CHAPTER 5
1180 Words
BRIANA MORRIS
“You seem frustrated, Briana. Focus on what's in front of you. Focus on the board, on the game. Be aware of everything in front of you and around you, then deliver the checkmate.”
“I can't. This isn't an exact science.”
“We're not talking about numbers, Briana. This is strategy.”
“Your move isn't making any sense, so I'm going to win. Then what will be my challenge?”
“Not everything in life will challenge you, dear. You have to learn to control what you feel. When that doesn't happen, you lose. Now, make your move and turn the game to your advantage.”
“It’s illogical! If I'm already going to win, why do I have to turn the game to my advantage?”
“That’s the point, Briana. Look at the board in front of you, analyze the game, and answer your question. Learn to deal with your frustrations. You won’t always have logical challenges; things won't always go the way you want.”
“If you want to find the right answer, you need to ask the right question. That’s why, many times, you need to ask questions that seem silly, childish, or even don’t make sense.”
“That’s one of the main characteristics of people like me. That’s why I'm always looking for challenges. You can't come here and reprimand me for being frustrated when you hand me the game like this, still trying to make me think and analyze something that makes no sense. I'm frustrated because you're handing me the game to analyze me, to ask me questions that don’t make sense.”
“That sounds arrogant on your part, don't you think?”
“Highly intelligent people aren't arrogant, because the arrogant know everything about everything. But truly intelligent people are aware that they don't know or understand many things. They aren't afraid or ashamed to say they don't know something or don't understand. They are people who know their weaknesses and know how to protect them. I am highly intelligent in the field of mathematics. I like numbers and logic. Don't try to confuse me, because you won’t succeed. Now, if you want to keep playing with me, play for real and don't hand me the game.”
“Miss Briana, will you still need me today?”
I’m pulled out of my memories by my secretary entering my office. Then I look at the time and see that it's already the end of the workday.
“No, you can go. I'll stay a little longer here.”
“Then see you tomorrow, miss.” She leaves the room, closing the door behind her.
All I do is take a deep breath, trying to focus on the papers and numbers in front of me.
Making this financial statement isn't difficult for me; it's not a challenge. It's just a long task because I have to analyze several spreadsheets.
But every time I feel pressured by something, I get like this—stuck.
My school life wasn't very easy, and entering accounting college three years early didn't help much either. Therapy was my middle name until I got tired of it all and stopped going.
If people couldn't accept me for being smarter than them, the problem was with them, not me.
I shouldn't try to change anything in my life to please others, and the moment I realized that, I started living better.
But that made me isolate myself and not want to interact with petty people who lived in their insignificant little worlds.
And it's not arrogance on my part to have come to this conclusion.
I'm not handling very well what happened to me today, which is why I'm feeling pressured.
I could very well call Oliver and tell him everything his arrogant son did, but I don't want to cause problems between the two of them.
I owe everything I am to Oliver, and a headache is the last thing I want to cause him.
He already has such a busy life to worry about me.
I'm going to have to go through this alone and in my own way. It's time to fight my battles alone, without needing him, and I hope I can succeed.
I might even be a genius, as he says, but my genius is only about numbers.
My private life is a disaster. I've never had a social life, and as for a love life, I don't even know what that is.
I put my thoughts aside and go back to focusing on the financial statement my dear boss requested.
Lucky me, on my very first day of work, I'm going to spend the night at the office.
Thank you, Oliver Thompson, for creating a heartless human being.
The hours go by, and soon the early morning arrives.
When it's five in the morning, I finish the darn financial statement and am incredibly exhausted, so I gather everything and organize it in a folder.
I made sure to make the data as explicit as possible, to have the pleasure of seeing the fool's face when he starts reading the papers.
I'll be calling the man a fool in an educated way and through spreadsheets.
I might not be as sociable as people often say, but I'm not foolish enough to let people walk all over me, jumping to conclusions without even knowing me well.
At least not anymore.
I used to be like that, letting people belittle me, but Oliver taught me many things, and one of them was to see the precious value I have.
With the folder neatly organized, I get up and head to the arrogant CEO's office.
Since there's no one in the company, I walk straight into his office.
Didn't he say he wanted the balance sheet on his desk?
That's exactly what he'll get—the damn balance sheet on his desk first thing in the morning.
I place the folder on the desk and notice a photo of his mother and sister embracing in a picture frame.
They are both beautiful.
I sit in his chair and pick up the picture frame to get a better look at the photo.
After a few seconds, I put it back and finally notice how large, spacious, and luxurious his office is.
It must feel powerful to rule the world from this office, especially with the wonderful view behind me.
An office fit for a prince, the arrogant CEO, and one that once belonged to a king.
Fatigue overwhelms me, and this divinely comfortable chair isn't helping.
I feel paralyzed, so I take off my shoes and adjust my skirt that slightly constrains my legs.
I curl up in the chair, letting it relax my body.
A quick thirty-minute nap won't hurt.
Thirty minutes is all I need to recharge, then I'll head back to my office and wait for the workday to start.
With the hope that I'll wake up, I close my eyes, as my body refuses to move.
- Writer
