Chapter 4 — Hallucination

The continuous sound of the alarm woke me up and with that, the headache took hold of me, I wasn't ready to get up, the hangover had me over, so, still half sleepy, I moved in bed enough to stretch out my hand and be able to snooze the alarm, "Just ten more minutes".

I closed my eyes, and a moment later, the sound of persistent knocking jolted me awake. "Damn it! Can't they let me sleep?" I grumbled internally. I threw the pillow over my head, hoping to drown out the noise and get back to sleep. But the knocking only grew louder.

"Who?!" I yelled in frustration as I sat up at the mattress.

"Miss?" Aurora, the housekeeper, peeked in, her head poking around the door. "Mr. Golf just called. The meeting is about to start, and he wants to know why you haven't arrived."

"My grandfather? The meeting? Shit! I forgot!" I glanced at the clock on the bedside table—it was nine in the morning. I grabbed it, squinting to check the time. "But I set the alarm for seven!" I checked it again, realizing I hadn’t snoozed it for ten more minutes as I’d intended. Instead, I accidentally turned it off.

I jumped out of bed, ignoring the headache, nausea, and discomfort, and sprinted to the bathroom for a quick shower.

“Aurora, I need a huge cup of strong coffee and a couple of aspirin!” I yelled as I hurried past.

I dressed quickly, slipping into my usual executive suit—tailored gray jacket and pants, a white shirt, and low, dark heels. At work, I had to leave the “new Ava” behind, at least until I told my grandfather my plans. Besides, I always felt more comfortable in those clothes; they hid my curves well.

I ran out of the house. Yes, it was too late, but I was hoping to make it at least halfway through the meeting. Either way, I had one thing for sure, the sermon my grandfather would give me.

In fact, this was a very important event, my grandfather had gathered the entire board of directors of the company because he would introduce the new partners. In addition, he had told me that he would make other important announcements, about which he did not want to give me details.

The only information that my grandfather had given me was that it was essential that I was present at the meeting, especially because I was his granddaughter, his heir and because I also helped my grandfather to run the company today. He was the owner and CEO of the company, however, I took over a lot of the work to take burdens off my grandfather.

For the same reason, I studied and prepared for this position, I wanted to help my grandfather, who was already quite old. He would soon be 83 years old, so he would probably end up retiring soon and I would have to take over the reins of the company completely.

In short, because of all this, my grandfather Chester wanted me to get married soon, he did not stop pressuring me about it, he did not want to leave all the weight of the company on my shoulders, according to him, I needed the support of a husband to run our company more efficiently.

However, when I finally gathered the courage, which I hoped would happen that very day, to confess to my grandfather that my relationship had ended and that I had decided to remain single, he would have to accept it. I would probably never marry.

I arrived at the company earlier than I thought, dying inside from a hangover and with a dead look on my face that I couldn’t hide even with makeup. But I had made it, I had arrived, and the meeting wasn’t over.

Just outside the meeting room, an assistant arrived with several cups of coffee.

“Miss Golf?!” Rina, the assistant, was surprised to see me late.

“Morning, good day,” I muttered as I slipped through the door behind her.

I tried to enter quietly, attempting to go unnoticed as I followed Rina into the room to take a seat at a remote spot at the boardroom table, hoping not to attract attention. But as soon as I emerged from behind Rina (not that she covered me much—thanks to my wide waist), all eyes turned to me.

I froze for a second, quickly scanning the table of frowning faces, not really looking at them. I turned to my grandfather, embarrassed, he was the one who was the most severe.

“Ava, so you finally arrived!” My grandfather’s voice rang out, his tone intimidating and his expression serious.

“I... I’m sorry...” I stammered, quickly walking to my usual seat next to him.

“Well, at least we haven’t reached the most important part. The meeting is about to end, and I was hoping you’d make it in time to start with the announcements.” I nodded, lowering my gaze as I picked up the folder prepared in front of me to make it look like I was ready. “First, let me introduce you to our new partners...” I stood up, looking around the table, searching for the new faces among those present. “Mr. Thomas Grand and his son, Alex Grand.”

My heart skipped a beat at the sound of that name. Nervously, I looked down at the folder I was holding, trying to process what I had just heard. "It can't be, it must be a coincidence, an incredible coincidence."

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to look up again. My grandfather was pointing to a specific spot at the table, and as I turned to look, I found exactly what I feared—those intense, beautiful blue eyes.

A shiver ran down my spine, and I think I turned as red as a tomato, feeling my face burn with heat.

“Nice to meet you, Miss Golf,” Mr. Tomás said, standing up immediately with a smile. His son followed suit.

“My pleasure,” Alex murmured.

Hearing Alex’s hoarse voice made me jump slightly, snapping me out of my reverie. It reawakened certain memories that sent a shudder through me. He seemed to notice, a slight, almost malicious smile playing at the corner of his lips. I nodded toward both men, but the words wouldn’t come. I just couldn’t speak. I robotically took my seat again, and the newly introduced men did the same.

“Oh, my God! What did I drink last night? A hallucinogen? This must be a product of a hangover! Yes, my mind has to be playing tricks on me! I’m imagining Alex in the new partner’s body! That has to be it... But my grandfather said his name... No, this has to be another hallucination! Wow, that party and those drinks were powerful! I’ll never drink like a brainless person again!” My conscience argued with me as I pretended to read the folder I had been holding for a while.

My grandfather remained standing, leading the meeting.

"Well, in summary, I can tell you that they are the owners of a new advertising company called Imagin, which has grown incredibly over the past year, demonstrating its capacity. I am confident this partnership will bring great benefits to both of us. According to the reports we've been reviewing over the last hour, the tremendous skill and ability of these men are evident."

I continued to focus on the folder, staring at it without truly seeing it. I didn’t want to look up. I didn’t want to meet Alex's eyes. I just wanted to keep imagining that this was all some kind of hallucination, especially after everything that happened the night before. I thought I would never see him again!