* * *When the elevator reaches the third floor of the building, everyone else exits except Alice. The door begins to close slowly when she hears an assertive female voice yell, "Hold the door, please!"She quickly holds the door. Then a slightly tall well-dressed young lady walks in. She is putting on a knee-length off-shoulder wine dress that perfectly complements her caramel skin. Its smooth crêpe-like fabric is cleaving to her curves in such a flattering way that even Alice can't help but turn her head. Never has she seen anyone look this chic in a corporate dress. While this lady walks in, the scent of her deadly-harsh yet sweet perfume slaps Alice in the nostrils, although she tries not to wince. She is quite good looking as well, though her lipstick seems surprisingly faint for a woman of her stature, completely shielded by a thin screen of lip gloss. 'This must be her work look.', Alice gathers. Her mascara as well is quite mild, forming a thin outline just above her lashes an
* * *As Joe moves from behind his desk toward Alice, she begins to get even more nervous. It is as though a mixture of excitement and frightening chills are running down her spine at the same time. He is brimming with so much confidence and gusto; positive gusto. He looks almost intimidating, yet at the same time, like he couldn't hurt a fly. Alice finds it attractive but frightening, in an odd but good way. And boy does he look smart! Alice has always had a thing for smart men, cunning men; although, not too cunning.His build also is magnificent, and the way he walks so charismatic. He is
* * *One, two, three, four, five!The elevator stops on the fifth floor and its doors begin to open in slow motion, as though doing so intentionally, to give Joe a perfectly grand entrance. His dark-brown glossy shoes peep out first and then the slim fitting trousers of his navy-blue suit follow. As he walks down, the dim lighting inside the hallway gives a slight lustre to the royal-blue solid necktie pinned to his pristine white shirt by a silver tie clip. An
* * *The lighting is quite dim at El Calor Caliente, a bar somewhere in Brooklyn.The night is still young and many customers have not arrived yet, but the piano is playing in the background while a beautiful lady sings on stage. Her entire body is being bathed by the beaming spotlight while she sings,
* * *Back stage, inside a small dressing room, Alice starts to bite her fingers in front of the dressing mirror, because she thinks she recognized Joe in the audience. 'What the hell!!!.. Joe?? Here???.. My goodness! Did he watch my entire performance? Did he come in half-way? Shit!'She is so nervous right now, but at the same time excited. She wonders what Joe would think of her now. She believes that he has only ever seen her as an employee, not as an equal. And she wanted the first time Joe saw her outside work as
* * *Alice's blue sweatpants are visibly soggy as she runs up the stairs of her apartment building. It is Sunday. She just returned from her afternoon jog around the park. The truth is, she really needed to clear her head after last night's episode. Goodness! How on earth will she face Joe at work tomorrow? When she reaches the door to her apartment, she adjusts the almost falling arm of her blue sweat jacket. It is half unzipped and is exposing a black inner crop top. Her hair right now looks like an utter mess, but she doesn't care. She just places her hand on the door knob and sniffs in hard before opening it. She seems to have been weeping for quite a while. She hasn't exactly ascertained the full extent of the complicated set of emotions she is feeling right now. But she is certain that she does not want Miguel to see her with 'something in her eye'. He has had a lot to deal with personally due to their dad's shitty behaviour and the disdainful way he treats him. Miguel seeing A
* * * "Happy Birthday to you!!! Happy Birthday to you!!!..."Songs fill the air on the third floor long before work hours begin, as Porsha's colleagues sing her a surprise birthday song. She does not usually publicize her birthday and she isn't a fan of unexpected stunts like this. She prefers a more intimate celebration with those who are close to her or at least people of her choosing. 'Damn it!', she exclaims within. This reeks of Park, who right now is sta
* * *#SPRAY! #SPRAY! #SPRAY! With a few blasts of insecticide, Alice lays siege to the home of a tiny yet intrepid cockroach inside Joe's office. It ran in from her office and took refuge in a crevice at the bottom of the wall, toward the far end of the office. So she chased after it and has been trying to murder it ever since.
* * *It is roughly two days to Liz Wrestler’s funeral. The mood across the vintage upstate mansion and its now frosty surrounding vineyard is pervasively somber. Ronald has been discharged home and a number of people thus far have come to share their condolences and support ahead of the wake. Most of the visitors have been either from the firm, from some legal or government organization or some other business associates.Joe who is carrying along with him a bag of custom made greeting cards in one hand and a small box of wine in the other, walks into the house and meets Alice interacting with a few members of the house staff. One of them is trying to fix a wreath onto the threshold of the grand staircase. A lot of flowers and wreaths are currently hanging around the house at certain locations, with widespread decorations reflecting a period of mourning yet also a keen ambience of warm appeal that engenders hope.“Wow. You've really outdone yourself, Alice. This is an amazing job. The
* * *Two days have passed and Ronald now seems to be recovering from surgery, although very slowly. His bedside cabinet is filled with a number of flowers, sentimental and professional greeting cards, a couple of balloons and some colourful gift items. While the ward nurse brings in another pot of flowers to place just a few metres away from his bedside, Alejandro walks in. He first knocks at the door frame ceremonially and says upon noticing the item fanfare “And here I was, about to bring you flowers.” “Huh..” Ronald scoffs with a smile, “.. I would have been more than offended if you did.” The nurse leaves.Ronald eyes meet the door as he adds, “One would think that she gotten the signal by now and would stop bringing them all in.” Alejandro smiles, “She knows you need all the love you can get. Especially right now.” Ronald lets out a heavy breath.“I can tell her to stop, if you want.” Alejandro offers, noticing his pain.“No, it's fine. I just..” he takes a tearful breath, “
* * * About a few minutes to mid-day, Alejandro walks into the waiting room of the hospital emergency ward. He finds Martha and Joe, along with some other staff of the law firm by the seats close to the counter. "The surgery is over." he proclaims. "That's Alice's father." Martha quickly whispers to Joe, as they all look up in anticipation. "The doctors will be here shortly." he adds. And then looking at Joe, he continues, "You must be Joseph King.. the newest partner at the firm." 'How is this even possible?' Joe wonders, becoming shocked that Alejandro actually knows who he is. To be honest, he is a bit afraid, especially after what transpired between Alice and him last night. Nevertheless, he concludes that there is no way Alejandro would be aware of it, at least for now. So he plays it cool. "Yes sir. I am." he replies, extending a hand. Alejandro shakes him, "Wrestler wants to know if the other members of the board have been notified of the current situation." "Yes, they ha
* * * (September 2016...) As the orange sunset spreads across the chalky sky, Elizabeth Wrestler takes a seat on the bench beside one of the trees at the Wrestler residence. Alice has been sitting here for quite a while brooding about the fact that her father forbade her from choosing a college major in Music and instead wants her to study Public Administration. The sun's rays are peeping through the sparse array of leaves rustling in the wind. After sitting, Liz smiles faintly and says while staring deep into space, "Remember our first trip to Europe.. when we met the Duchess of Aisland?" "Yeah.." Alice responds weakly while sniffing in sorrow. She looks up at the sky with watery eyes and then stares back down again, trying to dissipate her tears. Afterwards, Liz turns to look at her and continues with a nostalgic smile, ".. You were about fourteen years old and as vibrant as ever. Miguel was five." At these words, Alice's thoughts suddenly drift back down memory lane to her young
* * *After Bale leaves, Joe quickly heads toward the outer door of the office to lock it. Then he comes back into the main office and clicks it shut as well. He sights Alice coming out of the bathroom almost fully dressed, with her shoes on and her hands straightening out her hair. Joe takes in a breath and then says with a smile, "Well.. It seems the worst is over."
* * *"Holy shit!", Alice exclaims with a frightening gasp, as she begins to wonder how on earth she and Joe will get out of this."Calm down.. It's a Saturday morning. No one is supposed to be here." Joe replies, taking in a deep but controlled breath. He continues while staring coldly at the door and clenching his jaw, "
* * *The curtains are wide open and the mild rays of the morning sun start to seep into the office. It is Saturday already. And it is almost as though the place is wearing a new look. The silvery drapes are perfectly complementing the plain white walls as well as the dark grey floor. And the green aesthetic palm leaves in the large brown vase are looking especially beautiful. They would have been pure perfection, were a pair of rolled up lace panties not caught up in a thicket of their stalks. The floor adjacent to them as well is visibly littered with some items of clothing
* * *It is Friday night, past closing hours. Alice is still sorting out some documents inside Joe's office. Joe walks in. He just returned from a long meeting with Wrestler and other members of the board. They had to re-evaluate the development of some cases, take stock of the year's profits and allocate funds to the planning of their grand end-of-year celebrations. The staff football game was postponed, but they still intend to host a gala two weeks from now, as well as their annual camping trip in Jan
* * *"Good morning, Grace!", Alice greets one of the cleaners as she steps out of the elevator. "Mornin Alice! How're you doing?.. Looking pretty as ever today.", Grace responds, smiling warmly at her; her mild wrinkles now showing.