Chapter Two

Maddison Silva was not your typical accountant. Her insatiable appetite for success had led her to be the youngest senior accountant at the Braccio Accounting Firm, the biggest accounting firm in the region. An intense desire to live life to the maximum led her to early morning workouts two to three times a week at the local gym down, dieting, attending church every Saturday, self-defence classes and reading many self help books on how to get the best out of life. The result of all this was a toned five foot eight inch frame, staunch religious belief and a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. While most of her friends and colleagues were either in long term relationships or married, she had no desire for such companionship. A traumatic and abusive past relationship quickly saw the end to that dream, at least for the foreseeable future. Life was good, really good and she had no desire to fix what was not broken. Besides, very few men were willing to tangle with a strong-willed and independent woman capable of kicking their asses.

She finished her morning run and headed towards the shower, glancing at the clock hanging on her bedroom wall. It was half past six in the morning, meaning she had two and a half hours before she was expected to be in the office. Maddison preferred to be in the office earlier than that because she was determined to outwork every single one of her colleagues, especially the men. This was not the equity and equality that true feminists had been advocating for but it was the reality of life. Men statistically earned more than women, despite doing the same job. Although Maddison did not consider herself to a feminist, she did agree with on this matter and a few others. Initially the whole idea of having to work twice as hard as any man to get the same amount of recognition and money bothered her immensely until it became something she relished. There were many things you could say about her but slacker was not one of them.

I’ll seize this day like I have done every other day before it.

Maddison dumped her sweat-stained running gear in the laundry basket and strode into the shower. She was feeling really good today, probably due the endorphins in her brain and the adrenaline coursing through her veins.

I hope that this feeling never ends.