Edward scoffed while he sat alone and he flipped the bill open and found a bead in it. He wrapped it in his hand and then set his hands over the table to stand up.
Odetta paced about and brushed her hair back. "I know, Danica,"
She said on the earpiece and straightened when he came along.
"I noticed you're a bit tense, Miss Stareyes," He motioned closer.
"Yes, probably from sitting down for too long," She kneaded her arm and waved her hands.
"Well, then, we should call it a day?" He sighed.
Odetta nodded. "Yes, yes, that's right," Good Lord. He is such a flirt.
"Tomorrow will be fine," He gestured for a handshake and She stiffened shaking it and said at the same time. "I might not make it,"
"Shit," He searched his pocket.
"Is anything wrong?" She tilted her head.
"It's only a piece of paper," Lawrence. He thought grimly and slid through the doors.
Odetta brushed off the document to toss it to the platform in front.
"Like this one?" She pointed and Edward passed her a quick look then retrieved it and read through and sighed.
"Thank you,"
"I guess I'll be running, it's been a pleasure," She said and his eye twitched as she walked by.
"Same as always," He said alone in the room.
...
"You don't want him to find out, you're Miss Stareyes. Don't let him get too close or he'll be picking you like a lint on his suit," Caroline warned sorting out her clothesline in the closet of her bedroom.
Odetta bit her lip at the truth of the matter, she wouldn't want to ride on those feelings. Then she hardened. "No way,"
Caroline softened. "I just had a hard day with Mode/ Luxe Textiles attorneys and I think they're intimidated by me," She said in her pyjamas. "My superiors, by way of reason, I think that's likely, fake or not,"
Caroline was a law student.
She counted her fingers and then came to bed. "I never want this to end, ever!"
Odetta groaned "I want to sleep, so bad but I'm exhausted,"
"Try a glass of warm milk,"
Odetta brushed her eyes, she was free of both contacts and glasses and she laid back.
"I have to be awake early tomorrow, and I have to make my aunt believe that I haven't completely disappeared from her life," She rolled her eyes.
Caroline buzzed on about the next plan and she paused at Odetta's faint snores as she snoozed and Caroline softened and then sloped a blanket over her.
....
Tasha sat in the quiet of her lounge room, she just ended a meeting with the other envoys from the other branches of Mode and they were about to commission their depot in Delhi. Which would require Edward's presence.
She was excited to be having a depot in her hometown. It meant she had to be moved to further continue her journey. She sighed rotating her beverage musing about the conference.
---
She tapped her desk "Do I have to? Why can't I stay here where I can actually continue with my job. It's so inconsistent. I love it here,"
"Miss Singh, you are our most reliable staff, our customers will be pleased with your endeavours and influence in the socio-economic aspect of our job, you should reconsider,"
She brushed her hair back. "Well, I refuse, but what I won't refuse is overseeing that the commissioning happens. I'll be glad to,"
She said smiling sweetly among the board members and the head fidget ted.
"Well, Miss Singh has vetoed our vote of confidence, so all who appoint Vishal as the head of the International Relations Committee in Delhi say aye,"
"The ayes have it,"
...
She grinned sipping her beverage "This is almost too easy,"
She reclined on her seat.
...
Brooke brushed her table obsessively and replaced the fruit bowl. There was nothing a good spring clean couldn't fix.
Mei met her with a spray bottle and a napkin. "Madame Brooke, all this stress is bad for you, let me handle the cleaning,"
She swivelled while Brooke moved around.
Brooke wiped the napkin across her forehead and looked twice at the rough arrangements.
"I need some vinegar if you don't mind," She said cleaning her porcelain cupboard and closing one eye at the speck and finding it to be a reflection of her eye.
Her phone pinged and Mei steeled in anxiety at the notification on the bar. She shoved it into her apron.
"What was that?"
"More followers, Madame," She conveyed and got on with helping her make some tea.
Brooke sighed and felt herself getting dizzy. She clutched a chair and sat down cupping her forehead. She opened her eyes at Mei placing the cup of tea in front of her and a bag of vinegar.
"Right, right," She took it and drank the contents.
"Needs more sugar,"
"That's why you're probably weak, when's the last time you had a proper meal?" She raised a finger, she was wearing a green military-inspired tunic with the sleeves folded up and a grey skirt and apron.
Brooke grimaced at her and she smiled. "You're right, I feel better now. Thank you, Mei,"
She bowed and grimaced at her boss in concern hiding her phone. Then got to cooking.
...
Edward leaned back on his chair, he wouldn't make such a mistake again, those papers were his very life there and it was a shame how he threw them away.
He promised to ease back on the work and he glanced at the next chair in his office and tilted his head. He wondered how Brooke was doing.
Only thirty-five, she was adamant yet meek in a way.
She shouldn't be alone in this tasking day and time. He supposed he would call her. Then he stopped, "it's 5 am,"
He chuckled and thought about the funny Miss Stareyes. He remembered the scent of her perfume, her hands, her voice, he wanted to know more. Learn more from her.
A frown settled on his face at the woman loitering at the door, she looked around and proceeded to the studio. He pushed up and rounded the table to catch up with her and she turned.
Her eyes rounded at Edward and heat simmered in her cheeks as he approached in a blue waistcoat and white shirt that the sleeves were rolled up, his blue pants were befitting with polished black Italian loafers. There was a slight swagger in the way he walked and she tottered back in his presence.
She was thrown off when he smiled. He was at work early before she was. She gasped.
"Miss Lawrence, I remember?"
"Yeah," Please don't fire me.
"Did you happen to come across any documents on your cleaning spree?"
Her expression was that of dread. "Yes, I happened to,"
"Did you see what was in it?"
"I wouldn't know if I didn't. I honestly want to express my concerns about who has the keys to the studio,"
He frowned and she gulped at the dent forming in-between his forehead. "Why?"
"It's vital, I saw a janitor today cleaning_"
"What? A janitor cleaned yesterday?" He blurted.
She held up her hands. "Mister Cummings, please, I_"
"I will fire you," He trudged forward.
She took out her keys "These are the keys, I would not have imagined that you gave the keys to me alone,"
"Hmm," His eyes narrowed.
"I saw him with the papers and extra fabric in his pocket," She brought it out.
He encased it.
That reminded him to do an authentication information test for ghost workers.
He would have gone bankrupt if she hadn't swept through the fabric. "Well,"
He received a memo from the board chat group about the commissioning at Delhi on Thursday. "Damn,"
She asked, "Is anything wrong?"
He grimaced "Why would anything be wrong? Even so, why should I tell you?"
She held her hands together "Good point,"
"I'm expecting a locksmith this afternoon,"