TPV
In the old three-storey building on the East border of Swindon, chaos had erupted. The phone rings rang from various cabins, and people were running in a hurry.
On the ground floor, where the large hall occupied more than half of the area, rows of chairs were laid perfectly and, they were occupied by people who had come to Swindon from various places.
Some of them looked like they had bathed in the money, while some looked like any average person in the country while some stood in a corner with worried faces and hopeful eyes.
The volunteers and staff members of The Greenchase Foundation were busy welcoming the more people who flooded the hall.
"Joanna... Joanna?"
A woman with short bob hair turned in the direction from where the calls came to see a young man rushing in her way, cutting through the crowd.
"Yes, what is it, Steve? Hurry up I have so many things to take care of." She asked in a rush.
"I know right! We all are trying to do our best in handling this situation but do you know where is she? Isn't this all happened because of her and now she is the only one who can solve these issues?"
Joanna didn't know if he was displeased, annoyed or just nervous about it.
She looked around, trying to spot Burgandy head which could be easily spotted in the sea of humans even from a mile. But her brows frowned as she pushed her glasses on her nose.
"I can't see her anywhere."
Steve rolled his eyes annoyingly. Joanna was three years younger than him, and yet, she sometimes acted like a little girl.
"Joanna, this place wouldn't have been such a chaos if she was here and these people wouldn't have seated conversing so casually."
Joanna gave him a sheepish smile. "Have you tried her phone?"
"I am trying to reach her but she is not picking up my calls."
Joanna pursed her lips.
"She must have put her phone on the silent mode."
"I seriously don't understand why she does that!" Steve grumbled, placing his hands on his hip.
"Now what? She needs to be here in five minutes." Steve pointed at the white clock that decorated the tall wall of the hall.
Joanna smirked. "You don't need to worry Steve. You know that Miss Bell is always on time... ALWAYS!"
She didn't wait to give him a chance to say anything as she ran to do her work. Steve stood there with furrowed brows, nervously looking around at the rich people.
Their pointed and judgemental gazes always get on his nerves and without his shield, he felt vulnerable.
"Hey you! Come here."
The hairs on his body stood up as a man in his late fifties, dressed up in a grey suit raised his hand that was adorned with four shining rings.
Thinking about their price even made Steve want to throw up. Gulping down nervously, he slowly walked to the man.
Steve instantly recognised the businessman, who was a known name in the leather industry. And to his either side sat a woman who owned a cosmetic brand and a man who was representing a popular name in the cement industry.
"G-Good morning, Mr Filler! H-How may I h-help you?" Steve couldn't help but stutter in nervousness.
It had been two years that he was working for the CEO of The Greenchase Foundations, and yet, he hadn't learned to present himself as boldly as her.
If she saw him in that state, she would have roasted him alive with only her heated words.
"This morning is already ruined when I stepped my foot in this town! And it will get worsened once Miss Bell decides to grace us all with her appearance" The man was too bitter that not only his words but also his face couldn't hide it.
The other two people nodded their heads in agreement.
"Where is your CEO? Shouldn't she be present here before eight when she had WARNED everyone to get here before that?" The woman who looked like she had just walked out of a photo shoot with her impeccable makeup and dress snarled like a vicious cat.
More than Filler, she scared the shit out of Steve.
"Sir, mam, please wait for a few minutes. My boss is almost here."
"What do you mean almost here? She hasn't yet come to the office?" The other man asked in a raised voice.
People sitting around them caught on their conversation and were furious to know that the CEO of the TGF was late.
"What nonsense is this?"
"Who does she think she is? I will make her life hell for this disrespect."
More voices of resentment rose in the hall, colliding with the building's brick walls. Now not only Steve but every Greenchaser looked panicked.
"I knew this was a bad idea!" Joanna, who saved herself by standing at the side, grumbled under her breath.
The Greenchasers tried to calm the people, but the noises kept on rising until they heard the creaking of the wooden door from the back of the hall.
Slowly one by one all heads turned in that way as a pair of heels clicked against the floor in confident strides. The arguments froze and Steve finally released a sigh of relief as he caught a woman with a medium height of five feet six inches, dressed in black full-length formal pants with a black coloured blazer on which the logo of a Siberian crane was embroidered in white and green colour.
Her fitted tucked-in white t-shirt under the blazer accentuated the blobs of her breasts and her flat belly.
She wore minimal makeup, her lips glistened with only a light pink shade of lip balm. Her straight brows added to her seriousness, giving her a fierce look. Her big sharp honey coloured eyes were enough to intimidate anyone.
Her tan skin and straight nose complimented her sharp and attractive features.
And her confidence, it was that one bright shining star in the starry sky that no one could ignore.
Nobody dared to open their mouth. Only the sound of her steps dominated the air in the room. Steve was quick to fall in step with her as she walked straight to the front of the hall.
Turning to face the crowd, her eyes swept over the room before they settled on the group of people standing by the wall to her left.
The way her lips pursed into a thin line warned the people who worked for her that there was something that she didn't like.
"The Greenchase Foundation is short on the chairs or have we forgotten our basic mannerisms?"
Her voice was not loud, nor it was meek. It came out even toned and as confident as her body language. But it was strong enough to push three volunteers into action.
They hurried to get more chairs for the people who looked out of place in that crowd of well-dressed people.
While the volunteers arranged the chairs and directed the people to sit in them, Steve leaned to her ear and asked in a whisper.
"Boss, should I get one for you?"
She only shook her head as she waited for everyone to settle down.
Once she was content with other things, she introduced herself though the people in that hall didn't need her introduction.
"Good morning ladies and gentlemen! My name is Elena Bell and I am the CEO of TGF. I am glad to see that you all respected my request and came here on the time." She addressed the crowd with such confidence that one might have mistaken her for a news anchor or a politician.
"But you are the one who is late!" The same woman, the owner of the cosmetics brand said with a distasteful tone.
Elena's sharp eyes found the face she was looking for in the third row.
"Miss Mile, I think you are not good with reading the time. You should switch to the smartwatch instead of the analog one to know that there are still forty-seven seconds left before the clock strikes exact eight!"
"Miss Bell you should know who you are talking to!" A man at the back said.
"I haven't asked you all reputed people to gather in this small town of Swindon without knowing about you."
Joanna shook her head dejectedly. There was no way to keep this woman's sharp tongue in control. She didn't care who she was talking to, nor she cared about the art of subtleness.
She was outspoken, and her tongue ran like a sharp dagger. Only those who knew Elena Bell closely knew that her heart was kinder and clear, contradicting her harsh and intimidating personality.
And these people didn't know her closely!
They only knew Miss Elena Bell, CEO of TGF, a well-known organisation that works for the conservation of the environment and raises various environmental and ecological issues at not only the regional level but also at the national forums and seminars.
Joanna just prayed that Elena would not end up adding another name to the list of her haters today!