The sound of my alarm pierced the silence, marking the beginning of yet another workweek. I groaned, longing to linger in bed a little longer, but responsibility beckoned. I reluctantly rose from the bed and began my morning routine.
When I arrived at the office, I settled in and started reviewing the file I'm to report on this week. I was making good progress when suddenly Mia burst into the room, her eyes red and her face visibly showing she was heartbroken."Mia, what's wrong?" I asked, concern etching my features.Without a word, Mia strode up to my desk and flung the file down in front of me, papers scattering everywhere. "Didn't he like it?" I asked, looking at the papers and then to her face."Wouldn't that be better? At least then he would take a look at it to decide," she said, frustratedly."Then..." Before I could even complete my thought, she chimed in."He wouldn't even look at me or the file. He asked why I'm the one doing it and not you. I even explained it's because I've been in the company for a while and since the project was big, Celine thought it was best to allow me to handle it. But he wouldn't listen to me and told me to get out and call Celine.""I'm so sorry, Mia,” I said sincerely."Who does he even think he is? Why is he acting all tough when he will still be mine? I'm just heartbroken that the only chance I have to build our relationship has been taken away by you," she accused."How is this my fault?" I asked, taken aback."Maybe if you had not shown your ugly face in the first place, then he wouldn't have had any problem with me handling it. Or did you complain to him?""I did no such thing, Mia. I don't even want to work with him," I said firmly."Then tell him you have a project already and you can't juggle both," she suggested."Okay. Let's just wait for Celine to get out of his office," I stated.We didn’t have to wait for long before Celine emerged from Alex’s office“Mia, Sophie, can I see you both in my office for a moment? She askedMia and I exchanged a glance before following her. Once inside, she began pouring out all of her frustration“I just received the longest reprimanding of my life from Mr. Hernandez. I don’t know why it’s a big deal who handles it anyway, but he wants Sophie to continue taking the lead on the landmark project and that’s what it will be because I’m not about to get on the wrong side of my boss,” She said then continued “He will like to see you immediately, Sophie.”Oh, my God. Why won’t he just let me be? What kind of torment is this? I thought to myself, my heart racing with dread“Sophie, did you get what I just said to you,” Celine asked, her brow furrowed with concern.“Yes, I did” I replied, my voice barely above a whisperMia tried to protest but Celine promised to give her the next big project. However, Mia wasn’t having it. As we were dismissed, Mia turned to me, her eyes filled with hatred. “Wolf in sheep's clothing,” she whispered before storming out of the office.I let out a heavy sigh and gathered the scattered files before heading to his office. I paused briefly before knocking on the door, inhaling heavily to calm my nerves. The last thing I wanted in this world was for him to see that he had any effect on me.“Come in,” he called out, his voice sharp and authoritative.I pushed open the door and stepped inside trying to project an air of confidence I certainly didn’t feel.”You wanted to see me”His eyes narrowed as they landed on me “Do you think this is some playground where you get to pick and choose what you work on?”I blinked taken aback by his cold demeanour. “I-I’m so sorry,” I stammered my heart racing“Do you know what I hate most?” He asked his voice dripping with disdainI shook my head mutely, bracing myself for whatever was to come. “People like you who do things without thinking and believe a simple sorry can change everything. He leaned forward, pinning me with an icy glare. “The world doesn’t revolve around you so you better start acting like it.”“Alex,” I called out, sadness evident in my eyes.“It’s Mr. Hernandez for you. We’re not that close,” he corrected, his tone firm and distant.I swallowed hard feeling like a chastised child. “I’m sorry, Mr Hernandez.He leaned back in his chair, his expression still rigid. “Good. Now let’s get down to business.”“I am with the previous file, the one I did earlier before I had to make changes, so it’s different from the one you rejected. I could just send it to you if it’s fine“Alright, forward it to my email.” He saidI nodded and turned to leave just as I reached for the doorknob, his voice stopped me.“Sophie,” I looked back at him my heart pounding. “There’s no room for failure or excuses in this project. This is a make-or-break moment for you. Don’t disappoint the company. I would have said ‘me’ but even if you try, you can’t help but disappoint. So be patriotic enough and consider the company that pays you.”The way he said my name and the words he used on me were so cold and distant that it sent a chill down my spine,” I won’t let you down, Mr Hernandez,” I assured him“See that you don’t.” He waved a dismissive hand. “Now you can leave.”Just as I was about to turn the doorknob, his voice stopped me once more.” and Sophie?” I looked back at him my expression wary. “Don’t make the mistake of thinking we’re friends or can be friends. You’re here to do a job. Nothing more.I felt a lump form in my throat. “Understood, Mr. Hernandez,” I managed before quickly exiting his office, my mind reelingI couldn't help but marvel at the stranger I had just conversed with, as he was not the sweet and ever-loving Alex I was used to. I quickly sent him the file he had requested, but a reply was nowhere in sight. The minutes ticked by, each second feeling like an eternity as I waited for some kind of feedback.At last, an email notification appeared, signaling a message from AlexMy heart pounded as I opened it, hoping for some positive response or at least constructive criticism. However, what I read left me stunned."Rejected. Not up to standards. Revise and resend."That was it. No specific feedback, no explanation of what was lacking or needed improvement. I felt disheartened and annoyed by his rejection. I couldn't wrap my head around why he was making things so complicated. I went over the document I had sent examining each word and image carefully. I couldn't spot any errors.I was set on getting to the bottom of this so I crafted a reply asking for an explanation."Mr. Hernandez,
I quickly returned to my desk replaying Alex’s words in my mind. One thing I knew about him was that he didn’t say anything he wouldn’t follow through on. I had to save my job. I took a deep breath and tried to focus just then Celine’s sharp voice cut through the air. “Sophie, my office. Now.”I swallowed hard forcing myself to my feet and making my way to Celine’s door. She was already seated behind her desk, her eyes narrowed as I stepped in.“So, I hear Mr. Hernandez rejected your proposal again,” Celine said her voice dripping in disdain.I nodded “Yes and he gave me an almost impossible deadline with my job on the line”Celine scoffed leaning back on the chair .” Of course, he has. The man has to impress our client and they will be here in two days so you can’t fault him for doing his business.”I hesitated unsure of how to respond.” The clients are having the first review in two days?”“And that’s not all. You will be presenting your work to the client at that meeting.” Celine a
“I don’t envy you right now,” Derby said as she saw me scavenging through several files on my desk I looked up at her, a wry smile cut on my lips. “Me and you both” Derby leaned against the edge of my desk her brow furrowed in concern “Is there a way I can help?” I have noticed you always end up doing most of the work and yet you never receive any recognition for your effort.” I shrugged, trying to downplay the situation. “It’s all good, Derby. I’m sure they see how much of an asset I can be so they are trying to harness that.” Derby’s eyes narrowed slightly and I could tell she wasn’t buying my forced optimism. “So what got you so worked up now? I thought you had everything all under control,” she pressed “I thought I did but no matter what I present to him, it never gets approved. It’s just so frustrating.” I complained as I sat on my chair, and before I knew it, tears started gushing from my eyes Derby didn’t utter a word, she just placed a gentle hand on my shoulder and that
At exactly 1 pm, I made my way to the parking lot as instructed, my hands sweating with anticipation. I noticed a black sedan nearby, I figured it was Alex’s, but the tinted windows gave no clue of those inside.I was walking slowly to the car when Alex leaned over and rolled the window down. “Do you need help getting here? Get in, we don’t want to keep him waiting,” he said, this time his voice sharp and lacking any kind of warmth.I just nodded silently and slid into the passenger seat beside him, the air thick with tension between us. The drive to the client’s location was quiet, interrupted only by the sound of engines and occasional car honks with a deliberate avoidance of eye contactAs we pulled up to the towering skyscraper, Alex finally spoke “You ready for this?”I turned to face him, mustering a confident nod, despite the turmoil I felt inside. “As ready as I will ever be.”We exited the car, got ourselves into professional mode, and then started walking toward the building
There was only one thing that repeated itself in my mind, and that was; the right outfit for the event. I didn't want to go there looking like a loser and I was sure that anything I had in the closet wouldn't help me blend in with others either. The mere thought that I had no proper clothing for the occasion, layered with the task of mingling with the high society people, made me horrified.“What did I get myself into? Places like that are not for people like me.” I thought “Where are we going? This is not the way to the office.” I asked glancing nervously at AlexHe didn’t reply. All his attention was directed to the road. Several minutes later we stopped in front of a beautiful-looking boutique with the shop window full of extravagant exquisite evening gowns and accessories.“Get down.” He commanded“What are we doing here?” I asked still confused and looking around “What do they do in places like this?” He replied I stared at him my mouth slightly agape. “You…you are taking me s
“I’ll need your home address so I can have the car pick you up this weekend.” Alex suddenly spoke up as we got inside I hesitated for a moment, not entirely comfortable with the idea of giving him my home address because of Dawson. “Actually it would be easier for me if I just met you at the office instead. That way you don’t have to worry about coordinating the pickup.” I suggested Alex paused, his brows wrinkling as he stared at me in silence. “Very well,” he finally said. “Be here by 6 p.m. Don’t make me wait.”“Okay, I’ll be here,” I assured relieved that he didn’t insist on coming to my house. As we parted ways, Alex turned to me one more time “You can take the rest of the day off. No need to report to come today.”My eyes went wide. “Really?” I asked practically giddy. “You mean I can just…go home?”“Don’t make me change my mind, Sophie.”“Thank you, thank you!” I exclaimed dancing outWhen I got home, I met Dawson in the living room watching his favorite show and immediately
The remaining days of the week seemed to pass me by so quickly. Before I realized it, Saturday night had come, and I had to prepare for the gala. My heart was beating fast as I carefully laid out the beautiful dress Alex had gotten for me. I exhaled deeply and then gently slid the dress on, appreciating how it stretched over my body like a glove.I changed my look drastically from my usual high ponytail and sweats outfit to something more suited for the night. I touched up my makeup and styled my hair into soft waves. After that, I slip my feet into my favorite pair of black high heels that I have had for ages. They weren’t grand or glamorous, but I could manage with them because I was on a very tight budget and couldn’t afford anything flashier. The person I saw in the mirror seemed completely different as I took a final look.I grabbed my small clutch, making sure I had everything and as I was about to leave the room, I heard my mom’s voice call out from across the room “Sophie, Ar
I made my way to the office feeling, my stomach flip-flopping with nerves. When I arrived, Alex was already waiting in the lobby looking devastatingly handsome in his immaculately-tailored tuxedo. He turned as I approached and his jaw went slightly slack as he took my appearance. For a long moment, he simply stared at me. “Hi,” I said trying to break the awkward silence He snapped back to his usual serious self clearing his throat to regain composure. “You are late," he said sharply, looking at his expensive watch. "I was starting to think you wouldn't show up. This isn't some fairytale ball, you know."I'm sorry," I apologized quickly. "Traffic was worse than I expected. It won’t happen again."“Let’s get out of here. I don’t want to be late for the actual event.” He said turning on his heels We made our way to his sleek sports car in silence. I took sidelong glances at him wishing he would say something about how I looked. But he remained stoic and all business as usual.When we