Haven

Chapter 8

Lizabeth

First day of work. To say I was nervous was an understatement. My whole body was shaking and I felt like my insides were twisting and turning.

I stared at myself in the mirror and straightened my outfit for the millionth time this morning. I was wearing a black vest tucked in red slacks and a matching jacket with a pair of black heels that have lasted me for I don't even know how long now. My hair was in a neat bun and I was putting on light makeup and jewelry. I looked very professional, not at all resembling the person I've been these last couple of months.

A knock on the door snapped me back to reality. I cleared my throat before speaking, "come in."

The door opened and in stepped my mother. Her face beamed once she caught sight of me.

"Look at you! You look amazing," she said.

I blushed, "thank you."

"First day of work. Are you excited?"

I gulped, "more nervous than excited."

"Oh, you're going to be okay. You got the job for a reason. You're going to be great at it," she said before giving me a hug.

"Thank you,"

                                 **

Stepping into Hotel Eden this time around was just as mesmerising as the first time. I stood in the middle of the lobby and awed at the golds and whites that adorned the interior. Both my hands held the straps of my handbag as my eyes darted to every object and person in the room. Eventually they landed on a scrawny man practically sprinting towards me.

He wore a fitting white three piece suit. He looked very put together with his neat dark hair, round rimmed glasses, and very shiny polished shoes. I fixed my posture once the man was close enough.

"Martin Rogers, hotel manager." He said as he stuck his hand out for me to shake.

I put on a smile and shook his hand. "Lizabeth Collin. Nice to meet you,"

"Nice to meet you too. Follow me," he said then turned around and started walking, at the same pace he approached me in.

I followed behind him, struggling to keep up. I barely had the opportunity to marvel at all the decorations we passed. He led me into an elevator, pressed the number 3 and we stood in silence as the doors closed. In a couple of seconds, we were stepping out of the elevator and into the corridor.

We stopped at the door of one of the offices in the hallway. Martin retrieved a set of keys from his pocket and unlocked the door. He opened the door, stepped aside giving me space to enter, then he followed behind.

When my eyes landed on the room, I stopped in my tracks and let out a barely audible gasp, at least I hoped it was barely audible. The room, as compared to other offices I've worked in, was big. What caught my attention was the window the length of the office, with a clear view of the beach below. The room was neat, with a polished wooden desk and ergonomic chair in the middle and potted plants at the corners.

"In thirty minutes, you have a meeting with Mr Eden. He insists on meeting every new employee," Martin said and I could feel my nerves get worse.

I only nodded in response.

I didn't think I'd meet with the owner of the hotel. At least not on my first day.

Martin left the room. I went over to the desk. I placed my handbag on it and sat on the chair. I leaned into the seat and rotated for a bit, breathing it all in.

This office was nothing like the one at Blue Tile. I stopped rotating once memories of my previous workplace started sipping into my brain. I sat up straight and decided to busy myself, to distract myself.

There was a laptop with the Hotel Eden logo on it, on the desk, along with some files. I turned on the laptop and started going through the files in it, and the few that were on the desk. It was all information about the hotel's current marketing strategies and some finances. I pulled a notepad out of my handbag, grabbed a pen from the penholder on the desk and got to work.

                                 **
Thirty minutes flew by pretty quickly. I wouldn't have even noticed if the phone didn't ring with Martin reminding me of the meeting. I straightened my suit a couple of times before knocking on Mr Eden's office door.

I heard a firm "come in," before I twisted the doorknob and opened the door. His office was even more glamorous. The room was twice the size of my office, with an even better view, a bookshelf, and a freaking bar taking up a whole wall. His office had everything mine had, just bigger.

Then there was him, sitting at his desk with his eyes staring directly at me. He was just as beautiful as I remembered, and in this moment he radiated power, from his blank face to his posture, it all screamed obey me. 

"Sit," he said and I instantly obeyed.

"Lizabeth, right?"

"Y-yes sir." I cussed at myself for stuttering but I couldn't help it.

"Welcome to Hotel Eden. I hope you're liking it so far,"

"Yes, I am. This place is absolutely breathtaking and I am so excited to be working here. It's a dream come true," I responded. His features softened.

He chuckled causing me to blush. "I'm glad to hear that."

He stared at me for a while, possibly observing me. It made me feel self conscious. I looked down at my fingers, feeling his scrutinizing gaze on me.

"Are you new in town? I've never heard of a Lizabeth Collin,"

I looked up. "I was born and raised here but I moved to the city about twelve years ago to live with my father,"

He hummed then got up and made his way to his bar. I watched him pick out two glasses and pour a drink in both. He came back to his desk, leaned onto it and handed me a glass.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I can't have that," I said.

He raised his brow. "Why not?"

I felt my throat dry up and my palms get sweaty. "I'm pregnant."

This is the first time I've said it outloud.

I could feel my breathing quickening and my insides churning.

Bill Eden looked me up and down then shrugged and gulped down both drinks.

"You're the first person I've told," I blurted without thinking about it.

He looked at me. "The father doesn't know?"

I shook my head in response.

"Okay,"

There was a bit of silence as he went to return the glasses to the bar and went back to take his seat.

My emotions were welling up and my body was starting to shake. I tried to discreetly take deep breaths and erase all the thoughts that were starting to crowd my brain.

"So do you have anything for me so far?" Mr Eden asked, reminding me of what my brain should really be focused on.

"Well, I was looking at the files on my desk. The current plans are great but we could do a lot more. I was thinking of running a social media compaign too. I have some connections with influencers in the city. They could introduce Hotel Eden as the new spot to be, to their followers," I fought hard not to start rambling.

He looked somewhat impressed. "I like what I'm hearing. Get started on that as soon as possible,"

I smiled. "Of course,"