"Office" whispered Orlee.
She hurried to her wardrobe, took out a black-and-white vertically striped cardigan, and put it on over her white tank top. Since she was already wearing grey trousers, which she at least found appealing, she didn't mind leaving them on and didn't change them because she was in a hurry.
Overall she looked homeless.
'Just what I needed,' Orlee thought, shaking her head. She grabbed her phone from the bedside table and tiptoed from her room to the garage to get into her car. Meanwhile, she texted her dad and sister to let them know she'd be back soon.
'Don't look for me, will be out for an hour'
Both the father and daughter were exhausted and slept like logs.
After an hour of driving, Orlee reached her destination, Mercy Enterprises. When she looked up at the building, with lights turned on all the floors, she hoped that her chain would be there.
That was the only thing she had left when she fled her hometown, Aetherwind, in a desperate attempt to save herself and everyone around her.
She received this pendant from a special person she didn't have the chance to say goodbye to when fleeing Aetherwind. Their last encounter was when he gave her the pendant. She was happy to discover that it was thoughtfully chosen by him, with green jade that matched her eye color.
She was ecstatic that he had noticed her eye color, especially since he often claimed to dislike women, calling them 'the female species.'
She giggled as she remembered his encounters with women.
'It was a marvel in itself,' Orlee giggled.
She entered the building and reached the floor where she had been working for the past month, all the while searching for her pendant.
When she reached her cabin, searched under the chair, around and under the cabin table, but found nothing but dust. she looked around her office frantically and returned to her cabin to look for it again. Finding no trace of her pendant, she sat down, burying her face in her hands, her eyes almost teary.
She felt guilty and angry with herself for losing it. She looked down with a sigh of frustration; suddenly, she saw a twinkle at the corner of her eye, near one of the table's legs. When she got close to it, ducking underneath the table, she realized it was actually her pendant. She grabbed it, held it in her hands, and kissed it. Thanking God repeatedly.
When she stood up, she heard some noise coming from the hallway.
"Who's there?" said a male voice.
Orlee walked toward the sound of the footsteps and stopped when she saw two male figures in guard uniforms.
"Excuse me, miss. Who are you, and what are you doing here at this time of night?" questioned one of the guards with authority.
"Oh, I'm an employee here. I lost my chain, found it, and I'm leaving. Thank you, bye," Orlee said. She didn't exactly lie about the reason she was there, but as she spoke, she dashed for the elevator.
"Miss, wait up! Show us your ID card," said the other guard, who had been watching her with sharp eyes.
"Umm... Okay, here," Orlee replied, handing them the ID card with her fake details on it.
"Yes, sir," said the guard who had been looking at Orlee as if he held a grudge against her. He then spoke into his wired earphones.
"Miss, we would like you to cooperate with us as the boss ordered us to take you to him."
Sorry, who?
"If the boss wants to talk to me, I'm sure this isn't the right time. I can speak with him tomorrow in a more appropriate setting. As you also can see, I'm not exactly dressed professionally," Orlee said, pointing to her outfit.
"So, you do know this isn't an appropriate time to come to the office, right?" said the guard, smirking as if he had a 'gotcha' moment.
'Bloody perv. When we last checked, Mercy Enterprises was being run by an old man in his sixties, who also had a history of taking a fancy to women who could be called his daughters,' Orlee thought.
"As I already mentioned, I was here to—Excuse me? What are you doing? Let go of my hand!" Orlee was interrupted as they grabbed her and began dragging her toward the elevator.
She saw one of the guards pressing the button for the 25, the topmost floor in the building.
'How cliché.' Orlee murmered.
"What?" one of the guards who held a grudge against her asked. She shook her head, indicating that it was nothing.
When they reached the top floor and the elevator doors opened, she was enveloped in soft, familiar jazz music. The music was light and faint. Before they could lead her, she dragged them in the direction from which the music was coming.
Both guards were a bit shocked when they felt themselves being pulled by the lady, wondering who the hostage was.
Regardless, since they saw she was leading them in the right direction, they followed her.
'In the spring air, where the blossoms sway,' ~
'Two hearts collide on a gentle day.' ~
Orlee fastened her pace.
'With innocence in their eyes, they start to fight,' ~
'In the warmth of the sun, they seek the light.' ~
She felt a storm of emotions swirling in her heart.
'Struggling with words, but their hearts beat true,'~
'In the breeze of the season, love starts to bloom.'~
A whirlwind of questions swirled in her mind.
'They find peace in the chaos, a sweet serenade,'~
'In the dance of the flowers, their love is made.'~
The music stopped as she reached the door, the source of the jazz that had stirred her turmoil, and opened it.
Orlee heard a voice in the dimly lit room say, "You had that in your playlist and never bothered to share it with me?" She didn't focus on the voice, as her gaze was captured by the most stunning pair of gray eyes she had missed so much.
"Orpheus" Orlee whispered.