10

Hazel

The very first thing that woke me up in the morning was the loud beats of my phone. That's a sign to show how complicated my day will be. I had to put on my best state of calmness to talk to my father. That he should not worry. The money will be sent before the end of the day. And I also told them about my promotion. They all wish me well and of course more money.

I heated the cake and ate it as breakfast. I was feeling too lazy to cook anything. And besides, I need to do grocery shopping. My refrigerator is almost as good as nothing. I embark on my way to work.

I bumped into Mr. Kane in the elevator like yesterday. He flashed me one of his signature smile. "Good morning Miss Dalen" He profound with yet another smile.

"Good morning Mr. Kane. Hope you had a great night" As the words left my lips, it sounded somehow. Like asking whether his night was great. He might think I mean it in a sexual way. Which isn't so in my case.

Nevertheless, he answered me. "Yes I did. Hope it was same for you?"

"Yes it is" And that was the end of the conversation. No words were exchanged between us up to the time the elevator door open.

"Ladies first" The way he said it almost made me laugh. Yet, I held it in.

"Thank you Mr. Kane"

I went to my new office straight. I was surprised when I pushed it open and found it locked. Like what is going on? Why would the office door be locked?

I fished out my phone from my bag to call Mr. Kane. I don't have the energy to go to his office. And then he didn't say anything about the office. I wasn't even given the keys.

"Mr. Kane, Hazel speaking. Why is the office door locked?" I asked leaning my back on the wall.

"I'm sorry Miss Dalen. I didn't notify you yesterday. I was going to give you the spare keys but Mr. Damon left with it"

What? He left with the keys? Knowing I will need it.

I tried to get my voice as calmly as I can not to burst out with anger. "What time will he be in office?"

"He should be on his way now"

"Alright then. Thank you" I ended the call without waiting for what he'd say next. A hiss made its way out of my lips. So I came early for nothing. I'm sure he went away with the keys on purpose. I just hope he'd arrive on time. I took off to my old office where I met with Mrs. Rachael and Bianca. The two that always come to work early. Just like me.

"Morning Mrs. Rachael" I greeted. My old desk was still vacant and clean. I settle my bag on the desk and sat down on the chair. "Morning Miss Hazel" She greeted back shifting her medicated glasses slightly down to her nose.

Although we were having a light conversation, my mind was still divided. I kept glancing at my wrist watch. Fifteen minutes has passed by and yet no sign of Damon. I wonder if he's coming by train. If what Mr. Kane said is true, he's supposed to be at the office by now. The rest all arrive while I was still seated waiting for him. Instead of me to be finishing off some of my work.

"Miss Hazel aren't you going to your office" Nikki said. Only if she knew.

"I'm going. I'm waiting for some time" Mrs. Rachael passed me a weird look. She knew I don't waste time when it comes to my work.

My inside was almost burning. Unknowingly, I found myself biting my bottom lip. Fifteen minutes turned to hours and yet no sign of Damon. The rest have come to notice something was wrong. Why would someone who knows he has responsibility not come to office early?

I got tired of the look Mrs. Racheal has been throwing my way. I decided to leave the place going to Mrs. Kane's office immediately. He was occupying his seat with papers all over. "Miss Dalen?" He said sounding surprised.

"Mr. Damon is still not here. I have work to do" I said clenching my jaw.

"He's not?" I wanted to roll my eyes. If only he didn't give me the keys yesterday. He grabbed his phone by the side. The next thing I heard was Damon's voice.

"Good Morning Mr. Damon" He ushered.

"Morning Mr. Kane. What pleasure do I owe you this morning" An annoyed chuckle escaped me. Is the man seriously for real?

At that moment I felt like taking the phone from Mr. Kane and vent my anger on him.

"I'm calling to ask when you will be at the office. I was supposed to give one of the keys to Miss Dalen" The line went silent.

"Are you on the line Mr-"

"Yes. I will be a bit late. I have an important meeting. Expect me in the next two hours" Just as the words slipped out of his mouth Mr. Kane spared me a look. That was a total bullshit. After waiting for an hour. I'm going to wait for another two hours. Great.

"Alright sir. See you later then" And the line went dead. Mr. Kane turned his focus to me.

"I'm-"

Before he could complete his statement I cut him off knowing what he'd say. It's not a matter of apology. Damon had no self conscious in him. He only cares about himself. I know for sure me working with him will bring a lot of conflicts along the way.

"I will go grab some coffee" was the only thing I said before making my way out. A frustrated hiss left my lips as I stepped out. He's in for trouble with me. What meeting is more important to him than coming to the office. It might me meeting with one of his women. He never get enough of sleeping around with them.

I got out of the company and went to a nearest coffee shop. We have our personal mini kitchen but I don't really feel like going there. I want to have a inner peace of mind for myself. I ordered an Americano as usual and grabbed my seat on the quite spot. There were literally few people in the coffee shop for a start. I took out a notebook and pen. I can go through so trending search keywords and see how they're doing. Usually our company ranks at the top but when the incident happen, the rank when down.

I heaved out a sigh when I saw the ranking is at the top again. Which means things are going well. If we get more sales from our branches. We have other branches across other countries. That is to show Lorenzo Group isn't a small company. But then Damon is trying to mess around. I shake my head at his unserious behavior.

As I took a sip of my coffee that was almost turning cold, I heard someone's voice behind you. "Good morning Miss Dalen" My brows raised at the unfamiliar man in front of me.

"Good morning. Do you know me?" I said my brows creasing more. He made himself comfortable on the empty seat facing me before I could invite him to.

"I know you will not recognize me because we spoke through the phone. It's Daniel from SkyRocks" He fished out his business card and placed it in front of me.

"Oh Daniel. Fancy seeing you here" I accessed the card which contains his name and his position at the company.

"I know right. I met with a client here and was about to leave when I saw you. I thought of saying Hi"

Well, it's quite obvious that wasn't the case. If he wanted to say 'Hi' there shouldn't be a need of giving me his card. I know he's going to talk about business.

"That's good" And then silence follows. His eyed were darting left to right. "Go on Sir" I ushered knowing he has something at the tip of his tongue.

"Well you got me" He said with a chuckle. It was easy to guess his motives. It's written all over his face.

"It's about what we spoke on the phone. I was wondering whether you have discussed with your boss"

With the response I got from Damon when I brought the topic, I don't think any business will occur. It's better to tell the man the truth than give him hopes. I leaned forward intertwining my hands together. "I'm sorry to say this Sir. My boss currently has more than amount of businesses on ground. He's not looking forward to signing with more. But I will let you know when he changed his mind. I will try convincing him"

I don't know why but somehow I have this thinking that the business will go well. I will try speaking to him about it. A smile broke at his lips. "Thank you so much Miss Dalen. I will be expecting your feedback. I'm putting my hopes on you" I nodded in answer. I'm not sure whether Damon will agree but I will try.

“Okay, I will be on my way” He said standing up. “Thank you again” As the man left, I sunk in a deep breath. What did you get yourself into Hazel? I gave him hopes when I don't know how to go about it.

I got back to what I was doing. Taking notes of some important stuffs from the search engine. I like brainstorming. Putting different ideas to create a meaningful one. I smile broke at my lips as I stared at the few points I scribbled down on my notebook.

A notification popped up on my phone and I found my smile widening more. I received my monthly payment. I wanted to squeal in excitement but remembered I was in a public place. “Oh my God!” I exclaimed out aloud. I received double the amount of what I normally get. Indeed luck has been on my side these days. Things are finally working out for me.