Chapter 7

3 years after the rejection

Naomi looked at herself in the mirror and shrugged at how she looked, knowing that this was the best she was getting after 3 hours of sleep and running out of coffee. One of the main perks of working in computer programming is that Naomi could literally do her job from anywhere at anytime but every few months there was mandatory office time and she had to spend the next four weeks in the new headquarters for LiteGroup because they had hired a bunch of new recruits straight out of some very impressive colleges. but they had no work experience. They had no idea how to work as a team or how to work with Naomi and her management team so when they got drafted into the office, she was required to attend and show them the ropes.

Naomi didn’t begrudge it because she reminded herself we all started somewhere and needed that first help but at the same time, she didn’t exactly choose her current career for the socialising aspects.

At that moment there was a soft knock on her apartment door. Naomi answered and saw her Neighbour Lottie Norman was standing in front of her looking bright and cheerful as always. “Good Morning my darling girl” she said stepping into the small apartments living toom and embracing Namoi like she was her own child. “How is Alex today?”

“Grumpy” said Naomi. “He didn’t sleep well so his pattern may be off a bit today, all his medicines are ready as always and he is back in bed now but he hasn’t eaten yet” Lottie nodded understanding what all this meant. “It’s fine. Now go to work. I will take excellent care of him and when you come home come downstairs to my apartment and we can all have dinner together okay?”

Naomi gave her a grateful smile. She didn’t know what she would do without Lottie. She was Naomi’s Landlady and downstairs neighbour but she had become like a mother to her and she treated Naomis son Alex, like he was her own grandchild. Lottie owned the whole apartment block so she was home all day every day and was an amazing help to Naomi, never asking for anything in return.

“Okay, I better go before I am late and lose all credibility with my staff!” Naomi joked kissing Lottie on the cheek. “Call me if he gets any worse” she said as she picked up her purse and left the apartment.

Although the drive to work had been uneventful, all the way to the office Naomi had felt a sense of unease come over her. Normally this feeling started when she was in the house and was because of her worried for Alex but today this felt different. Like the pressure before a storm started, she felt like something ominous was brewing on the horizon and wished she could just drive back home and escape this sensation.

Pulling up at the office the sensation became worse, and Naomi told herself it was her paranoia. No one here knew who she was, and no one was going to recognise her. Naomi had paid a lot of money and put a lot of hard work into making herself a new person and there was no way she was found out. “C’mon Nai, it’s just nerves from going into the office. Just chill” she told herself as she took a few steadying breaths. Feeling calmer she climbed out of the car, walked across the parking lot and entered her office building.

As she walked into reception, she heard a familiar man’s voice call out “Well, well it’s the famous Natalie Lane gracing us with her presence”. She turned around to see her co-worker and only friend Jason smiling at her with his arms outstretched for a hug. Walking towards him Naomi gave him a wide smile. “Jason it is too early for you to be being this loud”

He threw back his head and gave a soft laugh. “You always make it sound like I am a trouble maker Nat”

“You are” she responded lightly punching his arm. “Been working out man? That almost hurt my fist!” Jason suddenly looked at her very seriously and bent down closer to her, his light green eyes inches from her own, looking at her intently “Yeah, wanna see the rest of it?” and then winking at her. For a moment She didn’t know how to respond until he laughed again. “My god Nat it is so easy to make you blush it feels almost unfair.”

Naomi punched him again. “Jackass” she muttered and started making her way to the lift. People were watching them as they walked together. Partly because of the noise they had been making but also because people found it hard not to look at ‘Natalie’ and Jason together. He was just over 6 foot and had that lean fit physique of a soccer player. You can tell he kept really fit but wasn’t bulky. He had family money so all his suits were tailored really well to make sure you never forgot fit he looked as well. Hidden under a mop of curly blonde hair that always needed cutting was a face that was handsome when he was in his normal stoic mode but when he smiled he had a beautiful smile complete with dimples and Naomi had literally seen a woman swoon over his smile before. One of the funniest things she had ever gotten to witness. 

Naomi walked into the lift with him and looked at herself in the mirrored panel as the door slid shut. It had been almost 3 years since her transformation, but she still found herself a little startled sometimes when she saw herself in the mirror. Gone was her long white, blond hair, replaced by a jaw length black bob and fringe, her blue eyes were now brown, she had put on some weight as she had been too thin before. She always made sure to wear eyeliner and lipstick as well, so her lip and eye shape looked different. To anyone who knew meek and nerdy Naomi Clark they would never assume this confident vampy looking woman in front of them was her. There was also the help of a glamour spell, that made it hard to focus on her for too long and that helped hide her scent in case she did meet someone from her old pack.