Healing Wounds (Completed)

Chapter 4 (Edited)

The best things in life are unexpected because there were no expectations
-Eli Khamarov

Dora's holiday had lasted for a week and a half now. She'd been taking utmost advantage of it by spending increased time with God and Tara.

On the other hand, Tara would soon find significant changes at work. Just over the horizon loomed developments that would shake her status quo.

As soon as Tara scooted herself into place at her desk, she received a summons to the conference room. There, a meeting would take place with her boss, Mrs. Ade. Curiously, she would only be allowed to bring her handbag along.

Tara wasted no time presenting herself to her boss. Upon entering the conference room, she couldn't help but notice the entire company's staff in attendance. She'd been the only one missing. Her stomach squirmed as she found the last empty seat beside a coworker she'd never met before.

At the head of the long table, Mrs. Ade cleared her throat. The few in her staff who hadn't been staring at her before were sure to look up now.

"Good morning. Ladies and Gentlemen, I have very important information to announce today," Mrs. Ade said.

There was a slight tremor in Mrs. Ade's voice if Tara heard correctly. What in the world could be the matter?

"From the beginning of next month, there shall be some changes in the leadership of this company," she continued without skipping a beat. Mrs. Ade allowed the news time to sink into the heads of her staff.

The workers' silence turned out to be the quiet before a storm. Seconds passed, and then an uproar of voices erupted from their seats. They chattered, some at Mrs. Ade, others at each other, and a few seemingly to themselves. All expressed confusion and bewilderment.

Tara couldn't decide what to feel at first. She shared her coworkers' concerns, but her faith in Mrs. Ade remained. She could only hope her boss wouldn't make any decisions detrimental to her company or her employees.

Mrs. Ade raised her voice a little. "Calm down, guys. I know the news is jarring, but I am not yet done."

The voices ceased, and once more, silence became the dominant feature of the room. Mrs. Ade resumed talking. 

"It is my regret and shame I failed to inform you all sooner, but this company has been facing some financial crisis." Though she paused, the quiet remained. She had the company's full attention.

"I know this is tough news for us all, but I see light at the end of the tunnel. We got an offer from an international construction company. They offered us a partnership deal and I agreed, so next month we will welcome our new partners."

Another silence. Tara and her coworkers pondered the repercussions for a while before a tall man in unwrinkled business attire rose from his chair. Mr. Tony Adio served as one of the administrative managers under Mrs. Ade.

"If I may have a word, ma'am," he began, earning a nod from Mrs. Ade, "I must say I am disappointed you told none of us about this financial crisis. We may have been able to solve the problems on our own, had we collaborated. Nonetheless, I won't question your decision."

Mr. Adio's gaze brushed over the others at the table. "I'm sure I speak what many of us are thinking. In the interest of greater transparency moving forward, could you please give us more information on these new partners? Name of their company, the names of the owners, etc?"

Mrs. Ade smiled. "You have spoken well, Mr. Adio. I was just about to go over that information. So, the names of our new partners are Mr. James Angelo and Mr. Martin Marcello. They are great friends and longstanding business partners. Each has an impressive portfolio of his own, and all the more so when considered together."

While Mrs. Ade thumbed through a file, Tara's eyes found Alice across the table and a little to the left. The two women exchanged a burdened smile, both visibly taking in the news and anticipating the changes it would make in their workloads.

"The name of their company is Angelo & Marcello Construction." Mrs. Ade continued, "They will arrive on the last day of the month. So, I hope we all do our best to make them feel welcome." She smiled slightly. "That will be all for today; have a nice day, everyone."

The staff trickled out of the conference room gradually. Everyone stumbled back to their desks in a daze, still trying to digest everything that had happened.

Tara's thoughts so absorbed her that she didn't notice Alice had caught up with her and strutted along on her right.

"My goodness, Tara!" Alice exclaimed, her face remarkably alive and alert in comparison with their coworkers. "You're literally an Olympic runner; I've been trying to catch up with you since we left the meeting."

Tara smiled an empty smile and shook her head. "We're going to have new bosses. What will become of Mrs. Ade? Things will be so different around here... I can't believe it."

"Well, you'd better start believing it. We only have two weeks before they arrive."

"What will this company become without Mrs. Ade at its helm?"

"She did say they're seasoned businessmen. It can't be so bad."

The pair had arrived at Tara's desk. She cast an unconvinced glance Alice's way and pried her laptop open.

"I just hope they don't change things too much. My plate is full as it is."

Alice rolled her eyes. "You need to lighten up, Tara! You have a full plate in front of you, and yet you're content to complain about being hungry."

"That's... not what I meant. I don't get you sometimes."

"Me either. Get you, I mean. But I'd best be going; I've got tons of accounting work to do."

"Have fun." Tara said, "Eat well from that full plate of yours."

Alice giggled. "I'll be stuffed when I get done. Later, Tara."

                        ★★★★

After a long day at work, Tara finally stood at the front door of her house on tired feet. Mostly, she worked a desk job, but today, in particular, she'd had to walk back and forth to other workstations for collaboration and feedback on her current designs. The day had worn on her, especially after the news from that morning, and Tara wanted nothing more than to lie down and sleep. Of course, insomnia still plagued her. She knew sleep would be next to impossible despite her exhaustion.

Tara made her way inside and greeted Dora. She found her mom sprawled out on the leather couch in their parlor, deep in a book on assisting children with dyslexia and other such issues. Still, she readily put the volume down to hash out the events of the day with her daughter.

"You won't believe what happened today, Mom," Tara said. "According to Mrs. Ade, the company has been facing a financial crisis for a while. So now, we've partnered with an international company. The new owners will come by to meet us by month's end."

Dora was quiet for a minute after Tara finished. "That's a lot to take in, and I'm sure it'll mean many changes for you. But I have faith that whatever happens is the will of God." She sent her a smile. "Whatever you do, try not to worry."

"I'm not worried, Mom. Just a little nervous about meeting our partners."

"As I said before, you must trust God. Everything will be fine."

"I hope so, Mom, really. I don't want to disappoint them and Mrs. Ade. It's just I have a feeling something might go wrong."

Dora smiled and squeezed her daughter's hand. "Leave everything to God, and He'll take care of the rest."

                       ★★★★★

Hmmm...
Introduction of new characters
I am excited to meet them. Are you?

Question of the chapter: What colors do you like or love the most?!

I love red, pink, peach and light yellow, and mint.🤩

If you loved this chapter, don't forget to do the needful 😉😁

Until next time. Remain colorful 💖