I'll Hold Your Heart & Never Let Go (Synyster Gates)

I. When Past Knocks

"If you can't manage the project properly, then there is no place for you in this company," Caroline's voice steels, her eyes fixated harshly on the woman in front of her. "The clients are complaining, Sharon. Complaining," she repeats with emphasis.

"It's not my fault they are complete-" Sharon begins, but is cut off by Caroline.

"You're off the project."

The woman gapes at her, her mouth opening and closing as if she can't believe it happening. With no words said, Sharon turns around and stomps out of the office, slamming the door behind her, as expected. Caroline flinches at the possible damage to her office door, but thankfully it remained intact. She sighs and rubs her temples in circles. The day was downright horrendous. Not only two of the project managers messed up the projects they were supervising, but the current ones she was running herself were also proving to be impossible to accomplish.

A phone rings somewhere downstairs, probably at the reception, as Caroline continues going through the list of partner companies for the latest project she decided to take on. She grabs a ballpoint pen from a case in front of her, crossing out names on the paper with visible force.

Working as an interior designer for the rich and famous of London had its perks. The pay and the reputation were just a few of them. Yet, it also meant dealing with requests that made no sense both logically or architecturally — which was the same thing, really. This newest one, however, tops everything Caroline has ever done. A glass aquarium. Installed as a floor. In the living room area. In a penthouse situated on the 18th floor. Lovely. A grunt escapes her lips as she lets her head fall into her palms. Caroline has contacted almost everyone on her list, and no partner was insane enough to take on such a challenge.

Taking a deep breath, she stands up, grabbing her purse from a leather couch in the corner of her office. Glancing at the clock, which read one in the afternoon, she wraps herself in a dark blue trench coat and takes the stairs down to the reception.

"Miss Aleksa, should I clear your schedule for the rest of today?" the receptionist asks, his voice wavering at the end. Caroline turns her head for a brief moment, observing. Behind the desk sits a young guy, probably still at the university, his movements betraying the nervousness. It must be his first week at work.

"Yes, please do," she says, heading for the door. "And redirect all calls to Yazmyn."

"Yes, Miss. Have a good afternoon!" he calls after.

Caroline opens the door and steps outside into an unusually warm and sunny October afternoon. Closing her eyes for a brief moment, she takes a deep breath, enjoying the warmth hitting her skin. She slowly starts making her way to the Underground. It has been five years since she opened up her own interior design company. She felt so proud as she set up a small office in West London, excited to work her way up to the top. Her friends from university — Gemma, Luke and Yazmyn — joined in on the risky adventure. They've spent months without projects, working part-time everywhere else but their little company to pay their own bills and the rent of the office. It seemed to be the end of it; investing heaps of money, and taking out loans just to start was weighing financially on all of them.

Yet, by some wonderful miracle, Caroline managed to land a small project. And it was that first push they all needed to finally start rolling in the right direction. Projects flooded in, and calendars were fully booked. They've expanded and moved to the Centre, earning a name among the right people. Just a whisper, but they were talking. It took three years of hard work, sleepless nights and fights to come to where they were now — a reputable name in the market.

Caroline makes her way down the stairs to the station, waiting for the tube. The Central line is always packed during lunchtime, with people pushing onto the platform, pushing onto the train. She manages to fight her way in since she knows that the next tube coming would be just as full. Grabbing onto the railing as the cars jerk forward, the passengers stumble forward. It takes her a good half an hour and one change to reach her destination. Stepping out of the overheated Underground, already breaking a sweat, Caroline walks toward her apartment building.