Behind the Mask

Zara's pov***

“Sera Quinn,” the young classy assistant called from the doorway. I stood up and walked into the office

“Sera Quinn from ‘the grants cooperation’?” she inquired.

“That's me,” I told her with a broad, confident smile.

“You can go in now.”

“Thank you,” I walked into the conference room, the very same one I was thrown out of. I wore a navy blue skirt, which hung gracefully just above my knees, and a black shirt perfectly tucked in. Sylvia had chosen the colour for me, hinting that it gave a killer vibe.

At the center of the table sat Tania, she was flanked by two gentlemen on her side. I walked in front of her confidently, sitting, and I crossed my legs.

“Quite an impressive resume, Miss Sera Quinn, your references are outstanding,” Tania said without looking up.

What if she recognized me, I thought, anxiety crossed my mind, but Sylvia had made sure that I wouldn’t be recognized easily thanks to a few touches here and there.

“Looks like you’ve handled quite a few fires,” she said, finally looking up.

For a moment, I hoped she didn’t recognize me. I needed my cover to be intact to execute my plan, and even though she was still my friend, I couldn’t tell her just yet.

“I do have a thing for putting them out,” I smiled lightly.

“You are much younger than I anticipated,” she said while studying my face.

“Age, they say, is just a number,” I replied to her with an even voice. And she nodded.

“Crisis management, cooperate image rehabilitation, you successfully took down a smear campaign against oak & ivory within a week, how did you pull that off?” Tania asked, I wondered if that was out of genuine curiosity or a part of the interview.

Tania hadn’t aged herself, she looked very much like the Tania I knew from three years back, except this time, the spark in her eyes had died. The Tania I met at the train station was no longer there.

“By remembering that every crisis is a story, my job as the specialist is to rewrite the end,” I told her, but deep down I spoke about myself and the end I was about to write.

“Confident,” she said, nodding, pausing for a brief moment, she asked, “You look familiar, have we met before?”

The heat in the room intensified, but I had been trained by Sylvia and knew how to manage such a situation.

“Maybe, I've got one of those faces,” I shrugged slightly, and Tania laughed.

“All alright, Miss Sera. An email would be sent to your company.” She said, and I stood up to shake her hand.

“I very much look forward to it,” I smiled and walked out.

Tania’s pov***

When she walked into the conference room, she had a slight resemblance to Zara, and I couldn't help but notice, her body frame mirrored that of Zara, with the same blonde hair, only this one was longer.

This woman also seemed confident, a quality Zara didn’t have. The thought kept lingering with me as the interview went on.

I had gone to her house after the incident at Roman's place, and she wasn’t there. Stacy, her dog, our dog, the one she stole from me, stirred at me, worried for Zara. I had taken the dog home since then.

Not once did I look for her. She stole too much from me, and I was just glad she was gone.

“Maybe I've got one of those faces,” she replied when I asked if I had met her before, but her eyes seemed to say otherwise.

“Mary, send out the results from the interviews to the respective bodies,” I instructed my new assistant.

I shifted my thoughts to Roman, who was expecting me at his place after the close of the day. It troubled me that he had never clearly defined our relationship. But I had worked so hard to get there, and I wasn’t going to stop.

Zara’s pov***

“Yes, I screamed at the dining table. Sylvia looked at me, startled.

“I got in, I made it in,” I told her with a mischievous grin on my face.

“It's all about to pay off,” she replied from the other end of the table with somewhat restrained enthusiasm.

Sylvia didn’t normally seem excited about things like this until the big goal was achieved, but I knew she was glad for my small win. I had her to thank for her unwavering support over the past three years.

“There is a welcome dinner for tomorrow with the company,” I informed her

“Good, I'll ask the nanny to sit in with the twins for the night,” Sylvia responded.

The twins, the ones my whole world revolved around. Sylvia had talked me out of an abortion then, and for that, I was grateful to her because every day that grew my love for my children deepened immeasurably.

“Thanks, this is all thanks to you,” I told her. But she said nothing and continued her dinner.

“What do you think about Dr. Adrian?” I asked her to change the topic.

She rolled her eyes at me

“Enough of your matchmaking, Zara, we have a dinner to plan for,” she retorted.

For her effort in my life, I genuinely wanted to make sure she was happy, she had lived a single life after the death of her husband whom she had no children for. Sometimes, watching her care for Aria and Leo, one would think that she was their birth mother.

“Zara, hurry up! we are going to be late,” Sylvia shouted from the balcony, her voice raising a note of urgency.

“But you wanted you to be late,” I reminded her.

“Not this late,” she said back. I looked at myself in the mirror once more,

“I am Zara Amani, and I can do this,” I told myself, and picked up my sleek black glassy purse from the vanity and headed downstairs.

“Wow, you look...”

“Absolutely splendid? Yes, I know, you don’t look bad yourself,” I interjected with a smile.

“I was going to say gorgeous, the gown sits well on you, I was right to choose this,” she said, beaming at me. She was my hair stylist, fashion stylist, my everything, and it was surprising how she managed all those for someone her age.

As we drove towards the venue, I thought about the challenges in front of me. I desperately needed to prove my innocence, even if it had been three years, I needed to show Roman he was wrong, wrong to have left me.

“I'll find you later,” she said as we entered the hall, which was filled with workers from Vales & Sons and a few staff from Grant Corporation.

I walked down the hall, smiling at some familiar faces from Grant corporations. I picked up a glass of wine from the servers, and just then Tania walked up to me.

“Miss Sera,” she greeted, and I nodded curtly at her.

“Have you met our boss, Roman Vale?” The name hit somewhere in my heart.

“I just came in,” I told her, attempting to maintain my composure.

“Stick around, you just might find him,” she laughed. “He is a hard man to work for.” She appeared tipsy; she never could hold her liquor, just like me.

“The harder the merrier,” I told her and walked off.  I spotted Roman and Levi at the other end of the hall, talking to Sylvia. He wore a tuxedo, his fit body stuck to the suit. His shoulders were broader than ever. I hissed.

“I hope you still stand this tall when I am done with you,” I said and laughed quietly. I walked closer to them, and Sylvia's eyes locked onto mine. I watched her excuse herself from their midst, and Levi followed her almost immediately. That was my cue.

Romans pov***

“Let's go get a drink,” Miss Sylvia told Levi, and they both walked off. I was already tired from all the greetings, and dinners were a waste of time for me, but this one I couldn’t run from. Just as I was about to leave, I saw her.

From behind, she looked exactly like…. I hesitated, I didn’t want to say it, I didn’t want to think it, her hair was longer than I recalled, and she seemed taller.

I moved closer, almost in a trance. It was like I had seen a ghost.

“Zara?” I called out, my voice managing some steadiness.

She turned…