CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 5

THE LEAST EXPECTED

"I've once lost everything to you, Richard, I won't let your presence in this town torment my existence anymore." Flora mumbled to herself as the taxi drove past Wilson's building when she headed for work in the morning.

"Isn't Miss Blake aware that she is supposed to be at the company on or before 9:00 am? This is just two minutes to nine o'clock and I haven't seen any trace of her." A woman who just descended began to rant as she approached the reception.

The receptionist was about to answer when Flora identified herself swiftly, moving closer to the woman.

"Hi ma'am. I'm sorry if you got the wrong impression of me. I've..." Flora was trying to explain herself when the woman cut in, her mouth agape as she rolled her widened eyes over Flora.

"Wait, are you Flora Blake?" The woman asked.

"Sure. I don't match up to your expectations, right?" Flora smiled.

It was still unbelievable for many people that a woman could become an executive designer at such a young age.

"Pardon my manners." The woman said with a smile, stretching her hands towards Flora for a shake.

"I'm Bianca Franklin. My superior sent me to check and be sure that you didn't miss your way to the office." The lady explained. She still feels bad within her for ranting at first without confirmation, because she had actually seen Flora some minutes ago at the receptionist before the superior started asking after her.

"Miss Katherine, you can hold on with the documentation for now. She needs to follow me." Bianca instructed the receptionist before gesturing with her eyes for Flora to follow her.

As they began to move towards the elevator, her eyes suddenly fell on the little boy who was tightly clinging himself to Flora.

"He's your little brother, right?" The woman asked casually.

"No, ma'am. I'm not mommy's little brother. I'm her only son! You can as well call me Daniel, or Dan in short." The little boy retorted sharply before his mother could even say a word.

"Wow!" The people at the reception chorused and bursted out with laughter at the boy's confidence.

"He's so intelligent." A lady remarked.

"Awww, I'm in love with the kid already. How I wish, my first child will be as smart as this." Katherine, the chief receptionist added.

Flora looked down and winked at him.

Before they left home, she had already told him to maintain silence no matter what people say, but it seems like that'll be a very difficult task to achieve for the little boy.

If not for the fact that they just moved into the environment, she would have enrolled him in a day care and saved herself the stress of answering too many questions from people.

Bianca rolled her eyes again at Flora. She looks so young to have birth a child of that age and still able to go far in her career.

"Pardon his manners. His name is Daniel Blake. He's actually my son." Flora explained.

Bianca couldn't get her eyes off him as they went into the elevator.

As soon as they approached the superiors office, Flora's mind began to beat, she didn't know how the woman would react if she had also conceived a wrong impression of her as a late comer to work on the first day.

When they entered, a middle aged woman was seated, sipping a cup of coffee as she rolled on the spinning chair.

"You are –Miss Flora Blake?" The woman asked, her voice laced with surprise just like the way others did the moment they saw her.

"Yes ma'am." Flora nodded and proceeded to introduce herself properly.

"Wow. And this is your son, I guess?" The woman asked again, and Flora nodded.

Flora wasn't surprised that the woman already knows much about her because she's aware of the woman's connection to her aunt. And before the woman offered her the job, her aunt had communicated details of Flora's escapade to her already.

Little Dan began to smile. For the first time, someone didn't get his identity mixed up as his mother's brother.

"You may excuse us for now, Bianca." The woman said before shifting her gaze to Flora.

"I'm Elizabeth Briggs. And before you start, I'd love to advise that you put your past behind and focus on giving us a productive result.***" The woman continued.

"If you ever need any help, I'm always here for you." She concluded.

Flora heaved a huge sigh of relief as she walked out of the office. She didn't expect that Elizabeth would be such a calm woman.

But it seems like her past life has also contributed a significant part of her kindness.

Elizabeth is a woman in her late forties that was once in an abusive marriage, and that's why the moment Flora's aunt pleaded with her to give Flora a job, she didn't hesitate to grant her request.

Before Flora returned home, almost all the employees at Davy's Design Hub seemed to like her because of her son.

She used the two weeks break given to her to explore more about the city, the changes that have occurred while she was away and also made research on other design companies and how she can make theirs to be outstanding among others.

Three days before Flora would resume her work fully, she got a call from Ms. Elizabeth.

"Flora, can you be at the office tomorrow? We have a business meeting with a very important client that I can't afford to reschedule."

“Alright.” Flora affirmed without a hesitation.

Besides, she's back to New York to work and earn a decent living for herself and her son.

Flora walked into Elizabeth's office as early as 8:00 am the next morning.

"Miss Blake. Sorry for cutting your break short, but this client is very important, and I don't want us to miss out on striking a deal with her." Elizabeth explained.

"So, how did she want us to serve her?" Flora asked.

"She need a customised ring and a portrait for her husband as an anniversary gift."

"Wow. That sounds lovely. We'll surely give her the best." Flora assured. But immediately, Elizabeth's expression turned gloomy, throwing Flora into a state of confusion.

"Miss Blake, this customer you're going to serve, I've once had a deal with her, and I can tell you, she's very difficult to deal with. In fact, she's the most difficult client we've ever had because her taste is too high. That's why we always charge her five times the amount we charge other clients, and she doesn't hesitate to pay so long as the work is delivered in a way that'll please her." Elizabeth explained.

"That's never going to be a big deal, ma'am. Trust me, once I give a sample, she'll lose her sense of difficulty because it'll be perfect beyond her imagination."

Flora said with an assuring smile.

She was so confident about her designs because she knows that since she started her design career seriously, no client has ever complained of dissatisfaction over her services.

"Thanks for your assurance, Miss Blake. The client is already waiting for you in the room conference" Elizabeth concluded, before Flora began to take her leave.

As soon as she reached the door, she paused and turned to Elizabeth, as if she just remembered something. "Miss Elizabeth , may I know how I should address the client?"

"Oh, that. You can call her Mrs. Wilson." Elizabeth replied.

The name Mrs Wilson caused Flora's mind to skip. Her heart began to pound heavily in her chest. 'Mrs. Wilson? I hope she's not a member of the same Wilson's family that I know?' Flora thought to herself.