Jarek.
It’s been a couple of days since I saw that person that reminded too much of Leilani, and also the sa amount of ti since I had any form of rest.
I clasped my hands together as I listened to the endless conversation between the team representing product and design and the team representing engineering and developnt as they bickered between one another over sothing that was as obvious as the fact that the sky was blue.
Yvette, my PA turned manager tried to iron out the problem by bringing up a solution— one that was as viable as a basket holding water, and when soone pointed this out, she snapped;
"Do not be daft!"
I froze.
My eyes widened as I slowly... very slowly sat upright and with a voice that sounded so detached, it didn’t even sound like it had co from , I hissed; "What was that for, Miss...?"
"Duncan," she supplied quietly, "...and I didn’t an it Alpha, I was just very antsy. This project has long exceeded its deadline..."
"And is that my fault or yours?" I snarled, watching the way she shrunk into herself before firmly shaking her head.
"N- no!"
My eyes raked her small fra closely, and it wasn’t until I did this that I finally realized sothing I have been missing the entire ti. Sothing that I would’ve— should’ve— never overlooked in the first place.
And it is the fact that she had dyed her hair a tallic shade of silver.
Well, this is not the first ti I am seeing it since Leilani’s disappearance, but it has lasted a little too long compared to the other colours she usually wore.
But that wasn’t all.
There was a red scarf tied around her neck.
One that had belonged to Leilani.
One that I had gifted to Leilani.
I frowned.
"And if I may ask, Miss Duncan, why do you have sothing that isn’t yours?"
At the sound of my voice, she froze and then slowly turned to cast an innocent look. Her eyes widened in confusion— feigned or not— and then she whispered in a voice so small, it irked ;
"I d- do not u- understand you, sir?"
"Now, permit , Miss Duncan, to ask you the sa question you just asked Mr David, are you daft or just plain stupid?" I hissed, not missing the way she flinched nor the way the others lowered their heads in confusion and worry.
"I’m sorry sir!"
"Why do you have your late colleague’s scarf around your neck?" I continued, ignoring her pathetic attempt at apologizing. And as soon as I uttered those words, I imdiately noticed the way the walls around her face slowly crumbled.
She looked at like she was about to cry, but I wasn’t buying it. Not now. Not when I was already so irritable. And especially not now that I have been worrying about that strange person I saw just outside my office a couple of days ago.
"No, sir. I didn’t... I really didn’t an it that way! I just wanted to... goddess, I missed her so much and I needed to feel—"
"You’re dismissed." I snapped, interrupting her. Her eyes widened.
"Sir, do you an—"
"Do you wish to be fired as well?" I seethed, causing her to shake her head wildly at . "Good, so you’re dismissed from this eting."
She didn’t even wait for to finish speaking as she imdiately began to pack up her stuff to leave the room, but just as she finished packing, I turned to eye her one more ti— especially the red scarf still wrapped around her neck— and snarled;
"And leave that behind as you go!"
"Huh?"
"Leave the scarf behind!" I bellowed in anger. "Stop making repeat myself!"
A loud cry slipped out of her lips as soon as I said that, and then she rushed out of the room crying, but that is after leaving the scarf behind like I had instructed.
And heavens, it wasn’t until she was finally gone that I let myself heave out a sigh of relief and then I turned to the others. "Now, continue from where you stopped and stop acting like you’ve all gone dumb simply because we lost just one... one employee!"
"Yes sir!" They chorused, but even after this, and even after feigning seriousness for the next forty five minutes that the eting lasted, none of them could co up with anything tangible.
No one, literally no one could be creative enough to find a solution to our very little tech problem. And that was when it finally dawned on that Leilani was the ’thing’ keeping my company afloat.
She was the foundation in which we all rested on...
And for so reason, that didn’t make feel bad, it only made feel proud.
—
A couple of hours later, the secretive Mr Valemont ca again to complete our contract signing, and just like the first ti I t him, as soon as his large fra crowded my doorway, my breath instantly hitched in my chest.
He took one glance at the paperwork in front of him, one that had taken my staff several hours to complete, and shook his head, a tinge of disappointnt clouding his features as he drawled;
"This isn’t what I expected."
I frowned. "You had expectations?"
"Of course I did," he snapped back quickly— a little too quickly if you asked , causing my heart to skip another beat.
His swirling purple eyes that strangely reminded a lot of Leilani t mine and held, and then he muttered; "I had high expectations. I did my research. I looked for the best companies in NYC to partner with and all my searches linked back to you, Frostaclaw. Everyone said you were very good, but I don’t see it. This is mid."
The insult stung more than a thousand bees all at once, but what stung the most was the fact that he was right. This was ager compared to what Leilani would do, and besides worrying about her and her safety, I also needed her back for this.
For the sake of my company.
For the sake of what I have spent most of my life building.
My eyes lowered on their own accord as I regarded him, and I can say that the words I spoke next ca from the deepest parts of my heart. I said;
"I am sorry, sir, but we recently lost a staff mber."
"A staff that cannot be replaced?" He snorted, but it wasn’t anger I saw in his eyes this ti, it was understanding.
"Yes."
"How? You fired them?"
"We lost her. She died in a fire accident."
His eyes narrowed slightly as he ca to watch closely— so closely that I began to squirm. He drawled; "And is it right for to ask what her na used to be?"
Used to be...
Those words hurt more than I would’ve ever imagined.
"It’s not a problem," I choked out. "She was Miss Leilani Sinclair, forrly known as Miss Leilani Blackthorne."
I saw the shift happen on his face before I felt it. He frowned. "Sinclair?"
I nodded.
"She was a Blackthorne?"
"Yes."
"I am sorry but is she so silver haired girl with purple eyes and a very fiery tongue?" He asked curiously and by this ti, my own curiosity had peaked.
I nodded slowly. "Yes. Do you know her?"
"No." His answer was too fast... too generic, and from the way he suddenly slowly stumbled to his feet and walked out of my office without another word, I imdiately knew that sothing was wrong.
Goddess, I need to see Leilani right now!
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