, trying to blend in, but his drop fade haircut along with his neck and hand tattoos make him stand out.“What are you doing here? I told you I will give you your money... this is a private party, Alex.” I whisper to him nervously.