Zeke's POV
Paleah was in my arms, crying like a little girl that had lost her dog.
The more I comforted her, the harder she cried.
After some minutes of cooing her, her sobs became hushed, and she relaxed, hiccuping.
"I'll drop you off, okay?"
And she nodded.
"Let's go" I told her and she wiped her eyes and nose with the handkerchief she found by digging her hands in my pockets.
In the car, she stared outside the window.
I wasn't going to pry into her private life especially if she didn't want me to know.
"I'm fine, I just needed a good cry" she said probably sensing my curiosity.
"....."
The rest of the ride to Paleah's place was quiet and I'm sure she appreciated the silence very much.
I gave her a long hug before letting her go inside her house.
.....
The loud screeching sound of tyres against the tarred driveway was enough to wake anyone from their slumber, but Bentlee wasn't asleep.
Bentlee's eyes shone brightly as she stared at the ceiling.
Her eyes searched every corner, subconsciously pointing out non-existent flaws.
Moving over to the side, she sighed deeply, exhausted.
She had work in the morning and she needed to sleep.
She had been trying to sleep for two hours now, but her efforts were futile.
The more she tried actively to fall asleep, the more she couldn't.
Ughhhhhhh I need to sleep, she thought but her mind kept drifting to the news her cousin told her.
Cancer....
Bentlee was not fond of her family, but she surely didn't wish them harm or ill health.
And now she promised to contribute for her aunt's chemotherapy sessions.
For some reason, Bentlee felt extremely sad, and she couldn't help but think about her parents at this time.
She lost them both at the same time by car accident a very long time ago.
She missed them terribly....
Every interaction her mind could recall with her parents never vanished and was never altered.
Remembering their conversations, tears flowed silently out of Bentlee's eyes.
Mum...Dad.... I miss you so much, she thought as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
...
Grringggg grrrringggg
Bentlee's alarm blasted at 5am, the unpleasant sound bouncing off the walls.
She woke up startled, her heart racing and her head slightly pounding.
She would never get used to this alarm but she needed it to focus.
She had to clean out her house today because if she didn't, her house would be comparable to a pig pen.
She reluctantly got out of bed and did a 5-minute full body stretch.
In no time, the sleep in her eyes were gone and she was ready to clean up.
The cleaning didn't take as much time as she thought it would. She had some time to spare so she made herself avocado toast and a coffee for breakfast.
She got ready for work with a full belly and was ready to take on the world, but little did she know she was in for a crazy day.
Her problems began when her bank card declined and she wasn't able to pay the bus fare.
"What the hell is going on?" She thought, looking at the bus driver with nervous smile.
Thankfully, a good Samaritan paid her fare, whom she thanked over and over again.
Once she alighted from the bus, she opened her mobile banking app to check what her account balance said.
She nervously tapped on her screen and waited for the rolling icon to disappear.
She still had her money...
So what the hell happened back there??
A notification suddenly popped up, answering her unasked question.
"System update! We apologize, but due to our bimonthly system update, the mobile app and bank cards will be nonfuctional for 24 hours. We are sorry for this major inconvenience, as this update is necessary for us to secure your trust in us and keep your funds safely. Thanks for your understanding".
Understanding????? What fucking understanding??? I can't use my own goddamn money?? For a whole day??
Bentlee couldn't even focus on this news because she realized she was getting late to work.
She had to sprint from where she was to the office building.
Once inside the building, she found a half full elevator and hurried in. In seconds, the elevator became filled up and they were all compressed like fish in sardine cans.
The air smelled of so many things. A blend of vanilla perfume, a flowery mist, even body odor so early in the morning.
Bentlee stopped breathing for half of the trip and only took a deep breath once she was out of the elevator.
She hurried to her office and sat at her desk. Looking up, she realized there was nobody in the office.
Where could they be?
Then it hit her, early morning brief....S-H-I-T!
She ran again with her id hanging from her neck and a little folder in her hand.
At the door of the general conference room, she dreaded walking in but knew that late attendance was better than no attendance at all.
She pushed the door open and walked in with her head slightly down, her eyes scanning the room for a seat where she wouldn't be noticed.
She found one and with the speed of light, she was seated.
The meeting concluded 30 minutes after Bentlee arrived and boy was she glad she attended it.
The administration seemed to have changed ina such a short time and the management were making even more drastic changes.
Apparently, workers would be evaluated monthly and on an individual basis.
No more group or team evaluations.
Team heads would also be evaluated monthly to make sure they were not just dumping their work on their juniors.
Bentlee was happy about that. It was high time they did something about the work dumpers.
"To conclude the meeting, I would like to introduce you all to our new partners in our upcoming project."
Bentlee and so many others looked in the direction of the door and saw the most stylish, handsome and confident people they'd ever seen.
They consisted of a 5-people team.
There were two women and three men. One man stood out when compared to the others. He stood in the middle as well.
"Good day everyone!" The one in the middle's voice sliced through the air.
"We are from Miller Corporation PLC and our company is involved in the 2 month long trial period of the upcoming project. I hope we can all work together to make the outcome successful" he said with a bow and the others followed suit.
Bentlee looked around her and saw how many people were fangirling over these individuals.
She couldn't blame them because they looked too good to be true. Damn.
Bentlee could sense trouble. She knew it wasn't going to be a smooth 2-month trial period at all.