Forget Me Not

The Novel (Pt. 2)

(-MIAREZE-)

"Ma'am, these are the cost projections from Mr. Flint." The moment Caroline places the folder on the polished table infront of me, I already know something is wrong. It's in the way she avoids my eyes—subtle, but not subtle enough. I know she fears me but I also know when something was wrong as she's bracing herself from my upcoming anger.

I didn't say anything as I open the folder infront of me which has a small letters written infront that says "Updated Cost Projections—Fortune Mall". I read it once and sigh. Numbers greet me—clean, organized, familiar.

Too familiar...My fingers still. The same numbers I read last month, just few revisions but still...very much the same. A slow, cold realization crawls up in my spine. I turned the pages harshly, reading the almost exact same numbers. I took a deep breath and look at my board. They're just murmuring quietly, waiting. Expecting. Trusting.

At the far end of the table on the left side sits Mr. Flint, my project manager—calm, composed, like he hasn't just handed me something completely unacceptable. I smiled in disappointed and close the folder gently.

"Mr. Flint," I say, my voice level, almost calm. "You know I asked you to bring me updated projections for our mall project, didn't I?"

He nodded with confidence which made me squint my eyes at him in disbelief. "Yes, Ms. Rivers. That is an updated cost projections for the project."

Silence.

I let it stretch. Let the weight of it settle into the room until even the air feels tight. Then I slide the folder across the table—harder this time. It stops just short of him. "Stop lying to me, Flint." My voice sharpening.

"Ms. Rivers, what are you—?"

"These are not updated, even one number in it!" Warning etched in my voice. "Your so-called updated cost projections are identical to the one you presented to me last month, Flint. Not a single adjustment for the material cost increase we discussed."

A flicker—barely there—passes through his expression. The board shifts. Papers rustle. Someone exhales too loudly. I lean forward, palms flat against the table, eyes locked on him.

"You think you can fool me, Flint?" I asked him, alarmed etched in his face. "What? N-No, Miss, it's not that—"

"Our mall opens in three weeks," I continue, each word precise. "Three. Weeks. Every number in that document determines whether we launch smoothly or never to launch at all!" My chest tightens—not from panic, but from sheer, contained frustration.

"You, of all people, Mr. Flint, knows that I do not like mistakes in my company! Especially in one of our biggest projects!" I say, quieter now, but far more dangerous.

Carlos Flint opens his mouth, but I cut him off by raising my hand.

"Save it. Pack your things. You know what I mean." I mumbled to Flint coldly. He lowered his head and walk out of the conference room since he knows he's fired.

I turn to the rest of the board, forcing myself to straighten as I stood up, to pull the chaos back under control. "This project is not just another development. This is another breakthrough for our company. And right now, we are standing on possibilities of a failure because of someone's incapabilities."

The room is completely still now. No whispers. No movements. I sit back down, exhaling slowly, forcing my voice back into something steady, professional.

"Meeting ajourned."

—

The house is quiet, but my mind isn't.

I sit in my home office, computer screen glowing against the dark, final checklists spread across my desk—launch schedules, outcome lists, improvement lists, and last-minute cost adjustments. Every detail has to be perfect. No one else is touching this anymore. Not after today. I rubbed my temple, then keep typing.

Up in the second floor, I know Penny's locked in her bedroom focused in writing her favorite novel that she's been telling me every chance she gets. Even though i'm busy with business, I still listen to my sister when I have a chance to do so. And everytime she shares to me that novel, I can see a smile on her face. And somehow, I, too, am beginning to get interested in this new novel of hers. Sometimes, I ask her for spoilers yet she won't tell me.

I smiled when I remembered a memory and paused, for a second. Then I turned back to my business work—because in three weeks, perfection isn't optional.

The lists begin to lose their letters past midnight. Columns blur into each other, figures doubling, shifting, refusing to stay still no matter how many times I recheck them. I press my fingers against my temple, hoping I get back to focus.

"Too much coffee..." I mumbled to myself.

Three weeks. That thought alone should be enough to keep me sharp but my eyelids are getting heavier each passing second. I straighten in my chair, scrolling through another document, adjusting figures myself each three times because clearly, no one can be trusted to get them right. My home office is dim, lit only by the glow of my computer screen and my small accent table lamp casting long shadows across scattered papers.

I exhale slowly and lean back, just for a moment. Just to ease the tension crawling up my neck. The silence is calming, and the ceiling above me feels farther than it should. I smirked softly at the thought.

The air felt...heavier. I blinked once...twice...

The quiet grows thicker, pressing in around me. My grip loosens on the pen in my hand. It slips, hitting the floor with a soft clatter, but I didn't move to pick it up. Just a second, I tell myself. I closed my eyes. And for a moment, everything falls away—the pressure, the deadlines, the constant need for control. Darkness settles in, slow and deep 'til I fell asleep.

Then—

—

I jolt awake, breath catching sharply in my throat. "This isn't my office..." Gold trims, velvet cushions, and an ornate vanity stretch before me—luxurious, and unfamiliar. My vanity table isn't as luxurious as this.

"What is going on?"

My hands grip the edge of the table, pulse racing as confusion crashes over me. Where am I? I turn—slowly, hesitantly—towards the giant mirror before me. For a second, I don't understand what I'm seeing. My chest tightened...

The face staring back at me...isn't mine at all.

"AHHHHH!!!!!!!"