Her

An alarm blared, as the time on it read, "6:45am."

A feminine hand stretched forward, turning off the alarm, before going back to the bed, pulling the blanket closer to the body on the bed.

A phone on the table beside the bed rang, causing the person on the bed to groan.

She reached forward to grab the phone, clicking the answer button, and pulling it to her ear.

"What?" She asked yawning.

"Girl, I hope you're not still in bed." The male voice called from over the phone.

"And what if I am?"

"Are you forgetting you have a presentation today?"

"What today? No I don't have a presentation till Thursday."

"Krystal baby, it's Thursday."

"What? No it's…." Krystal checked her phone, seeing that it was indeed Thursday.

"Fuck!"

Krystal rushed to the bathroom, squirting toothpaste on to her toothpaste, before placing it in her mouth. Rushing out of the bathroom and opening her wardrobe, her eyes easily caught the outfit she had prepared since the week before and placed it on her bed.

A red turtle neck top, with gray suit trousers.

She hurried back into the bathroom, turning on the shower, and stepping in.

Krystal rushed into the kitchen, shoving a piece of bread into her mouth as she jumped up and down trying to get her shoes on. 

As she ran round her apartment, she paused at a small mirror, fixing her brown hair into a small braid, satisfied with her look in the mirror.

She ran out of her apartment, bag in hand, neglecting to turn off her electric appliances in a hurry, and jumped on to her six-year old Toyota Camry.

As she turned on the ignition, her phone rang again.

It was the same number that called her that morning.

"Yes Jerry?" She said to the person on the other side of the phone.

"Krystal dear, are you ready?"

"Yes, yes I'm already on my way."

"Do you have everything?"

"Yes I do."

"Are you sure?"

"Hmmm mmmn." Krystal nodded, though Jerry could not see.

"You've got your bag, your purse, your keys." 

Krystal hummed along to everything Jerry listed out, checking to make sure she had them all.

"Your portfolio?"

She paused and gasped.

"Shit!"

Krystal rushed down from the car, and ran inside to get her portfolio.

Then she rushed back down, locking up, before entering the car.

She turned on the ignition, but her car started spluttering.

"What?"

More weird sounds came from the car.

"Oh come on don't fail me now."

She turned the key again, and the car finally started, Krystal putting it into drive, and driving out of her garage.

Krystal pulled up to a giant glass building.

On the top of the building, on a billboard, the company's name stood out:

House Of Terry.

As Krystal pushed open the doors of the building, she was immediately greeted by the security guard on duty.

"Good Morning Miss Krystal."

"Morning Micheal."

She walked up to the front desk and signed in, swiftly greeting the secretary.

"Good morning Marga."

"Good morning Krystal. Good luck on your presentation today."

"Oh thanks."

She started walking upstairs, when someone stepped in her line of vision.

"Brat." The lady in front of her commented, sneering at her, making Krystal roll her eyes.

"Eva, I don't have time for you right now." Krystal said sidestepping her, going up the stairs.

"Good luck on your presentation today. You're gonna need it if you're going to impress the Project Manager. Which by the way, happens to be…….me." 

Eva said, smirking.

"I don't need to impress the Project Manager, I just need to impress The Head of Designs, which happens to not be you." Krystal replied, smiling sarcastically.

"Well, good luck with that. I can't wait to see you fail and humiliate yourself today. See you later." Eva said, smiling sweetly as she went down the stairs.

Krystal sneered at her, before walking up the stairs.

She arrived at a small office, pushing the door open, and going to one of the two tables in the room.

Pulling back the chair, she dropped her stuff on the table, and started organizing them.

"Good morning girl."

Krystal looked up to see her best friend walk in, crying his own sketchbook and a cup of coffee.

"Good morning Jerry." She greeted 

Jerry handed her the coffee and she smiled at him. "You're a life saver."

"I know." Jerry said as she took a sip of the coffee. "Okay now you know, your meeting's in ten minutes. Got everything ready?"

"Yeah, yeah, I think so." Krystal said, going through the sketches in her portfolio.

"I just need to……"

"Hello." There was a knock on her door, and the two looked up to see a young handsome man, wearing a grey suit, standing just outside the door.

"Good morning you two." The man said entering the office.

The two friends exchanged disgusted looks.

"Ah, Good Morning sir." Jerry greeted with a fake smile and a cherry voice.

"Good morning Jerry." The man casted his gaze over at Krystal, who continued to arrange her portfolio.

"Good morning Krystal." He greeted.

"Good morning Sir." She greeted unenthusiastically.

The man, Mr. Samson Moore, frowned lightly at her tone.

Jerry laughed nervously. "Don't mind her sir, she's just worried about her presentation today."

"Ah is that so?" Moore said drawing closer to Krystal. "Well I'm sure she'll do great."

He said whispering softly into her ears.

"Although, we could always skip the presentation." He said, placing a hand on her waist. "There are other….ways for you to get me to approve this project of yours."

His hands started trailing upward, but Krystal caught it, violently ripping them away from her.

"Well Sir, I'm afraid I don't know these other……ways you speak of. I have worked very hard on this project, and I am sure I will be able to get your approval without doing anything that is out of bounds for me to do." Krystal said fiercely.

Moore laughed sinisterly, backing up. "Alright if you say so."

He walked to the door, placing a hand on the handle, as he maintained eye contact with her.

"Goodluck."

He closed the door walking away.

Krystal took a shuddering breath as the man left her office.

"Ugh!" Jerry groaned in disgust. "He's such a pervert, and to think he's the Head Of Designs. I just wish he wasn't the one to examine your projects."

"I wish that too Jerry." Krystal said sighing, as she sunk back down into her seat.

"Hey! What's that look on your face?" Jerry asked, coming to stand in front of her. "No, no, no wipe that frown off, it's your big day. You need to smile. Project beauty and confidence. No need to be discouraged. You can do it Krystal, I know you can." 

Jerry said confidently.

Krystal nodded, picking up courage. 

"You're right Jerry. I should stop feeling down, I mean, I've worked for this, I've prepared hard enough for this. There's no reason for me to feel down. I….I can do this." Krystal said confidently. "I know I can!"

"And so, members of the board, this is what I feel will lift our company's wedding dress line forward. By giving women these designs, you're not just making their wedding day glamorous, you're helping make their childhood dreams come true."

Krystal finished her presentation, with a smile on her face, her sketches on a board behind her.

The Board Members exchanged impressed looks and then gave her a round of applause, impressed with her designs.

Krystal took a subtle breath of relief, glancing at Jerry who gave her a thumbs up.

The applause died down as everyone turned their head to the Head Of Designs.

Moore took a look at Krystal's sketches, then back at her and hummed.

"Hmmmn. I don't like them."

Krystal gasped in horror. "What?"

"He says, he doesn't like them. What are you deaf?" Eva asked, clearly amused now 

"But sir, Krystal's ideas……"

"Are boring, lack fire, and they make me want to puke." Moore said, interrupting the board member who spoke up.

"I mean, Disney Princesses themed wedding dress, really. Why would I want my wife to wear something that looks like it came out of a children's cartoon?"

"Sir, if I may…." Krystal started.

"No! No you may not." Moore said firmly. "I'm sorry Krystal, this is not what I want. This is not what the company needs for it to go forward."

Krystal dropped her gaze to the ground.

"I'm just going to have to remove you from the Wedding Dress project."

"What? Come on sir, please you….you can't do that." Krystal pleaded.

"I can, and I will. I'm working for the interest of this company. Are you?"

"Of course sir. I care about this company more than anything."

"Then you would have done better. Cass…"

Moore called another lady who jumped hearing her name. "Yes sir?"

"I'm putting you in charge of the Wedding Dress project."

"A…are you sure sir?" Cass asked timidly

"Yes, have your presentation ready by the end of the week. Meeting adjourned."

Moore stood up, leaving the board room, Krystal immediately chasing after him.

"Mr Moore, Mr Moore please wait." Krystal caught him in the hallway, coming to stand in front of him.

"Sir if you'll just give me another chance, I'm sure I will……"

"You've had your chance Krystal, and you failed. I'm sorry, but I don't think I can trust you with another project again."

"W…what are you trying to say sir?"

"Krystal you're are no longer Head Fashion Designer. You are now to work under, whoever I put at the top."

"No….no you can't do that. I've worked very hard to get this position." Krystal said, tears brimming at the corner of her eyes.

"I'm sorry Krystal, that's just the way it is." Then he drew closer to her, whispering in her ear. "Of course all these would have been avoided if you had just done the needful."

Then he walked away, leaving her in the hallway.

Krystal stood there numb, as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Jerry came to her, in the hallway.

"Oh Krystal dear, come on, let's go back to the office."

He started steering her in the direction of the office, when they were blocked by Eva.

"Oh isn't that sad, your designs were really crappy after all." She said tauntingly.

"Hey watch your mouth lady, go find someone else to bother." Jerry snapped at her.

"Watch your tone with me, I'm the project manager." Eva spat back.

"You may be the project manager, but that doesn't mean I can't slap you silly, now get out of here."

Eva tsked. "Whatever."

Krystal and Jerry walk into their office, Jerry closing the door behind them.

Krystal walk over to her desk, placing a hand on it, the other hand over her mouth.

"Krystal baby, are you okay?" Jerry asked cautiously.

Krystal started sobbing loudly, and then she yelled frustratingly.

She grabbed all of her sketchbooks and threw them in the trash, then threw all her paperwork off her table, before sinking to the ground sobbing.

Jerry rushed over to her, pulling her into his arms, as he rubbed her back.

"There, there, dear. Try to calm down."

"I worked so hard to get here. He can't just take everything away from me, over what. That I refused to sleep with him?!"

"I know dear, he's a bad man, a very bad man indeed."

"I hate him!" Krystal sobbed the more. "I hate him so much."

She kept crying, as Jerry continued to console her.