Not My Wish

Episode Two

The atmosphere in the room felt stifling. Lizbeth rose from her chair, pacing restlessly in her office. Her attention span has drastically decreased since the gala night four weeks ago.She is still disappointed by the lack of recognition for her decade of hard work and experience.

Andrew has been on her nerves ever since then; he has seemed determined to undermine her at every opportunity he gets. He has been micromanaging her projects, criticizing her work in meetings, and generally making her job as challenging as possible.

After a while, she finally settled into work, but then a memo from HR popped up on her screen stating the new development in her department.

“It's time to confront this son of a b***h,” Lizbeth murmured under her breath angrily. She stood up and walked into Andrew's office looking furious.

“You should learn to seek permission before entering my office; it is called courtesy,” Andrew said with a bossy tone.

But Lizbeth was too furious to respond to him, so she walked away. After a few steps, she turned back and said, “Watch your back, bastard.”

Andrew only responded with a chuckle, which made her more angry.

During the week Lizbeth went grocery shopping after a busy day at work, where she met a long-time colleague, Matson. They both interned for the same organization a few years ago. They had a long discussion because it's been years since they last saw.

“Do you know Hughes is currently hiring?” Matson spoke with a husky voice.

“Really! I never knew they were hiring,” Lizbeth responded with an excitement-filled tone.

“I heard they want someone with real estate experience and background. You’re a suitable fit for this role, Lizbeth; give it a shot.” Matson responded with a cheering voice.

“Sure, I will give it a try,” Lizbeth responded with a smile.

Rain pattered softly against the window as Lizbeth lay awake in the early hours of Sunday morning. It had been four days since she met with Matson. She rolled over on her side and tightened the blankets tightly around her shoulders as if they could somehow block out the memories that tormented her restless mind.

The gala night in Johannesburg: standing by the roadside, meeting Mike, one drink leading to another, sneaking out of his house very early the next day without dropping a note, and then returning to Texas to meet her ex, Maxy, in her apartment. They were just too much for her to take in.

She felt terrible about how stupid she was that night in Johannesburg; she felt guilty all the time. While she tried to keep the tears from coming, the pain was too real and deep for her to escape. There was no one she would rather have been loyal to than the love of her life, Sam.

She sobbed so hard that she doubted if she would ever forgive herself, but she knew she had to try. Her wedding was in three months, and she must not mess things up; if not, neither Sam nor her parents would forgive her.

A month later, after going through a couple of assessments and interviews at Hughes, Lizbeth was sitting in her office when a mail popped up on her screen. She hurriedly clicked on it when she saw the sender.

"Dear Lizbeth Cole,

We are delighted to offer you the position of Chief Executive Officer at Hughes...."

As she absorbed each word in the email, excitement bubbled up inside her, and she started drumming and singing, “Wow!!! I made it, I made it." Her fingers trembled slightly as she typed her acceptance email for the offer.

It was her first day at Hughes, and she was so nervous. As she drove through the bustling city of Texas on a Tuesday morning, a series of thoughts raced through her mind.

Her thoughts traveled back to when she sent in her resignation two weeks ago; the look on Andrew's face was like a soothing balm on her skin. It was more akin to a game of Checkmate.

Not quite long, she drove into Hughes headquarters and inhaled a deep breath, trying to savor the environment.

“This place feels like home,” she whispered to herself as she walked through the hallway to the HR’s office.

“Good day, Melinda,” Lizbeth said with a smile spread across her face.

“Welcome to Hughes Lizbeth; I love your outfit," Melinda said with a smile.

Melinda helped Lizbeth settle in and gave her a tour around the office. Lizbeth was so thankful she applied for the role; everyone seemed so welcoming and homey.

"I love it here already," she said to herself.

Shortly after, Lizbeth's assistant walked in to inform her that the acting chairman would like to meet with her in his office.

As she gracefully stepped through the door, her grin faded, and a sudden ache in her throat cut through her poise. It was as if the agony of her previous a******y had returned to haunt her. Uneasy settled over her.

This was not what she envisioned for her first day at work. She never thought their paths would cross again after they met in Johannesburg.

His husky voice brought her back to reality.

Lizbeth Cole, right? Mike spoke, pretending not to recognize her.

"Yes, sir,” she responded with mixed feelings.

She excused herself from his office and quickly rushed to the restroom to throw up. She has been feeling sick for more than a week and couldn't fathom what was wrong.

Immediately, she entered his office back; his voice made her heart skip a beat.

“Are you sure you're fit for this role? Ms. Lizbeth, I don't condone laziness, and looking sick on your first day at work doesn't sit well with me at all,” Mike condescendingly said to her.

All her happiness vanished when she heard those words. How could he say that to her? Can't he remember the lady he picked up the other night?

She wished she could confront him, but at this moment her job was at stake already, and adding any form of confrontation would only make things worse for her.

"I will do my best, sir," she said and walked out of his office.

Her health didn't get better during the week; instead, it got worse, making her look incompetent on her first week. Who calls in sick on their first week at work? She despises the lack of control she feels over her health. After a few days of taking the pills administered by her doctor, things were not getting better; rather, she felt very weak.

One Friday night she was relaxing on the sofa in her living room when she realized she had missed her period. She checked her period tracker to confirm, but it was unfortunately true.

“I can't be pregnant, right? She said to herself, inhaling deeply.

She jumped from her sofa in the living room to go do a pregnancy test with her home kit. It was a mixed feeling for Lizbeth as she awaited the result with her gaze fixed on the tickling sound of the clock.