Star of Succes

Chapter Two

I lay on the couch in the living room with a large file in my hands, I have to make a few calls before noon and make sure that the equipment will arrive next week before the show. I rub my forehead and throw the file on the table after checking that everything is ready for next week.

My sister comes into the room with her laptop in her hands and places it on the table. I realize that she’s working on a new project, since I read a different title on her screen. She’s studied literature and is currently working as an editor and an author. She sits next to me and waves her hand in midair: two mugs of hot tea fly into the room and gently stand in our palms warming us from the nasty frostbites.

My sister looks at me for a moment and then takes a sip from her mug. She seems lost in her mind, trying to choose the words she wants to start the conversation with. It only takes her a matter of seconds before she places her mug on the table and turns to look seriously at me.

“Do you know that with a great imagination grows a world full of magic?”

I raise my eyebrows at her weirdly. Where is she going with that?

Blaise responds with a stack of papers in her hands and a cheeky smile playing on her lips. These papers hold pictures of dresses I drew in my free time. I always had a thing for designing dresses. I even majored in it, but when I was searching for a job, the company I’m currently working for hired me, I was shocked when I heard that I’ve been hired in a sales manager assistant’s position. My sister hasn’t dropped the subject of searching for another job since. Even if I wanted to change my position and I’m willing to do anything to do so, that’s the only company that’s close to my hometown and my sister’s office as well.

I snatch the papers from my sister’s hands and put them on the stand next to me.

“Where did you get these?” I ask slowly.

“Where you hid them,” she replies in a boring tone, “you have to show them to that hag at work,”

“That hag is too busy looking at her nose in the mirror, she’d just rip them off and I don’t want my work to go into the shredder,”

“You won’t lose anything if you show them to her, and besides, if she does anything to you…you’ve the magic to do worse.

Three days after the storm, everyone returns back to work. I walk into the building where my small, humble office takes place in the farthest floor possible. I take a quick glance at the windows, three mannequins were placed, wearing the latest dresses she designed. Her style isn’t bad but it could use some changing. One of the dresses’ sleeves are too puffy and yet she decided to give them leather gloves. The other has a skirt made from long peacock feathers at the back of it and she matches them with a loose crop top, brown shirt. It totally ruined the gorgeous skirt! I take my time to look at the third dress, it’s actually lovely, but if it were only a different color. That woman has the worst taste in picking palettes. She must be fond of her grandmother’s old skirts. I keep my face blank and enter the hall, but not before rolling my eyes at the headline of her building that’s covered in gold: ‘Dolivo’. I get into the elevator and wait for it to stop. I enter my office and before I could even sit, I hear clattering heels coming in my direction. A tall woman with dirty blonde hair wrapped in a tight bun, and her intimidating brown eyes scan everyone dangerously in the room. That woman is Amanda Dolivo, the boss of this place and everyone’s nightmare. Today she’s wearing a very tight blue dress with white heels and a white coat, she drops the coat on her assistant’s shoulder and calls my colleague’s name.

Annie Devine, pops from her office pale, and follows her after she drops her glasses and places them neatly on her wavy brown hair and pats her black shirt to remove the wrinkles. Once they both enter, everyone in my department lets out a sigh, I take my pad and make a few calls and add some numbers. A few minutes later, I hear Annie's loud voice coming from the inside along with Dolivo's usual shrieking. I didn't hear much, they were yelling at the same time, but I caught a few words concerning Annie's delay in the paper work. But that's hardly fair on Annie. Dolivo keeps giving her several tasks at once and isn't satisfied easily, or until she sees Annie staying up late in the company finishing off her work that Dolivo is supposed to be doing; but of course, her highness would never work that hard...her nails are very delicate. It doesn’t take fifteen minutes before Annie leaves the office and closes the door harshly. I go and stand at her door to see her packing her things in her bag, more like throwing them in. I’ve never seen her this angry before. I mean she does fight with Amanda a lot, but their conversations are always quiet and Annie isn’t so argumentative. She takes two steps closer to me and looks at me dead in the eye.

“I think today is the day you get promoted…you are a fighter. Make. Her. Life. Hell. Bye Stella and good luck with her,” she says the last word in such disgust and leaves the office with her head high.

I huff and close my eyes. Annie was the reason I could survive this place. She’s not a stuck up and treats everyone kindly. I wish I can be like her, but I can’t help it. If I didn’t like someone, I couldn’t just smile in their face and act so sweet to them. Like how on earth will I spend my entire afternoon with Amanda every day and keep smiling? She’d be lucky if the day passes and I don’t throw something at her head.

I don’t even pass my office when I hear her poisonous voice call my name.

“Adhara, my office right now.”