Chapter 25 - What Goes Around Comes Back Around

"There are a million things that make my life difficult but there is one thing that, if you take nothing else away from this entire story of my life type situation is that: karma is real. Scoff all you want, it's true, let me tell you one thing, what goes around comes back around. There is an ancient Chinese proverb: if you have not done anything wrong, you will not be afraid of the truth coming to knock at your door. For example, I am an admitted control freak and I may or may not have fired the entire floral team and proceeded to attempt to put together and set up an entire ballroom and entrance hall worth of fresh florals. For a sixteen-year-old, I don't believe that I did anything too badly wrong. At the time, the flowers had all been put out; I was an absolutely fuming mess having just tried to do the job of fifteen florists and a coordinator; I had developed a very painful few blisters from throughout the day and was fashionably late to the event.

The evening went off without a hitch, however, the floral company, owned by the Young family at the time after the Vanessa Young, a budding socialite a few years her senior had batted her eyelashes at her father. There was nothing wrong with the florals, they had a spotless reputation and of course, an impeccable eye for flower and greenery arrangement. Their only fault is that their owner had no backbone and was unfortunately used by Vanessa to wreck many balls hosted by many up and coming socialite or societal big names. The event I had fired them from had been one where the owner had been 'arranging' the flowers as if he were a blind child. However, when the news of my riotous temper got around, the aftermath was not pretty and my reputation had soured slightly. I meant no harm but people who want to sink you are always around, waiting in the wings with fake smiles, sharpening their claws ready to strike.

However, be warned. What goes around comes back around. It always does."

Selena Yingyue Zhao, the young acting CEO of Zhao Hai industries had known that she, as the newest face and leader of the company would, of course, have to attend social events, network and engage with the rest of high society in order to not be named a recluse and to network as a gesture to show current and prospective investors and board of directors that she was indeed capable. However, her situation was a little... awkward and atypical. As a once disgraced socialite who had disappeared off of the face of the world as far as high society was concerned and then having just weeks prior been humiliated by her own form of humiliation (red wind bloodbath) at her own father's wake no less.

She spent a little longer, staring at the wood of the mahogany table, trying to find the will to move out of the seat and contemplating how she would go about preparing for the Equinox Ball and even whether she would go or not. Her train of thought was interrupted by a timid knock. Selena looked up and saw a middle-aged woman who looked very much terrified of her.

"I'm just here to clean up the board room, I can leave and come back if now is not convenient-" she stammered backing out as Selena stared right at her.

"No, no, I don't mind at all. Come in, I'll help."

"Oh no, no missus, it's my job," she hurriedly pushed her cart holding an almost filled bin liner and a wide array of cleaning products and cloths into the board room. The woman's stomach rumbled loudly and her cheeks slowly flushed a deep red. Selena excused herself and went out into the lobby to pick up a few pieces of patisserie for the cleaner. She set it down on the table and motioned for the other older woman to sit down with her. "I mustn't missus, I'm on a tight turnaround today, got the rest of the boardrooms to do this today."

Selena shook her head. "You're clearly hungry, and very tired. Sit and eat, if the head of your department gives you flack, tell them you were talking to me. I'm Selena by the way."

There seemed to be a flicker of recognition for the name, but none the less, she didn't seem very convinced. "I must go, Lorriane will have my head."

"What's your name?" Selena ploughed on and guided the woman down into the chair next to her.

"I'm Allie, I must go missus," she tried to get up but Selena put the plate into her hands as her stomach rumbled again.

"I'm Selena, the new CEO of the company and, I'll personally come and speak to Lorriane if I have to."

"Oh my lord, I can't missus, I'm so sorry." Allie scrambled up onto her feet, "you're a CEO?"

"Allie, listen to me, it's ok, you've not done anything to be sorry for, please, take a seat, I just wanted to have a chat, that's all."

"Am I in bother missus?"

"No no, not at all. Thought you might need a bit of a sit-down and some food."

Selena let Allie eat in silence for a while, "I did just want to ask, I know that my father did a lot here and made quite the mark here but I wondered, do you like working here?"

Allie had a deer in the headlights look that shadowed her face. She put the food down and her eyes darted around the room of their own accord. "Of course missus, I never went to school missus so it's the best I can really hope for and-"

"What are you looking for?" Selena asked sharply, she follows Allie's gaze up towards the corners of the room and spotted nothing but what looked like an old fire alarm.

Allie leaned in close, "they say they've got them camera things hidden all over the walls watching us all incase we steal and all that, they got to sound as well," she whispered conspiratorially, "Lorriane tells us she's been going to check them to see if we're slacking on the job, said she'd fire Lou cause apparently Lou hadn't done one of her rooms cause she was behind."

Selena jumped on the train of ramblings and kept prodding, "and who hired Lorriane?"

"Lorraine has been here longer than any of us, manager and all that you get what I mean?"

"Yes, of course. Take your time Allie ok? I'll speak to Lorriane for you." Selena stood up and did a sweep of the room again, and while she walked around, absentmindedly picking up some of the litter and wrappers that the board had left, she tried her very best to keep a straight face. The corporate culture here was so different from what she had naively hoped it would be. It was ruthless, it was cruel. It was everything that reflected exactly how her father operated, and she hated it.

"Missus, no, you mustn't," Allie tried to stop Selena from putting it all in the rubbish bag but Selena stopped her.

"I am no different to you, I also have hands and feet, I'm just as able and should, just as much as everyone else in the world, pick up my own litter. It's my duty ok?"

Selena left Allie eating in the room and let her body take her, on autopilot to her father's old office which was not her office. The words 'my office' tasted strange and unfamiliar on her mouth and reminded her of the coppery, metallic taste of blood. The second she stepped onto her father's private area, she could almost sense his presence. Elise, whose office door was ajar and a steady stream of the sound of tapping laptop and computer keys flowing out, suddenly stopped and looked up, before beckoning Selena into her office.

"What took you so long?" She asked quietly but in a way that made Selena feel as if she was being told off like a petulant child.

"I spoke to one of the cleaners in the boardroom, and also, I've been thinking, there are a few changes I'd like to have made. The sooner the better."

"I figured as much. However, you do have a full set of meetings for the second half of this week, PR tomorrow morning and then one with Marcus and James again tomorrow evening. Your father had some unfinished business that they need direction on how to tie up the loose ends. Then Friday dress fittings and a consultancy with Madame Asset and -"

"Elise, take a deep breath. Put the meetings on my calendar, unless I have any this afternoon or any urgent calls, please don't interrupt me, I'll be in my office streamlining the Gantt charts and leave any documents in the pigeon-hole for me to sign."

With that, Selena walked out of Elise's adjoining office and swiped her key pass. The first order of business, taking the spectators from before the board meeting off of the key pass list for the entire floor. She ran a manicured finger down the list of key codes next to the telephone. The motions felt both foreign and comfortable at the same time and she couldn't help a small smirk playing by her lips. It really did seem that they had come full circle, what goes around truly does come back around.