𝐎𝐜𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐞

Chapter Thirty-One

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Ocean corporation offices were of architectural aesthetic, elegant but intimidating, beyond the reach of those who dreamed of such a place but lacked qualifications—a structure that stood tall demanding the respect it deserves. Imani imagined anyone working here was perhaps on top of their class. The inside was cold yet warm. Imani didn't know how to describe the feeling of the offices, the silence, except for the clicking of laptop keyboards filled her with anxiousness.

Approaching the front office receptionist, Imani sighed silently, fighting the urge to clasp her fingers together. The receptionist looked up when she stood in front of her, smiling courteously.

"May I help you?" although she was polite, she couldn't hide the curiosity in her eyes. Imani's wardrobe didn't fit the atmosphere in that office. The receptionist was in a gorgeous red skirt suit, her blond hair in place, long but professional manicured nails painted red.

"Yes, I'm here to meet Isaac." Imani nervously smiled, the receptionist's eyes widened, and then immediately glanced away to call him.

"Who do I say wants to see him."

"Imani, we have an appointment at ten."

In almost less than a minute while Imani was still talking with the receptionist, Isaac came through carrying what looked like a notebook. He was tall than Imani had imagined, bespectacled with brown hair, and a well-trimmed beard. He towered over her in a perfectly pressed blue suit.

"I'm Isaac," he said softly reaching for her hand.

"I'm Imani." Isaac couldn't take his eyes from her. She was beautiful and younger than he had expected. Her hair in a ponytail gave her the perfect look of a young woman on the verge of adulthood, but her brown eyes told of a rough life as if she had lived beyond her years.

"Follow me," he said, leading her to another side of the office that housed conference rooms. He opened a smaller one that had about a maximum of ten chairs and a long table.

"Have a seat," he waited for her to sit down, staring without being obvious. He noticed the small dark mark at the corner of her mouth, slightly above the upper lip. Isaac didn't know why she hadn't finished high school but he knew it wasn't because of bad behavior.

"You said you don't have a high school diploma," Imani nodded, placing her bag on the chair next to her.

"Do you have any idea what kind of job you would do in such a company?" Isaac asked, opening his notebook and then closing it. He didn't have any idea what position Imani would do without an education, yet he needed to get her position. Telling his boss there was no position wasn't an option.

"I could help in photocopying," his eyes shot up to her with surprise, which had nothing to do with her idea, but the company didn't do much on paper, it was digital, and very few things got printed out, but he nodded.

"That could be a start," Isaac agreed, "then you can learn a skill and be more helpful." Imani recoiled, her face turning crimson with embarrassment. "Please I didn't mean anything bad by that," he defended, motioning with his hands, horrified that she'd taken his words out of context.

"I mean, we don't photocopy much. You could say we are a paperless organization." 

"Oh," Imani sighed, wondering why Matthew had suggested it.

"No, don't worry, you can do that while we try to find something you can do, believe me, we will."Imani smiled while nodding, grateful that Isaac seemed to be a good guy. He wasn't full of himself—the kind that looked down on people whom they thought were beneath them.