Cracked Sources (B01 E06)

“You look much better now, how do
you feel?”

“I’m fine, I think.”

Both ladies hugged. It was two days
without their usual gossip, work hadn’t been the same in her absence. Anna
broke off the embrace to munch on the chocolate bar calling out to her – they
were her Achilles heel. Asides the fact that the doctor told her to avoid
eating just anything she came across to avoid a reoccurrence of the food
poisoning she was recovering from, she just couldn’t resist the temptation.

“I feel a lot better today than I
did yesterday” smiles were written all over her face, the joy of the
chocolate was great. Patricia laughed and teased she doesn’t on the bars with
her consumption speed.

“You won’t believe what happened
here yestersay,” Patricia started. Anna adjusted herself for the latest
happenign around; sometimes she felt they needed to start a gossip blog for the
things that happen in the firm. Patrick’s presence killed the joy before it
could even be maximized.

“Come with me Anna,” his
implied bass had began to sound more accommodating to the ear. Anna hid her displeasure
and immediately obeyed. He led the movement, and she followed silently. Going
nowhere in particular, he abruptly stopped, and turned to her,

“A valuable document was entrusted
to you, only for it to go missing moments after you reportedly returned it into
custody. Suffice it for me to say I suspect you had a hand in its theft.”

He observed a short pause to read the
thoughts on Anna’s face, “If you had something to do with the missing
Crescent Housing document, know that I’ll find out, and your punishment will be
so severe that Andrew in all his might will not be able to save you.”

Anna couldn’t move: probably because
Patrick was still within eye shot from her position. The moment he was out of
sight, she rushed to the elevator, she needed to talk to Andrew. She kept
pressing the unresponsive button of the elevator for about ten seconds till it
answered her call, and opened on the wrong floor. Too engrossed in her own
worry that she was still punching the elevator, she was ignorant of her environment
and didn’t realize when Mark entered.

“It’s either I’m invisible whenever
I’m around you or I’m not as attractive as my mother once made me
believe.”

Anna immediately stopped fiddling with
the control buttons and turned around, conscious of the familiar voice.

“I’m so sorry Sir, a lot of thing on
my mind.” She faked a smile.

“Not Sir. Call me Mark, Anna, I’m
not that old,” he pleaded with her.

“I’m so sorry, Mark”

“I wonder why you’re always in a
hurry. Maybe I can be of help.”

“You can’t possibly
understand.” She said looking up to his tall frame, her eyes at an angle
that made them appear bulgy.

“Try me,” he said; trying to
sound confident and sexy.

Anna paused for a very short while, and
spoke,

“I’m on my way to see Mr. Andrew, my
supervisor. Something important came up, which needs his urgent attention”

“Are you a Paralegal?”

Anna nodded in the affirmative.

“I’d have sworn you were a
Lawyer.” Andrew took a second look at her; this was the second time he was
meeting time an don both ocassions she had been well dressed to pass for a
Lawyer. From the mention of Andrew as her supervisor, he pieced together that
this was the Paralegal that caused Andrew and Patrick’s last quarrel; he could
see the allure now, it was all beginning to make sense.

Some things were beginning to make sense
to him now.

The elevator door opened on the 15th
floor, and that was her cue to leave.

Mark placed a foot to stop the elevator’s
door from closing. He said, “I’ve not known much people since I resumed here,
and I’ll like that to change. Mind if I ask you out on a date, strictly
platonic.”

“There’s no problem with that.”
Her face brightened and her smile turned real: If the CEO found her worthy for
a date, who was she to say no.

“My PA will forward you the
arrangement later. Nice meeting you again Anna,”

He watched the elevator close in front of
her. Anna was all smiles, she walked majestically as though she just had an
interview with Jesus. By the time she got the Andrew’s office she had forgotten
the anger that made her rush out here in the first place. Agnes was the one to
bring her back to reality.

“Hello Anna, he’s in a meeting with
a client”

“OK, thank you. I’ll wait for…
Wait!” Anna interrupted herself. “You know my name?” She asked
Agnes.

“Of course. That’s what I do. What
kind of secretary would I be if I don’t know the names of all the people that
my boss relate with?”

“Relates to,” Anna murmured.
“That’s nice,” she said to Agnes hearing, smiled sheepishly, and sat
quietly on the waiting bench away from Agnes’ direct contact. Her thoughts
began to fly – Agnes’ last statement had a lot of interpretation, Anna wasn’t
going to let the fact that Andrew possibly had other girls at his disposal
weigh her down more than she already was; he was the boss and could have any
woman he wanted.

“I’m Agnes by the way,”

“Nice to meet you Agnes” Anna
waved back from her position.

Andrew’s door flew open, and there he was
showing his guests out. He caught sight of Anna, and beckoned her to come in.