Lucy knew she wasn't just late, she was very, very late. She was resuming at the office by past 11 AM for a meeting she was scheduled to have by 9 AM.
She could only pray that a miracle would happen and save her from this embarrassment. No one at her former office would believe it if they heard she was resuming work two hours late. She always prided herself on being at least thirty minutes early to every meeting.
She was that principled.
She had never felt more self-conscious in her life as she walked into the company building. Today, she was dressed in pristine navy blue suit pants, her hair tied neatly in a ponytail and twisted to form a bun on the center of her head, and her thick round glasses were sitting on top of her nose.
"Good morning. How may I help you?" One of the female receptionists at the front desk of the building asked with a polite smile.
"Hi! I'm Lucinda Perry. I'm supposed to be resuming at the fashion unit today. I need directions," She said with a sincere smile as she showed her identity card to the receptionist.
"Oh! I see. Please take the elevator to the third floor and then take a turn to the left wing. That's where the fashion unit is located," The receptionist said with the same sweet smile, and Lucy smiled back in gratitude before walking away.
Immediately after Lucy walked away, the receptionist dialed Harry's number, "Hello, sir! The lady you talked about, she just came in."
"Thanks," Harry said, and he hung up. It was time to see this lady that had left quite an impression on his best friend; Harry decided as he walked out of his office and headed for the third floor.
Inside the elevator, Lucy desperately prayed that she wouldn't see a letter of termination on her desk when she got to her office. She had not been able to think of anything else since she walked out of the fancy suite bedroom that morning.
How would she explain to her parents that she had a wild night out to celebrate her birthday and her promotion and had ended up getting fired because she had overslept?
Immediately after the elevator dinged and the door opened, her heart started beating super fast. She realized that she was yet to come up with any story that would at least make them pardon her. Her mind was a little jumbled as it tried to work fast toward a solution.
She stepped out of the elevator and turned left as directed by the receptionist.
"Miss Perry?" Harry called out, making every story she had just come up with fly out of her brain. As she turned to look at him, she wondered how someone knew her already.
'Oh great!'
Lucinda flashed him a polite but confused smile as she wondered who he was, "Good morning Mister...?"
"Harry Jonas."
Her eyes widened in surprise, and she raised a hand to her lips to mute the gasp that had just escaped from it, "Mr. Harry Jonas!"
Of everybody to see her right now, why did it have to be him? Everyone at her former office knew him as the boss since he was the one who always visited there for inspections.
He was known to be ruthless and mean when he wanted to be. He had a reputation for always firing at least one person whenever he visited.
Harry didn't need anyone to tell him what was going on in her head, so he flashed her a smile to calm her down, "I see you're just coming in at... What time do you have?" He asked, looking at her wristwatch.
"I'm sorry I'm late. My fiance got involved in an accident last night, and I had to be with him at the hospital all through the night while he fought for his life. I only just arrived in the city a few minutes ago. I would have called, but I didn't have the office line, and I didn't know who to call," Lucy lied, making Harry raise a brow.
"Your fiance? And you were there all through the night?" He asked, feigning concern.
"Yes. It was just so horrible. There was blood everywhere and broken bones. Lots of it," She said and broke into a false sob, raising her hand to cover her face.
Harry looked at her and decided that it was either Tom had met someone else at the club or the lady before him was a world-class liar and actress.
"Oh, dear. I'm so sorry about that. How is he doing now? Is he dead?" Harry asked, and she shook her head.
"God, no. No, he's not dead. He's just in a really bad state," Lucy said and he nodded.
"I suppose I understand. I guess I should let you return to the hospital. You should go take care of your fiancé. It's the least the company can do," he said and she shook her head immediately.
"No, not at all. He said I can come to work. His mother and sisters will be taking care of him so you don't have to worry. Thank you very much for your understanding. And once again I'm sorry I couldn't attend the meeting," Lucy apologized.
"I guess it's your lucky day. The meeting was canceled, so you don't have to worry. I'll show you to your office now and introduce you to your team. But bear in mind that we won't tolerate any form of laxity after today," Harry said as he led her towards her office.
The meeting had been canceled? Just like that? Why had she been so worried all morning over nothing? If she had known the meeting was going to be canceled, she probably wouldn't have been in such a hurry. Lucy thought and sighed when she remembered she had left her thong behind at Tom's place in her haste to get to the office.
Enough about last night! It was time to forget the past and focus on the present and future. Lucy decided as she hurriedly followed Harry.