HIGH ON LOVE

*************************Alice*****************************

“Angel, I’ll love you till my last breath”.

I woke up to the blaring sound of my alarm. My entire body was icy, covered with sweat. My eyes were stinging with tears. I’m not able to control the nightmares any more. Neither my therapies nor my pills are helping me. Every day I wake to the same voice whispering in my head and have no clue to whom it belongs to. I envy that my life has changed completely in the last 4 years. It was nothing like it used to be. I’m drowning in my loneliness and grief that life has thrown on my face. To add fire to it, I have no fucking clue about my past 4 years. It’s like I have started a fresh page of my life, ever since my mom’s death.

Life with mom was completely different. We had fun and enjoyed every moment at the core. Thinking about her takes me to her last few happy days, where she had to mask her face with a smile just for my sake, whereas in reality, she was literally dying in pain. Those were the days that brought me more pain than anything that had happened to me.

Sighing about my thoughts, I turned towards the clock to realize that I’m left with an hour to pull my ass out of the house and reach the office. Yes, I completed my college after my mom pursued me, but she was not there when I graduated. I was the unluckiest person to take my graduation all alone. After mom’s death, I moved to Connecticut and started my job hunting. Life threw me some luck, which I was capable of enough to get hold of.

Yup.. I got my job as a personal secretary in is a 65-year-old man, who has been like a father figure to me since I’ve taken the job. He knew everything about my past and even my therapies. He was a constant reminder of my therapy sessions whenever I drowned in work. Mr. Bowman was really a good person who pushed me to learn about various things happening in the company and within a few months, I slowly learnt about all the businesses and started managing the company accounts, of course, with some help from the people.

My designation was a mere eyewash for the sake of others, but to Mr. Bowman, he treats me like his daughter. About him, he is a widower, and never married after that, as he often tells me he didn’t find anyone who swept his feet off like his wife. He has a son who is currently looking after another branch in Australia. He visits him once or twice a year. Yeah. I know that’s a very long time to visit your parents. So Mr. Bowman treats me like his own child. Thank God, at least I have someone whom I can turn to.

Though everything seems to be fine from outside, the company has had its own problems in the past year. The business was not going as expected, and we needed money. It was really difficult for paychecks to be given. Mr. Bowman insisted on selling the company as he got old and had health issues. We somehow with the help of the Legal and other departments, we have made him agree to merge with another big company, that way things will go smoothly.

Today is going to be an enormous day, as we have a presentation to be given to one of the most influential and profitable companies, The Adam Group of Companies. A very young and talented guy manages it, as I have heard. So I wanted to somehow make this happen. This will be an added credit to my bio and will fetch me good perks in the future. On that note, I think I have only a little time left to be presentable, so I quickly finished my morning routines.

I had a hot shower, dressed up in a grey pencil skirt paired up with a white button-up shirt and a pair of black pumps. My planner was beeping with reminders on my today’s to-do. It’s not wrong for you to think that I’m way too organized but yes, I like things to be in that way, as I’m not a fan of last-minute schedules and tasks. Thankfully, the drive to the office is only 30 minutes tops as I live only a few blocks away from the office. I picked up my Mac, phone, planner, and car keys off the table and boarded in my car.

My focus shifted completely towards the presentation.as it is one of the most important deals of the year. It’s something not only us, but the outsiders are also looking forward to. As per the research study by me, The Adam Group of companies, doesn’t agree with mergers as they only take over or buy the company. But this is one of the very first times in the history of The Adam Group of companies that they have agreed to go ahead with the merger. I hope there are no ifs and buts that we would regret later.

With thoughts whirling in my mind, I reached my office. My assistant, Jane, greeted me with her usual smile, took me through the agenda of the day. She struggled to patch up with my speed, as I literally ran through the meeting room to make sure things were in shape. Once she completed her run through, I asked to make sure that she records every minute detail spoken in the meeting, and send it to me at the end of the meeting. Once I gave her the instructions, I dismissed her to continue with her work

Once she left, I reran the presentation and noted down the highlighters so that I don’t miss the opportunity to take my opponent. I got too involved with my work, which made me realize that people have already settled down in their respective places for the presentation. We were waiting for the showstopper of the day, Mr. Tristan Adam. After waiting for a solid 10 minute, the Greek god adorned us with his presence. True to the gossip and, of course, the constant nagging of my dear friend Nelly, he is definitely a sex icon. No wonder he is the most sought man in the city.

And it was a little intimidating and awe-stricken for me. It would be a lie to say I didn’t get a panic attack. Of course, his presence itself is making my hormones work unusually. And this was the last thing I wanted to happen.