Isabella: Our Adopted Baby

Chapter 1

Hello! Welcome to my new story, Isabella: My Adopted Baby! I'm very excited to begin this story and introduce the characters to you. This will be an interesting story that I haven't tried before so let me know what you think!

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Sitting in Mrs. Lloyd's office, I felt a pit grow in my stomach. My leg was bouncing as I waited for Mrs. Lloyd to enter.

Mrs. Lloyd was a tall woman with a slender figure. She always wore her hair up in either a bun or a ponytail. She wore power suits and always had matching shoes and a matching bag. She reeked of power.

And that's why I was so intimidated.

I was twenty-two years old and working my first corporate job. I moved away from home to go to college and never went back. I wasn't sure I was welcome there if I tried going back. My parents didn't like that I went to school so far away from them. They wanted me to stay home and take care of them and the house and my younger sister.

I didn't like the responsibility. Even my first job had more responsibility than I wanted. But I managed it because how else was I going to pay my bills and survive?

The door to the office opened and a woman with heels stepped inside. I counted her steps as she walked past me and to her desk. Twelve steps.

Mrs. Lloyd sat down at her desk and folded her hands together. "Ms. Lawson, thank you for coming in. There were a few things I wanted to discuss with you today. Your performance as of late has been... a bit underwhelming. You're completing assignments at a slower pace than your coworkers and our clients are becoming frustrated with the wait times."

I swallowed down my fear and scooted closer to the edge of my seat. "I-I'm sorry about that. I've been trying to get faster at entering the data into the system but I'm struggling with-"

"Isabella, are you happy here?"

"What?"

"Are you happy with us here?"

I was surprised by her question. Did she think I didn't like working there? I tried my best to be friendly with her and my other coworkers. I tried not to complain too much. I didn't want them to know that I didn't like my job. I guess I just didn't try hard enough to hide that. "Yes, Mrs. Lloyd. I am."

She pursed her lips. "Isabella, be honest with me."

I sighed. "I guess I'm a little overwhelmed by all the work. I don't mind doing it and I don't want to appear lazy but... I sometimes wish my job wasn't so mentally taxing."

Mrs. Lloyd nodded. "That's understandable. Corporate jobs are fast-paced and aren't for everyone. That's certainly not a bad thing, Isabella. It just means you haven't found the job or role that appeases you."

I nodded. She wasn't wrong.

She turned to her computer and typed something on the keyboard. She clicked on something and then grabbed a piece of notebook paper. She wrote something down on it and then handed it over to me. On the page was a phone number with 'Adult Surrogacy Inc.' written above it. "This company works with adults who need assistance in various forms. It's a different field than data entry and customer service but maybe it would work for you. My brother has used their services in the past and thought highly of them. You should look into it."

I stared down at the paper as I nodded. I wasn't sure I was interested in the healthcare field but maybe it was the change I needed. I didn't want to work somewhere or do something I didn't like.

"Isabella, it's been a pleasure working with you but I'd like you to clean out your desk. You don't have to stay the rest of the day. We'll pay you the rest of this paycheck and have it mailed to you. If you need anything, don't hesitate to reach out."

I looked up at her and nodded. I wanted to fight for my job but I knew I wasn't meant to be there. Mrs. Lloyd saw that, too. It was time I moved on to something else.

With the paper in my hands, I left her office. I closed the door shut behind me and sighed. Was I that bad of a worker? Was I so unmotivated that I couldn't even do a job properly? I wasn't sure what I was going to do but I had to look into other jobs as soon as possible. I needed to keep my bills paid or I'd have nowhere to live and nothing to eat.