Perfect Illusion

Seven - "Beep."

The woman behind the desk blinks a few times. "You're their daughter?"

"The one and only Alexandria Woods."

She sighs deeply and gestures for me to give me back her phone. I hesitate, thinking she is going to resume her conversation and forget all about me, but then she presses her lips into a thin line.

"I need the phone to call your parents." She rolls her eyes.

"Oh, right." I hand her back the phone, red creeping onto my cheeks. The woman starts to press some buttons on the telephone and I hear a soft dial tone. She murmurs something I cannot hear.

"Mmhmmm. Mmhmmm. Okay."

Then, she hangs up. She then bends down to open one of the drawers and hands a card to me.

"Scan this on the elevator and it will take you to the 58th floor. Your parents will be waiting for you there."

"Okay." I snatch the card from her grasp and hurry to the elevator waiting for me. As the doors close, I can hear my heart pounding against my ribcage, threatening to tear it open.

My thoughts wander to what the woman was saying over the phone. She seemed really frantic... and scared about what's going to happen. And what did she mean when she said that there was not much my parents could do?

The suspense is killing me.

I watch as the floor number displayed on the panel in the elevator increases. My hands shake as I check my phone again for more messages. There are none. I'm guessing my parents know I'm here already.

When I reach the 58th floor, the elevator doors burst open. Taking a deep breath, I step forward and scan my surroundings. The atmosphere of the 58th floor totally contrasts from the ground floor, where everyone was talking and chatting at the same time. I notice that there is almost no one on this floor.

I walk along the hallway and finally spot my mom.

She is a mess.

Her hair is greasy, falling over her face in thick strands. Her beautiful chestnut eyes have dark circles underneath them. When she faces me, I notice her cheeks are flushed.

"Alex," She murmurs and I immediately fall into her arms. I don't care that we barely talked throughout the entire week. We hug for what seems like forever, her warmth enveloping me. It has been a long time since I last hugged my mother. I missed her hugs so much.

When I finally pull back, I ask what happened.

"Alex," She pulls me by the waist and kisses my forehead, a rare form of affection she barely gives. "I don't know how to tell you this but... Woods and Co has gone bankrupt."

~~~~~~

"What?" I yell at her. I see my mom's eyes bulge, and I apologise for raising my voice. "How... what... why..."

That simply can't be true. Woods and Co. has over a hundred employees and at least ten major commercial projects each year. Last year alone it raked in close to $100 million in revenue. How can it be bankrupt?

My mom shakes her head and urges me to follow her. We're walking along the hallway until we reach a glass door. It is blurred so I cannot see what is on the other side of the room. My heart flies over my chest, and I gasp.

She turns to me, casting a reassuring smile at my direction. I want to ask what's going to happen now, and what are we going to do now that the company has gone bankrupt. I want to ask how are they going to pump money back into the company. I want to ask how are we going to get through with this.