The Office

Lily

"Come on, where are they?" I grumbled  in frustration.

After what felt like an hour of searching, I finally found my prize. 

"Aha, there you are!" Relief filled me as I brought out the mint gum. I tossed one into my mouth, relief filling me as the cool feeling engulfed my mouth.

Looking down, I groaned at the mess I made in my search. Everything that had been in my purse was spread out on the table.

"Of course" I muttered under my breath, swiftly gathering everything together.

The mint helped wash away the lingering taste of vomit. But I couldn't shake the almost daily bouts of nausea that had been plaguing me. 

The morning after the first instance, I had prepared myself for the illness to come, only to wake up all the same. I thought it was a fluke until the only moments after taking lunch, I threw up again.

The constant cycle had gone on for almost a week now and I did my best to hold it in 

"If this keeps up, I might have to go to a hospital," I mumbled to myself, albeit reluctantly. 

Going to the hospital was my last resort. After all, it would be career suicide to take sick leave with barely two weeks of work under my belt. So for now, it wasn't an option I was willing to take.

I pushed my chair back to reach below my desk, retrieving a large box of documents. 

As I attempted to lift it, a shaky breath escaped my lips. Carrying the box through the office corridors felt like walking through quicksand. 

A part of me wished that someone was here to help, but I still hadn't managed to make any acquaintances since. Aside from the cursory greetings I passed, I barely talked to anyone.

Not that it'll help now, considering that nobody was in sight at the moment, but it was something to imagine.

Glancing back, I realised I had barely made it halfway. The box felt a thousand times heavier, threatening to slip from my trembling fingers.

My grip on it was loosening. Just before I lost it, a voice came out of nowhere. 

"Do you need help?"

 I had to crane my neck backward to look at the stranger. His ginger hair and pale skin caught my eye, as did the concerned look he bore.

 "Yeah, that'd be great.”

 I replied immediately, my voice strained.

Before I could falter again, he moved quickly, holding the box in my stead. Relief instantly filled me as the weight in my hands and shoulders disappeared.

He gently took the box from my now trembling hands.

 "Are you okay?" he asked as I clenched my still-shaking fingers and looked up at him.

"Yeah, I'm all right, thanks to you," I said with a grateful smile.

He set the box down and dusted off his hands. 

"Don't mention it. The name's Ron by the way, Miss...?" He reached out for a handshake.

Hope filled me at finally meeting a new person. I accepted his firm handshake, passing a small but genuine smile.

 "Lilian Grace, but you can call me Lily. Nice to meet you."

His freckled face with an amused smile. U vaguely noticed his eyes were green, sparking slightly as he smiled.

 "Well  Lily, it's nice to meet you too." he said, glancing between the box and my trembling fingers.

"I've gotta ask, though. Why didn't you just use a trolley to carry these?" Ron inquired, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

My brows furrowed in confusion instantly.

 "Wait, we have trolleys?" I asked,  I looked around the corridor, searching for the elusive trolleys.

 Ron pointed toward a small closet door that blended seamlessly into the background.

 I felt the heat rush to my cheeks from the embarrassment. All this time…

‘How did I miss that?' I instantly berated myself.

A chuckle came from Ron at my expense.

"That was priceless.” he said “I'm guessing you're new, right?"

I chuckled before shrugging, a little less self-conscious. 

"You caught me. I'm still trying to figure everything out." I said

"New job jitters, huh?" Ron asked.

"Exactly," I replied with a sigh of relief. 

"I'm still adjusting to this place. I'm a bit of a scatterbrain."

Ron shook his head with a friendly smile. "Don't be too hard on yourself. We've all been there at some point."

We continued to chat as we walked together down the corridor, making small talk about the challenges of starting a new job. Ron shared a funny story about his first day at the office, and I couldn't help but laugh.

He recounted, "You won't believe it, Lily, but on my first day, I walked into the meeting room with half my clothes off. It was an honest mistake, I thought it was the changing room. The looks on their faces when I walked in – priceless!"

My laughter joined his, and I replied, "Oh, that must have been quite the entrance! Mine wasn't anywhere as bad as yours, but I still managed to get lost a couple of times." 

Ron chuckled, his warm smile easing my nerves. "Don't worry, we all have to share our first day stories at some point. It's just part of the deal."

As we approached the supply closet, Ron held the door open for me. "Here's the trolleys, Lily. Hope you won't miss them next time."

I chuckled, feeling a bit more at ease thanks to Ron's friendly demeanour. "I owe you one, Ron."

With the box now safely loaded onto the trolley, we started pushing it back to my desk. 

_

On arrival, the computer screen flickered to life, casting an eerie glow across my reading glasses. 

"Who could this be from?" I mused aloud, my fingers hovering over the keyboard. My thoughts raced, trying to guess the identity of the mysterious message sender. 

Tapping it I gasped. I blinked at the name, but that didn't make it go away.

Alexander Sterling. I swallowed thickly.

Despite being his secretary, I barely saw him over the oast few days. Even though he was present in his office—infirmation I learned via eavesdropping— he never contacted me. 

Instead of thinking about the past and his scathing words, I dedicated myself to the other duties. And pushed him away from my mind. His silence seemed to be a staple and I was sure he'd even forgotten I existed.

Until now apparently.

‘What could he want?'

Without wasting any more time, I clicked on the message and began reading its contents. A sense of trepidation washed over me as the words on the screen unfurled.

"Come to my office.”

After spending what felt like an hour reading and re-reading the message I got over my denial and headed towards his office. 

When I arrived at his door, I hesitated for a moment, my hand hovered above  the doorknob. The memory of his hands running over my body was still fresh in my mind. I could almost feel the heat of his body radiating just above my skin.

‘Stop it Lillian.' I scolded myself.

With a steadying breath, I pushed the door open and stepped into his office. Instantly, my eyes darted across the room.

His office was sleek and minimalist. Everything within it was cut clean and pristine. In spite of its appearance, there really wasn't anything of note besides a few paintings.

But that wasn't why I was here. Steeling myself, I looked forward, where he was.

Alexander Sterling sat behind his desk, engrossed in some documents spread before him.

He didn't look up. It was as though he hadn't noticed me. Yet, whether it was nerves or him, chills ran through me despite our distance.

I moved towards him only for him to raise a single hand stopping me in my tracks. My breath hitched at the single commanding gesture.

After what felt like an eternity dropped his hand.

"Miss Grace,” his deep voice composed, yet detached, sent a shiver down my spine.

Still he wasn't glancing in my direction.

I approached his desk, my fingers twitched in apprehension as I mustered the courage. This wasn't the time to be faint hearted.

"Mr. Sterling, you wanted to see me?" I asked.

Without looking up, he retrieved a document and extended it toward me. 

"Deliver this to the General Manager, Collins is his name. It requires his immediate attention."

I accepted the document, my fingers brushing against his momentarily. The touch made every hair on my body stand on end.

Out of nowhere, the unmistakable urge to vomit hit me like a train. I fought to hold back the growing bile.

‘Not here please not now!’ I shook from panic, inwardly begging my body.

"That will be all, miss Grace." he said, finally looking straight at me, his cold blue eyes piercing mine. I stiffened under his gaze.

Swallowing my bile, I nodded jerkily, standing straight.

I swore I felt his gaze penetrate the back of my head as I turned away. 

Each step I took felt like an eternity.  My body trembled as I tried to rush out of the door without acting improper. It was a thin line I walked with desperation.

I finally stepped out of his office and moved a few places away to make sure before I finally collapsed. I slumped against a random wall to rest. Slowly I felt the nausea ease with every breath.

‘That look he gave…’ I shivered at the thought. 

I could think about that later. Pushing away the thought, I looked down at the folder.

For now, I had work to do.