After finishing one of the many tasks assigned to me, I decided to sneak out and head towards the rooftop for some air. I have been working in front of my computer for hours now, and I think that if I don't stop and take a short break, I would probably be screaming in frustration sooner or later.
It's already four in the afternoon, and I still have mountains of work to finish.
'I might have another overtime today.'
Once I arrived on the rooftop, I was surprised by the sudden gust of wind. Since we are in the middle of the city, I might have just been swamped by polluted air, nonetheless, this is way better than staying inside the stuffy cubicle, working for those superiors who are perhaps preparing to go home right now.
"Hey!" A clear voice shouted, making me turn towards the direction of the sound.
Irma, a co-worker from the same department, is waving rather enthusiastically at me. She is a senior of one year and is one of the few persons who talk to me, aside from those other seniors who are merely pushing their work to me.
"Hi," I greeted back once I arrived beside her.
"You smoke?" Irma asked, offering a pack of cigarettes towards me.
"No," I replied. "Just went to get some fresh air."
"I don't think you'd get fresh air in here," Irma said, gesturing at the other employees who are taking a smoke break.
"Well, this is better than staying inside the office for one more minute," I replied sheepishly.
Irma sighed exasperatedly and spoke, "I get that! You're a newcomer so you must have it rough."
I nodded in reply, unsure of what to say next. I am still navigating through the corporate world, and I don't think it is right to treat work as an extension of college, hence, I don't know if it is right to vent my frustrations to a senior even if she is only ahead of me by one year.
"I was in your place just last year," Irma started, her smile warm and friendly. "Although I'm not really in a better place right now, I know how they treat the newbies."
I nodded wordlessly at what she said. Her words seemed like she was telling me, 'you don't have to say anything, I know what you're going through,' and it felt pleasant how there is someone whom I can talk to in this place.
Irma seems like the friend you had in college whom you can say all your worries to. Her dark brown hair is always pulled in a clean bun, and her dark eyes, whenever I saw her, would always have a gentle glint on it. Though we don't communicate that much, she would always greet me whenever I see her.
Irma stubbed the cigarette on the ashtray beside her and took another stick from her pack. She shifted her gaze towards me and smiled sheepishly. "It's been a stressful day."
Once she lit the new stick, I asked her, "Why do people smoke?" and when I realized how thoughtless my words may have been, I stammered out, "I-I mean, I don't judge people who smoke, but I'm just genuinely curious."
Irma laughed briefly at my reaction and spoke, "I guess, for me, I smoke whenever I'm stressed."
I nodded at her response and she continued, "And right now, those bastards downstairs are making me super stressed."
After those words left her mouth, we both laughed out loud, and in between my laughter, I said, "Same here!"
Both of us continued chatting, Irma's friendly and outgoing nature made me feel relaxed around her, and I thought, for the first time since I started working here, that I might have gained a friend.
***
The week flew by without any incident, and before I knew it, it's already Friday.
The people from the project team surprisingly included me in their group chat, which is very forthcoming of them. Moreover, it is not made for work, rather, it is a group chat made for the members to be able to talk freely without too many constraints.
Perhaps, since I'm the only supplier who's around their age, they are friendlier towards me, and I don't really have any complaints since the members are hilarious, and their environment is quite refreshing.
I found myself constantly faced with memes and funny pictures since the members kept sending them to the group chat, and before I knew it, their friendliness has already rubbed off on me, and I am now also casually chatting with them.
If I worked here instead of the first company I worked for, I might have fonder memories of the corporate world rather than painful ones. I might have gained more friends, and I might have lasted longer than a few months.
Yet, I'm pretty sure that that family will once again ruin our chance of having a comfortable life.
I also went to the Chadwick Group's building twice for the whole week for the continuation of our meeting. Both meetings were quite short and can be done in a whole day, nonetheless, since the whole team has been welcoming for the past few days, I honestly don't have any concern about it.
I honestly thought I would be having a hard time working on this contract since having the Chadwick Group as a client is not really simple, and also the fact that I am the ex-wife from the rumors going around the company does not make it easier.
But despite those worries, I'm actually having fun.
I felt like I gained a bunch of friends in a short period, and I almost forgot my woes concerning Ansel and Christina.
I haven't had the chance to speak with Ansel for the whole week, and it actually came as a relief for me. The only time I saw him this week was when I went to the office last Wednesday and I caught a glimpse of him before he entered the building.
And perhaps, it might have been a blessing in disguise.
As for Christina, on the other hand, I kept thinking about my meeting with her last Monday and how she promised that she will make me regret ever coming back. I'm not entirely scared of what she might do, but still, I'm not comfortable walking on eggshells knowing that she might do something that could ruin our contract with the Chadwick Group.
But for the entire week, nothing happened.
In the past, Christina was very impulsive yet predictable. I can press her buttons and foresee how she will react to my provocation. She's more like an open book, and the Christina I knew will not wait for an entire week to ruin another person's life.
Just like how she ruined mine in a matter of seconds.
Perhaps, she has finally matured after five years.
'Should I be expecting for the worst?'
I shook my head once the thought entered my mind. I should not be overthinking those kinds of things. My stay here was merely extended because of our contract with the Chadwick Group. Either way, after everything is done, I would be going back to Japan, hopefully with my mother, and I would not have to worry about these kinds of things anymore.
Once the products were delivered and installed, I can already leave the country.
I took a glance at the time on the corner of my laptop screen and saw that it is already 3:30 PM. The dinner for the celebration of finishing phase two of the project was scheduled today after office hours, and I can't exactly take a rain check since the members kept reminding me about it for the past few days.
Since I haven't had a proper sleep ever since I came back, I decided to prepare earlier than necessary. I wanted to at least look like a decent human being once I saw the members again. With around two hours to spare, I decided to hop into the shower and wash away the exhaustion from my skin.
Since the dinner is scheduled right after office hours, I decided to wear some casual yet presentable clothes. I chose a white square neck blouse, a pair of black pants, and a pair of nude strappy heels.
As I was putting on my make-up, my phone rang on top of my vanity area. Seeing Luke's name on the screen, I pressed the answer button and turned the speakerphone on.
"Hey," Luke spoke once the call went through.
"You're early today," I replied while patting a thin layer of foundation on my face.
"I'm trying to wake up earlier now." Luke chuckled from the other line. "Are you home?"
"Yup," I responded. "But I have a dinner meeting later with the project team so I'm getting ready right now."
"Our Alina is finally coming out of her shell," Luke said while pretending to sniffle. "Are there any guys I should be wary of?"
I rolled my eyes at his statement and replied, sarcasm dripping in my voice, "Yes. A bunch of guys has been falling for me every second."
"They should go through me first."
"What are you? My dad?" Luke laughed at my retort, and after a few seconds, I continued, "You should probably go to the office now. I heard that you're always late ever since I left."
Luke let out an exasperated sigh from the other line and spoke, "I told them not to tell you!"
"It's not like it's something new though," I replied, laughing. "You're almost never on time."
I can almost see Luke rolling his eyes at my statement, and without properly responding to what I said, he spoke, "Anyway, enjoy yourself tonight and don't drink too much."
"I won't drink at a company dinner," I said, yet behind those words, I knew that I will not be able to decline once a drink was offered to me.
"I know you. I'm sure you'll drink," Luke said in a matter-of-fact tone.
I laughed at his response and before I could defend myself, he continued, "Just make sure you won't be puking on another person's clothes tonight."
The image of me vomiting on Luke's clothes after a night of drinking flashed before my eyes, and I winced in shame at the sudden memory. Luke has not entirely been a good influence on me ever since I met him, and since I'm also not exactly a heavy-drinker, I frequently ended up either passed out or in an embarrassing situation.
With those in mind, I said, "Yeah, I think I'll skip on the drinks tonight."
***
It's almost 5:30 PM when I finished preparing for tonight's event.
I think I did a pretty great job for my make-up tonight. Although I merely put on light make-up, I was able to properly cover the dark bags under my eyes, and my features were skilfully accentuated without looking exaggerated.
With one last look at the mirror, I grabbed my black purse from the bed and proceeded to head downstairs.
Before I left, I sent a message to my mother since she is still at the restaurant and then booked for a taxi to the location for tonight's dinner.
I am both excited and nervous for tonight. I might be chatty through messaging apps, but I'm not exactly the same in person. I'm only hoping that I would not be out of place tonight.
Once I arrived at the restaurant, after almost an hour's drive due to the heavy traffic, I was ushered towards a private room after I told them I came for the reservation under Paul's name. The usher opened the door to the private room for me, and I was greeted by a loud and animated chatter from the inside of the room.
It was Rachel, a woman who's a little younger than me with golden locks and delicate features, who first noticed my arrival. She immediately went to my side to greet me, and afterward, she led me towards an empty seat.
"I'm so glad you came!" She squealed once we were seated.
There are around twenty people inside the private room, and they all stared at me when Paul introduced me to the other members who I haven't met yet. I felt quite self-conscious with all the eyes on me, but once Paul was done with the introduction, they went back to their chattering and a small group around me initiated a conversation with me.
"I hope you can hold your drink because we're getting wasted tonight," a petite brown haired girl spoke. "It's a much deserve celebration."
The rest of the small crowd around me laughed at the other girl's enthusiasm, but the laughter was immediately halted when someone said, "Can we really though? Isn't the CEO coming tonight?"
Once I heard those words, my eyes widened. I went here, fully confident that Ansel would not bother to attend, but now, the earlier excitement turned into turmoil as the thought of seeing Ansel suddenly created a panic in my head.
"I hope he's not a buzzkill."
"You can just get drunk on his looks."
"Don't make a move on him!"
The chatter inside the room suddenly made my head ache, and as much as I wanted to run away right now, I became a bird trapped in a cage once the door I just entered into suddenly opened, showing the usher and another person behind him.