The sound of Selene's growling stomach vibrated her back to reality. Her gaze moved swiftly from the neatly arranged files on the desk to another neatly stacked set on the floor, her office was a total mess.
She inhaled deeply and exhaled through her nose as she closed her eyes, leaning back on her executive chair. Her eyes caught the time: 3 p.m. Selene's stomach growled again indicating that the slice of apple she had eaten that morning was long lost in her system.
Attempting to stand, she dragged herself from the chair and moved over to the bathroom. Her reflection in the mirror was not something to write home about: her once neat ponytail was now scattered from running her hand through it repeatedly during working hours, and her once perfectly made-up face was now disheveled; she looked like a mess.
Her stomach growled again, urging her to fix her appearance quickly before she stepped outside for food. She swiftly brushed out her hair to smooth the rough edges and tied it back into a perfect ponytail. She clean the scattered makeup on her face with wet wipes, replacing it with a more professional, light touch.
Looking back at her reflection, she was satisfied with her look, as though she hadn't looked like a train wreck just minutes ago.
The buzzing sound from the intercom snapped her back as she hurried into the office, pressing down on the device's button.
Helen's soft voice filled the room, "Miss Selene, I was just checking back to see if the files are ready to be submitted to Mr. Darkos."
Selene groaned tiredly, "Yes, Helen, it was a miracle that I finished on time, but the files are ready." Picking up her bag, she added, "Can you please come down to get them? I'm on my way to lunch."
"Sure thing. I'll be there shortly, just leave your office for me," Helen replied, ending the call.
Selene picked up her car keys and proceeded out of her office, walking down the long hallway until she reached the private elevator reserved for her and Nikolas. Her mind wandered to Cyrus. Although she had been distracted since morning,which was a good thing considering how wild her imagination has been lately.
But now all she could think about was her baby boy. Fishing her phone out of her bag, she dialed Cassie's number. Even though she knew Cyrus was in good hands, she just wanted to check up on him.
The line rang twice before Cassie answered, "Hello, Miss Selene," her voice echoing through the phone speakers.
Selene chuckled, "Please, Cassie, call me Selene," as the elevator beeped open. Stepping into the hallway, she asked, "How is Cyrus?"
"Oh yes, Cyrus is perfectly okay,he's just taking his afternoon nap," Cassie replied.
Selene's brows furrowed in surprise, "Really? He's asleep?" She had always tried to incorporate an afternoon nap into Cyrus's schedule, but only Sandy, her sister, had ever be able to successfully put that boy down up until now,seems Cassie too have joined the club.
Her heart warmed joy she had made the right choice by hiring her.
"Yes," Cassie answered, "he's been playing all day, so I just thought it would be okay for him to nap."
Selene's lips curved into a cheeky smile, "Thank you so much, Cassie. I will be back soon," she said as she ended the call.
Sandy is not going to believe this when I tell her, Selene thought, as she walked down toward the entrance. Even though the company had a canteen where workers ate, she didn't want to go there yesterday she had tried given it a shot but had retreated to her office to eat lunch instead.
Once outside, she slipped into the company car she had been given on her first day, a small luxury in the midst of a chaotic day. But just as she slipped in, with her keys in hand and ready to start the car, her heart came to a violent halt.
Her gaze widened as it fell on the one person she had never wanted to see again, the one who had shattered her heart into shreds: Frank Sterling, strolling out of The Darkos Company.
Her heart drummed loudly inside her chest as every muscle tensed at the sight of him. She watched him move swiftly to his car, unaware of her watchful gaze. His hand held a phone to his ear as he spoke aggressively to the person on the other line.
Whatever he planned on doing here must not have gone his way, regardless of that fact,She still despised him,
She hated the way he walked, the way he breathed, the way he moved, her eyes blazing with fury.she hated everything about him.
The carefully buried pains and memories she had managed to keep at bay exploded all at once in her chest leaving her disoriented and breathless.
Her body Rooted to the car even after several minutes, when Frank had finally left, her skin prickled with annoyance as she struggled to breathe. She tried to steady herself,but it was too late as the hot volcano of emotions had already erupted inside of her.
"What was he doing here?"
Suddenly, the blinding hunger she had been feeling moments ago was drowned in hot bowls of anger. Stepping out of the car, she headed straight for the receptionist's table. she needed to know why he was here at her workplace.
Putting one foot in front of the other as she walked toward the receptionist, the lady whose face curled into a bright smile as she saw Selene.
Almost breathless Selene asked, "Frank Sterling, the man that just exited the building, what was he here for?"
"Yes, Miss Selene, Mr. Sterling came to see the CEO," the receptionist replied, and Selene nodded.
"Anything else?"
"Oh no, he was directed straight to the CEO's office. I'm afraid I do not have any other information," she said, disappointed.
Selene thanked her and headed back to her office using the private elevator. In the hallway, she met Helen, in her hands were the files meant for Mr. Darkos. Selene gave her a firm smile, but Helen's eyes widened a bit,probably shocked to see her back so soon, but she said nothing and Selene was grateful for that, as she wasn't in the mood for any small talk.
Using her office card to access her door,she went straight for her screen. Typing in her password, she searched for any business the company had with Sterling Holdings. Her eyes widened as she read through the proposal uploaded on the company's website,these were the same proposals the previous manager had given to Nikolas.
Selene's heart sunk as she read through them. Sterling Holdings was sinking fast. Although she knew she shouldn't be worried because it wasn't her concern anymore, but her heart broke at the thought of how she had dedicated most of her years to building that company with Frank, only for him to run it down.
As her eyes scanned through the proposal, her heart bleed for the company she had once loved and nurtured. Sterling Holdings was sinking fast, and without Darkos Industries' help, it would sink even faster than the Titanic.