Chapter Five

Ivy felt like she was transported into an angelic realm as she stepped out of the elevator into the breathtaking foyer that led to a row of offices, one of which was now hers. She inhaled sharply and stopped in her tracks: gothic, but beautiful panels, stretching about twelve feet to the ivory ceilings adorned by elegant chandeliers; the floor tiles looked so delicate and were so clear she could see her reflection in them, indicating that they were recently polished, she took careful steps like she would trip if she stepped on her reflections on the tiles

"Miss Jakes?" It was Joan's voice that brought her back to reality

"Y-yes" she stuttered, still startled by the intrusion

"We're here," Joan said in her cherry voice, stopping in front of a door

"Oh, Thank you" Ivy replied as she looked up to see her name on the most elegant golden nameplate she had ever seen. Ivy knew her name had never looked more beautiful as she ran her hand on the nameplate attached to a shiny coffee-brown mahogany door, not even on her treasured school leaving certificate

"Let's get you settled in," Joan said, smiling at Ivy's reaction while opening the door

"This is a dream come true" Ivy whispered as she caught a glimpse of the office interior; cream and brown coloured walls, floor-length windows that overlooked the parking lot, beautiful beige-coloured curtain drapes, a modest but elegant crystal cut chandelier, a table set up with a complete system, a large visitors' sofa, and a plush centre rug.

"I'll leave you to it," Joan said as she stepped out of the office

"I can't believe this" Ivy squealed as soon as she was alone. It had always been her dream to have personal office space; she plopped on her chair, it was nothing like the hard chair she had endured in the shared office. She removed her shoes and moved to step on the centre rug; it was so soft against her feet that she felt she could sleep on it

"Ivy?" It was Joan throwing her a questioning look

"I thought you left," Ivy said, blushing, knowing she must have looked silly to an onlooker

"I came back to tell you the boss wants to see you, I realised I didn't tell you earlier" Joan replied her

"Mr Harry? I thought I saw him on my way up" Ivy said, wondering what he wanted with her

"No, not Mr Harry. I mean the actual boss"

"Wait, what? The actual boss as in Richard Stone?" Ivy asked, bewildered

"Yes, Ivy. That boss"

"W-what could he possibly want with me" Ivy wondered out loud

"You're forgetting that you're a senior member of the company now" Joan replied, amused by the bewildered look on her face

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Ivy didn't know what to expect as she made her way to her boss's office. She had heard so much about him but had never seen him in person; he had no known social media accounts and pictures of him were scarce on the internet- the few ones she had seen were taken by the paparazzi in not-so-good angles. He barely used his office and only visited on important occasions, and had no reason to visit the shared office.

She held her breath as she stepped into the office; she gasped when she saw that it was even more beautiful than her own office- magnificent was the right word for it. The office had a mysterious air about it; its floor-length windows, black curtain drapes with silver embroideries, a large conference table on one side, and its plain white walls, bare, save for a portrait of a man alone in the woods- The office looked like it needed a breath of life in it

"Good morning, miss Jakes"

"Good morning.....wait, that voice? It can't be...

" or do I say, Lucy"?

"Oh, no! this must be a bad dream....a terrible one at that", Ivy thought to herself as she finally saw the face of the man, whose voice she just heard

" G-good morning s-sir", stuttered Ivy

"Or do I call him Dan", she thought, but couldn't bring herself to speak the words that had formed in her mouth

" Who would've thought", he smirked

"You asked to see me s-sir". She struggled to believe that Dan, the caring man she met- was matched with in Vegas is the same man as the mysterious Richard Stone, her new boss, who was rumoured to be extremely cold to women.

"Could you bring the files I requested, please"?

Ivy was sure she could hear her heartbeat as she stepped out of her boss's office, knowing that her life...and, her career, was about to change, either for good or for bad.... she could swear it was for bad, but then, what happens in Vegas...

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Ivy struggled to wrap her head around the fact that Dan was the same person as the mysterious Richard stone. She thought of how she ghosted him in Vegas, blocking his lines from calling her without any explanation. She had always heard about karma, but now she agreed that it was a bitch. She picked up her phone to dial Amy's number

"What's up girl?" Amy said in a singsong voice after the second ring

"You won't believe my situation she said in a sad voice

"Girl! What are you talking about? The only situation I see is a promotion and an awe-inspiring office. This is all you dreamed of" Amy replied, confusion evident in her voice

"Amanda!"

"Ivy? What's wrong?"

"Dan is here" Ivy whispered

"Dan? As in Dan the god? Did you both hit it off again? Isn't that a good thing? I envy you, girl!" Amy said in a rush

"He's here like h-he is my boss," Ivy said, stuttering

"Wait, what? Your boss? How?"

"Dan is Richard Stone, my boss" Ivy explained to her

"Fuck!"

"I just left his office and-

"Come in," Ivy said as a knock cut her off mid-sentence

"Miss Jakes? I have a letter for you from Mr Stone" Joan said peeking in

"Wish me luck" Ivy murmured to Amanda as she got off the phone