Scarlet Desires (Sample)

Chapter Eight

She had explained it all to her friends and they had all been relieved that he wasn't going to fire her after all and Trish and Clenora thought Rosalie should consider herself  lucky that she would be working personally for the CEO but Rosalie didn't consider herself fortunate because deep within her, she knew the CEO had no good motive and she dreaded what would happen.

An hour later, Mr. Barrett summoned ten members of the staff individually and each time they came out from the Boss' office, the men looked dejected while the women were at the brink of tears or already sobbing. Rosalie felt woeful and remorseful as she watched each of them go back to their cubicles, typed their resignation letters and returned to the Boss' office to tender it and soon they returned with cartons to clear up their desks then moved out afterwards.

Rosalie couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't even concentrated on her work with the dejected feeling hanging in the air and her heart felt heavy with sorrow as ten cubicles turned empty that morning. She was about going to Mr. Barrett's office with an i intention to pleadingly speak with him that she was ready to tender her own resignation letter if it'd save the ten members of the staff who had been fired. She got up from her desk and was about walking out of the cubicle when desk phone rang, startling her. She halted and glanced back at it as it continued ringing. She snatched the receiver up and said into it. "Rosalie."

The unwelcome familiar voice of the CEO suddenly came through. "Miss Earnshaw, I'd like you to come up to my office this instant!" The line suddenly went dead as he disconnected the call.

Rosalie pulled the receiver from her ear and glared at it for a moment then placed it back on the phone. Without giving any excuses to her friends who already knew where she was up to, Rosalie walked down the aisle and turned the corner into the hallway. She exhaled and walked into the elevator. She tapped the button for the last floor and the doors whirred shut before the ascension began. She stepped out of the elevator few minutes later on the last floor after the doors whirred open and walked down the deserted hallway. There were several empty offices on the floor besides the secretary's who had only resumed because of the CEO's presence. There was a mute channel playing on the mute flat screen TV in the lobby.

Rosalie smiled sweetly at the secretary who looked up from her keyboard and smiled back then pointed to a door. Rosalie nodded and approached the door. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves, took the handle, opened the door, stepped in and shut the door behind her. The office was sparse and looked more fantastic Mr. Barrett's with every single item screaming wealth which signified the CEO as a spendthrift. She noticed that he was hunched over some files and was scribbling some things down and she started walking towards his desk when he suddenly said without stopping what he was scribbling down nor looking up at her too.

"Not a further step forward, Miss Earnshaw... You didn't knock, go back out and act properly this time." He instructed.

She stared at him in disbelieve. Members of the staff were used to just politely walking into Mr. Barrett's office when they had been summoned, so what is the big deal about doing the same with the CEO? Why did he want her to act peculiar? She sighed, determined to remain unfazed by his attitude and she walked back to the door, opened it and stepped outside. She waited a second or two and knocked on the door and entered the office again. Still scribbling whatever he was busy with, he said this time still without looking up. "If you have no defect with your eardrums, you'd be sure to know that I didn't permit you to come in yet, Miss Earnshaw...go back out and start afresh." He pointed at the door, still with his head down and she ground her jaws in anger and within her, she conjured all the profanities she could think of and cussed him.