Miss Unattainable

3

Ann Mei stood behind her desk, fuming at Georgie, lips pursed. Her silent rage dances behind her vacant expression. It... mirrored her anger on that day eight years ago. But back, then the roles were reversed. Georgie was the one standing behind her father's desk, all the power of the DeAngelis name behind her. It was the first time she felt like she was in the right place. She stood to the right of her father, a place she had fought to be at all her life, and smiled as she listened to her father scream at Ann Mei.

The door had been open and half of the floor heard what was going on. Well they found out later after several emails had gone around explaining what Ann Mei had done to the firm.

That day was the only time that Georgie had ever heard her Papa really truly mad at his protégé. Ann Mei stood in front of her, tears in her eyes, and begged and pleaded, denying everything. But it was too far late. She had passed the point of no return.

Nine years later in her own private office, Ann Mei stared at her face, her gaze sizzling. "You- you're ok..." she commented slowly, anger bleeding into her tone. Georgie could feel her eyes scanning her, and shrugged. "Of course," she answered dryly, trying to seem nonchalant about the whole thing, as she idly fidgeted with the end of her hoodie. She had made a production, busting into QNB Group's head office and demanding to see Ann Mei immediately, scaring the shit out of her EA and almost getting dragged out by security.

"Why?" Ann Mei demanded coldly. "Why am I still your emergency contact?" She said very monotonously, clearly furious. "You refused to ... Why are you here?" Georgie had only been on the receiving end of her genuine fury once, and she had never forgotten it. But here, now, Ann Mei accusations burned much deeper than before. Georgie opened her mouth, but no words came out.

"You did this ... to ... to fuck with me, didn't you? Ann Mei accused, choking up in the middle of the sentence, her anger cracking a bit. For a moment, Georgie could've swore she looked upset. But she quickly recovered, pushing the emotion behind her usual coolness. "It's sick, messing with me like ..." she trailed off, clearly pissed. "You... you thought I'd come running to help, and to offer you your job back," she snapped, "Isn't that just like you." Georgie flinched, tears escaping, almost certainly making her cheap mascara run. Ann Mei stood, rightfully furious. Truthfully, she deserved it. Her accusation stung because at one time ... it would've been true. At one time it had been true.

The truth was that Ann Mei was still one of her emergency contacts, and had been for the last nine years. Georgie's only remaining emergency contact. That's why the hospital had called her. She could've changed it. She should've changed it. Why hasn't she??

"Well it seems that you haven't changed much, Gianna." Ann Mei said plainly, chuckling cynically. That was perhaps one of the cruelest things she could've said at that moment. Georgie didn't know why she hadn't just thrown the money at her and left. Ann Mei wasn't gonna give her her job back, she hated her, and probably liked getting to watch her suffer. See how low she had sunk.

She had almost died from shame when the nurse told her that her emergency contact was on the way to pick her up. Ann Mei Li, on the way to the hospital to pick up a woman she hadn't spoken to in eight years, a woman who had just tried to kill herself. And also, the woman that ruined her life. Ann Mei was just reminding her of the truth. Nothing was going to change after all. She was never going to like her—not then and certainly not now.

Georgie inhaled shakily, trying to keep her voice stable. "Look, I'm sorry ... for inconveniencing you. I get it, Ann Mei, you hate me and you have every reason to." She said softly. Bracing herself to look the only woman she ever loved in the eyes. She lifted her head up and the hoodie covering her head fell back, Revealing the awful half-shorn haircut she had done half deliriously at some point over the last two days. She hadn't slept since she left Ann Mei's condo either. Gaunt and pale and sickly thin, she was surprised Ann Mei even recognized her anymore. "I know I'm not getting my job back, I just wanted to bring this back." She set down the $500 that Ann Mei had stuffed into her wallet on the cool surface of her desk.