CHAPTER 2 Forgotten memories

"...nor...Eleanor...Miss Eleanor!!!"

I heard my name being called by someone, the voice sounding a bit distant. My ears were ringing loudly that I couldn't make out who it was. 'Who could it be?' I thought, my eyes still tightly shut.

I open my eyes and raise my head up slightly, the blinding lights in the surrounding sending flicker of pain through my eyes.

"Is it God?" I thought aloud.

"God?" The voice responded. "What do you mean, Miss Eleanor?" He continued.

Finally adjusting my eyes to the light, I was met with a desk in front of me with papers scattered on it. An office computer sitting comfortably, while humming softly, on the side was an ipad.

I was sitting behind the desk, a file glued to my face due to laying on it for long. Peeling it off my face absentmindedly, a thought crossed my mind 'Is there an office in the afterlife?'

Moving my gaze from the desk to the well dressed man in front of me, I exclaimed "Mr Charles!!!" My eyes widening in shock.

"I don't think it's appropriate to sleep while at work, Miss Eleanor" Charles said, pushing his glasses back slightly with his index finger. Blatantly ignoring my exclaim.

"Work? When did I start working in the afterlife? And why does this place look so much like the Warren's Inc?" I asked a barrage of questions, my eyes darting around in confusion.

"Wait!!" I stopped "Did you die too?" I asked, nodding my head as if understanding what was happening.

"I don't think I understand what you mean, Miss Eleanor" Charles said, his expression stoic, devoid of any emotions.

"Huh?" I asked, tilting my head to the side in confusion.

*Sigh*

He sighed, clearly tired of my never ending questions that probably didn't make any sense to him

"Mr Warren has been waiting for the documents he gave you yesterday" Charles said, his eyes roaming around my scattered desk.

"What documents?" I asked, confused.

"What do you mean Miss Eleanor? Did you loose your memory or something?!" He asked.

"What do you mean?" I was getting more confused, my brain trying to process everything. It doesn't seem like I'm in the afterlife.

"The documents with the construction of the city mall, Mr Warren gave them to you yesterday!!" Charles said, tiredness evident on his face.

Hearing that, my heart skipped a beat. "What year is it??"

Charles furrowed his brows. "What kind of question is that? It's 2025"

My breath caught in my throat. 2025? That couldn't be right. The last thing I remembered was being thrown into the well, my body weak as I lost consciousness in 2031, which was just yesterday, I think?. There's no way I'm in 2025.

My head spun as I clutched the edge of the desk. "No, no, that’s impossible..." I whispered.

Charles' tired expression turned into concern. "Are you okay? You’ve been acting weird all day." Though his face still stoic, you could feel the concern in his voice.

I swallowed hard. "Charles... What exactly did Mr. Warren say when he gave me those documents?"

Charles sighed, rubbing his temples. "He just said, 'Make sure these stay safe. You know what happened last time.'" He shot me a wary glance. "And honestly? I have no idea what he meant."

Neither did I. But I knew one thing for sure....something was very, very wrong.

Wait!!

I think I remember now. The documents was stolen by someone, from what I could remember, but the person was never caught.

That document was very important to the company cause it didn't only hold the file for the city mall, but also hidden secrets about the company.

I found out later that Mr Warren gave me that document without telling me about the extra files in it, only warning me about not opening it.

He handed it to me with the thought that no one would suspect anything. He was so cold to me then, I couldn't believe we got married later on.

'Wait, that's not what's important right now' I thought, bringing myself back to reality.

Shuffling around my desk, I couldn't find the documents. My heart raced as I searched around, only to find it between other files.

"I can't believe I kept it carelessly" I mumbled to myself, sighing in relief.

"Here's the document" I said, stretching it forward towards Charles, smiling slightly.

"You were asked to hand it over yourself" Charles said, ignoring my outstretched hand. Pushing his glasses back with his index finger, AGAIN.

'I wonder what it is with people who wears glasses and pushing it back' I humphed.

Charles gave me a pointed look. "Don’t tell me you forgot about that too?"

I let out a nervous chuckle, scratching the back of my head. "Uh… maybe?"

He sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You’re impossible."

I watched as he adjusted his glasses again, and I couldn't help but smirk. "You know, for someone who acts all serious, you sure do that dramatic glasses thing a lot."

Charles frowned. "What dramatic glasses thing?"

I mimicked his motion, pushing an imaginary pair of glasses up my nose. "'Oh, I’m Charles, and I can’t go five minutes without doing this...."

He swatted my hand away, looking unamused. "Focus."

"Okay okay. I'll get going now" I chuckled, amused by his annoyance.

The Charles from my memory was always so expressionless, he was the perfect secretary and personal assistant for Mark. It's nice to see him with an emotion on his face, even though it was just for a moment.

Standing in front of Mark's office, I knocked twice before hearing his cold voice from inside, beckoning me to go in.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Mark sat behind his massive oak desk, his piercing gaze already fixed on me. His office was as intimidating as ever....minimalistic, pristine, and eerily quiet, save for the soft hum of the air conditioner.

He leaned back in his chair, lacing his fingers together. "You took your time," he said, his voice devoid of warmth.

I swallowed, stepping forward. "I had to make sure everything was in order."

His eyes flicked to the documents in my hand. "The document?"

I hesitated, my grip tightening around the handle. "Yes….but"

"Give it to me." His voice was sharp, cutting through my sentence like a blade.

I couldn't believe I was just about to tell him to keep it carefully. What if he suspects me, I didn't even open it but I know the file in there could destroy this company.

"You may go" he waved his hand, his eyes glued to the files.

Unable to move, I stared at him, pictures of that night playing in my head, but I couldn't make out some things, some faces. It feels like there was something or someone blurring out the faces.

"Do you need me to open the door for you?" He asked, moving his gaze from the files to my face, his green blue eyes sending shivers down my spine as I felt a thud in my chest.

My heart was beating faster than ever, I could feel myself breaking out in cold sweats and my fingers tremble in fear....my feet stuck in place.

My head becoming a jumble mess as I tried to piece my memories together. 'it felt like it was just yesterday everything happened, but why can't I remember' I thought, my mind in a torrent mess.

I could already feel myself loosing consciousness, but before I could pass out, I felt a strong arm grab my waist...holding me in place.

Then I passed out

Darkness swallowed me whole.

For a moment, maybe minutes, maybe hours....I drifted in nothingness. Fragments of memories flickered in and out, like an old film reel struggling to play.

Then.....light. A dull, warm glow behind my eyelids. Voices. Muffled at first, then clearer.

"Hey… wake up."

A familiar voice. Firm, but laced with concern.

My eyelids felt heavy, but I forced them open. The first thing I saw was a pair of glasses reflecting the dim light.

"Charles…?" My voice was hoarse.

He sighed, sitting beside me. "Yeah."

I blinked, trying to process everything. My head ached, but one thought pushed through the haze.

"Where's Mr Warren?!" I shot up fast, dizziness slamming into me. Charles held my shoulders, keeping me steady.

"Do you plan on falling unconscious again?!" He asked, clearly angry by the way I stood up.

"Sorry" I mumbled.

"Mnn. Mr Warren is at the company, you suddenly fainted in his office" he said.

"Okay" I sighed, relaxing my body as I dig into my memories, it would do me more harm if I were to see him right now. I don't think I could handle it.

I can't believe he killed me and threw me into a well. I was his wife....why would he do something like that.

Wait, something don't seem right. It feels like someone messed with my memories. I can't think of any reason why Mark would want to kill me....his wife.

And what was Liam doing there? I remember seeing his face in my memory. Was he also kidnapped by Mark? No, that can't be the case.

"You seem to be in deep thought" a cold voice brought me back from my jumbled thoughts.

"Huh" I raised my head, my dark brown eyes coming in contact with green blue ones.