s o u l b u r n s

i ~ don't be late

TODAY WAS NOT A GOOD DAY for Adelaide, and from the moment she got up from bed she knew it—she was undeniably screwed. She scrambled to get dressed and somehow find a way to look presentable. Honestly, she had no choice but to be frustrated. Usually, she was a tidy person and, most importantly, never late for anything. Never.

She grabbed her keys and jumped into her car as she spared her watch a quick glance while noting the way her watch ticked faster. A muffin and a cup of hot coffee would have been nice but she simply had no time—she ignored the smell of freshly baked pastry as she passed the bakery not too far from her home. She drove as fast as she knew how and sighed in relief as she finally turned the corner and saw the building—Eli Weston HQ.

Adelaide had just graduated from law school about a year ago, it was something she had done to please her parents and for a long time they had most of the say in her life—they were unrelenting in making sure that she turned out professionally successful either in business or in law, no negotiations.

But give her credit, at least she tried. She lived according to their wishes and after graduating she worked at the law firm owned by one of her parents' close friend. She wished she could have grown a backbone sooner, but at least she did. After spending a few months in a job that was unproductive and draining to her. She finally quit—both her job and pleasing her parents.

Once inside the building, she couldn't help but gawk at her surroundings and try to consciously keep her mouth closed. She looked around and marveled at the beautiful interior, she was thoroughly impressed. Countless collections of oil paintings and ornaments hung stylishly on the wall; even batiks and African prints were kept in glass frames. She takes in deep breaths as she squares her shoulders before walking briskly to the front desk, "Hello, my name is Adelaide, I'm here to see your human resource manager for a job interview."

But she's met with silence as the receptionist continues with her work. "Hello?" Adelaide repeats to get her attention. "I'm Adelaide, here for an interview?"

"Oh, you. Yes." The receptionist says as she finally looks up only to return to her work. It was ridiculous how unnecessarily rude the lady was being but Adelaide decided to force a smile and ignore her scrunched nose—the day was already bad enough, it didn't need to end in blood.

"Give me a minute." She says when she's done typing then speaks into her intercom, "Good morning, Mrs Banks. Are you expecting any Adelaide this morning? Oh, okay. I'll send her up." Jessica, as she gathered from her name tag, briefly mentions the floor and directions on how to get there before she gets back to attending to someone else.

She sighs lightly and moves towards the elevator to join the other people standing and waiting for it to reach the ground floor. After she got in, that's when the real mind battle started. When one of the men asked what floor she was going to—rather impatiently. One word was uttered. "Uh?"

The thought of going back to ask the receptionist had crossed but she quickly dismissed the idea. Adelaide decided that she had much more pride and no doubt, Jessica would find joy in her confusion. Instead, she willed her mind desperately to remember — biting her lips in nervousness as her eyes flicker to the buttons; 19th or 18th?

"The 19th floor, please." Adelaide decided as she glanced back to the man who sent a surprised look but muttered something inaudible in response as he pressed the button. She watched as each person dropped at their various floors until she was left alone. The ding of the elevator brought her back from her thoughts as she stepped out and took a look around. If she thought the lobby was impressive, she was currently speechless. She noticed that there was a desk and office related things at a corner but it was empty and no one was there at the time—a missing assistant.

You can't screw this up, Adelaide. Her mind warns. So, she takes calming breaths before she knocks on the door. After receiving no response she knocks again and lets herself into the office, mindless of her actions. The first thing she noticed was that there was no light bulbs and it would have been a completely dark room if not for the sunlight that illuminated through the massive windows.

"What is it, Laura? I thought I told you not to bother me today?" Adelaide eyes immediately look to find where the voice was coming from. He was working by the long table hid in a far corner of the room—full of paintings and sketches. But she couldn't see his face. The office had no walls, just windows; and then because he stood with his back to her, she could not tell how he looked.

"I don't have all day, what is it?" Without turning away from his work, he pauses and raises his head a bit before speaking slowly, "You're not Laura."

"I'm so sorry, I must have missed my way. I'm meant to have an interview today and I don't—" Her rambling is cut off by his edgy voice.

"And my assistant let you in? No one is allowed up here." Adelaide was unsure of how to answer him. She was simply boxed. And maybe she decided that the day was already at it's worst. But with the words that followed after she was sure that somehow, even if she didn't drink, she was drunk. "Your work is absolutely incredible."

"What is your name?" He spoke with a gruff, masculine voice with his back still turned to her which Adelaide considered rather rude.

"Adelaide."

"I'm not sure what you're looking for Miss-"

"Adelaide is fine, but it's alright. Maybe I should leave now."

"Yes, maybe you should."

A/N

Thanks for reading!

New a/n: I really hope that you like the characters already. I decided to post as I write mainly because I'm just impatient and I don't know how to keep my fingers off the publish button. But for the old readers, although change is coming, hopefully you still like the book.  ❤️

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