*Screech*
A Maybach arrived at Arland Group. It was a metallic grey that gleamed with sharpness even when it passed under shadows. It arrived with cold anger bleeding off it, and came to an abrupt stop after barely slowing down before the landmark where Arland Group was headquartered. The driver side door opened, and a foot stepped down, followed by a second one, as the owner of the car stepped out.
"Chairman!"
"Chairman!"
"Chairman!"
The greetings, like the crowd, were like water parting in front without provoking any reaction, or any pause in the firm and oppressive steps. The sound of the polished shoes hitting the ground had an imposing but natural weight that the pair of high heels from earlier lacked when it walked the same path until the lift.
A minute later, the elevator opened on the same floor it had stopped at when the owner of the high heels had taken it, and like the latter, the owner of the polished leather shoes made a beeline to the office of the highest authority in the Group.
The steps, like ominous tollings of a heavy bell, rang with each sound closer to the destination until, at last, the door to the most coveted office in the building was at arm's length, and it was opened on the scene inside.
_ _ _
_ _ _
Sitting in the seat that belonged to the eldest daughter in-law of the Lenner family, and now, at least temporarily, to Alex, was a woman, instead of Alex himself, like Lance and Sharon had come expecting.
The woman was young, fresh into adulthood, with the first impression she gave being the embodiment of fashion. She was nothing like what one would expect to find in an office. Far from making a display of seriousness and professionalism, she was more like a model, with a sprightly youthfulness reminiscent of the summer sun shining brightly on the lively beach.
The young woman had dark sunglasses hiding her eyes, making the red of her lips even more prominent with her pale skin. Her designer dress, blue like the cheerful sky, had the casualness of someone on vacation who might drop by the beach at any moment. Its thin straps, with her shoulders and her clavicles exposed, made her have no need to show any cleavage to tease hearts, especially with the untameable air of a pixie her curly short brown hair barely falling to her shoulder was lending her.
On her lap was a bag that might have cost a few months' salary for the average white color worker, just like the accessories she was wearing, and it was to be expected that her shoes that were hidden by the desk had only cost more, not less. She showed a wide smile when she turned around, and swept her eyes from Sharon to Lance, before lowering her glasses stylishly, with a single finger she touched its bridge with, to look at Lance.
"Hello, Lance. It has been a while. Have you been doing well?"
For a moment, silence descended in the office. Sharon opened her mouth in surprise, before closing it without saying anything. She glanced at the young woman, then at Lance who had frozen beside her, his face struggling between turning pale and turning constipated.
The young woman's smile deepened in enjoyment at the broken composure, and it was that reaction that made Lance snap out of the cocktail of emotions that sprang up inside him. He remembered to breathe, and he blurted in rapid-fire:
"Jenny! What are you doing here!? No, wait! When did you come back? And most importantly, does Alex know that you are back?"
While Jenny laughed at Lance's reaction, Sharon couldn't help but frown. She glanced at Lance, then at Jenny, before she turned her eyes to the former again to ask in a low voice:
"Lance, who is she? One of Mr Lenner's conquests?"
Even though she didn't say it clearly, it was obvious whose conquest she was alluding to. The distaste in her voice was obvious enough, just like her voice that carried over to the one she was asking about. The latter immediately pull the sunglasses she has only slid down her nose and shouted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on:
"Hey! Don't you dare lump me with those flies you are thinking about! I'm nothing like them! Moreover, who are you?"
Without waiting for Sharon to answer her question, the outraged Jenny turned fiercely to Lance, forgetting all about his questions to ask one of her own as she pointed at the blonde:
"Lance, who the hell is she? And what the hell is she doing here?"
"Well, girls, please, calm down–"
Before Lance could play the pacifier and defuse the explosive situation, a sound came from behind and interrupted him.
*Clack*
He froze, then spun around to face the door with the speed of a convict zeroing in on an escape route, his face awash with a hopeful glow. His expression brightened up by more than a notch, because he saw his savior, precisely the one who would save him from the rising flames in the office.
"A– lex!"
Lance slowed down, his voice going from high at the beginning to low at the end, his expression turning careful, and hesitant. Alex's face was a mask not of the usual casualness with an uncaring smile, but instead of… discontent? Maybe a mask of anger, or not. But that was definitely a mask of foul mood.
He gulped, immediately starting to wonder if he might be included in the reasons for that inauspicious change.
To the side, Sharon was even more surprised. She was taken aback by the fact that Alex's mood had worsened further since the time she had left the apartment. Once again, she got curious about the painting that had been delivered earlier in the morning, and this time, even more than before. If only she had checked for a name or a signature, or if she had even snapped a picture of it, she could have run it through a search engine.
Moreover, as her curiosity deepened into interest, into the desire to know more, she couldn't help but wonder whether something else had happened after her departure.
With different thoughts flashing behind the surprise gazes falling on the new arrival, silence descended, only to be shattered by the only one who felt neither tension nor shock. Jenny jumped out of the seat she was occupying with a bright face lit up in joy as she shouted:
"Brother!!!"