Chapter 1

Charlotte drove into the parking garage of her office building with a smile on her face. 

It had not been officially announced yet, but she had a hunch that today she was going to get the promotion she had always dreamed of - being Editor-In-Chief at Kerrington Publishers. 

The beat-up Toyota Camry she had inherited from her mother spurt out exhaustion fumes as she came to a stop, but this time, unlike all the other times it had done this, she did not grind her teeth in frustration. Nothing was going to get her moods down today. If all went as well as she had imagined, she was going to have a more prestigious job, with a hell lot more money. God knows she had worked hard enough to deserve a better lifestyle.

She stepped out of the car, her black sandal heels hitting the ground first, and then her hour-glass figure which fit perfectly in the red pencil dress that she bought specifically for this occasion, emerged. Charlotte knew she looked stunning enough to turn a few heads, and her confidence was evident in the way she strutted up the alley to the elevator. Her long black flowing hair had always been her favorite feature, and the bouncy waves it made off her back were happier today than ever before. Her black purse stayed put on her left arm, and as she smiled to her colleague in the elevator, she pressed the button to the fourth floor and watched the doors close smoothly, ready to take on the day.

That’s when the phone rang!

***

Finally, the moment I had been waiting for in my years of working at Kerrington had come.

Mr. Kerrington had promised to make the official promotion announcement today, which meant that finally, I would be done doing the heavy-lifting in the editing department. As I fixed up my minimal make-up look in the car with the help of the dusty rearview mirror, I practiced the speech I would make to my fellow colleagues and feeling confident in my ‘few remarks’, I took my purse and headed to the office elevator. It was going to be a good day for me. Even the weather agreed.

I could not control the giddy feeling in my stomach at the thought of having a nameplate with my name on a door. “Charlotte Williams, Editor-In-Chief”.

Charlotte Williams. Soon to be Charlotte Clinton. Will they have to change my name on the plaque after the wedding?

Ring!

“Hey my love, did I forget something? “

“Yes, you forgot just how much I love you.”

Terrence always had a way of making me blush like a foolish fifteen-year-old. How he managed to make me happier every time was the reason I was ready to say I do every time too.

“Are you still looking as sexy as you did when you left this morning?” His voice came out rough and sexy like he was still in bed. 

“Yep,” I answered in my sultry voice, knowing what that was capable of doing to him.

“God, you are killing me,” I heard him groan.

“That is the intention love.”

“I know you are smiling that cunning smile of yours.”

“Ah, I know you like it.”

“I like all of you. You are my fiancé, and aren’t I lucky you said yes. Honestly, I cannot imagine marrying anyone else. I would have probably died a lonely bachelor had you said no.”

“Well, aren’t I glad to have prevented one sad death?” I laughed.

“I love you, Charlotte.” He reminded me for the third time this morning. Staring at my diamond ring which shone brightly as always on my left hand, I was as sure as death that I had made the perfect choice. Terrence was the man of my dreams, and our two years together proved to me that he was the love of my life.

The love of my life after him.

“And I love you too Terrence. Always.” I let the last word linger in the air longer as an assurance that this bond was for always. I never let him forget that.

“Okay, go knock them out today. I wish you all the best of luck. You deserve this babe.”

“Thank you, honey. I have to go now. I don’t want them to cite my tardiness as the reason why I cannot get the promotion.”

“They’d never! Bye babe. We’ll talk later.”

Eons back, before I met Terrence, I told myself that I was in love with my best friend, Lucas.

Lucas Benjamin.

We had grown in the same neighbourhood, went to the same schools, and played together until high school when he became part of the “cool kids” which made him unattainable even to me. Mostly to me.

After high school, he left the city and our friendship gradually drifted apart.  The only communication I ever got from him was through media anchors and writers who took every chance they could to report on “Lucas Benjamin: One of the Youngest Billionaires in the USA.” Every time I saw his name on the news or in magazines, my stomach could not help but do a few small somersaults. Just like it was doing now as I thought of him. I missed him.

But I loved Terrence, and shaking the thoughts of Lucas away, I glanced at my ring again and switched my thoughts to my life with Terrence. My husband-to-be. That thought brought back my smile which was my favorite complement to my glamorous outfit of the day.  

Sigh!

This was not the time to be thinking about boys: the ones who got away or the ones I was about to spend forever with. This was my moment. That moment I had been praying for… hoping for…looking forward to. It was here! I had to soak it in.

A new promotion would enable me to save more money to get a new car, a posh red Audi, and do some house renovations – God knows Terrence’s house needs a new face. Oh! And the vacations... Bali, Egypt, Zanzibar, Mauritius… yes! This was it.

Ding!

As the elevator doors slid open, I fixed my dress that required no fixing whatsoever, and with a pat on my right thigh, I held my head high and strutted out onto the office aisle. I exchanged pleasantries with all my colleagues who could not hide their stares at me. As much as I enjoyed this glorious moment, I was not an attention-lover, but I still managed to preserve my confident smile and maintain the air of self-credence that followed me.

Before settling at my desk, I sneaked a peek into the conference room hoping to get an approving smile from Mr. Kerrington who was currently having a meeting with his business partner and the board of directors. He took a quick glance at me and forced a smile on his wrinkly face that lasted a nanosecond before he looked away.

Remembering how excited he was the day before; I could not match his current mood to that same level of happiness. I looked back and that is when it hit me that the mood in the office was not as my eyes had relayed to me while walking in. The whole office was in chaos. Most of my colleagues were all over the place, scurrying from desk to desk in low hushed tones with worried looks on their faces. 

The air was filled with frustrating tones of the office phones which rang incessantly, begging for anyone to answer them. I looked back again at Kerrington, then quickly scanned the faces of the directors whose faces I could see. My stomach dropped!

Something was not okay.

I quietly set my bag down on my desk, and turned back again to take in all the mayhem happening before me. It took me by surprise how carefully I had been wrapped in my own fairytale world to notice the somber mood that had overtaken the entire fourth floor.

Rita! I need to find Rita.

I thought to myself in a haze to make sense of what was happening. Rita had been my close friend at work ever since the first day we met. It was my first day at Kerrington Publishers Company, and she was kind enough to give me a tour of the open-layered office which required no tour at all. Days later, we laughed about that, and became best friends at work ever since.

My eyes found her huddled in a group of other colleagues, whispering things that seemed like top secret. I was sure she had not even noticed me walk in, thanks to the pile of worried bodies that covered her like she was under witness protection.  

“Hey. What in sanity’s name is going on?” I asked, pushing myself into the small crowd.

“Haven’t you heard? We are being shut down,” Rita explained the reason for the chaos in a worried hushed voice. 

“What? What do you mean we are being shut down?”

“Well, we are not technically being shut down. We have been given an ultimatum. Either we shut down or join in on this big publishing conglomerate. Kerrington has not yet made an official communication, but Martha was serving them tea some minutes ago, and she said she heard Kerrington say he prefers withdrawing.”

“But… what about my promotion?” Those words helplessly came out of my mouth and I regretted it almost immediately. I was in utter shock about this news as I could not understand where all this came from.

“Oh, honey. I am sorry, but I just don’t see that happening now. I know you worked hard for it, but you know how unfair life can be sometimes,” Rita attempted to comfort me. I smiled at her weakly, but my eyes quickly moved back to the conference room. The translucent glass wall made attempts to sketch out Kerrington’s facial expressions, but today I wished it allowed me to read his mind too.

“Oh, and hey! You look stunning though. This dress fits you like a glove! Oh – “she gasped. “You had worn this for the…”

“Yeah, which is not happening anymore.” I pouted, turning to look at her with balancing tears.

“Oh, come here. Everything will be alright.”