Dear Emily,
We sincerely thank you for taking the time to apply and meet with our team for the position of secretary. After careful consideration, we have decided to move forward with another candidate. We thank you for your interest in the company and we wish you the best of luck in your job search……Emily Walker quickly hit the power button on her phone in annoyance, another rejection letter, and the fifth one this week if she was keeping track. Her mind became immediately clouded with the bills she had to pay and working part-time in her grandmother’s noodle shop, also cleaning toilets at a luxury hotel wasn’t going to cut it. She hated to remind herself of how her life had gone downhill since she had to quit her last job. She felt tears sting her eyes but she was determined not to let it fall.
“Emily” she heard her grandmother yell which snapped her out of her depressing thoughts, perspiration gathered at her forehead while popped back into the heat of the kitchen.
“How many people do we have out back” she asked and Emily stood frozen, she’d been distracted and wasn’t taking notes and it was no news that her grandmother had zero tolerance for slacking.
“I’ll need to check,” she said quickly and rushing back outside before the woman had the chance to complain but in the process, her apron caught on the handle of the door causing her to spiral into a tray of glass cups and they all went spiraling unto the ground shattering into a million pieces with a few pieces clinging unto her hair and clothes. She could feel the sting of the glass in her hair but the silence in the kitchen was louder than the pain she felt
“Emily!” her grandmother yelled, throwing a plastic spoon that hit her square in the head.
“I’m sorry, it was an accident Grandma. I’ll clean it up”
“Sorry’s not gonna cut it Emily, this is going off your paycheck”
“There’s nothing left, you keep cutting it for little mistakes I make” she retorted
“Then maybe your next paycheck, how about that and the next one if you keep running that mouth” her grandmother shot back in finality before turning back to the whistling pot and Emily fumed, her eyes rolling back in sadness that was slowly turning to anger.
“You know what Gran, I don’t need this,” she said as she took off her apron and slammed it on the counter
“Look at you running that mouth again, so what are you going to do? Quit? Run away just like your mother did….”
“Don’t….” Emily wanted to say but the woman beat her to it
“Don’t what? Mention your mother? That slimy whore that destroyed my son…..”
“She didn’t do anything, I didn’t do anything” Emily cried, letting the tears flow freely as she didn’t have any means to hold them back because her grandmother’s words felt like a spiral knife that stabbed at her chest, twisting and turning till there was nothing left to give but pain
“She did everything, my son is dead because of her because she was a selfish bitch and she wanted more. If she’s such a good person where is she now, she abandoned you, didn’t she? You look so much like her I feel sick to my stomach”
Emily stayed quiet, allowing the words to soak through her skin, embedding themselves in her till it was all she could feel. Her vision blurred, her heart raced and she felt weak to her knees, she had never known love all her life and her grandmother was right. Her mother did abandon her for a better life, she was somewhere gallivanting in the streets of California in Gucci shorts and Prada bags and she wondered why she defended her. Her grandmother was right, her mother didn’t want her or maybe she didn’t know the full story.
“She killed my son, that selfish whore. Broke his heart so many times over till he was nothing and then abandoned you for me so don’t you defend her. Who knows, maybe you’re not even my granddaughter and she burdened me with the responsibility of raising you”
Still, Emily stayed quiet as the words pierced her heart and there was no defence against everything she always believed to be true“If you want to leave, you should. Get out I don’t want to see your face around here anymore, you’re just like her ungrateful and selfish” She felt her grandmother grab her by her arm and push her out the back door alongside her bag before slamming it on her face.Emily stood broken, her legs weak and unable to protest, even oblivious to her bleeding knees from the broken glass because it didn’t hurt as much as the pain in her chest from the reality of her grandmother’s words.
She stepped out onto the streets of New York City of anyways unsure of her next step even though she had to be at her other job in less than two hours. The October sun shone brightly on her skin, lighting up areas that had been darkened by sadness but still, it didn’t change how she felt. The heat from the sun did nothing to warm her frozen heart while she walked aimlessly on the streets, going wherever the wind pushed her but she knew where her heart wanted to be, and who she wanted to talk to even though they would never be able to speak back to her. Instead, she walked to the park and flopped absentmindedly on a bench oblivious to a young man sitting next to her with a bouquet hanging lazily from his fingers
“Are you aware that you’re bleeding or is that a recent New York fashion” she heard a voice beside her although she wasn’t entirely sure she was the one being spoken to. When she turned, his eyes were fixed on hers though hidden behind sunglasses she wanted to assume he was speaking to her.
“What?” she raised a brow
“Your knees,” he said again and she looked down
“Oh” she simply said faking surprise at how she hadn’t noticed it earlier “Nothing to worry about,” she said hoping he wouldn’t say anything. They managed to sit in silence, while she watched people pass by mostly couples hand in hand, smiling or laughing at the other, faces glowing and showcasing genuine happiness while she felt like an impostor wallowing in self-pity at her inability to find love or even genuine happiness. The gravity of loneliness hit her suddenly and she had to fight internally to keep the tears locked in, to keep her face straight pensive, and not falter at the sight of a young mother kissing her daughter on the head.
“Ever been in love?” she heard the strange man speak and she turned to face him but he stared straight ahead, the flowers still dangling from his hands. When she stayed quiet he turned to look at her
“Not much of a talker, no?”
“Sorry” she muttered and he sighed
“Take this, looks like you’ve had a shittier day than mine” he offered her the flowers he held, and when she refused to take them he dropped them on the bench beside her, looking relieved to get rid of them.
“Don’t fall in love, it’s a trap”
he said in a mere whisper and then he was gone.
Ethan Hatton stepped into the world of opulence and grandeur as he approached the towering gates of his father’s magnificent mansion. The sprawling estate boasts exquisite architecture, with its elegant columns, intricate carvings, and a majestic entrance that screams wealth. He breezed into the house in slow strides as the motion sensor sliding doors gave way for him, his sleek Johnston and Murphy shoes hitting the marble floors in rhythmic motions. He didn’t necessarily live here but going back to his penthouse was a bit of a hassle for him especially when everywhere in his house smelled like her, reminded him of her.Stepping into the foyer, he approached the sweeping staircase, adorned with a lavish chandelier that cast a warm, golden glow around the house. Each room was a masterpiece, from the luxurious ballroom with its sparkling crystal chandeliers to the cozy library lined with shelves upon shelves of leather-bound books that he never once bothered to read. Still, Ethan wasn’t
A week had passed already and Emily had found herself shuffling odd jobs and crying herself to sleep in her tiny apartment, sleep-deprived and eating noodles out of a cup. She spent most of her nights when she wasn’t working, scrolling through her mother’s Instagram and Facebook, hovering over the message icon. She needed closure, an explanation on why she left, abandoned her without even a flick of her hair. She never married again, never had any other children and she wondered if she ever thought of her at all, ever missed her, or even ever thought to call her.Emily felt distraught, the cold hands of loneliness pressing against her neck each night she had to close her eyes to sleep and wake up the next morning with the same feeling nagging at the pit of her stomach.It was even harder to get decent jobs because she never completed high school, talk more of gracing the four walls of a community college. The most decent job she had gotten was waitressing at a little restaurant becaus
“Ethan, over here!”“Ethan, is it true your Anita Brown rejected your proposal?”“Ethan, what do you have to say about your father cutting you out of the will”“Ethan…..”The million blinking white lights from the paparazzi felt blinding to Ethan as they all flicked their cameras in his face, whilst throwing absurd questions his way. Even his Dior sunglasses did little to shield the annoyance in his eyes as he stood still on the red carpet for the pictures. It wasn’t an exercise he fancied, red carpet and all the glitz and glamour that accompanied it but he was on the final streak with his father so if posing on a dusty red carpet with flashing white lights aimed at blinding him was going to get him back on the good graces, then so be it. He glanced over at Jackson who stood at the other end in his sleek black Calvin Klein suit and Christian Louboutin shoes, hands buried deep in his pockets with a sly smirk etched on his face, it was hard to deny the charisma and how much he enjoyed t
He looked strangely familiar, the weird guy who stood in a fancy suit blankly staring at her. He stared at her like he knew who she was and it baffled her because who would know a nobody like her, she didn’t think she was that pretty or sophisticated for someone to take notice of her, and enough to stare. Sure, she had a perfect oval face and a sharp jawline that could slice through glass, her eyes; delicate but sharp holding a captivating gaze. She couldn’t get his image out of his head throughout the time she rode the bus with Cheryl on their way to get the dresses for the masked party. He was tall and would hover over her if she stood close enough. She couldn’t get the look on his face when their eyes met out of her head, a mix of embarrassment with a hint of confidence and superiority. His piercing eyes held a magnetic charm that seemed to draw her in with their intensity, she wondered if she could allow herself to be drawn to. His face was chiseled to perfection like he was sculp
It was way past twelve am when Emily walked in hand in hand with Cheryl, the previously well illuminated ballroom with bright dancing chandeliers had now been replaced with disco lights and dancing strobe lights, giving the aura of a night club.The large ballroom was now packed with dancing people, dressed intricately in flowing dresses and complicated mask hovering over their eyes, masking their identity, flaws and carefully hidden imperfections. It was a fun sight to behold. The air buzzed with an electric energy as the party guest donned their exquisite mask, their identities hidden behind a veil of mystery. The room was instantly alive with a symphony of laughter, whispers and the gentle rustle of elegant attires. For Emily, the atmosphere felt thick with emotions, as if all the secrets and desires were swirling around like invisible threads. There was a soft glow of candle lights dancing on the wall, casting enchanting shadows that playfully teased the senses. With every step
She broke the kiss, her heart thundering loud behind her chest and she could hear it amidst the loud music but she enjoyed the anonymity that she wore, that way she cancelled all chances for him to find her. She replayed the scenario in her drunken mind to remind herself that it was all real. Her inability to resist his overwhelming allure, while she closed the gap between them, drawn in by the enchantment of the night. The music swirling around them, offering a backdrop of hidden desires, as their lips brushed together in a stolen moment of passion. The mystery of her mask making their encounter all the more tantalizing and enthralling.But reality had begin to set in and she needed to wake up, she needed to turn away to avoiding diving deeper into the enigmatic aura that surrounded this handsome stranger.“I need to go” she said loudly due to the music and realizing she had left Cheryl for too long and she needed to go back, with or without the drink.“Don’t” Jackson held unto her
Emily woke up in a start, feeling disheveled and a blinding headache striking her suddenly that she winced in pain. The events of the previous night, although blurry were rolling in and she felt repulsed at how much alcohol she drank. She quickly gazed around her room and her clothes were strewn about and she groaned trying to recollect herself. In the hushed tranquility of her room, she allowed her mind wander back to the enchanted part where anonymity and allure intertwined. The memory of the masked faces, each shrouded in secrecy, dances around her like ethereal apparitions, whispering secrets but not yet unveiled.With each recollection, Emily’s senses began to come alive, weaving a tapestry of vivid impressions. She could still feel the velvet touch of his lips against hers.The handsome strangerIt felt like a delicate symphony of warmth and yearning. In her mind’s eye, she could imagine the twinkle of evening stars reflecting in his eyes, those enigmatic pools of mystery that
Emily sat somberly in Ethan’s car while he drove her to the hospital, she had searched the whole ballroom frantically yet the silver bangle with a crimson gemstone was nowhere in site. She felt downcast and sad, and she wondered how she was going to let Orion know she had misplaced a precious antique bracelet he had given her. Had someone picked it? Or had it somehow fallen into the hands of the mysterious stranger she had kissed, she stayed baffled with her mind turning in circles and the weird guy pulling her out of her train of thoughts when she only just realized he still hadn’t told her his name.“Was the bracelet a gift from your boyfriend?” he asked her, his eyes fixed on the road and she turned to face him“You still haven’t told me your name, you could be a serial killer for all I know” she said instead and he chuckled glancing at her from his side eye.“Fine, I’m Ethan” he told her “Ethan Jacobs.Ethan wasn’t entirely sure why he lied but a sense of guilt suddenly settled