Sophia’s POV: The Weird Text.
The rest of the day at work sucked. After Ivan left, I focused on getting acquainted with the staff and how things were running around here. Which wasn’t easy, considering the fact that I had little to no experience being a CEO and the glaring fact that some things about the way the company was run didn’t make much sense.
And that gave me a headache. A thorough investigation should be carried out but I wasn’t sure I was prepared for that, at least not now, I’ll have to take it up to the board when I am ready.
Thinking about the board took my mind to what had transpired today. I was still in shock, I really didn’t see any of this coming and what’s more shocking was Ivan saying that I was a good candidate for the CEO position. If he already took the company for himself, why did he want me as the CEO?
I wasn’t really thinking when I agreed to it. And if I was being honest with myself, I am scared and confused, I wouldn’t have been able to handle being in charge. I came out top of my class, yes. But being here for a day has proved that I had a lot to learn.
What if I fail as the CEO and the board fires me? Then what have I been fighting for my whole life? What if I’m not good enough and dad knew that?
No, fuck that, I’m just overthinking and letting self-doubt mess with my head. I was more than capable of running this business, I’m sure of it.
Ding!
My phone chimed, pulling me out of the mess that was my head and I reached for it. A faint smile tugged at the corner of my lips. A text from Daisy
Daisy: Hi love, how was your first day at work?
Daisy: Sorry, not your first day at work *inserts laughing emoji* Let me rephrase that.
Daisy: How was your first day being the boss? Stressful? Want to hang out at our favorite bar to cool off?
I quickly type out a reply.
Me: I do need to cool off.
Me: You would not believe what happened today. I can’t wait to leave here.
Daisy: Wait, why? Wasn’t this what you wanted? To be in charge?!
I wasn’t sure what I want anymore
Me: Yes, but I’m not in charge.
Daisy: WHY!?!
Daisy: You’re joking, right?
There’s a knock on my door and it opens slightly. I let out a silent groan as Rosie’s head popped in. Do I really need to keep my dad’s secretary as mine? I keep thinking of her as ‘dad’s secretary.’ Maybe I need a PA or something?
I ended my conversation with Daisy, so I could attend to dad’s sec-Rosie.
Me: Work’s calling.
Me: I’ve got to go, we’ll talk later.
Daisy: Alright, sure. Meet me at black box by 8pm!
Me: Sure.
I walked into our favorite bar, Black Box. It was busy as usual, even on a weekday. My eyes scanned the room until they landed on Daisy, seated at our usual spot.
“Hey, babe!” Daisy called out to me with a bright smile as I approached the bar table. “I already got us our drinks,” she said, gesturing to the cocktail margaritas on the table.
“You just couldn’t wait,” I teased, taking a bar stool beside her.
“Of course, I couldn’t. Maybe try sitting here, alone for over an hour and the bartender keeps coming over to ask if you need anything or if everything is fine. I was becoming uncomfortable, I had to,” She shrugged.
I reached out and grab one of the drinks. “I’m sorry I arrived late, I had to finish up some last minute paperwork,” I apologized, taking a sip from my drink.
“It’s okay, I completely understand. I own my own business and still don’t have enough time for myself sometimes, being an adult is fucking hard but mum swears it’s fun, as if,” She groans.
I felt a pang of pain at the fond way she’d spoken about her mum. I’d often wondered, perhaps dreamt of what my life would have been like if I’d been living Daisy’s life. Unlike me, she had loving and supportive parents, they both showed up for her whenever she needed them and sometimes they-especially her mum-showed up for me. They didn’t push her to be something she wasn’t and even supported her small growing business. They loved her… that’s something I’ve never had and I probably never will, I don’t even think I was capable of loving.
“I completely agree,” I laughed. My life has always been hard, it didn’t matter if I was just a kid or a teenager. Only now do I have more responsibilities.
I took another sip of my drink and I noticed Daisy was silently watching me expectantly.
“What?” I asked.
“You said something happened at work, and something about you not being in charge. I’m waiting for an explanation .”
There was no need to beat around the bush, “Ivan is the new Chairman of the Board,” I blurted out.
Daisy’s eyes went wide as she choked on her drink, coughing so hard her eyes watered.
I moved closer, patting her back in an attempt to calm her down. “Seriously, do you have to be always so dramatic?” I looked around. “Great, now people are staring at us.”
“Well, when you blurt out something that shocking and outrageous, what kind of reaction did you expect?” She croaked out.
“We both know you’ve always been dramatic,” I took out a napkin to dab tears from her cheeks to avoid ruining her makeup.
She took the napkin from me. “Thanks, I’ve got it. We are not about to ignore the elephant in the room.”
I chuckled. “Okay, mom,” I mocked.
She rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
She leans closer. “How in God’s name did Ivan take over from your dad?” She gasped, “Fuck, where does that leave you then? Did he kick you out or something? Seriously, is that even legal? Can’t you like to take him to court or-
I held a hand, cutting her off mid-sentence. “Geez, chill out,” I laughed. Even though there was nothing remotely funny about what happened today. “I’ll explain everything. Ivan became the majority shareholder in my dad’s company, he has shares in the other one too, which came as a shock to me. Apparently, dad transferred the shares to him based on an agreement they had. And no, I can’t take him to court, the papers were legal and all.”
“That can’t be true. I didn’t know much about their relationship, but I was sure your dad hated his guts. I noticed that whenever I spoke to him about Ivan.”
I downed my drink in one go. “It is still a mystery to me. I don’t know how to find out what really happened. Dad’s gone for good and Ivan, well it’s not like he’d just happily spill everything.” I sighed. “He actually got the board members to appoint me as the new CEO.”
Her eyes narrowed into slits. “What could he be planning now? Honestly, ever since he came into your life, it’s been one drama or the other.”
She’s not wrong, my life wasn’t the best but it was peaceful until I met Ivan.
She took my hands in hers and the concerned look on her face made my chest squeeze a little. “So what are you going to do? You said you can’t sue but you’ve wanted to take over from your dad for years. Are you going to give up your dream just like that?”
If I did, it wouldn’t be the first time. I was used to letting things go. I missed setting up my canvases and trying out new challenges, I missed the smell of paint and how brushed felt in my fingers.
“Artists are immensely lazy, with no sense of direction in life. Who takes artists seriously? They can’t even make a decent income.”
“You’ll have to leave my house if you want to sit all day, doing nothing, young woman.”
“I’ll have the maids throw that shit out.” Dad’s words echoed in my head, breaking my heart all over again.
My chest ached and I decided to shove these memories in the back of my mind as usual.
I reached inside my purse, pulling out more cash. “You know what Daisy? Let’s order something drunk, I need to get wasted.”
Her eyes lit up with a bright smile on her face, she snatched the wad of cash from me. “Count me in, it’s been so long since we did this. Nick would be so jealous,” She says as she calls the attention of a bartender.
“Where is he anyway?” I asked.
“He said he had a hectic workday and a date afterward.”
The rest of the night passed in a blur, we drank heavily, danced, and sang our hearts out. I was going to regret this since I had to go to work in the morning, but tomorrow can wait.
It was 12:39 am by the time Daisy and I got to her place. The bar was closer to her place anyway.
How I managed to stay upright and awake while Daisy was almost passed out was a mystery, but at least I didn’t need to jump in bed with makeup on.
I took my clothes off and found an extra towel, then I connected to her built-in Bluetooth speaker and opened my playlist. I tapped on one of my favorites.
Train Wreck by James Arthur. There was something about the way he sang and expressed pain that made me fall in love with his music.
After minutes of singing and dancing in the shower, I stepped out, ready to dive into the bed. I was beyond exhausted, it did really suck that I had to be up early in the morning.
I had just slipped into a silky nightgown I got from Daisy’s wardrobe when I remembered. “Fuck,” I muttered. Today was supposed to be the will reading with dad’s lawyer and I totally forgot.
I grabbed my phone, checking for possible missed calls or texts from the lawyer and that’s when I saw it.
+44 XXXX X: For now, we will lay low, but not for long.
Huh? What does that mean?
Probably a wrong number, I guess. I swiped to delete the text. After that, I plopped down on the bed next to Daisy and drifted quickly into a deep sleep.