The Anatomy of Us

Chapter 1

A Cruel Twist of Fate

Vanessa's mornings were calculated down to the minute. Five-thirty alarm, Vanessa woke up early to start her routine. After tying her running shoes, she stepped out of her apartment into the cool morning air and started jogging. A four-mile run along the cooling pavement. As she ran, she adjusted her earbuds and checked her vital signs on her smartwatch. She completed several laps before the sun fully rose, then turned back toward her apartment.

"Good morning, Aling Telma!" she greeted her elderly neighbor, who was out watering her flowers.

"Good morning, Vanessa," the woman replied with a warm smile.

Once back inside, Vanessa pulled out eggs, sausages, bacon, and bread. She fried them up, brewed a fresh cup of coffee, and sat down to enjoy her breakfast.

A few minutes later, she took a quick shower and finished up in no time. She picked an outfit from her closet, dressed, and checked her reflection in the mirror. Grabbing her bag, she dressed in a crisp blouse, pencil skirt, and sensible block heels, she was entirely in control of her world. Just the way she liked it. And she headed out.

She walked a short distance from her apartment to the bus stop. After waiting a few minutes, her bus arrived. She boarded, took a window seat, and pulled out her phone to read a text from her friend and colleague, Riley.

Riley: I'm in the lobby. Hurry up before the morning rush eats me alive.

Vanessa: On the bus now. Five minutes, gorgeous.

Meanwhile, Alexandria had just woken up. Still groggy, she dragged herself out of bed and into the shower. After a quick wash, she dressed, left her room, and headed straight to the dining table.

There, she found her older brother, Chase, eating alone and nursing a mug of black coffee and scrolling through a script. She sat across from him and joined in.

"You certainly don't look like a CEO. What time is it, and you're still here?" Chase teased with a laugh while looking at his wrist watch. "You look stunning for a CEO running ten minutes behind."

"If you hadn't run off to become an actor, you'd be the CEO instead! You'd be the one sitting in endless budget meetings," she shot back. Stealing a slice of toast directly off his plate. "You really chose acting over slaving away at Mom and Dad's company."

"I'm much happier with my choice, Alex. Best decision of my life," Chase laughed, gathering his things. "Have fun steering the family empire, Boss."

"And you think I'm happy being a CEO? There's way too much work and endless problems to deal with!"

After eating, Chase left for a shoot, while Alexandria headed down to the garage. She started her car and drove toward the family business. Twenty minutes later, Alexandria stepped out of her sports car into the company parking lot, walked to the elevators, and pressed nine.

The doors opened on the first floor, and a crowd of employees surged inside. Alexandria was nearly pinned against the back wall as people crammed into the space, inwardly cursing herself abstracted by her own thoughts, she absentmindedly bypassed the private executive lift and stepped straight into the main lobby elevator.

Big mistake. She thought.

In the tight crush of bodies, a female employee ended up pressed directly against her front. Sharp shoulders, neat hair, and an air of rigid perfectionism that practically begged to be disrupted. A stroke of mischief struck Alexandria. Leaning down slightly until her lips were near the woman's ear, she let out a low, soft moan and smirked.