Black Lace
Chapter 15
Chapter Playlist: Obstacles by Syd Matters
Alana woke up to a beautiful, sunny morning and sat by the window to enjoy the warmth as she sipped her tea. She had a lot to do today, and that included finding herself a job. She scanned the paper and circled another job advertisement that she had missed previously.
She heard Mrs. Boyce coming up as she began washing the mug in the bathroom sink. At the moment, Alana was having to share the room with the older lady as the b&b was overbooked.
"Oh good! I'm glad you're awake, dear! Are you heading out?" Mrs. Boyce asked, looking flustered and anxious.
"I am, actually. Is there anything I could help you out with before I leave, Mrs. Boyce? You look a little troubled."
"Oh, It's nothing serious. Just a bit exhausted from having to tend to so many customers, dear. John decided to take the day off today, calling in sick, but I know that he's been drinking again.
Gets really difficult when the place is overflowing with people and you're short on staff. Anyway, dear, would you be a darling and get some groceries for tomorrow when you return? I'm assuming you'll be late?"
Alana shrugged and looked down at her phone to check if Louis had tried to contact her but there was no response from him. Had he decided to back out of the contract after last night? Shouldn't she be feeling happy about the thought?
"I'm not sure when I'll be back, but I'll get the groceries, Mrs. Boyce. I'm going to try and check out some of these places hiring a helping hand. See how it goes."
"You know the offer to work for me still stands, dear."
Alana smiled at the older lady for the kindness she had shown throughout her difficult time. She gave Mrs. Boyce a warm hug before stating, "Like I said before, I'll only work for you if you promise not to pay me. I owe you my everything right now, and you paying me for helping you out would be an insult."
"Guess you have to find that job then, don't you?" Mrs. Boyce grumbled, but nodded in understanding. Alana smiled, grabbed her bag and the groceries list from Mrs. Boyce and walked out of her little haven.
Alana held her breath, as the executive manager scanned her résumé for the fourth time with a condescending look on her face. The woman raised her head, and Alana quickly planted a smile on her face. The older lady's face however remained impassive as she fixed her large thick framed glasses.
Alana hadn't bothered to wear anything nice or put on any makeup because she had thought that she would just go look up the job vacancies and at max fill out a form with a copy of her résumé. Who would've thought that she would be instantly called in for an initial interview?
"So, you weren't able to finish your undergraduate degree because you shifted here?" The manager asked, sizing Alana up like she was some kind of a suspect.
"Yes, but if you'll see, I've experience in manag-"
"You do understand that you do not fulfill our requirements for the position, right Miss Morrison?"
"I do, but-"
"Then I don't see why you're wasting either of our time." She stated, cutting off Alana once again. "We, at Flor Unikon, believe in outstanding customer service and flawless management, which essentially comes from education and training. While experience may work for a certain period of time, it will not aid you in the more theoretical parts of the job. Thank you for applying, however. It was a pleasure talking to you."
The woman dismissed her by sliding the file back to Alana and standing up. Alana sat there flabbergasted for a whole minute before picking up the file and getting up from the seat.
"Thank you." She mumbled out before walking out of the office. As she crossed the room, her mind still lingering from the rejection, she heard a familiar voice coming from the waiting area where all the other candidates sat. Alana turned to peak at the person who was speaking so animatedly and had her suspicions confirmed. It was Miranda, her once friend and assistant.
She was about to enter the room to greet Miranda, ask her what she was doing there but stopped herself when she remembered how the younger woman had reacted the last time they had spoken. Alana saw the file she was holding and instantly understood the reason for her presence; it was the same as Alana's: for a job.
Her blood started boiling once she realized what may have occurred at the shop that had led Miranda to go looking for employment. She was surprised to find a stray drop of tear betraying her feelings and running down her cheeks.
She walked out of Flor Unikon and sprinted at the direction of her old apartment; Evan’s apartment, to be more precise. She needed to talk to him before he left for work.
Alana looked at her watch, only to realize she had half an hour to get there. She decided to take a detour through a deserted alley and made her way through the crowded sidewalks.
Alana stopped on the opposite street to where the building was, and took in a couple of much needed breaths. The run had left her completely deflated and breathless. Having recovered, she looked up to take a look at the building opposite, and stood rooted to her spot. Evan was getting out of the building but the real shock was the brunette that followed him.
The woman looked familiar and Alana instantly realized that it was one of the many woman Evan had introduced to her as his friends, when they had first moved in. Alana hadn't liked the woman to begin with, and had openly expressed her dislike to Evan back at the time. He had reassured her that the woman would never be anything more than a friend to him and had promised to cut ties with her upon Alana's insistence.
The way she was clinging onto his arms, it didn't look like they had any kind of hostility at all. Alana watched in disgust as Evan bent down to give the skank a not-so-quick peck on the lips. She didn't realize that her entire body had turned cold from the sight of it all. So, this meant that her sister wasn't the first one Evan had been with while the two of them were together.
Alana wrenched her eyes away from the traumatic sight and began walking back to where she came from. She didn't notice the tear stains that were running down her cheeks, nor the way her entire body was shaking from the blow of finally realizing that the past few years of her life had been a lie.
Alana heard her phone ring inside her bag but she didn't want to talk to anyone at the moment. She walked towards a park nearby and found herself sitting by the small pond, feeling completely helpless.
She had no one to go to; nobody to share her pain with. Her family had sided with her sister, Mrs. Boyce had to deal with her own business, Miranda had turned into a complete stranger when she realized she had no benefit in being friends with Alana, and Louis...was out of the question.
Alana let out a frustrated sigh when she heard the phone ring again and swiftly pulled it out of her bag to answer it.
“Hello?”
“Miss Morrison, this is Mrs. Ross speaking. I've been calling you forever! Where have you been?”
Alana felt her blood boil at the woman's tone; she didn't need shit from this woman today. So, instead of asking the older lady to mind her own business, Alana remained silent.
“Anyway, I just called to inform you on behalf of Mr. Tomlinson that you are to pack your bags immediately.”
Alana felt herself frowning at this request and decided to ask, “Now, why would I do that?”
“Oh! He hasn't told you?” Alana gritted her teeth at the woman's sarcastic voice. This woman was really testing her patience.
“No.” She admitted, imagining the smug look on the older lady's face from the other side as she informed, “You have a flight to catch to Italy.”
Alana woke up to a beautiful, sunny morning and sat by the window to enjoy the warmth as she sipped her tea. She had a lot to do today, and that included finding herself a job. She scanned the paper and circled another job advertisement that she had missed previously.
She heard Mrs. Boyce coming up as she began washing the mug in the bathroom sink. At the moment, Alana was having to share the room with the older lady as the b&b was overbooked.
"Oh good! I'm glad you're awake, dear! Are you heading out?" Mrs. Boyce asked, looking flustered and anxious.
"I am, actually. Is there anything I could help you out with before I leave, Mrs. Boyce? You look a little troubled."
"Oh, It's nothing serious. Just a bit exhausted from having to tend to so many customers, dear. John decided to take the day off today, calling in sick, but I know that he's been drinking again.
Gets really difficult when the place is overflowing with people and you're short on staff. Anyway, dear, would you be a darling and get some groceries for tomorrow when you return? I'm assuming you'll be late?"
Alana shrugged and looked down at her phone to check if Louis had tried to contact her but there was no response from him. Had he decided to back out of the contract after last night? Shouldn't she be feeling happy about the thought?
"I'm not sure when I'll be back, but I'll get the groceries, Mrs. Boyce. I'm going to try and check out some of these places hiring a helping hand. See how it goes."
"You know the offer to work for me still stands, dear."
Alana smiled at the older lady for the kindness she had shown throughout her difficult time. She gave Mrs. Boyce a warm hug before stating, "Like I said before, I'll only work for you if you promise not to pay me. I owe you my everything right now, and you paying me for helping you out would be an insult."
"Guess you have to find that job then, don't you?" Mrs. Boyce grumbled, but nodded in understanding. Alana smiled, grabbed her bag and the groceries list from Mrs. Boyce and walked out of her little haven.
Alana held her breath, as the executive manager scanned her résumé for the fourth time with a condescending look on her face. The woman raised her head, and Alana quickly planted a smile on her face. The older lady's face however remained impassive as she fixed her large thick framed glasses.
Alana hadn't bothered to wear anything nice or put on any makeup because she had thought that she would just go look up the job vacancies and at max fill out a form with a copy of her résumé. Who would've thought that she would be instantly called in for an initial interview?
"So, you weren't able to finish your undergraduate degree because you shifted here?" The manager asked, sizing Alana up like she was some kind of a suspect.
"Yes, but if you'll see, I've experience in manag-"
"You do understand that you do not fulfill our requirements for the position, right Miss Morrison?"
"I do, but-"
"Then I don't see why you're wasting either of our time." She stated, cutting off Alana once again. "We, at Flor Unikon, believe in outstanding customer service and flawless management, which essentially comes from education and training. While experience may work for a certain period of time, it will not aid you in the more theoretical parts of the job. Thank you for applying, however. It was a pleasure talking to you."
The woman dismissed her by sliding the file back to Alana and standing up. Alana sat there flabbergasted for a whole minute before picking up the file and getting up from the seat.
"Thank you." She mumbled out before walking out of the office. As she crossed the room, her mind still lingering from the rejection, she heard a familiar voice coming from the waiting area where all the other candidates sat. Alana turned to peak at the person who was speaking so animatedly and had her suspicions confirmed. It was Miranda, her once friend and assistant.
She was about to enter the room to greet Miranda, ask her what she was doing there but stopped herself when she remembered how the younger woman had reacted the last time they had spoken. Alana saw the file she was holding and instantly understood the reason for her presence; it was the same as Alana's: for a job.
Her blood started boiling once she realized what may have occurred at the shop that had led Miranda to go looking for employment. She was surprised to find a stray drop of tear betraying her feelings and running down her cheeks.
She walked out of Flor Unikon and sprinted at the direction of her old apartment; Evan’s apartment, to be more precise. She needed to talk to him before he left for work.
Alana looked at her watch, only to realize she had half an hour to get there. She decided to take a detour through a deserted alley and made her way through the crowded sidewalks.
Alana stopped on the opposite street to where the building was, and took in a couple of much needed breaths. The run had left her completely deflated and breathless. Having recovered, she looked up to take a look at the building opposite, and stood rooted to her spot. Evan was getting out of the building but the real shock was the brunette that followed him.
The woman looked familiar and Alana instantly realized that it was one of the many woman Evan had introduced to her as his friends, when they had first moved in. Alana hadn't liked the woman to begin with, and had openly expressed her dislike to Evan back at the time. He had reassured her that the woman would never be anything more than a friend to him and had promised to cut ties with her upon Alana's insistence.
The way she was clinging onto his arms, it didn't look like they had any kind of hostility at all. Alana watched in disgust as Evan bent down to give the skank a not-so-quick peck on the lips. She didn't realize that her entire body had turned cold from the sight of it all. So, this meant that her sister wasn't the first one Evan had been with while the two of them were together.
Alana wrenched her eyes away from the traumatic sight and began walking back to where she came from. She didn't notice the tear stains that were running down her cheeks, nor the way her entire body was shaking from the blow of finally realizing that the past few years of her life had been a lie.
Alana heard her phone ring inside her bag but she didn't want to talk to anyone at the moment. She walked towards a park nearby and found herself sitting by the small pond, feeling completely helpless.
She had no one to go to; nobody to share her pain with. Her family had sided with her sister, Mrs. Boyce had to deal with her own business, Miranda had turned into a complete stranger when she realized she had no benefit in being friends with Alana, and Louis...was out of the question.
Alana let out a frustrated sigh when she heard the phone ring again and swiftly pulled it out of her bag to answer it.
“Hello?”
“Miss Morrison, this is Mrs. Ross speaking. I've been calling you forever! Where have you been?”
Alana felt her blood boil at the woman's tone; she didn't need shit from this woman today. So, instead of asking the older lady to mind her own business, Alana remained silent.
“Anyway, I just called to inform you on behalf of Mr. Tomlinson that you are to pack your bags immediately.”
Alana felt herself frowning at this request and decided to ask, “Now, why would I do that?”
“Oh! He hasn't told you?” Alana gritted her teeth at the woman's sarcastic voice. This woman was really testing her patience.
“No.” She admitted, imagining the smug look on the older lady's face from the other side as she informed, “You have a flight to catch to Italy.”
please update soon
9/25/16