Secrets of an outcast

Discovery

Her beautiful mousey brown hair flowed elegantly down to the middle of her back in soft waves, unstyled yet effortlessly beautiful.

However, its thickness barely concealed the wildly blossoming bruises she had across her upper jaw, she was wearing a scarce amount of makeup- the least I have ever seen on a woman, in fact I couldn't be sure if she even was wearing any.

Either way, it most certainly did not cover the painful strikes of red that she had spread unforgivingly across her colourless face, in fact it was so drained of colour that she almost looked translucent, sort of like silk over glass. Lifeless.

Just like me, she had violet shadows under her eyes, although I was uncertain if it was bags from lack of rest or more bruises. What was most shocking to me out of all of these things was the fact that I felt another wave of sympathy, despair and pain for her.

She raised her head slightly, but it was just enough so that she could make direct eye contact.

Suddenly I didn't have the heart to fire her, despite my intentions coming down here. Just one look in her terrified eyes told me that she couldn't take much more of anything. She needed this.

The minute our eyes locked I had an overwhelming need to shield her, protect her with everything I had, which was more than a bizarre thing to feel and it surprised me, borderline frightening . Her eyes were the most stunning eyes I had ever seen in all my life, and probably the most stunning I would ever see in the remainder of my time alive. They where a mysterious dark blue in the centre and faded out to striking icy blue, they were swarming with secrets. I was momentarily lost in them; They looked like sunlight reflecting on a wild ocean, and they left me feeling exposed as if she could see my soul.

They had storm of confusion and pain brewing inside them, the outside of her eyes - red and raw- told me she had spent a long time crying last night or this morning.

"Hello, you must be Stacey" I greeted her with a big and probably stupid looking smile, offering her my hand to shake. I took in a closer look of her face, despite the cuts and the bruises she was beautiful. She had a soft heart shaped face, and full lips.

"Erm...yes that's correct, you must be Mr Cooper." She mumbled, as she shook my hand she cringed delicately as if she wasn't used to contact. I registered a few small grazes on her palms and my heart took a nose dive into despair.

How much had this poor girl been through? 

Despite thinking this, I tried to convince myself that it was none of my business and try to treat her like a regular employee.

"Please" I snorted "Call me Justin"

"Hello, Justin." She corrected herself.

"Well if you would like to follow me I shall take you to your office and go through the schedule." I offered, smiling at her politely, being careful not to flash a giant and fulltoothed schoolboy smile again.

"Of course" She nearly whispered.

We rode the elevator in silence, I watched her intently as her eyes took in the neutral color schemes. She broke it with an unusual question and looked up at me.

"So...How did you come into ownership of this company? You seem much too young."

I hesitated to answer that, it was a very unusual question to be asked, it was intended as a space filler but I shifted on my feet, I didn't want to be discourteous, and for some bizarre reason her pressing curiosity intrigued me in an unfamiliar way.

"I inherited it from my father." I replied sadly, staring straight ahead as the memory of my father bit into me.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" She panicked, looking around the elevator as if she was searching for a way out.

"It's alright, it wasn't your fault. I just wish the person who did it could have been brought to justice" I turned and looked into her eyes as tears stung mine. I could tell just by looking at her that she felt sorry for me, I did not wan't sympathy, not from her- or anyone.

"I'm so sorry, really I am I had no clue" She continued.

"It's fine, not many people really do. To be honest, well, I can't say this without sounding harsh, but I was lucky I had no brothers or I wouldn't have received it. My father had written a will a few years before, stating that should anything happen to him- all of the company's profits and ownership would become the eldest males. Which, incidentally, was me,"  I silently thought to myself that maybe it would have been better if I did  have a brother, then he could be burdend with it. I felt bad after saying that, I mentally apologized to my father, he was only doing what he thought was best.

I actually felt better telling someone about it, usually I just keep everything to myself - well aside from my therapist. It felt as if a weight had been lifted from me. 

"Your mother must be a strong lady" She spoke softly, even though her words struck me as hard as stone.

I became defensive and my shoulders stiffened.

"I don't really want to talk about it." I stated bluntly, showing that I would say no more on the subject.