by Shayne Ford
Her suggestion makes sense, although I have to walk past the conference room. Even so, with a bit of luck, I can be out of here in a couple minutes.
“Wish me luck.”
She nods before I fold my coat over my arm and walk briskly toward the exit. My breaths stop flowing for a moment as I zip past the conference room. Within seconds, I hear a door opening and clamor behind me, intermingled voices.
It’s too late to swivel my head and glance over my shoulder as I’m already slipping through the emergency exit door.
Thank God, I’m out.
I stop for a moment and let out a sigh before I put on my coat and tip my gaze down, checking the several flights of stairs I need to climb.
By the time I zap through the exit door on the ground floor, my cheeks burn, flushed with blood.
Frigid air nips at my face, a nasty wind blowing icicles at me, while cohorts of people zoom by, rushing to the nearby restaurants for lunch. I jerk my arm up, and a cab comes to a sudden stop not far from me.
I jump in.
Panting, I give the cab driver the address. He veers the car away without a word. We hit a snag in the traffic, but the road clears quickly, and we make it to the destination in less than ten minutes.
“Thank you.”
I shove cash into the man’s hand and fly out the door.
Only when my heels begin to click-clack against the sidewalk, and my heart starts skipping beats, it dawns on me that I need to slow down and take a deep breath.
A few seconds later, I come to a short stop not far from the entrance while wrestling with a nasty revelation.
I had everything planned up to this point, but now that I’m here, I have no idea what to do next. I know that I want to talk to him, and I thought that catching him in a restaurant surrounded by other people would make it easier for me to accomplish that.
He wouldn’t act impulsively and storm out as he had done it before, would he?
I hope not.
So that’s pretty much my plan, but there’s a little problem with that though. How am I going to execute my plan given the time constraints and the fact that I’m trying to connect with him under everybody’s eyes?
I need to wing it, I guess.
By the time, I start to make a beeline for the stairs, a few cars pull in, and people start climbing out.
As if I needed the aggravation, a gust of wind starts messing with my hair just about then.
I run my hand over my locks, brushing them all back before I lift my eyes and turn to stone.
A blonde woman sporting an A-line mauve coat, silk stockings, and a tailored dress cuts her way through the row of cars, smiling while gingerly holding a designer bag in her gloved hand, and strutting atop heels as high as mine.
Out of reflex, I jerk back, stepping on someone’s shoes and bumping into his chest. The man catches me in his arms, while rushed apologies are swiftly exchanged.
For fear of being recognized, I spin around like a piñata and continue apologizing, making sure that my face doesn’t enter the blonde woman’s line of sight.
The man smiles, enchanted as he locks my eyes.
I flirt with him for a few more seconds before he pulls away and walks into the hotel.
By now, the woman whom I’ve recognized must be on her way, but if she goes where I am headed, my stupid plan is useless.
Slowly, I take a few steps to the side, making sure she can’t see me in case she’s still in front of the hotel.
I spot her again.
She seems to be waiting at the base of the stairs when a tall, muscular man clad in a sharp suit walks through the revolving doors, heading her way.
Struggling with a heart that’s been furiously throwing fists at my rib cage, I take another step back and hide behind a lamppost.
No way.
Sporting a gray suit, silver dress shirt, and an emerald tie, James’ brother greets the woman with a smile.
Her face glows with a grin when they lock each other’s eyes.
I’m about to crumble.
“Andrea?”
I don’t even know if the sound of his voice made it to me.
But, I’m sure I read her name on his lips.
She offers her hand, and he squeezes it gently before he gestures to the door and invites her in.
He seems, polite, affable, friendly toward her, and worst of all, unfazed. There’s no shadow on his face, no hurt feeling, no memory of me lurking in his mind, no sadness in his eyes.
Nothing.
No trace of me in him. No part of me kept in him.
As if I’ve never been part of his life. As if we’ve never touched each other. As if I fell through his existence like a ghost or nothing, leaving his memory untouched.
I can’t believe my eyes.
I know I was in the wrong, but still, I didn’t expect this. And why is this woman here, anyway?
Why would he need her to convince his brother that he is no longer interested in me?
He is no longer ‘interested’ in me?
No, no.
He cut me out of his life completely. I bet he changed his phone number too, or maybe he got a new phone.
For sure, he doesn’t show any regret for what happened the other night.
I linger on the sidewalk, my stare blank, my heart dead, my body empty.
It’s been three days since he held me in his arms in James’ home.
I laugh quietly, saddened, washed with anger as I reflect over those moments when I truly felt that we shared something special. That nothing could break us apart. That a strong bond was tying us together.
How can I be such a stupid fool?
Washed with disbelief, I slowly shake my head.
Everything was smoke and mirrors. A trickery of sorts. What a joke.
My phone vibrates in my hand.
As I jolt back to reality, I realize that it’s been vibrating for a while.
I notice the time on the screen.
“Damnit.”
It’s already one o'clock.
I take the call as I spin around and flick my hand up to stop a cab.
“I’m coming,” I say before Lilian has the chance to say a word.
“Marina Lore is in your office,” she says in a hushed voice.
“Where are you?” I ask, sliding into the back seat.
“Wait.”
I tell the driver where we’re headed before I shift my focus back to her.
“At my desk.”
“What does she want?”
“Something in regards to your self-evaluation.”
My teeth grit.
“Your job performance evaluation.”
“Yeah, yeah... I know. What did you tell her?”
“That you went on your lunch break late and you should be in at any moment. Are you coming?”
“I’m on my way. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
She sighs.
“Don’t worry about me, Lilian. Avoid Marina if you can until I get there. If she asks you about me tell her that you have no idea where I am. All right?”
“Yes,” she says softly before she hangs up.
I slip my phone into my pocket minutes before the building where I work looms in the distance.
Come to think of it, the only reason I go back to the office, and generally speaking, I’ve shown up for work today, was Tiago, but now, that it finally dawns on me that I’m fooling myself, I see no point in doing this.
This is not going to work, and I better admit it to myself than prolonging my misery.
EVE
“The food was excellent, and overall, the day was great. I wish we could’ve stayed a little longer and spent more time with you,” Rain says.
“We’ll do it,” I say, smiling. “Soon,” I add curtly, my eyes whipping from my phone to my laptop and the corridor.
“What are you doing?” she asks.
I tip my gaze down and look at her on my phone screen.
“Typing my
self-assessment while surveilling the corridor.”
“Oh... I forgot. You’re not allowed to make personal calls.”
She brings her hand to her mouth in a soft gesture of mockery, making me laugh. I wipe my grin from my face immediately as I notice movement in the hallway.
“Yeah. Something like that,” I say.
“Why do you care, anyway?”
“I feel bad for the people who work in this company. They’re good employees.”
“I hear you.”
She goes quiet for a moment.
“So are you coming tonight?”
“Mmm-hmm.”
My answer shoots fast from my lips.
She notices too.
“You seem determined this time. What made you change your mind?”
I stop typing.
“I can’t fight my fate,” I say, grinning.
Her soft giggling echoes in my office.
“I like your newfound wisdom.”
“It’s true. As soon as I’m done here, I’ll take a cab and come to the restaurant.”
“I see you’re dressed for the occasion.”
“I wanted something different.”
“Good for you.”
“Where’s everybody else?”
“James, Lex and Tiago are in the other room.”
“Are you alone?”
My gaze stays on the screen as I watch her eyes widening, and her eyebrows arching.
“Who else would I be with?”
I shrug, moving my eyes back to my computer.
“Dahlia, and Tiago’s girlfriend,” I say as I start typing, hoping that she didn’t catch the break in my voice when I uttered Tiago’s name.
She doesn’t answer, forcing me to pause again and flip my eyes to her.
She seems distracted, listening to something.
“Rain?”
“Huh? Yeah... Sorry. I thought I heard someone calling my name.”
She moves her focus to me.
“Dahlia is at MoMA. Tiago’s friend? I have no idea.”
I freeze, my eyes stamped on her face, refusing to move away. I’m hoping to hear more from her. No such luck.
“Have you seen her today?”
Something catches her attention.
“Why are you asking me about her?”
“No particular reason. I thought she joined you today.”
Something else summons her attention, making her shift her focus away from me.
“Give me a second.”
She pushes to her feet and walks away, the view of her room flashing on my phone screen.
I completely forget about my work when I hear the sound of dialogue in the background. A door closes and opens, yet I can’t figure out if she left or just came back.
My pulse races when I hear her footsteps drawing closer.
She slumps back into her chair.
“It was Tiago,” she says casually, the very sound of his name on her lips making my pulse surge.
My blood starts drumming in my wrists.
“Where were we?” she asks.
“Andrea...”
I go for casual, throwing her name as if it’s nothing but gossip. Unfortunately, my voice sounds strained. She doesn’t seem to notice, or if she does, she chooses not to call me out on it.
“She had lunch with us,” she throws at me leisurely, her eyes slanted down as if she checks her nails.
It’s hardly news to me, but reading in her voice that this thing between Tiago and Andrea has the feel of normalcy for her, puts a hole in my stomach.
“Oh. I see.”
The effort I make to unclench my teeth and speak almost dislocates my jaw.
The door behind her opens again when the distinct timbre of Tiago’s voice travels to me.
Panic floods my blood as my fingers spring to action.
Frantically, I tap the screen several times to end the video call before he has the chance to get a glimpse of me, my phone seemingly taking forever to cut off the connection and darken the screen in front of me.
“Thank God,” I gasp, my heart beating fast, a sharp pain rattling my chest.
With trembling fingers, I power off my phone.
“Are you done?”
Marina Lore’s voice shoots like a poisoned arrow from the entryway, her eyes scanning my face like an x-ray machine.
“I need a few more minutes,” I say, irked.
I’m sure she didn’t miss the trickle of irritation in my voice.
She takes a few steps in, her gaze sweeping my desk and my laptop.
My phone.
Her eyes stall on my screen.
I turn my laptop to her to show her what I was working on.
She finishes her inspection while I’m already working on my resignation letter in my head.
Her eyebrows wiggle. I start a new paragraph.
I’m not going to last till Friday, and why would I, really?
Suddenly, the woman pulls away from me, but not before she throws a few more words over her shoulder.
“I need you in my office. We have to start working on some of your accounts.”
I stay mum.
She doesn’t wait for my answer, anyway.
By now, she probably knows there’s bad blood between us. She must’ve anticipated it. I think this was her plan all along.
To her, this is nothing but mission accomplished.
She wanted to push me out, to make me leave this firm, and it all started last week, the very first day when I showed up at work late.
Freshly fucked.
I have no idea if that little detail tipped the scale in any way, but it sure sidled up to her brain, even if at a subconscious level.
Frankly, I guess the thought took shape in her brain the very moment when she dragged her eyes across a list of names she picked up from the Human Resources.
She knew half of the names on the list needed to go. She knew it was going to be a purge. It didn’t matter how good we were or how productive.
This is a game of power, after all.
A game in which she is a player with significantly more power than everybody else.
And here we go.
Calmly, I create a new document on my computer, and without the slightest hesitation, I start typing my resignation letter.
For real.
4
EVE
My heels hit the pavement, click-clacking with ostentation.
“Have a good evening, Miss Malone.”
I twirl and wave at the security guard, gracing him with a smile as well.
“You too, Rudy. Take care.”
I’m going to miss him as much as I’ll miss Lilian.
I take a deep breath, walk out, and look up.
Butterflies of snow swirl in the air, dancing in the light and glowing against the windows, drawing pirouettes while gliding down.
With half-lowered eyelids, I watch them, feeling them brushing my cheeks and melting on my lips before reaching the ground.
Time has decompressed, and with it, I’ve relaxed as well.
I’ve been on a crazy ride these past few months, and it all started with the serendipitous encounter with the man who’d give me a story of love, but also heartbreak.
It was fate.
Too bad, we weren’t meant to last for long.
“Would you like a cab, Miss?”
My eyes snap open as I flick my head to the side.
“Yes. Thank you,” I say to the taxi driver.
Getting a cab so effortlessly is a stroke of luck.
When was the last time when a driver offered me his service. Usually, I have to chase them down.
I text Rain as soon as I climb in.
Me: I’m on my way.
Her replies flashes across the screen within seconds–– a string of emoticons blasting out her excitement.
Rain: Let me know when you get here.
Me: Don’t worry. I’ll find my way.
I set my phone down.<
br />
Half an hour later, the cab drops me in front of the restaurant.
“Thank you,” I say, once my heels connect with the concrete, and I push to my feet.
I slam the door shut and walk to the entrance.
It takes me a few good minutes to take off my coat, leave it with the coat girl, and make a trip to the restroom, where I brush my hair.
I work a few buttons of my jacket open, deepening my cleavage. Cheap tricks, guaranteed impact.
A few moments later, I waltz through the main room, following a petite hostess with a cascade of curly hair.
Smiling, the woman gestures to a large round table draped with perfectly pressed linens and graced with several floral arrangements.
At a glance, I count five people occupying seats around the table and two empty chairs.
On my right, James and Rain. On my left, Lex and Dahlia.
Tiago’s back is turned to me.
He fashions a dark suit, his sparkling white sleeve cuffs and bejeweled cufflinks snagging my gaze for a second.
Rain spots me first. And then, James.
She waves at me. He smiles, his eyes flying from me to his brother. My blood freezes for a moment. Something buried in the depth of his eyes makes me wonder, yet again.
Does he suspect anything? About Tiago and me?
How hard would it be after all to task his private investigator to keep an eye on his brother? To learn more about his dealings, and pry a little into his life.
How hard would it be for that PI to discover the connection between us? Between Tiago and me?
I push my ramblings to the side and put a smile on my face.
Had he done it, I’m sure we would’ve known.
“Hi,” I say in a clipped voice, raising my hand and waving at everybody around the table.
Tiago flicks his head up.
I feel the heat of his stare and the edge of his surprise. I even get a blurry composite of his face out of the corner of my eye as he roots his gaze to me.
James rises to his feet and gives me a short hug.
“I’m glad you made it,” he says while Rain’s eyes dance with a smile.
He gestures to one of the two empty seats next to Tiago.
I pick the farthest from him, opting to sit next to Dahlia.
She greets me as well while Lex flashes a smile in my direction. James slips back into his seat and signals to the waitress who promptly nears our table.
