Rachel Riott (Preview)

Chapter 1

Sitting there in the silence of the grandiose office, in front of the massive windows that reached from the floor to the roof. Rachel watched as the darkness seeped out of the sky while light allowed itself in. It was a cold morning as she watched the lights of the neighbouring skyscrapers slowly turn on. Watching as the little ant-sized people wandered around their claustrophobic space. They all started to appear one after the other, and Rachel knew her own set of ants would soon be appearing in the hallways. Her heels rested on a glass table, and her back was pressed against the leather chair in her office. She knew she had it all as she watched to see what was happening in the world. Nothing positive, to say the least. It was all the same, death this, violent that, or corrupt politicians, it was always enough to put her in a bad mood. Yet that was the mood she needed to be in since they didn't call her Rachel Riott for nothing.

Rachel had made a name for herself in the business world. She was the leading businesswoman in the country, let alone the richest. She had rival companies kissing her feet to try and get her to help them. Although she didn't work that way. She was only in this for herself. She resented many of those she had to compete with, who all, at some point, had told her that she couldn't achieve what she currently had. They were right, though. She could only do it better. Rachel was the queen bee and the devil for many big companies who waged war with her. If she wanted something, it was instantly hers, but no matter what, she always stuck to one rule. Never touch a small business.

Growing up in a small town, her parents owned a small shoe store. They were struggling and planning on selling it to one of the managers who had run it. Only the landlord went behind their backs and sold out to a bigger franchise. They ripped her parent's livelihood right from under them. At the time, Rachel was too young to understand what had happened, but it made even more sense as she grew up. She started reliving memories of the store and asked her parents what had happened. That's when she got her first taste of corporate corruption.

It angered her, knowing that no one should be treated the way that they had been. At the end of the day, Rachel didn't have any sympathy for the man as she took it upon herself to rip the whole shoe franchise out from the CEO's fingers for less than a quarter of the price it was worth. Rachel and him both knew her brand was better and while she was at it, she took all of the property along with the landlord's assets. Again, getting it for a cheap deal after digging up dirt on him. It was amazing what she could do when she found out these high-paid typically conservative executives were cheating and had secret mistresses. That said, it didn't stop her from giving the photos to his wife after she had seized everything. She may have been a bitch, but she wasn't the type to let a scumbag walk. He had ruined her family's life many years prior, so it was only fair that it was an eye for an eye transaction.

Leaning forward and returning from her daydream, Rachel turned off the TV and rose from the couch. Like every morning, she walked to the windows and placed her hands on the glass. Then, pressed the toes of her shoes as close to the edge as they could go and looked down at the drop. In some ways, it felt like she was tempting fate, and it gave her a rush, knowing that if she could go any further, she would be in a free fall. Yet, she remained safe at the highest point of the tower. Her head was literally in the clouds as the wind blew between the colossal structures. The night sky blinded everyone to the world above, but Rachel loved it. Her wealthy and lavish male colleagues would always ask, "How did you get where you are at such a young age?"

Her only response being, "I get up early. Isn't that how you did it, or did you just sleep your way to the top?"

She ridiculed the older individuals, especially the old men, who all thought they were still attractive and desperately craved that Playboy vibe. Yet they couldn't even keep three strands of hair on their head and, more often than not, had the look of a toddler, drooling on themselves during their first day of school, especially when Rachel was in their presence. The worst part was when they brought their sons to try and flirt with her in hopes of a corporate marriage. It made her want to puke simply thinking about it.