I stare at my phone for a moment, then a moment extra to sound of my heart beat rushing through my ears, it was Trove, the last company I applied to, although it was small compared to the other companies, it was my last hope.I squint my eyes at the text message, I didn’t want to open it and see another sorry Miss Valentina.Bella snatches the phone from my hands, ‘you know, staring at your hone screen for years won’t make the message read itself'.I held my breath as her eyes flitted over the message.‘Wow, you got it, you actually got the job'‘What!’I grab the phone from her hands and read the message out loud.‘Dear, Miss Valentina Berkeley, we are happy to inform you that you have passed the third round of application and are selected as an employee of Trove company, Congratulations' , I squealed and did a happy dance as I read the message over and over.‘Shhh, you’re going to wake Ajax' As if hearing his name Ajax's eyes blinked open 'are we home yet'.‘No sweetie, go back to
The harsh glare of the sun did nothing to perturb me as I walked to the glass door that was the entrance to Trove Company. I looked up at the imposing logo of Trove in capital letters on top of building and a tremor went through me.‘Finally, a corporate job’, I squealed a little to dissipate the nervous energy and I smoothened my curls and adjusted my bangs while checking my reflection in the door.‘Deep breaths’, I pushed open the door and walked into the building.‘Time to meet my coworkers’ I get in the elevator after asking for directions to the PR department from the front desk and pushed the button for fifth floor.‘Wait! Hold it!’ I heard a voice shout and quickly hit open on the elevator.The door slid open revealing a guy. He moved to enter then stopped dead in his tracks upon seeing me. ‘Creepy’ I thought.He kept staring while fiddling with the strap of the bag hitched on his shoulder.I gave my hair a pat down and looked myself top to bottom to make sure nothing’s wrong.
I locked eyes with Mr. Ajax Jordan, my coworker.‘What was he doing in an elevator in my apartment building’ I thought,Confusion mars his features as he looks at me, I step into the elevator with Ajax’s palm held firmly in mine.I go to press the floor of my apartment but I see it has already been pressed with the red light illuminating it.After the brief confusion that passed over his features, he went pressing his phone.I breathed easier and adjust my face mask praying for the ding of arrival so I could escape to the safety of my apartment.‘Miss Tina, is that you?’‘He recognized me’, I felt the oxygen in the elevator drop by half and I itched to rip the mask of my face just to breathe easier.I ignored him, hoping he would drop it.Wide chestnut brown eyes move closer staring into my eyes, ‘Miss Tina? Is that not you, I mean your clothes look familiar.’I take a step away from his wide curious eyes and bob my head a little in acknowledgment.‘Sorry, I got into your personal spa
‘Grnng’, the sound of my alarm clock met me with a smile on my face, even the normally annoying grating sound that signaled the start of the day was heaven to my ears. ‘I have a job, a corporate job’ The “first day jitters” were gone and all that was left was happiness.‘Stop smiling, were going to be late’ Ajax’s voice snapped me from my blissful reverie.He slammed my alarm off and I discovered that I had been staring into space for the past 5 minutes leaving my alarm ringing.‘Shite’ I jumped out of bed and ran after Ajax who was on his way to the bathroom already.I hummed happily while getting Ajax and I ready and although he kept glancing at me suspiciously I paid him no mind.My mood soured a little at the thought of Miss Debra but I buried the feeling amidst thoughts off supportive Adam.Speaking of Adam, a thought hovered at the edge of my subconscious but I was unable to recall what it was exactly.A lingering suspicion that refused to materialize into a full thought, I sh
Simon’s POV.I itched to throw the phone gripped in my hand at the wall, or hurl it at the glass window and shatter my view to the beautiful restaurant opposite the hotel I was currently lodged in.It was a beautiful Friday afternoon and I just got off the phone with my mother.‘I’ll expect you to show up in Trove Company on Monday morning bright and early’ she hung up the phone with her annoying voice resounding in my ears.I look about the hotel room, it was not expertly furnished but it was beautiful, also I was not in LA.The most beautiful thing about it was the view of the restaurant across the street, the exact reason why it was the most beautiful thing about the room was unknown to me.I look to my laptop on the oak table and go to slam it shut.‘Stupid directors, nominating me for the merger when it shouldn’t have been me, minions of my mother the whole lot of them’I had just finished the virtual meeting in which I was nominated when I called her. After letting me stew in a
Tina’s POVA buzz went through the hall at Simon’s retreating form,‘The idiot, he successfully put a bounty on my head’Hushed whispers go around and people glance at me in unbelief.They were probably wondering how insignificant me was able to grab the attention of a whole Simon Valero.I take one look at the shock on Miss Debra’s face and feel like telling her that she got it all wrong, if only to put her out of her misery. ‘He probably wants me to pack my bags and leave quietly’ I feel like yelling at them all.‘What are you waiting for Miss Tina, shouldn’t you go after him’ she recovered enough to remember she was supposed to be a manager not some hormonal teenager pining after the male species.‘Today is still a long way from ending’ I mumble under my breath but I rise from my desk and head to the door.Adam gives me a thumb up as I head out.I get to the elevator and wait for it to arrive.While waiting I think of how to act, the approach to adopt when dealing with Simon.Shou
‘The weekend’, I breathed fresh evening hair as I arrived at the playground.It was a Saturday evening and I had planned to meet Bella at the playground so Ajax and her daughter could have a fun time, while we catch up.My first weekend as a corporate worker. I enjoyed the bliss of my weekend being free whereas at the restaurant I would have had to take one shift. I was thoroughly prepared to enjoy my weekend.I take another lungful of air blissfully rid of my nose mask. In the park everyone was engrossed with their kids so nobody would pay attention to me.I run to hug Bella while Ajax rushes to the swings with Bella’s daughter.‘Careful’ we both call out to our children.‘It’s been soo long, how has work been?’ Bella embraces me again.‘Work has been fine, what of the restaurant, how was your morning shift’ I ask ‘The restaurant was busy as always, but enough of that we both know how the restaurant is, tell me about your company’‘Don’t forget to include your granite faced ex-husba
Walking in through the glassy entrance to trove drove tremors through me, there was the lingering frustration that Simon was existing in the same building as I was, which brought about the fact that I could run into his icy figure at any point in time.I scanned the lobby for his granite face, once, twice while waiting for the elevator to arrive.Ding, relief coursed through me, thank goodness executives took a different elevator or there would have been the possibility of us riding the elevator together.Just the thought of us being in the same cramped space had me balling my fists in anger. The fact that he had this much effect on me, that just the thought of him drove series of emotions through me was another annoyance.I walked into my surprisingly quiet department and went straight to my desk. I had expected it to be noisy but everyone was busy working. Even Adam greeted me with only a wave and went back to staring at his system.I guess the excitement of the merger and meeting