Anarchy

The gala was tonight. Lara had a hard time believing it. The preparations for the gala had begun three months back, and she was at the forefront of it all. God, how she hated being the CEO of this wretched company. The Spielrein Group as it was called, a result of the founder’s infatuations with his Russian step-sister, was a predetermined disaster. She was pinioned to it by an oath she didn’t remember taking, she felt it, however, with every breath that she took.  Heels clicking on the marble floor of the otherwise silent hallway, she walked towards the humongous banquet hall that was supposed to house the night’s guests. It was expected to be ready the day before, but her staff wasn’t known for their punctuality. She had long since made her peace with it as it was tiresome to reprimand her employees all the time, not that it made much of a difference in the first place.  As soon as she entered the too bright hall, covered in swathes of glimmering lace, she was bombarded with information. Her party-planner had started chatting her ear off with his, as far as she was concerned, useless ramblings. So what if it was the biggest event of his life, he needed to calm down. It would only be the biggest event of his life if he survived the night, which she doubted he would.  He was one of the prettier ones, a dangerous trait in her world. For that exact reason, she had wanted him out of the premises before the day of the gala, so that none of the dishonored guests would catch a whiff of him, but if he was hell-bent on prolonging his stay, there was only so much that she could do. Actually, that wasn’t true, she amended in her head, she could do a lot of things, but she just couldn’t be bothered with the persistent migraine that plagued her. She took a good look around the hall, just to get a quick overview of the proceedings, before walking out just as quickly as she had entered, completely ignoring her rather delicious-looking party planner who was still going off about the guest list. All the guests had already RSVP’d as per her knowledge so his concern was misplaced, and she had to ensure that some other rather notorious arrangements were being adequately taken care of. She quickly walked towards her office which was on the top floor of the building, as would be expected. Entering, she immediately picked up the telephone and speed-dialed 7. “The packages haven’t arrived yet.” She said without wasting time on pleasantries, her tone all business. “They are on the way. We encountered a hiccup midway.” It was a male voice on the other end. “It would be best for you if there are no more hiccups. I don’t have to remind you what happens if you’re late, do I?” She said impassively. “No ma’am, the delivery will be on time.” The man replied, a tremor could be heard in his voice. “Good.” She said and hung up. Sighing, she went around her table to sit on her chair. She rested her back, going over all the things that needed to be done. Shifting around, she bent low to open the last drawer of her desk. Rummaging through it, her hand glided over something smooth. A photograph. Taking it out, she stared at it, hatred churning in her stomach even though her face didn’t betray her feelings.  Taking out a lighter from her pocket, she lit the picture on fire and watched as it burned away to nothing, wondering if it would help the clawing sensation she felt in her chest. She dropped the still burning picture into the metal trashcan beside her table. It hadn’t helped. Settling back down, Lara booted her computer and opened the file which had the details of the products that were yet to be delivered. Going over them, her mouse halted on one, her breath hitching. Smooth skin and svelte limbs caught her attention, but it was the eyes that undid her. But this was not the time and the product was forbidden.   Her alarm rang a minute later. It was showtime. Episode 1 coming on February 1, 2022.