Evy.
"She's asleep now," Mary speaks as soon as I drop my bag on the sofa.
"Thank you, Mary! You don't know how worried I've been about her today," I whisper, feeling tired.
"I knew you had gone job hunting, and when I realized you hadn't come back home, I assumed you'd found something." I smile.
"Yes. It's not much, but it'll help us."
"That's good, dear. And what about her?" I let out an audible sigh.
"I still don't know, Mary. Could you look after her while I go back home?"
"I can do that for a few days, dear, but you know Judy needs special care."
"Yeah, I know. But with what I'll earn, it'll barely cover the bills and food for us. How will I afford a clinic?" I grumble disheartened.
"Dear, you could place her in a nursing home. Just... until things improve." I feel suffocated just hearing that suggestion, but I know I won't have another choice.
"I promise I'll consider it carefully, Mary." The sweet lady forces a smile at me.
"Alright, dear! I left some macaroni in the fridge for you. Take a shower, eat something, and rest. Tomorrow is another day."
"Yes. Thank you again, Mary!" She nods and leaves. After a long shower, I wear a short flannel pajama set and before heading to my room, I take a moment to look at her. Mom sleeps peacefully under the effect of medication, and tears well up as I sit on the small armchair, observing her for long minutes. "I'm so sorry, Mom!" I whisper. "I didn't want to have to take you away from me, much less force you to live with strangers. However, I don't see another way out. I promise... it'll only be for a while," I softly mutter, wiping away the tears. I stand up and before leaving the room, I gently kiss her forehead.
The next day...
"Good morning, Evy! Ready for another day?" My boss asks me with an enthusiasm I can't quite understand. Maybe that's just his overly enthusiastic manner, or perhaps he wants to cheer us up for another hectic day. With a smile, I grab my uniform and go to change for another day of work. D'Angelo is a business building, but the vast majority of the commercial spaces are law firms and administration offices. It hosts renowned and large companies. From what I've heard the girls comment, Mr. Gael D'Angelo, the owner, maintains one of his companies here, even on the top floor. Rumors also say that none of our maids have served that floor. Seems like the man has grandiose habits or a king-sized ego. Well, even working in the building's pantry won't get me to that top floor. "Let's go, ladies! Anne, third, fifth, and sixth floor. Wendy, twentieth, twenty-third, and thirty-first. Evy, the entrepreneurship floor."
"Look, she just arrived and is already near the sky!" Anne jokes, pulling my attention away from our boss's announcement, making me look at her curiously.
"Near the sky?" She nods, sporting a broad smile.
"It's the floor closest to D'Angelo and where you get the best tips too," Wendy whispers, and I glance at my boss who continues reading the long list of tasks, assigning them to the respective employees. While he reads, he throws me an unreadable glance, and I smile back at the man who smirks suggestively at me. I pretend indifference and leave the small meeting room with the other employees.
"I think Dylan's taking a shine to you, Evy," Anne comments in a secretive tone while arranging her cart.
"Oh, of course not! Why do you think that?" She shrugs.
"No one goes to that department on their second day of work. They're usually very particular about that, and Dylan always tries to keep everything in perfect order. You're making progress with our boss, girl!" The girl winks and pushes her cart. Inevitably, I glance at the glass walls that separate the office of my boss from the pantry and once again, I find him looking at me. I sigh and try to focus on my cart.
Nervous? I can say that at this moment, that word is an understatement for me. I'm trembling like crazy! Knowing that Maden Accounting is the most sought-after accounting firm in the country and the world has shaken me to my core. And you might be wondering, why so much stress? Because accounting is my world. I studied for it, dreamed about it my whole life, and above all, I dreamed of working in this company, but look where I am now! Exactly in a meeting room of the top accountants, staring at each padded chair around the rectangular table. Only, I'm on the wrong side and not seated in any of those chairs. Anxiously, I run my hand over the thick, bluish fabric of one of them and let out a deep sigh. You need to leave, Ivy. My subconscious alerts me, and nervously, I press my lips, stepping away from the table, but without turning my back to head for the exit door. At that moment, someone opens it abruptly, and I'm violently pushed forward, falling on all fours onto the polished wooden floor.
"Damn it!" I curse softly, but I'm exasperated because I know I stayed longer than I should have. I just had to leave the damn cart in the room and exit right away. Why didn't I say that, damn it?
"What are you doing here?!" A female voice questions irritably, making me raise my head and awkwardly stand up, murmuring an apology.
"I just... I just came to bring breakfast for the meeting," I explain, running my hands over my uniform, trying to fix it as best as possible.
"You're new?!" There's a clear dissatisfaction in the woman's tone. Damn, I'm in big trouble!
"Y-yes, ma'am!"
"Dylan knows our requirements, how dare he?!" I gulp and realize I can't afford to lose this job.
"T-this won't happen again, ma'am," I assure nervously and agitatedly.
"No, it won't! Now get out of here!"
"Of course, Ma'am, and I apologize for the trouble!" I take two hurried steps to leave as quickly as possible, but I collide too forcefully with a tall figure and feel myself being thrown to the ground once again. However, before I feel the impact, a pair of hands firmly grasp my waist, and I immediately meet a pair of honey-colored eyes looking at me. A sideways smile emerges amidst a neatly trimmed beard.
"Just what I needed now!" The woman grumbles, still irritated, prompting me to immediately move away from the man, trembling, and readjust my uniform.
"I'm sorry for this, Sir!" I apologize, embarrassed, but I dare not look into the eyes of everyone gathered behind him due to the darn incident.
"I'll ensure this doesn't happen again, don't worry!" The woman scolds furiously, and I push my way out among the businessmen.
Here's the revised translation, aiming to align more closely with the original text and addressing the pointed inconsistencies and discrepancies.
Evy, Later tonight... I open the front door eagerly anticipating a long bath, craving to devour dinner, and then simply collapse into my bed. However, upon seeing Mary standing in my living room with a pitying expression, my energy renews, and I hurry towards the second room down the narrow hallway. I stop, frozen, as I spot my mother sitting at the edge of her bed, rocking back and forth, her gaze distant. "She's not doing well today," Mary comments, coming to a stop beside me. "What happened?" She lets out an audible sigh. "I don't know. Judy simply refused to take her meds and started saying she was seeing her father in the room. I tried to calm her down, but she wouldn't stop screaming, and when she finally did, she became like this." "Damn it, Mary, why didn't you call me?" "And disrupt your second day of work?" "But, Mary, she's my mother!" "Yes, I know. And you need that job to help her." I exhale sharply and move closer to my mother. I place my hands on her shoulders,
Gael "There he is!" Paul, my personal advisor, says as he enters my office. His spontaneous cheerfulness makes me roll my eyes because I know he's expecting good news from my last family meeting. Being born in the golden cradle of D'Angelo brings some very, very good things: success, money, hot women and the extravagance of parties, although it has its downside too. Women always look at you as if you were a huge pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. You don't have the freedom to come and go, and you have the weight of an empire on your shoulders. "So how did it go there? Are you more of a millionaire than you were yesterday, or..." I laugh sarcastically. "You're not going to believe this, but my mom left a demand in her will. Can you believe she demanded a marriage with love and all the frills possible?" "Holy shit!" she grumbles and pulls up a chair to sit down. "What was she thinking?" "She wants to punish me, simply to impose her will on me. Something she hasn't managed to do
Gael. Hours later... I enter the house to its usual silence and, after getting rid of my tie, I go to the corner bar and pour myself a generous shot of whisky. Afterwards, I approach a glass wall and observe the streets with their bright lights and the bridges that seem to wrap around the city. You can't hear anything from here, everything seems too quiet, but the chaotic traffic says otherwise. I take another sip of my drink and decide to go up to the second floor of the penthouse, and then to the master bedroom. I take a long shower, put on some comfortable clothes and call the hotel restaurant to order my dinner. While I'm waiting, I lock myself in the office and open D'Angelo's accounting minutes. A few months ago we discovered that our chief accountant was carrying out some petty theft in the company. Of course, I demanded secrecy on the matter, because I didn't want my name in the tabloid gossip, let alone to be seen as a weak and inattentive businessman. That's exactly why P
Evy "Good morning, my name is Evy! Mr. D’Ang..." "Of course, Mr. D'Angelo is expecting you!" I don't reciprocate the secretary's cordial smile as she kindly opens the door for me because I'm so nervous I don't even know how to react at this moment. What could I do, beg not to be fired? Humiliate myself so he might take pity on me? No! My father always taught us that we should have some integrity, and if I have to stay in this job, it will be by acknowledging my mistakes and fixing them the best I can. And if he doesn't accept me into his company, I'll find another job, right? Damn it, it's not that easy, Evy! You're desperate, that's a fact! I enter an extremely spacious and well-lit office and can't help but notice the details of the light furniture in perfect contrast with the black and charcoal gray décor. Behind an imposing mahogany desk sits a man too young for such an important position. Dark-skinned, square-faced, with a stubble that made him look masculine and piercing. His
Evy — Evy, are you okay?" Wendy asks with concern as soon as I enter the pantry. I ignore her worry and head straight to my boss's office, and as I walk in, Dylan stands up from his chair. He doesn't hide a worried look and immediately comes over to me. "Evy, what's wrong?!" Without hesitation, I rush into his arms and cry there for some time until I feel relieved. I sense him gently patting my back, and when I finally compose myself, I step away from his embrace, feeling embarrassed. "I'm sorry for that, Dylan," I say, avoiding eye contact. "No need to apologize, dear. Do you want to talk about what happened?" Although I desperately need to confide in someone, I shake my head. "Can you let me off for today? I'm sorry, I just can't work!" He exhales audibly. "Just because I can see you're not doing well, but you'll have to make up for it tomorrow," he says. I agree with another nod. "I promise! Thank you, Dylan!" I immediately leave his office and the building minutes later. As
Evy "Miss Dixon?" A female voice said as soon as I answered the call. "Yes, who is this?" "My name is Chloe. I'm Mr. D’Angelo's secretary, and I'm calling to let you know that I'll be sending a package to your address in a few hours." I furrow my brow. "What package?" I inquire. "Tonight, a driver will pick you up. Be ready!" Damn it, why do they need to make everything so mysterious?! I exhale deeply through my mouth, and just as I think of pressing on with my questions, the call ends. Idiots! I grumble inwardly and head back to my shower. An hour and a half later, the doorbell starts ringing, and upon opening the door, I'm met by a man in a delivery uniform. He simply hands me a large white box and extends a paper for me to sign. Once inside, driven by curiosity, I lift the lid of the box and push aside the tissue papers to find an exquisite long black dress and a pair of high heels. I scoff sarcastically. Who does he think he is? I curiously notice a small envelope at the botto
Evy After signing the contract with Mr. D'Angelo, everything in my life began to happen as if by magic. A call from the bank informed me that the mortgage on the house where I was born and raised had been paid off, the creditors who had simply vanished from my doorstep, and my mother who had been transferred to a specialized private oncology clinic. Finally, I could breathe a sigh of relief! The next steps would be timed. D'Angelo and I would have a photo session narrating our "love story," and his assistant would handle the rumors surrounding the coveted "Lion of Business" wedding. In the end, he looked into my eyes and said, "Get ready for the best part!" I wondered if there was anything better than laying my head on the pillow and sleeping without tears, without regrets, and without thinking about the next day. Surely, there wouldn't be. "Ready, your mother is settled in now. Can we talk?" Dr. Monique Toledo approached, pulling me from my reverie. I glanced at the door she had jus
Evy A few days later... Every girl's dream wedding. I think, looking at the long white lace dress, with its delicate high collar and sleeves trailing down my arms. A beautiful and delicate tiara, adorned with tiny sparkling stones, secures a full bun resembling beautiful dark brown petals. Anxiously, I let out a soft, almost imperceptible sigh. "Do this with your mouth," the makeup artist asks after applying the lipstick, a soft shade of red that perfectly complements the daytime makeup. "Perfect!" he chirps, clapping frantically, prompting a half-smile from me. It doesn't take long before I'm holding a bouquet of beautiful white lilies with tiny pink jasmines, walking into a church adorned entirely with the same flowers, tulle, and silk ribbons in the same color. Yet, there are only a few people in the countless pews. An organ announces my entrance, and soon all eyes are on me. I clutch the bouquet to contain my nerves, force a smile of a happy and passionate bride, and focus on th