Chapter 2

When Arielle opened her eyes, she was standing in front of a book shop.

"Where the hell am I? How did I reach here?" She frowned at the unknown surroundings. 

"I was inside my room, I was writing the new chap and then I fell asleep." She tried to recollect, she noticed that she was still in her sweatpants and the jumper she wore last night. "Where the heck is this place? How did I even reach here?" She looked around her surroundings. 

She turned around to see a portal inside which her room was visible. 

"Wait that's my room... What the hell's going on?" Her eyes widened in shock.

"Whoa! What's that?" She heard a voice from behind, just then the portal started to close. "No, wait!" She tried to reach out but stumbled and fell. The portal disappeared right before her eyes.

"What was that?" She heard him again.

Looking up she found a guy blinking at the space. His eyes then fell on the ground finally noticing her, pair of hazel eyes locked with hers. 

She lifted her hands in anticipation that the guy would help her up but instead he turned around and went back inside the book store, shutting the door behind him.

"How rude!" She shouted as she got up. "Mannerless guy!" She shouted, as she tried to open the door but it was locked from inside.

"Forget it, Elle, calm down, take a deep breath." She took a deep breath in and exhaled out. "You need to figure out first where you are." She walked down the unfamiliar road. "Where exactly is this place? How do I reach home?" She scratched her hair. "Argh!"

She then noticed people staring at her, giving her weird looks and whispering something. She shrugged, "What's with them?" She then stood by the side of the road waiting for the traffic lights to go green. As the lights went green, people started crossing the road, a car stopped in front of her, then saw her reflection in its window. "Oh my god!" She shouted. She looked horrible, bed hair, drool at the corner of her mouth, no wonder people were staring at her. She put her hands on the pocket and found the tissue, she wiped the drool off her face and hand combed her hair into a pony making herself look a little presentable.

Luckily she had her wallet with her, she grabbed a cab and took her way home. She couldn't believe it was just by the corner. "Why are things so unfamiliar?" She thought.

She entered her house and freshened up, after a hot bath she opened her closet to find her clothes, to her surprise, there were clothes she didn't remember buying. "Wow! When did I buy these?" She stared at the pretty clothes hung on her wardrobe. 

Nevertheless, she changed into the clothes and searched for her phone but she couldn't find it. "where did it go?" After a few hours, she has turned her house into a mess but still, she couldn't find her damn phone. Her stomach growled asking for her attention, she rubbed her belly, "Ah I'm so hungry!" She made her way to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator only to find it empty.

"What the hell? Where did all the food from yesterday go?" she shouted in frustration. "Wait...That witch! She dared to touch my food!" She shouted cursing her best friend. 

She went out to a nearby convenience store to get herself some food. At the counter, her card was rejected. "You must be kidding me!" She blinked.

"I'm sorry about this, but I'm a regular customer here. You must be new here? Can you please call the owner for me? She knows me." She smiled at the girl.

"I am the one who's always here but sorry I haven't seen you before." She shook her head. 

"What?" She blinked a couple of times trying to digest what she heard, "still can you please call the owner? She lives upstairs?" 

This is a single-storied building, there's nothing upstairs." The girl replied.

"What? How's that possible?" She tried to argue but the girl seized the food and set it aside and looked past her, greeting another customer. People eyed her suspiciously, "Damn! So embarrassing!"  She hid her face as she ran out of the store.

"Seriously what's wrong with me? First I wake up outside a book store instead of my bed, next the alleys are all messed up, I don't know my neighborhood? I find clothes I've never bought! My cards don't work! The convenience store doesn't have a second floor! What the hell?!" She shouted pulling her hair. She didn't realize when she got on the main road when she became aware of her surroundings, a car screeched to halt only a centimeter away from her, her knees gave up as she fell on the ground, "What now? I'm gonna get killed?" She cried breaking down on the floor.   

"I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" A hot guy appeared out of the car. He had worn a white shirt under his black suit, his black hair combed back, his blue eyes looked at her with concern.

She stared at him in awe. 

He offered his hand, she dreamily handed hers. 

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Hmm." She nodded.

"Are you sure? You're not hurt? Should we go to the hospital for a checkup?" 

"No, no, I'm perfectly fine, I wasn't looking where I was going." She apologized coming to her senses.

"No, I wasn't looking and... I'm sorry to have you startled." He apologized. "Should I drop you somewhere?"

"No, it's alright. Nothing for you to be sorry about." She shook her head. "I'm feeling sorry for myself though." She muttered under her breath. 

"Huh?" He raised his brows. 

"I mean thanks for the concern, but I'm really fine." She smiled at him. 

"That's good to hear." He smiled back, dimples forming on his cheeks. She swooned over again. She hit her head to bring her back to her senses.

After her near-death experience, she went back home, "Okay card! You're out!" She threw her card on the floor and began to search for her piggy bank, "I need some cash!" 

Again that too was nowhere to be found, "The hell!"  

As the night fell, tired and hungry Arielle retired to bed, though she doubted her hungry stomach will let her fall asleep, she still tried. "Go to sleep, Elle, so that this nightmare ends." 

****

Next morning, she started afresh, 

She was a part-time writer and full-time regular office staff. "Now let's go to work." She smiled at her reflection in the mirror. 

As soon as she stepped outside, a warm morning greeted her. "Argh!" She frowned, "Where did all the snow go? Why is it so hot when it's supposed to be winter?" Just a day before it had been snowing, and today there wasn't a speck of snow, instead, it was like mid-summer. She went back inside and got changed into her summer outfit. 

"Now, I'm set." She put up a smile on her face and headed to her destination.

When she reached her office building, the building was there but the name was different. " RC Pvt Ltd" "Huh?" 

"Did we go bankrupt or what? Someone else bought it overnight?" She tilted her head in confusion.  

Just as she was about to enter the office, a black shiny Mercedes stopped at the gate. All the staff made a queue at the sides of the gate. The driver got out and opened the door of the back seat, a dashing guy stepped out on his black suit and entered the building. 

"Wait a minute, isn't this the accident guy?" She tilted her head. She wouldn't ever forget that perfect handsome face. 

As he entered everyone greeted him with a simple bow. "Good morning, sir." She was dazed, it was like a scene out of a movie. 

As soon as he entered the lift, everyone dispersed back to their work. 

"Damn, Did you think he noticed me?" A girl in the reception asked another at her side.

"Hmm, no." The other girl replied curtly. "He's Reece Brown, the number one business tycoon, why would he bother to even look at you?" 

"Reece Brown?" Arielle frowned, the name was very familiar and the conversation between those girls was too. 

"Wait! Reece Brown?" She ran to the reception. "You mean THE REECE BROWN?!" She screamed.

"Yes?" the girl shrugged.

"Wait! No! I mean..." She shook her head in denial. She ran outside the gate and looked at the company logo, 'RC'   "You must be kidding me!"