04

KEIA

I was a throbbing mess of excitement and nerves when I walked through the glass office doors. I'd landed the job even though a lot of people still asked why. From the foregoing, almost everyone had a relative and friend they wanted in this position. That was why they kept whispering and glancing at me when I was walking through the hallways. I had no idea what they were saying, but I knew for a fact that rumours were already going about. Letting out a heavy sigh, I gently closed the door behind me, murmuring under my breath while clutching the bag tightly. "Here goes nothing."

I headed to my desk, and began to vet everything in order so I could start work. It all felt strange, sitting in a new environment and trying to settle in. I was prepared to take on it while hoping that this Job was going to help bring me some stability, and the revenge on Artemis after everything he had done to me. My heart twisted with a pang of hatred each time the thoughts sauntered back into my head. I settled in pretty quickly and began to work, but it was hard to ignore the judgmental stares I got from my colleagues, making it hard to really settle in.

At lunchtime, I had gathered the courage to walk into the canteen with the hope that I would blend in and maybe even make a friend or two. I mean... there was no way everyone here would be my enemy even though I'd made many of them by just getting this job. I'd just sat down with my tray to eat when two women approached.

The way they exchanged glances before looking at me with thin smiles had a ripple of fear snake up my spine. They didn't say anything for a while, and only stared. I'd wanted to keep quiet and let them stare but the silence soon began getting heavy and worrisome.

"Hey, can I help you?" I asked.

One of them scoffed, before they exchanged mocking glances. "Oh, look, are you the new secretary?"

The unwavering disgust in her tone was almost tangible. She flipped her hair over shoulder. "Aren't you lucky?"

The other woman quipped. "Yes, very lucky," she added with a laugh. "You just got here, and for some reason you're already our boss's personal secretary? Doesn't that feel a little strange to you?"

I tightened my jaw, and forced myself to stay calm. "Just here to do my job, do you have any problem with that?" I replied while taking a sip of water to avoid looking at them. Their eyes felt like laser beams.

"Oh, sure. Just here to do your job. But we can all agree your only job here is giving the boss blowjobs and getting promoted for it. What a bitch..." The first woman replied while rolling her eyes. Another cackle of laughter came through, but I focused on my food, trying to pretend their words didn't bother me. But they did, really. It hurt knowing that I was right about having maid enemies just by getting the job.

They had no idea what I'd been through, the sacrifices I'd made or the betrayal that had shattered my life. They didn't know about Artemis. A sharp pain tore across my heart at the thought again. But I would get over it, I knew. And when I did, everyone who'd wronged me better pray because I would be so determined to make sure they regretted ever knowing me.

"Anyway," my reverie was jeered off when the second woman spoke, with a shrug. "I'm sure you'll settle in just fine... and that's only if we let you."

Her eyes narrowed for a split second before she whirled around and walked off with her minion. My appetite had vanished now, and I pushed my food around on the plate. There was a lot I had to deal with. The rest of my working hours were a complete mess because my mind kept going back to the things they had said. The thoughts, together with Artemis's, wouldn't stop invading my mind no matter how hard I tried, like an old wound that wouldn't heal. The horrible scene kept replaying at home, finding him with another woman after five years of sacrifice. How could he do that to me after everything? That wasn't even the worst part. He'd threatened to send me back to prison if I so much as made a scene. A bitter laugh nearly tore out of my throat, but it only came out as a choked sob.

"Just focus, Keia." I whispered to myself while trying to shake off the bitterness. The reason I was here was for a fresh start, not to drown in old pain.

But it was very hard because every few minutes, I would drift off and start thinking again, only to snap to reality feeling really flustered when Sawyer would call my name. I was a bit relieved he didn't say anything about it, but it surprised me also. If anything, I'd expected him to be very strict with me, but it seemed he was almost... patient.

One thing that bothered me so much was his face which was very hard to read. You never knew what he was thinking, what he would do next. He only gave straightforward and short instructions, sounding so cold but he also didn't seem annoyed when I got distracted. I'd been thinking he was just trying to give me a little slack on my first day. It was a nice surprise, especially since he even took time to explain some of the work to me personally.

Nothing about him was warm or chatty, but he had helped me through the things I needed to learn without even complaining for once even when I was a bit slow at times. But as the day continued, trying to keep up left me exhausted.

But I wasn't to blame and I knew it. It was my first day of work, after five years of waking up to the same cell, inmates and building. It was surely going to take some time before adapting, but I knew I would. It would only take some time and none of it would be a problem. The whispered and the judgmental looks never stopped coming, which made it really hard to stay focused.

But I managed to make it through, feeling a bit relieved when each hour and task passed, until finally, the clock hit the end of my work day. As soon as it was closing time, I packed my bag and walked to Sawyer’s office. He was staring into his laptop when I walked in, seemingly grabbed by whatever he was looking at, or maybe he didn't just want to talk to me.

"Hey." I croaked as I stepped closer to the desk, doing my best to lighten my hard face but I doubted it worked. He glanced up from his computer and nodded without much of a reaction, as I'd expected.

"Yes, Keia?"

"Just wanted to let you know what I'm, uh, heading out for the day." I was doing all I could to keep my voice steady now but the little breaks were there, and I hoped he hadn't noticed them. I just wanted to get home and cool my head.

A lot had happened. I wasn't sure why he looked so distant all the time but it had me wondering if he was like what with everyone else or just with me.

"OK." That was all he said, nodding again before returning his focus to his computer screen. I gave him a nod before turning around to leave.

There was this strange feeling, or rather a disconcerting mix of relief and curiosity that wouldn't stop bothering me. Sawyer was an enigma... that was just the word. And not just that, there was something intense about him but he didn't give away much, and I couldn't quite figure him out.

I didn't stop until I was standing outside, waiting for a cab when a sleek, black car pulled up right in front of me. A bad feeling stabbed my insides, but I pushed it down and tried not to express any emotion. That's when the window hummed as it rolled down, and to my surprise, it was my boss.

"Huh?" The words nearly left my lips.

"Need a ride?" Came the calm voice.

A jitter of nerves exploded inside me instantly. I didn't know if I could do this, despite having said yes. My day had been hectic, quite eventful, and I didn't want to add to it. I guess I didn't have any option here.

"Oh, um...," I said, trying to hide my surprise.

I hadn't expected him to offer, not in the least, and it would be weird to turn the offer down even though I wanted to.

"Come on, hop in," he said, before the passenger side door clicked open.