"Are they safe?" He grinned and Jasmine got her answer. She slumped relieved into a swivel chair and sat motionlessly for sometime. At least she didn't have to lose more people.
"I wonder what happened out there." He commented, still baffled at the whole fiasco. Or what could have been a fiasco.
Jasmine got up and wordlessly walked to her office, while Russell trailed behind her.
They had been at the office since they found out there was a problem with the Jet's communicator. It was a good thing that the tracker was still working. They had immediately sent another jet from the city nearest to Barleion and they were just right in time.
She pulled the door to her office open, just when one of her employees was going past. She ordered her coldly, "get me coffee."
But the lady stood staring at her.
She had been working in the company for 2, whole years and it was the first time she was setting eyes on the CEO. She even heard the COO had seen her just once. It was until Jasmine shot ice daggers at her that she scampered off. Even Sean was fazed by the cold aura she was emitting. She seemed relieved just now and then, her icy demeanor was back again.
Thousands of minutes seemed to have passed and he was feeling sorry for the lady already. He could imagine the girl coming back and Jasmine firing her.
When she eventually did show up, she handed the coffee to Jasmine, but she didn't even reach out to take it. She took a deep breath and had to explain.
"I'm really sorry for the delay, Ma'am, but I came across the COO's Secretary and she asked me to get hers and the COO's." Her voice was all breathy and fatigued.
Jasmine flipped some pages of the paper she was holding, still not looking up she said, "you didn't tell them I sent you?"
She replied, shaking her head, "I did, but she told me to do it anyways."
Jasmine flipped more pages then got up and motioned the girl to follow her. Sean, the gossip, didn't wait to be invited because, he knew he wouldn't be.
The COO's office was just floors beneath hers. She stepped in her private elevator with Sean trying to follow. A look was enough to kick him out.
"Fine!" He huffed, swerving on his heels, "I'll use the stairs like a Loser!"
Somehow, he was already there with Brianna when Jasmine got to his floor, even though she used the Lift. She walked straight to the door and flung it open.
An irritated COO looked up. "Who's that fool...." His words stuck in his throat when he saw Jasmine, his approach changing drastically as he stood up with immediate effect. "President..."
"Say the words." Jasmine told Briana, but she couldn't think of anything. She had heard rumors about the CEO's favourite words. Though she didn't know how legible they were, she said uncertainly,
"You're fired...?" And Jasmine stepped out followed immediately by Briana and Sean. Evan Woodson didn't have time to comprehend anything before the door banged close.
A nobody like Briana, seeing the CEO for the first time couldn't wait to share the news with her friends, she burst it to them once she got back.
"Oh please, Briana," Dara cut in, coated with impatience, "I've been working here for 3 years and I haven't seen her."
"That's called luck, babe." Briana said not letting the negativity of her friends dampen her mood.
Abigail turned her attention from her phone to Briana. "How are you so sure she's the CEO?"
Briana raised a brow. "Have you ever heard of anyone, who wears a mask and enters the CEO's office without knocking?"
"Oh, please..." Dara began but Abigail shut her up, mimicking the way she talked with a roll of her eyes to go with.
"Oh, please, why are you such a buzzkill? Why don't you ever like people, even one of your friends, getting ahead of you? You're just so against people's success that when something good happens, honestly speaking, I feel afraid of telling you because it's like you'd want to do everything to overshadow that person or get what that person has or get something that seems more valuable than that person's... Dara, to cut everything short, it's too much, it's becoming bearable that if it continues, we might have to cut you off."
"Abigail!" Briana almost gasped, her eyes wide.
She turned to her. "Is that a lie?" Briana couldn't answer. Unconsciously her eyes moved to Dara and she found the girl looking at her also. She backed down immediately. It wasn't a lie, but she didn't want to hurt anybody.
Christine decided to come to the rescue. "Look guys, true or not, it doesn't matter, nobody cares. In real life, people want to be successful and all, like who would tell me she doesn't want to be more famous, richer et cetera, et cetera than the Kardashians? The thing is everybody wants to be big, everybody has a right to ambitious, dream big...."
Abigail cut in, "everybody has a right to be ambitious. That's normal. But, the thing with Dara, she's over-ambitious, with the way things are going, very soon she'd kill to get what she wants... You just sound like a foolish motivational speaker in my head, Christine..."
"Shut up!" Dara banged her hands on the table and pushed herself up. She couldn't take it anymore. "I've been watching you sit there and talk trash and I realized you're so stupid. No worries, I'll make it easier for you, after all, I don't wanna be part of this goddamn group," now, she turned to Briana, "and you can go to hell with your fucking CEO!" She turned ready to storm into her own office, when someone standing by the door caught her eyes. She was leaning on it, her face expressionless. Dara walked right towards her and brushed past her, she simply wasn't in a mood to please people or be polite to them.
It took only her not budging, and Dara was shoved a few feet back.
Briana jumped from her seat, her eyes wide. "C-EO!"
At that, Dara froze from shock, others shock and excitement.
Jasmine straightened and walked languidly to Briana's desk, Briana didn't need to be told to exit the space.
Jasmine swung her legs on the table, as she sat, crossing them at the ankles. Dara turned with skepticism, trying to see if she looked mad or anything, but there was nothing. Her face looked like a perfect statue.
She gulped, wanting to say something, but she didn't know what. She felt tongue-tied.
Jasmine took a pen from the desk and twirled it around her fingers, feigning Oblivion of the tension and stares around her.
When she looked up, everyone looked down, but not quickly enough to avoid her watchful eyes. Her gaze landed on no one.
"Well," Dara never heard a colder voice. She was sure the devil would never make her tremble like that. "I heard someone fucking me." Despite Dara's trembling, she blushed to her neck and Christine wasn't sure if it was from embarrassment or fear.
Dara didn't know how, but she spoke, her voice shaky. "I... l'm real... really sorry, Pre... sident."
Jasmine patiently waited. When she spoke, she sounded intimidating. Dara's skin lined with goosebumps. "You shut your mouth when I talk."
Dara wanted to talk, but in the end, she expressed herself by nodding. She was sure the next thing was her sack letter.
"You," Jasmine pointed at Briana. When Briana glanced up, she looked pale. She didn't know what to expect, but she was sure it was for worse. "You work as my secretary from now." Okay, that was unexpected. Briana's eyes bulged, she wanted to scream out of excitement, but she didn't dare, so her lips quivered. What the Hell would make her give her such a... Position so fast? Jasmine's gaze went to the others. "Get back to work. Now." With that, she walked to a big, blue, translucent circle. When she stepped into it, fog-like, translucent, blue lights emerged serving as a wall. In minutes, the glass went down. She wasn't there.
Abigail clamped her lips, then unclamped them. "Is that what I think it is?"
Christine felt on top of the world just then. When she spoke she sounded awed. "An Elevator has been in our offices all along and we never knew?" She walked to the lift and Abigail followed.
"Let me check it out."
Christine crossed her hands and shook her head, walking towards Abigail. "You're a goner when that thing sends you to the CEO's office."
Abigail signed herself with the cross, then went to stand on the circle.
Nothing happened.
She peeked through an eye. "Am I there yet?" She looked around. Her lips circled to a pout. "Why is nothing happening?" She looked below her.
"Wait, let me see." She walked toward Abigail and stood on it. Nothing happened. She shrugged. "Maybe she uses a kind of footprint?" She also looked beneath her to know if there was anything. There wasn't.
Briana was quiet all the while. She slowly walked to her table and started parking all her stuff.
Christine got off the lift. Still crossing her hands, she walked towards her and touched her on her shoulder.
"Aren't you happy." It was a kind of whisper. Briana turned to her and smiled.
"I'm happy. But all this," her hands formed a circle, "is a lot to take in."
"I'm really happy for you."
Briana was grateful and it showed in her eyes. "Thank you." She looked over Christine's shoulder at Abigail and raised her voice so Abigail could hear. "Unlike somebody who cares more about some mysterious Elevator."
Abigail lifted her face immediately. "You know that's not true." With that, she walked towards them.
Briana lifted her arms like she was surrendering. "I don't know nothing about you."
"You're such a Peter."
"Oh, shut up. We should be talking about where to celebrate."
Abigail rolled her eyes. "Other than celebrate, celebrate, celebrate, you have nothing else in mind."
Christine picked up a spiral binder and threw it at Abigail, but she dodged. "Watch your mouth. Little brat." She muttered under her breath, glaring playfully at her.
Briana picked up a stapler to put in her box, but her hand stopped midair. "Wait, where's Dara?"
"Probably went to sulk somewhere out of pure jealousy." Abigail snorted at once.
Christine chuckled as she pushed at her shoulder. "Take it easy."
Briana was done packing. She looked up at her friends. "We should get back to work before we get fired."
Abigail just nodded.
When they walked Briana to the elevator, everywhere was quiet and no one was insight. It was already past lunch so everyone was busy. Briana stopped right in front of the elevator. She turned to Abigail, "are you sad?"
Abigail started grinning. Mischievously. "Of course. Not! I'm fine with where I am. You should just be very careful," Briana could guess already, whom she was talking about.
, "you know you're closer to her. One mistake, you're packing your box again."
Christine brows drew together as she elbowed her. "Are you wishing her bad luck or something?"
"No, I'm just being realistic." She said rubbing her arm.
The elevator doors opened and Briana stepped into it, with the doors closing, Abigail shouted after her,
"You're spinning me gists later." Briana just laughed, waving.
She got to the top floor, took a deep breath and stepped out of the Elevator. Her legs carried her cautiously, not knowing where she was and was not supposed to enter.
It was so quiet, she was sure she was hearing her heartbeat, and she didn't want to destroy the silence, so she walked very slowly keeping her heels on the floor first before she relaxing her legs.
When someone spoke, she jumped back, yipped and almost dropped her box as her yip continued to echo till she wasn't sure when it would stop.
"Briana, your office is the last." A very gorgeous lady, whom she knew was Gemma Caury, informed her and went on her way before she could offer her thanks with an erratically beating Heart.