Chapter 5: Twisted

Ivy sat in front of her desk and looked at the spreadsheet on her computer screen. Yolanda, the accountant had sent the report for her to analyze and sign.

A crease formed above her nose as she read the report. The figures didn’t look good. Their sales had neither risen nor dropped, rather they were stagnant.

Ivy stood up and walked to the coffee bar at the corner of her office to make herself an iced coffee. She needed caffeine. It was going to be a long day as she had a lot to do and take care of.

Jane burst through her door and Ivy jumped.

“You gave me a start! Have you ever had of knocking?” Ivy asked her friend.

“Oh, sorry!” Jane retorted and went back out of the office. In a few seconds, she was knocking at the door. Ivy chuckled, her friend was trying to be funny.

“You can come in Jane!” Ivy called out.

Jane walked in and came to a stand next to Ivy.

Ivy looked at her friend who stood looking at her with a frown on her face.

“What is wrong?” Ivy asked.

“Nothing. It’s just that you wear such high heels, every time I stand next to you I feel like a munchkin!” Jane complained.

Ivy laughed out. She had thought her friend had something much more serious to report.

“Kim is on her way up. She said she wants to see you!” Jane said.

Ivy grimaced. Kim was her adopted sister and business partner. She probably had watched the Andrew Logan broadcast and knowing her sister, she was easily flustered by things.

Right on cue, Kim made her way into Ivy’s office. She stood right in the line of the sunlight pouring from the large window. The play of the sun rays on her hair made it look like white cotton candy.

Kim was beautiful, her own hair blonde in contrast to Ivy’s dark hair. They shared the same blue shade eyes. People would normally assume they were blood sisters as they had an uncanny resemblance to each other.

“Hi, sis!” Kim announced. Jane took the moment to slither out of the office and live the sisters to talk.

“Hey, kiddo!” Ivy replied. “Should I pour you an iced coffee? Freshly made!”

Kim pouted in disgust. “Caffeine? It’s not good for my skin. I am on a green diet!”

Ivy smiled. Kim was always on one diet or another. Whatever she read or heard about on the internet as being the secret to keeping young and beautiful was regarded as gospel.

“Well, I doubt I have anything green in here except for a bottle of Green Chartreuse!” Ivy answered and Kim scowled at her.

“I saw you on a live news stream yesterday. You looked gorgeous! What foundation are you using these days?” Kim asked.

Ivy chortled. Was that all she had taken from the show? Her make-up?

“I had no foundation on!” Ivy replied.

“Really? The way you eat and drink unhealthy things, I would assume you needed lots of make-up to cover your skin. Well, if your skin can look like that and you drink caffeine, then please pour me some,” Kim replied.

Ivy smiled. She loved her adopted sister as if she were her blood. Kim’s parents had rescued her from living a life of hopping from one foster home to another. They had adopted Ivy, loved and treated her like one of their own.

Ivy poured out a second glass of iced coffee and handed it to her sister before going to reclaim her seat behind her huge desk.

“So are you really going to do it?” Kim asked, sounding rather excited.

“Do what?” Ivy asked.

“Go on numerous dates to find ‘The One’ on our application?” Kim replied as she too sat down on the adjacent chair.

“If I want to prove Andrew Logan wrong about his assessment of our company and application, I have to,” Ivy stated.

Kim put her cup on the desk and clapped her hands like a little girl, excitedly.

“Yay! So do you need me to help you create a killer profile?” Kim asked.

Ivy blinked at Kim. She knew her sister meant well, but she was afraid if she let Kim help her post a profile, it would look like Barbie inviting Ken to a dollhouse tea party.

Although they owned fifty-fifty shares of Mirror Love Connection, Kim was a silent partner, while Ivy was in charge of the day to day running. Her sister, bless her sweet soul, was not business-minded nor could she handle a company the magnitude of Mirror Love Connection.

Being in charge of over ten thousand employees across the country was not an easy task and needed a firm iron grip. For someone like Kim, who cried if you so much as told her that she had put too much salt in the stew, she would have a breakdown dealing with what Ivy had to deal with daily.

“Don’t worry. I got this covered, sis,” Ivy replied.

“Oh, okay!” Kim answered looking upset.

“Alright, you can help pick the best picture to use for my profile,” Ivy said and Kim’s eyes lit up.

“Yay! I will get right on it!” She said as she clapped her hands again excitedly.

Ivy felt a warm feeling pour through her. She loved Kim and would do anything to protect her and see her happy. After all the Bensons were the only family she had, that had shown her unconditional love in a time she had lost all faith in humanity.

Kim took out her phone and started scrolling.

“What do you think of the picture of you I took when we went to Ibiza?” Kim asked and Ivy frowned.

“You mean the one when I was holding up a cocktail glass, drunk?” she asked.

“Yep! Drunk Ivy looks like fun Ivy!” Kim reasoned.

Ivy shook her head. “Nope, look for another one!” Ivy replied.

Kim pouted as she continued to scroll.

“Alright, I will. I am just happy you are doing this. You deserve to find love again, Ivy. Also for the company’s reputation. You know like Tyler Perry said, ‘Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.’”

Ivy let out a hearty laugh. “I am sure Tyler Perry didn’t say that!”

A crease formed in between Kim’s eyebrows. “Yes, he did! I can show you the meme on Google!”

“No, he didn’t. Mahatma Gandhi said that!” Ivy answered.

“My-heart-my…who? Is that even a real name, sis? What is he famous for? Tyler Perry said it in one of those Madea movies. I am certain!” Kim argued firmly. All Ivy could do is laugh louder as Kim blinked her sparkling blue eyes up at her in confusion.