It was just my luck that I'd be caught in the middle of this.
Bodies were dropping but I couldn't tell if it was out of fear or being wounded. My legs wouldn't move, my heart was pounding behind my ear drums. Then I saw them. Four men, carrying what I assume are rifles of some kind, masks adorning their faces. I could see they were yelling commands to the people ahead of me, but nothing reached my ears. More and more people around me dropped to the floor, and my breathing picked up. This couldn't happen now; in all of the situations, this is where I have a panic attack.
I'm stuck looking between the culprits, taking in every detail I could in this state. Trying to remind myself of the stupid coping skills embedded in my brain. 5 things I can see: the broken glass, the strobe lights, the frightened people around me, the four men, and, and I can't look away from them.
My chest starts to cave, over working and straining to deal with the amount of adrenalin coursing through me. Breath, you can't get out of this alive if you're unconscious. The tallest of the four, has seemed to notice my unmoving body, yelling in my direction. This is it, his gun raised, and he strode closer to my unwavering position. He was close enough now I could see his eyes peeking through the skull mask he was wearing, pools of ivory that screamed danger.
"Hey! Are you even listening? Are you deaf? Get on the fucking ground, now!"
Grief-stricken over the death of the boss who was like a father to her, Olivia Bailey is left to deal with the aftermath--the arrival of his dashing but estranged son, Pierce Alexander. But she can't stand him and he doesn't trust her. Will working for the new CEO remain to be an impossible task?
***
Olivia Bailey might be plain and boring, but she's content with her current lifestyle, working for the kind but lonely old man who owns Alexander Corporation. But his untimely death flips her simple life upside down. Now, she must deal with his estranged son, the heir to his business empire, together with the growing feelings building up between them. Will Olive manage to bear the pressure and issues cropping up along the way--or is this too much to ask?
Disclaimer: This story won The Wattys 2014 People's Choice Award.
Cover Design by Ashley Marie Bandy