Twisting Morals “Last night, Secretary Lewis mailed me his concerns.” West sat behind his desk. His big hands cradled a thick cobalt tri-ring binder, the “Employee Ethics Code” from HR archives. Over the grapevine, Lee heard that the mere sight of said binder meant instant termination. She never imagined the day she'd be in a situation like where she was now—seeing that damn thing now. Let alone being judged. Dina did not recall bringing the folder up from the archives floor. West must have sent Lewis. “Fuck,” Lee thought. “I carried over the request to the utility. As of this morning, your desks are now permanently facing.” Secretary Lee felt confused. CEO West did not look as angry as he expressed on the phone earlier. His relaxed angled brows on his handsome face. However, his emerald eyes scanned, stabbing daggers, not towards Dina but through the folder in his hands. He was reviewing the printed text. West's face was complexly cold and stern, yet Dina swore she could
Creeping Division As days passed-a void grew between Mr. and Mrs. Lewis in their tiny apartment. It had been a week since Kitty’s mother-in-law told her Ken's secret, and all of Kitty's initiatives were rendered fruitless. At first, she tried opening the topic, which failed, but now, Ken was resistant whenever she expressed her affection. It was pointless talking or hinting alone; her husband kept changing the subject. Kenneth got out of the bath. He stood by the doorway with his pajama pants on, wiping the back of his neck with his towel. "The shower's all yours, dear," Ken said dryly. To Kitty, it did not look like he wanted to talk. Kitty smiled and stood up. Just as she walked past him, she gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Ken's lip curled up slightly. He didn't flinch or resist but took it as a habit. Her heart stung slightly but hid it from him. She expected his kiss, but Ken didn't kiss back. Not seeing the response she wanted, Kitty left for the bathroom. With a towel in
In Her Hands Now ~ Ring, Ring, Ring. ~ Ring, Ring, Ring. ~ Ring, Ring, Ring. The dial rang thrice before he answered the phone. Leah felt relieved. She's been Pat's attention for days now. Leah Cameron wasn't too dense to know Patrick Sylas was ignoring her. "Hello, handsome. How've you been?" Leah said coyly. "I'm getting tired of your shit, Leah." He spat. She could tell it was a right to piss him off. "Why, aren't you tired of making me your boy toy yet?" Patrick said. He sat in his seat, typing, swamped with research and raw articles to correct. Her timing always pissed him off. "Ouch! What made you say that?" Leah pretended to be hurt. "I see nothing wrong about calling the man I love at 8 in the morning." "I don't know about you, but I think you shouldn't be hitting on your husband's subordinates," Patrick spat sarcastically. "So much for love." "Boo, you're no fun anymore, Patty," Leah played. "What if I want his subordinate more, hmm?" He said nothing. "You
It Felt Right Kitty felt anxious. Since returning to the unit from Leah's, the pressure had been eating Kitty. She made it clear, in her head, that she didn't like to be on the receiving end. The idea made her angry, impatient, and itching. Breathing was difficult. "...I need to talk about this, but when and with whom?" The sun sunk. Kitty made it back in time to prepare dinner. Chicken soup, for her confusion, was appealing-so she went to make it. She found some elbows, boiled and strained them by the sink. Seasoned chicken breasts were swimming in tomato paste in the saucepan while Kitty severed the vegetables and individually tossed them in. Slowly her anxiety backed up but was still present in her shaky hands. Trembling hands caress and firmly hold the shaved potatoes- dicing them in fours. The knife kissing the wooden chopping board sounded like a donkey walking on smooth gravel. ~Chop. Chop. Chop. Chop. When Kitty was satisfied with the size, she immediately tossed the
Prologue Kitty was nervous. She was sitting on one of the long cushioned benches in front of HR. The random sound of keyboards clacking inharmoniously and mouse clicking added to it. Today was her interview at West Enterprises, a relatively new company headed by Alexander West, the owner of a vast five-star hotel and land corporation chain across the country. Kitty didn't know much about him: other than his money, and recently his good looks. Judging from a portrait in HR's waiting area, CEO West is a good-looking late fifty-something-year-old man. Kitty retreated her gawking when she later noticed a CCTV camera refocusing on her. She mused to herself, tucking a black shoulder-length loose strand behind her ear and covering her chest. She thought the older man was there staring back at her behind the lens. A short, forty-something, blond woman poked her head out from behind the open double-door glass frame leading to the work area. "Miss Katherine? Katherine Doe?" "Yes," Kitty sa
5 Years Later It was 6 am. The alarm's buzzing echoed calmly through the small apartment, but it grew angrier in the bedroom. The inside was still dark; the only light source came from the beeping clock. On the bed, two bodies were under the blankets facing apart from one another. Being nearer to the alarm, Kitty got up first, met the person beside her, brushed his unruly hair from his forehead, and kissed the sleeping person beside her. "Good morning, daddy." "Mommy... Good morning" Ken said-barely awake. Kitty smiled. She got up to stretch, fluffed her pillow, and went into the bathroom to wash the sleep from her eyes. Afterward, she tied her hair, dragged her feet to the living room, and tapped on the hamster's cage. She wasn't pregnant, she wanted to be, but it still hasn't happened yet. They practiced first with a pet. But given that ken's apartment was small, it would be cramped to keep a dog in a small one-bedroom apartment, so they both agreed to have two hamsters they tr
A Chance Encounter Leah was free, again. It was a weekday; Mr. Cameron's black Charger pulled out from their driveway; he left her there waving with a smile. Leah's husband, Paul, won't be home until six. Margie, their first, and Robin, their last, were later carpooled to elementary school; they won't be in until five. That leaves her alone in a big house. Leah went back inside, locked the doors, and lounged on the sofa while setting an appointment with Keanu. He was free in the afternoon. Satisfied, she then thought of the chores she could accomplish while at home. She stood up, stretched, and turned to the radio. Leah left it on as she cleaned the house, did the laundry, cooked for herself, and planned to whip up a brisket for dinner; she made it a point to finish her routine before eating lunch. Right after her meal, in their stark white marbled kitchen, Her phone buzzed. She looked outside the window, checking if anyone was in close perimeter to the house; there was no one the
Innocent as a Kitten "What do you mean by that," Kitty asked hesitantly. "Us girls need to stick together in this cruel world," Leah emphasized smiling; Kitty didn't buy it. Her shoulders stiffened, and she crossed her arms, clutching the tote sling on her right arm with her left hand; she felt the older woman's gaze on her. Leah smiled; she felt amused and glanced up and down at the younger woman's profile. She deduced that the young woman was tame. Yes, boringly tame. Leah discreetly judged Kitty's appearance; she wore a dirty white, loose-fitted round collar shirt with the sleeved folded and the hem tucked in a pair of mocha ankle pants. On her feet, she wore a dark blue knitted slip on's with what looked like the top of grey socks sticking out. Under her arm was a black tote bag with what looked like her belongings and the items she bought and stole from the grocery. "Let's say we know each other for a while. Hmmm, let's say we are friends-" "But we just met today." Kitty s