Corrupted Constructs

Chapter 6

As per usual, Alexandria Evergreen is already sitting at her desk when Clarke walks in with a coffee in one hand and a paper bag containing breakfast in the other, a leather purse containing her work laptop and iPad slung over her shoulder.

What's more unusual is that Lexa doesn't look up when Clarke enters the office, nor does she wish Clarke a good morning or thank her for the coffee.

Lexa wasn't usually a woman of many words unless it came to business purposes, and Clarke was aware she was only doing her job, but the air felt tense, and her boss seemed colder than usual. It threw Clarke off for some reason.

Yet, nothing else about their day seemed out of the ordinary.

In the late afternoon, when Lexa is slowly sipping on her third coffee, Lexa finally speaks to Clarke for more than a few short commands or requests.

"Ms. Grinfield, how far ahead do you check the schedule? Are you aware we will be going out of town to secure a contract with one of our biggest clients yet?"

Clarke, who had just been cleaning up her notes for the meeting that finished earlier looks up startled.

"Oh, um... No, I hadn't looked that far ahead. My apologies, I should have. Do I need to book accommodations, flights, and transportation?"

"No, everything has been arranged. The last thing my previous personal assistant did before he lost his job. I just wanted to make you aware so that you can plan accordingly. There will be meetings of course, but there will also be a dinner with the potential new clients as well as a reception. A cocktail party if you will. Please be sure to bring appropriate attire for the occasion."

Clarke types a few notes for herself on her iPad and makes plans to drop by the place she shares with Finn to see whether she will have to go shopping.

The blonde sighs dejectedly, thinking of when she would even find the time to go to a store for clothing after the long workdays. And then she sighs again thinking of Finn's inevitable disappointment when he would find out they wouldn't be able to see each other this weekend.

"Something wrong?" it sounds from Lexa's side of the office, and when Clarke looks up, she is met with a stare that's somewhere between annoyed and indifferent.

"No, ma'am, just figuring out the logistics in my head," Clarke quickly says.

"You knew this was part of the job description when you took the job," the brunette curtly says, her eyes focusing back on her computer.

"I did," Clarke says, trying her hardest to keep the annoyance out of her own voice.

She wasn't sure why, but that comment and the way in which Lexa said it rubbed Clarke the wrong way. Then again, Lexa didn't know the first thing about everything Clarke had going on in her life, which had caused that sigh to leave her lips in the first place.

--

Clarke rolls over in her bed and blinks her eyes a few times. Light is already filtering through the blinds of her bedroom, but it feels like she has only slept for maybe four hours.

She went to bed past 2 AM because after having to make a late-night trip to the store last night to find some clothes for the dinner and reception her boss had mentioned, she hadn't found the time to pack or eat dinner. And Clarke admittedly was a pretty slow packer, but who could blame her for wanting to check, double check, and then triple check whether she had forgotten anything?

The blonde feels for her phone on her nightstand and accidentally knocks it off, making it fall to the floor in the process.

She scrambles to pick it up and when the screen lights up, Clarke sits up with wide eyes as her face pales. 6.08 AM. Lincoln would be here to pick her up in 22 minutes.