Web of Lies

Chapter 1

ALAN MATHEWS couldn't help but look in amazement every time he stepped into his new office. It was everything that he had dreamed of when he and Edward were looking - oh, the looking, all the damned looking - for their new office building.

"What about this one?" Edward had said to him. He'd sent over a weblink to a building in the West Midlands. Staffordshire.

Alan looked over the images that were posted along with the lease listing. "That's the best of the lot so far." He'd joked. "I'm not too sure Lisa would be happy with another move, though."

"Show her the link!" Edward had said. "Show her, and she will see why this is such a good thing."

"Don't forget," Alan added. "About Luke. I don't think the change of schools at his age would be best. You know what I mean?"

Edward had stood up at this point in the conversation. He was always overly passionate about certain things, and this just so happened to be one of them. "I understand, and so will he, Alan. It may not be right now, of course. But one day, when he is older, he'll understand. They always do. He's a kid." Alan had understood the point that Edward was trying to get across, even if it wasn't in the most tactful of ways.

Alan's office, which was the size of his first apartment, was the biggest office he'd ever had. It was sometimes great to be able to hide away in the office, but other times, it made him feel more on edge. It was hard for Alan to fully understand the reasons why, when he kept himself in his office for far too long, he began to get a little bit paranoid. He'd thought it must be down to the lower amount of human interaction as he had read on one of those self-help blogs. Perhaps he was this way, and the less time he spent around people, the more he was becoming...himself.

Nonsense! You stress, worry and work too much. Enjoy your office. See. Look out the window. Nice, isn't it?

The room was coated in a thick, matte white, matching the desk and coffee table colour. The desk chair had a similar colour but was darkened by a creamy pattern on the top. Every single thing was new in here, and you could tell. You can always tell when something is brand new. It has that smell. It is such a wonderful smell, just like that of a new book or the smell of petrol when you are at the petrol pump filling up your car.

Alan looked for the light switch in the room before - again - remembering that all the rooms in the building had sensors. It saved money and was better for the environment. However, Alan just thought it made everywhere look too dark and depressing in the evenings. He walked further into the room, looking at the ceiling light. Nothing.

Don't tell me I have the faulty one already!

Trying to activate the sensors, Alan waved his arms around by what he assumed must be the light sensor.

Nothing. Nada. No light.

"Typical. Trust me to get the knackered sensor." He said to himself. It was eight-fifteen in the morning, and the sun was starting to cast large orange rays of light directly through the wide window in his office. Truthfully, Alan didn't need the light to be on at this moment. The fact that it now wasn't was pretty damned annoying.

Alan went to press the green button on his office phone before realising that it was eight-fifteen and most employees didn't start work until nine. He'll let Charlotte know about the light when she gets here.

He removed his Macbook from his laptop bag and placed it on his desk, flipping up the screen. The computer made a prolonged 'boom' noise as it powered up, showing the bright white Apple logo with the logo fading out, then the logo for MP Software, Alan and Edward's company. The computer loaded up his desktop by quickly typing in his account password and slapping the Enter key.