Chapter three
1302 Words
ELSIE’S POV
PRESENT DAY
“Mommy, mommy,” Liam yells as he runs across the park, his kite dragging behind him.
He doesn’t wait for me to reply.
“I made a new friend!” He says with excitement.
“Her name is Katy. She has a dog!”
“That’s great,” I say. I know where this is going.
“Can I have my own dog too?”
“Liam,” I scold.
“But Katy is my age and she has her own dog.” He whines.
“Can we–.”
Someone yells his name and he turns towards the voice.
“I’ll talk to you later, Mommy.” He says and runs in the other direction, the conversation forgotten.
Great.
I lean back and rest my head on the picnic mat. My lips curve in a very content smile as I breathe in the scent of flowers and nature. Coming here will always be a good idea, I feel more relaxed than I’ve felt in a while.
I am tempted to reread the letter I received from the HR department last week. I have been promoted to a creative manager, and that means I’m getting a raise.
I wiggle my feet in excitement.
Since I graduated from college two years ago, things have started looking up for me. And now I’m getting a raise. If this goes on, we can move out of the studio apartment to somewhere bigger and maybe I can even get Liam the dog that he won’t stop talking about.
My phone vibrates beside me, waking me up from my daydream. I picked it up.
It’s a text from Zara, my boss. On a Saturday?
That’s strange.
Zara: Hi Elsie, I didn’t want you to hear it from someone else. A huge corporation bought the company. We have a new CEO, and he is letting some staff go. I’m so sorry.
You can come for your things.
See you.
My chest tightens. Letting some staff go?
No, no, no.
I dial Zara’s number but it goes straight to voicemail. My stomach clenches. This can’t be happening. If I lose this job, how do I take care of myself and Liam?
I stare at my screen, frozen. My heart is pounding loudly in my chest.
“Mommy.” Liam’s voice pulls me back to the present.
He runs towards me but this time, he’s covered in mud. Even his face is covered in mud.
“What on earth happened?”
“I fell into a puddle.” He pants as soon as he comes to a stop in front of me.
“Oh gosh,” I try to dust the mud off him but it only makes it worse.
“He said I’m going to need a bath to get it all off.” Liam says.
“Who’s he?”
“Alex, my new friend.” He shoves a soiled silk handkerchief in my face. “He gave me this.”
I look around, “Where is he?”
“He left.”
I start parking up. “Come on, let's get you home.”
I try not to think about Zara’s message. There has got to be something we can do. They can’t just fire me like that.
Is it even legal?
“Mom, what does AWB mean?” Liam asks as I open the car door. “It’s on the handkerchief.”
He shows me the letters embroidered to one end of the handkerchief.
“It could be his initials,” I say, fasting his seatbelt.
“What are initials?”
“It’s the first letter of your name.” I pull out of the parking lot.
“Does that mean my initials are LT?”
“Yes, exactly.”
I head to work the next morning as soon as I drop Liam off at school.
“Oh my God, Elsie.” Zara exclaims dramatically as soon as she sees me, attempting to pull me in for a hug.
This is not the time for theatrics. I go straight to the point.
“What is your text supposed to mean?” I demand. “I tried calling you all day yesterday.”
She notices I’m not in the mood for jokes.
“Not here.” She shakes her head and pulls my hands into her office.
“What is going on?”
“The CEO is here. Don’t let him hear you.” She says.
“What the hell is going on Zara.”
“It’s the Brown Corporation. They bought the company.”
“And?” I ask, impatiently.
“The original heir to the company is back in London, though, I don’t understand why he would want this little company when he has a whole empire to lead.” She mutters.
“How many people were let off?” I ask. “Is this even legal?”
“Five other people, Elsie. Coffee?” She offers and I shoot her a look.
“Right, sorry.”
“There’s nothing we can do. Haven’t you heard about him?”
“Who?”
“Alexander Brown, the new CEO.” She gushed.
“What about him?”
“They say he is a ruthless businessman, young too. He’s been in New York for the past seven years and he bought and transformed ten businesses within that time. And now he’s here. But he is so handsome.” She gushes.
“Seriously.” I'm deadpan.
“People call him the Ice Prince in the business world. And you won’t imagine, he is the new most eligible bachelor in town.”
“What’s this? A romance movie?”
“For real. You need to see him–”
I tune out Zara's voice. I can almost feel my heart crushing in my chest. I see my dreams and hopes for the future disappear in front of my eyes. Before they even started.
Sure, I’ve been doing okay for a while now, but without this job, how can I afford to give Liam the best life he deserves?
My dream of getting us out of the cramped apartment is basically impossible.
I fall on the seat beside me, the sound of my sobs stops Zara midsentence.
“Uhm Elsie? Are you okay?”
“Of course not!” I’m crying out loudly now.
She pats me awkwardly on my back as my tears subsided. I know my face must be smudged with mascara by now.
She hands me a tissue which I use to blow my nose.
“I can help you pack your stuff, if you want.” She offers.
“No, no, it's fine. Thank you.”
I arrange my clothes, making I look like nothing happened and make my way to my cubicle.
I don't talk to anyone as I put together my things. I curse the new CEO silently in my head as I make my way to the parking lot.
These rich people never consider how their actions affect others.
The lightbulb above my head flickers, making the parking lot look like a scene from a horror movie.
I think I’ve forgotten where I parked my car. I better get out of here before my life gets even more dramatic.
I start doing calculations in my head as I walk. How long can we last till I can get a new job?
I don't pay attention to my surroundings and it takes the loud screech of tires against the floors to pull me back to the present.
I jump away from the road falling on my butt. My eyes widen in horror, my heart racing in my ears as a navy blue ferrari speeds past the exact spot I was standing just seconds ago.
Who the hell is that?
- Writer
