03

Eliza passed a cupped hand under her left breast and curled up in front of the discomfort-adjusting her bra. If only she didn’t go through all this, she could have completed her tasks faster. The frequent trips to and from the toilet were equally irritating because she found that her bladder was still as demanding as it had been with her child.

She was unhappy, and she even took a moment to consider that maybe Emmy was right to return to work too soon. Eliza never considered taking off so early because she had already planned to do so for the coming weekend around the scheduled date of her flight. Even though Eliza knew what the answer was, Emmy persuaded her to ask Mrs. Blackwell to allow her to take this whole week off since the baby arrived a week early.

Now it was 9 :58 am, two minutes from the meeting with his boss. She got up and, as usual, rushed to a large mirror on the wall. Even though it was still a little funnier than she liked, she felt that her face was presentable.

Rushing, with bowed head down the corridor, she finally approached the large frosted panels at the end and knocked.

« Come in, » she heard the familiar monotonous order.

Quickly Eliza passed by and approached Blackwell’s large desk which was on a six-inch central platform. The manager turned away from her computer screen and unimpressed eyes observed Eliza’s new appearance from the bottom up.

The instant refusal of Eliza’s request echoed in her head, « No. You have planned for next week. But considering that you had it over the weekend and have already returned to work, it seems that you will not need this leave. You must be in this office. »

Eliza had not expected any sympathy from Mrs. Blackwell ; however, she was a little shocked, that when she returned to her office, she was in tears. She didn’t want to cry, but the grief seemed unstoppable– coming intermittently between simple tasks and phone calls.

« Stop, » she whispered vehemently to herself, snatching more tissues from the box.

A sudden interruption pulled her from her sobs, as she heard her door open and watched Andrew make his way inside.

« What do you think you’re doing ? »She questioned at once, hastily wiping away the remaining traces of her instability.

He pushed air out of his nose and simply looked at her with heavily covered eyes.

« What’s going on ? »he grumbled from afar.

Eliza returned a corresponding scowl, « What’s going on is that you’re harassing me while I’m trying to work. »

« I asked you about the Tyson merger a long time ago, but I haven’t received the report yet, » he cleverly informed her.

« I’ll have it for you in less than fifteen minutes, » she whispered, while returning her attention to her computer screen.

Abruptly, he rushed to his desk and spat : « Eliza. Damn, I can’t think of anything else but this kid. You have to tell me what you’re going to do ! »

« No, » she quickly shot back.

He reached out and pulled her forward by the wrist, « This child is as much mine as yours. Now, what are you doing ?! »

Her lips parted fearfully, and her big eyes were on him. Rising from her chair and slowly freeing herself from her aggression, she humbly ordered : « I will have the report for you in the next half hour. Now… leave. »

« Why don’t you tell me anything ? You’re going to keep it, aren’t you ? »he quickly bent over, trying to influence her with his overworked temperament.

She stared fixedly at the black hair that resembled the slight tuft of loose dark curls on the child she was carrying. The mere resemblance brought sudden tears to her cheeks, and she blurted out her request once more.

« I always knew you were an icy bitch, but this is a new low, Eliza, » he growled before backing away.

He rushed to the door and proclaimed : « Sooner or later you will tell me what is happening, or I will take the measures into my own hands. I don’t want to be a part of it as much as you clearly don’t, but who knows what’s going on with your head with that « baby brain ». »

« Go away ! »she barked in distress.

He laughed and laughed : « Of course, Eliza. »

While shaking his head to himself, he turned the door handle and his lips curled with cruel intentions.

She pressed her palms against the desk, but immediately raised her head to Andrew, looking through, adding : « By the way, how quickly do you plan to lose weight ? We have a conference in a few months, and you will look better in a more fitted outfit that does not hide a dog under loose blouses. »

Before she could even finish processing what he had just reported, he closed the door. Eliza nonchalantly grabbed more tissues as she settled back into her soft office chair. She had learned yesterday that wearing her normal makeup routine would be a waste of time– it all ended up being scarred and crumbled into small sheets that would be thrown away every evening after work hours.

She looked at her trash can and stared at the half-full container. A few sticky notes could be seen through the perforated tray, but the rest consisted of ball tissues.

Unexpectedly, she felt the need to go to the toilet. The immediate urge was painful, and it forced him to place and reach out his hand near her belly. However, touching the soft, loose skin above her waist made her lip tremble. She was never too concerned about her appearance or her weight before. Even during pregnancy, she maintained a healthy diet and exercised throughout the week, but now her figure was spread out in a body with which she was suddenly uncomfortable. Again, it was an expected change that she hadn’t expected to be so heartbreaking.

A knock on the door temporarily stopped the muffled moans in the soft disposable sheets. She quickly passed a fresh handkerchief over her face and grabbed a baby wipe from her drawer, « Come in ! »

The office door opened slowly and she immediately turned her face away from Troy Daniels who was entering.

« Miss Kelly… How’re you doing ? »he asked in a baritone with a slight southern accent.

She dipped the baby wipe into the trash can and hurriedly looked at her screen, replying : « A little busy with the research, but other than that, everything is fine. »

When he didn’t answer after that, she cautiously turned around to find him waiting for a different answer with pleading green eyes.

Troy Daniels was one of the most charismatic men in the building. There was always a relaxed look on her face that was accompanied by warm and toothy smiles.

Tall at 6’3 », and towering over most of the staff, he could always be spotted a few blocks away and in a slim suit with a color a little softer than the sea of austere blacks and grays. Now less than a year with the company, he was as cheerful as ever since his very first day as CFO. Normally, busy schedules led to faces matching the sartorial tones of Bluestar technologies, but Troy always sent smiles to anyone who crossed paths with him.

There was a strange magnetism that instantly attracted others to him. Eliza was sure that the standard beauty combined with the thick haircut of a blond businessman and friendly green eyes were the reasons why Blackwell was always so eager to see him be the keystone representative at major conferences– his confidence and artistry during speeches turned out to be a plus.