Chapter 1

"Him and I, after graduating college, decided to get married because we didn't want to take any more time in taking a step forward in the relationship we had built over the course of years."

Lia snorts. It is a Sunday morning and she is tired beyond her mind's comprehension. There is no reason she can come to though, not at all because she hasn't been doing much and had barely woken up. Lia believes she needs to start getting more on the side of being physically active because the lack of enthusiasm in her is pretty alarming. At least that is what Lia thinks of it as.

What comes in handy while living alone in the city that always seems so busy is nothing other than technology. Lia thinks it's the most massive step humanity had ever managed to take but what else could have been capable of filling her empty, barely even set, apartment other than a YouTube video she has playing in the background while she tries to do some chores.

Keyword; tries.

Yeah, well Lia is probably tired because of her journey and trying to set up her new home. It feels nice though, extremely so because being able to live on her own has been her dream. There's plenty more in the list of dreams Lia has but let's start by the first one being owning an apartment.

She's renting it but whatever. She will be there soon enough, no? She likes to trust in that.

She glances at the wall, out of habit, thinking there is a clock hanging there but it's her bad that she had forgotten to hang up the wall clock she had brought yesterday. Shaking her head, Lia just starts searching where she must have discarded the box which contained the wall clock last night and it takes time because there's so much going on inside the apartment with almost everything still scattered around and none of it is where it's supposed to be but hey! Progress. She has been making progress ever so slowly because she doesn't have a reason to hurry up so there is that.

Lia stands amidst the chaos around her and tries to rationally look through everything just so she could come to a conclusion of where to actually start from. This is so hard and Lia had actually never expected any of it but anyway as they say, we learn new with everything that comes our way so thinking of that, Lia moves ahead and tries to get the kitchen done first because she is also starving and that reminds her of the fact that she in fact needs to order a takeout.

She needs her phone for that but before that, Lia tries to settle as much of the kitchen she could and now is when Lia regrets not doing anything yesterday but then again, she had been out shopping for some necessities so maybe that was a valid reason. Either way, there is no point in thinking of something that cannot be amended so Lia quickens her pace and tries to do as much of the work she could in the kitchen.

"We always hear people say love hurts, this and that, about the said emotion but we feel like it's the most beautiful thing ever especially because of how we've maintained the relationship within us."

Okay. Now this is when Lia wishes she had not connected her phone to the speakers she had brought yesterday.

There were two reasons behind that. One, she wanted to test them which was more of an excuse so Lia doesn't even think it should be included but whatever. Two, Delilah isn't that big of a fan of silence especially when it comes to doing chores. She likes to be aware of the fact that she isn't surrounded by complete blankness around her. Watching YouTube videos, well she never watches them but having them be played in the background just to have some noise was good. Lia likes that.

But maybe she should not have clicked on a video like this because it was clearly a very stupid and rather a very nonfactual based one. She isn't a fan of stuff like these, whatever they call it, fantasies and all of that.

Therefore, Lia decides to leave the work as it is and just goes beyond everything that is the one of where her phone was lying and the kitchen. Immediately pressing pause, disconnecting the speakers, Lia starts to pick out on what to order for a takeout and Lia is so hungry at the moment that just food, any kind will work but still, she scrolls past a lot of stuff and decides on spaghetti.

Yes, for breakfast. Well, to rest her case in the argument, it is almost two in the afternoon and she had woken up late, hadn't eaten since last night so there it is. She loves spaghetti, meatballs so Delilah orders it as she steps back into the kitchen to do the leftover chores.

Lia's back is going to be so hurt and she can see it coming.

Anyway, Lia loves her apartment! She had loved it the first time she had seen it and the cozy vibes but also how spacious it was, really had taken away all of Lia's attention back when she had first seen it.

The walls being off white and Delilah matching the interior with bold and pastel colors, she was just so in love with where she is at life in the given moment that life has probably never been better. The topic is not even up for a debate because she had never been happier in life so this is a win for her. Too many wins and Lia is absolutely living the best of her life. It makes her happy because she's aware of how worthy she is of all of it.

Lia stops once everything in the kitchen was set in all of its places and Lia leans against the counter, takes in a deep breath because it is so hectic that looking at all the work, she has left is already making her head and back hurt severely. Just the very look of it.

Lia looks around and goes up to adjust the clock on the wall, wishing that the takeout won't arrive while she's standing on a chair trying to hang up the clock.

And you know how they say, what you want to avoid is what comes your way the quickest.

So Lia sighs out so loudly when she hears the bell ring that Lia steps down carefully, setting the clock on the table nearby. Adjusting her shirt, Lia unlocks the door and her stomach growls seeing the food in her front. Delilah takes no time in washing her hands and sitting on the table and starts digging into it. Yes, okay now Lia's mind was thinking like a normal, stable human because the lack of food in her system had been making her brain shut off.

Lia looks around carefully after finishing with the plate full of food in front of her and notices so much work still is left but it doesn't bother her that much because she didn't have anything coming up regarding work for another three days.

She starts checking on things that are done and thankfully, bedroom and kitchen are so that means only the drawing and dining space needs the work to be done thoroughly.

Lia had shifted because she felt like the change was necessary. The shift of places and being surrounded in a place no one really knew her and vice versa looked like a dream to her. The fact that she could afford living there, not for long, but for a while as she would try searching for a job was something Lia was utterly thankful and grateful for.

But nonetheless, Lia doesn't want to stand up right now. Not a bone in her body wants to be moving because she is already so tired but then again, there is no point in procrastinating. She could just use tomorrow to rest the entire day and live her first day in a home that would be fully arranged. The thought sounds good so Lia forces herself to stand up and ties her hair up in a tight bun.

And right when Lia was cleaning up and organizing things in the living area, getting back to the wall clock, she hears her phone ring.

Lia lets out a frustrated groan because it really seems like people have something against her getting that damn clock on the wall. Every time she steps foot on the chair, there just has to be something to interrupt her and Lia wants to ignore it but decides against it as she, once again, steps down the chair.

Lia slips, well, almost. She catches herself before it could've been any worse as she holds whatever is next to her for supporting her body and it works. Thank god because if she had fell straight on her back, Lia doesn't want to imagine what that would have been like with an already broken and disarranged back from all the work.

She walks over to the side table where her phone lays and takes it in her hands, the call cutting off because obviously so, she had taken quite some time to reach it. Well blame it on the incident that happened.

Her eyebrows knit together, head tilting to the side as she looks at the number and it wasn't known to her. Before she could try and call them back, her phone starts ringing again and the action was so quick that Lia almost jumps back in surprise. She doesn't get scared easily so not to take her for the jump-scare type but okay, Lia shakes her head before answering the phone call and she places the phone between her shoulder blade and her ears as her eyes get stuck on some stuff lying on the table that she needs to put back in her room.

Also noticing how much dust there is around the place and Lia really doesn't think she will be able to be done with it by today. The thought frustrates her as she doesn't want to drag it anymore, like, not at all.

So all Lia does is that she places the stuff back to her room as she speaks into the phone, "Hello?"

Stepping inside her room really makes her feel better because it is already probably arranged and done, clean as well that it's comforting to step in here already. Makes her happy that at least a part of the apartment needs no work at all.

"Good afternoon. I'm speaking from the Dalton Corporations. Am I talking to Miss Lia White?"

And Lia almost chokes on her spit, falling to the front a little as she rubs her chest preventing herself from breaking into fits on coughing.

It's just that she had not been expecting a call from them. At least not this soon so it just came off as a surprise to her, nothing more, Lia is not clumsy by the way.

Quickly setting the things in the almirah, Lia shuts it close and sits on the edge of her bed. Wiping out the sweat dripping from her forehead, Lia replies, "Good afternoon and yes you are!"

Lia tries not to sound excited but she can basically hear it in her voice, she can hear how miserably she's failing at that but how can one not be excited at all?

This is a job she wants, no, actually scratch that. This is the one job she needs. And to be taking any kind of step in that direction would make Lia the happiest person on that planet. There is nothing wrong in being excited, or is it? Does that not mean how much she's looking forward to it? Well, she can never understand rich people's rules so let that be.

Lia finally has a chance at getting the kind of a job she wants and has wanted forever; she isn't going to do anything to ruin it so whatever. Lia doesn't want to overthink either.

"You sent your resume to be working as Project Handler." Lia nods her head to that before realizing that she isn't sitting in front of the woman speaking, she could not see him so Lia abruptly says, "Yes. I did."

Lia's heart is racing at this point and all she wants to do is hear what is coming her way because all of this is just straight up making her blood pressure rise. The slightest fraction of seconds of silence really just is making her heart rate spike to an unrecognizable extent. She's excited but equally and rather more scared because what if it isn't in her favor?

"Just a second, ma'am." And Lia doesn't want to give her the seconds she's been asking for because all of the time is doing nothing but making her brain rumble and go out of order. Like she can't even think straight because it's her dream job and that is what makes her a lot happy but also timid due to the fact that what if it doesn't work like she wants it to.

And then comes the voice into the phone making Lia re focus, "You have an interview for the said job."

Lia squeals but silently, not letting out her voice because she is so happy right now that none of the words in the dictionary could ever explain how she feels. Lia has worked all her life, especially the last few years and to finally see herself stepping towards her dreams slowly just feels so good that Lia is blasting from the happiness that she couldn't even contain within herself. It's nice. To be happy that is.

"Oh? Oh! Thank you." Lia takes a deep breath because she is a confident young girl and she always has been so why is she going low on it now? She can do this and so Lia repeats that inside her head.

"When?" Lia asks and regains her composure.

"Tomorrow, ten am."

Lia's heart rate quickens because she really doesn't think she is capable of even moving tomorrow, let alone going to an interview that was the most important thing to her in her life. But she's glad and that outweighs the need she has for the job and she can't help but dance around happily knowing that life is certainly going to change once she is going to step inside the office building. She is ready to welcome that new part of her life because Lia has seen so much in life, the desperation to see it all go around and take a shift positively was really high. She is looking forward to it. The enthusiasm in her is new after hearing this, so she skips her way out proceeding to complete the rest of the work. She has today itself now, it's good though.

It's a long-awaited change she needs and has needed for long. Finally, here it is.