She was not sure what woke her up. Maybe it was the dazzling sunlight which lit her room brightly, as she had forgotten to draw the curtains the previous night. Or maybe it was the racket that the neighbors were making again. It had been like that since the day she'd moved in, and she still hadn't gotten used to it.
She rolled over in her bed, not wanting to get up so early in the morning. But sleep didn't come to her. She popped an eyelid open and checked the time. It was 7 am.
Finally giving up, Sarah got up and dragged her feet across the room to the bathroom. She examined her reflection in the mirror. Her blond hair was all over the place, sticking out at odd angles. She managed to smooth her hair and tied it up in a ponytail. She splashed her face with water to remove all traces of sleepiness.
Dabbing her wet face with a towel, she quickly put on her workout clothes and shoes. She had discovered her love for exercise when she was very young. She had constantly been working out since then, as a result of which her self-confidence had flourished. It had even influenced her to join a Martial arts class a few years back and she now prides herself on being close to an expert in it.
She was suddenly reminded of her sister. Her sister shared her love for exercise and they always competed against each other to prove their superiority over the other. Sarah had won more times than she could count and had never failed to rub the fact on Julia's face every single chance she got. Thinking about her brought a smile to Sarah's face.
Brushing away her thoughts, Sarah began to hit the punching bag hanging from the ceiling of her bedroom. She concentrated all of her energy on the punch, which helped to clear her mind. After an hour of intense hitting, jumping and lifting weights, she was done.
She was halfway through breakfast when there was a loud beep from her phone. She retrieved the phone from the table and checked it. She'd received an email from Harper Inc.
Suddenly, she felt excitement course through her veins.
This is it.
She opened the email and read it.
Miss Sarah Brooks,
Welcome to Harper Incorporation!
It gives us great pleasure to inform you that you have been selected to work in our company as an executive assistant to our CEO, Mr. Robert Harper. We are looking forward to having you working for our esteemed company.
Please go through the documents pertaining to the rules and regulations of the company, a copy of which is attached to this e-mail.
Also, please let us know when you can start working with us. We hope you join us at the earliest.
Regards,
HR Manager
Harper Inc.
Seattle, Washington
Sarah couldn't contain her delight. Yes! I've done it!
A huge smile broke across her face and she mentally did a victory dance. She was overcome with happiness at what she had managed to do. Months of preparing had finally paid off. She typed in a reply saying she could join immediately.
She had a sudden urge to call her parents to share this delightful piece of news with them. It was they who stood by her side during her struggle, and reassured her that she could always count on them. She could imagine the happiness on her parents' face on learning that their daughter had finally made it in.
But it had to wait. Since she'd decided to cut all ties with her family, she knew that it was not safe to communicate directly. For this reason, she'd got a new number and forbade making calls to it. This was what troubled her parents the most. But after several persuasions, she'd managed to convince them that she'd go to a safe place and call from a different number whenever she could. And since Seattle wasn't that far from her house, her father would send one of his secretaries over in case of an emergency.
She spent the rest of the day preparing for her first day at work. Sometime during the afternoon, she got a reply back from the company, informing her to join the next day.
Sarah braced herself for what was coming.
But she didn't have the slightest idea of what she'd just signed up for.
***
The next morning, Sarah woke up way too early in her anticipation for the first day of work. The first thing she did was to call her parents from a safe place she'd found not very far - a borrowed phone from the local grocery store. She already had a marked list of places as 'safe places', places nobody would think of looking for someone like her. Her parents were delighted on hearing the news and had showered her with warm wishes. After promising her mother that she'd call her soon, she'd hung up.
After a quick breakfast, she made sure she had everything she needed and checked her reflection in the mirror before heading out the door.
She walked to the parking lot of the apartment where a brand new car stood waiting for her, having arrived just minutes before. She sighed, shaking her head. Her father was a rich, successful businessman and he often expressed his wish to provide his daughters all the comforts needed to lead a luxurious life. He'd already told her before that if she were to get the job, then he would get her a brand new car. And he wouldn't take no for an answer. That morning when she'd call her father to give him the news, he had insisted on getting her the car and had it delivered to her apartment in time for her office.
She parked her car in the driveway of Harper Inc., and felt the nerves coming back. She told herself that she would do fine and stepped inside the building. She approached the receptionist, the same lady she met a day before.
"Hi, I'm Sarah Brooks. I got an email from the company yesterday. I'm supposed to start working today."
The receptionist nodded and clicked a few buttons on her computer.
"Miss Brooks, your office is on the 30th floor, right next to Mr Robert Harper's office. Cole will help you find it."
She ascended the building and finally reached the thirtieth floor, just like the day before. When she stepped out of the elevator, she realized she didn't know who Cole was. She started walking towards the reception when she heard the shrill voice of a woman from her right.
Instinct made her turn towards the source of the voice. A beautiful woman was walking towards her, with her blonde hair dancing behind her as she walked. She looked like a woman straight out of a magazine – a model with striking features.
"Cole, cancel Kevin's appointments for the day. We are going out together", said the woman, with a commanding voice to the guy behind the desk.
The man behind the desk looked around helplessly as if hoping someone would come to his aid. Then sounding desperate, he said, "But ma'am, Mr. Harper told me not to cancel-"
"Did he say that now? Ah, well, he'll change his mind. Cancel it", she said, her gaze unwavering.
The man looked concerned but remained firm. "I'm sorry ma'am, Mr. Harper insisted – "
"Never mind what he said. I want you to do it now", she said, without giving him a chance to talk and sauntered away.
As Sarah approached the receptionist, he looked up at her. He was a muscular man with a tough exterior, and he had a slight beard that gave his face a rugged look. He looked more like a hunky bodyguard than a casual receptionist. Even though he was pissed at the moment, he looked charmingly handsome.
"Bad day, huh?", she asked him.
He sighed. "Tell me about it. She's always like this", he said with a raspy voice. "Sorry ma'am, did you want something?", he asked her, brows crinkling and lips widening.
"Yes. Actually, I wanted help figuring out where my office is. I'm Sarah Brooks - the new assistant."
"Oh! Nice to finally meet you, Miss Brooks. Congratulations on getting the job. Please follow me, your office is this way."
"Please call me Sarah", she said smiling back at him. She followed him into a brightly lit room which had an elegant and pleasant aura.
He smiled back. "Take your time to settle down, Miss Brooks. I'll be right back."
She shook her head at him, still smiling. The room contained a desk and two chairs in the center, with a laptop placed on it. A couch and a coffee machine sat at the end of the room. At the other end, there was an enormous rack of files and folders marked in various colors. The wall behind the desk was covered in floor to ceiling glass, just like she'd remembered seeing in Robert Harper's Office. Overall, it was modern and cozy, and she liked it.
"Sorry to interrupt Miss Brooks. Mr Harper wants to meet you now", said Cole, returning back.
She nodded and made her way towards the door next to her office, which bore the words "Robert Harper, CEO" in huge bold letters. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door.
Inside, a familiar man in his fifties wearing a suit, sat behind the desk - her boss, Mr. Robert Harper. There was another man beside him, who looked much younger and also wore a similar suit. She thought he might be in his mid-twenties.
But as she stared into the blue eyes of the stranger, she realized that there was something very wrong.