'Another night, another nightmare.' I chanted in my head as I rose weakly from the bed. Staring down at the luminous face of my alarm clock, I made a mental note of the time before climbing down completely from the bed.
"Half past four." I recited while sauntering towards the kitchen for an early morning cup of coffee. I couldn't go back to sleep anymore, I was too afraid to sleep, just in case I dreamt of him. Liam Hardwood, my ex-husband.
Ever since I saw the headlines of the news last week, my nights have been plagued with reoccurring nightmares of our days as a couple.
"The Wood Industries has moved its base of operations to England!" The news headlines read.
I didn't want it to bother me anymore than it already did, besides England was a very big country, the chances of us meeting were basically less than ten percent.
After convincing myself that I was safe from Liam's radar, I proceeded to get myself prepared for work. Distracting myself from all the news about Liam would definitely do me much good.
It was few minutes past eight by the time I was done with my morning routine. As a single twenty seven year old lady, taking care of my appearance was a priority I didn't joke around with. I had receded into my shell after the divorce, but now I was ready to throw myself out there once again, to try love for a second time.
My looks were seraphic even without make up, and while my bust weren't that impressive, they weren't a disappointment also. Liam always complimented on how perfect my sculpture is, but now I couldn't tell if he was lying, or being honest. In fact I shouldn't think about him at all.
The taxi came to a halt in front of my workplace and I alighted gracefully from the passenger seat. Most of my work colleague have always complained about me getting my own car, their arguement being that a fine lady shouldn't make use of the public transportation system.
I always took it in as a joke, but they always seemed to be serious. I wasn't poor nor rich, but I didn't want to treat myself to the luxury of a private vehicle just yet. I might just consider getting a car after I get a promotion.
The offices of Storm Industries were huge and quite luxurious, I sometimes mistook my own office for a hotel room. Strutting past the receptionist, I waved a hand at the few who greeted as I walked by.
The mood today wasn't like it used to be, 'what is going on?' I questioned myself inwardly whilst furthering the walk to my office. As I made it towards the lift, my eyes fell on the CEO of Storm and his acquaintances. It was rare to ever see him around, perhaps his sudden presence was the reason for the gloomy atmosphere. It had to be, there weren't any more reasons I could come up with.
The lift stopped on the seventh floor tinker some people in, none of which I could recognise. They were armoured in Armani suites, and their scents reeked of wealth and high standards. These men clearly weren't from storm.
'Business acquaintances perhaps?' It wasn't likely. Storm was no small company, having few guests over couldn't possibly change the atmosphere as much as it did today.
The doors pinged open at the thirteenth floor and I made my escape from the lift. Standing in the midst of those men had been so intimidating that I felt some sort of relief the instant I got out.
Turning towards the mirror by my side, I looked at my reflection and once again reassured myself that I was a strong, gorgeous lady. It was a ritual I performed every morning before I got to work. It helped boost my confidence daily, and had become a part of my daily life.
Pushing aside a rogue streak of my black hair, I approached my office door with a light smile I managed to cook up. Storm was a good company, but the higher ups have soiled the company's image, all thanks to their cupidity.
My hands plunged into the depths of my purse to fish out my office keys, but before I could get a hold of them a voice quickly distracted me.
"Colin.." I vocalised lightly as I turned to meet the approaching figure of Storm's secretary.
"You seem quite jovial in spite of all that's happening." Colin commented. It was my smile, it was definitely deceiving.
Quickly wiping the smile off my face, I proceeded to inquire of the recent happenings. "What do you mean? Did something bad happen?" The gloomy atmosphere already hinted that something was wrong somewhere, but I didn't really bother to find out details. Whatever it was, I rather not get involved.
"We're sunk Amelie! Isn't it obvious?"
I stared at Colin in shock.
"What do you mean 'sunk'?" I asked, my hands tightening in fear.
Storm was my only source of livelihood, losing this job would only cause more harm than good. The higher ups were greedy, that fact was well established. But they somehow managed to keep the company running, even while embezzling it's funds. I didn't really care about their corrupt practices before, I was happy as long as I was getting paid. However, I couldn't say the same now.
"Storm has been sold." Colin informed with hands thrown theatrically into the air. "If the other company is kind enough, we might retain our jobs. But if they aren't, we might end up in the streets in no due time." He added.
'Sold?!!' I screamed mentally. 'What company was rich enough to buy the entirety of Storm?!'
"You're joking right? Who has that kind of money?" I queried frantically whilst praying that all this was a prank. This might explain why the CEO was here, but I didn't want to believe anything without evidence.
"You really don't know, do you?"
I shook my head sideways in response.
"We've been bought by Woods Industries."