LIORA

I wake up with a killer headache, groaning in pain. My bleary eyes land on my bedside table, where I find a hangover drink and some Advil.

"Love you, Zoe!" I mutter, grateful for my friend's foresight.

I take the medicine, and as the events of last night flood back into my consciousness, my eyes widen.

"Oh no!" I groan, feeling the weight of embarrassment for my actions. I swear off alcohol in that moment. I notice my dress has been changed, presumably by Zoe. But what happened after my blackout?

"You woke up."

Zoe stands in the doorway, arms folded under her chest and glaring at me. "Last night, for the shit I had to deal with, you owe me your life."

I feel guilty for dragging her into my mess. "I'm so sorry, Zoe. I didn't mean to involve you in my troubles."

She sighs, her expression softening into a smile. "You don't have to apologize. I'm your friend, and I'll always help you when you're in trouble."

I nod with a grateful smile.

"What happened after I blacked out?" I ask, dreading the answer.

"After you blacked out. I helped you to my car. I apologized to that guy, but he was such a cruel rich jerk. He threatened to sue us for property damage. I was ready to pay for the damages, but he didn't want any money from "people like us". I kept my calm, though, and just apologized to him. He left and his secretary came asking me to pay for the damages. I said I have no money right now. He asked for my phone number so I can pay later and I gave it to him." Zoe explains.

"Damnn, that's a lot to process. When he texts you the amount tell me, and I will pay him." I closed my eyes and rubbed between my eyes to relieve some tension.

"Liora..." Zoe started slowly. I hum in response. "I didn't give him my real number" I immediately open my eyes and snap my head towards her.

"What?!" I exclaim.

"Come on, Don't look at me like that. I know what I did was wrong but I was tipsy too and he was so rude and was being an asshole," She defends herself so poorly.

"Will we end up in jail?" I asked as the real shit started to hit me.

She shook her head. " I don't think so because he clearly said he doesn't need our money. I think his secretary just wants to get some money from us taking advantage of the situation."

"I hope so" I whisper.

Oh god, this information makes my headache worse.

I sigh. "Let's just hope we don't run into him again," she says, trying to put it behind us.

I get ready for work, and Zoe prepares breakfast. We bought a flat together last year when I moved to New York for my job, and Zoe had relocated due to her father opening a new branch of their company in the city. Having her as a roommate and friend had been a blessing. My parents live in Seattle, and I grew up there. As an only child, Zoe is like the little sister I never had.

I sit down at the dining table, where Zoe is engrossed in her phone as I start eating the sandwiches she made.

"Fuck!" Zoe exclaims, her eyes wide with shock as she stares at her phone.

"What happened?" I ask, worried about her sudden outburst.

"The company you work for, its CEO is Logan Martinez, right?" she asks. Why is she asking that?

"Yeah," I reply.

"Is he passing his position to his grandson?" She asks.

I nod, wondering where this is going. "Yes, he's introducing his grandson at a meeting today, and he will be taking over the company's duties. I hope he's as good as his grandfather," I say taking a bite of my sandwitch.

"Liora, I have to tell you something and you need to be calm," Zoe says with a serious face. I put the half-eaten sandwich back on the plate and I give her my full attention.

"You're scaring me. Did something happen?" I ask, feeling a sense of foreboding.

"The CEO's son is the guy we encountered yesterday." She extends her phone to me. "He's the one you vomited on."

Wait what?!

I am in disbelief. "What did you just say?" I grab her phone and read an article announcing that Logan Martinez's grandson, Dexter Martinez, is taking over at Diyou & Co. I see his picture in the article where he looks freakingly handsome and his beautiful emerald green eyes mocking me.

"No, no, no! This can't be happening!" I cry out. Zoe looks at me sympathetically. The memories of what happened yesterday hit me again and I cringe badly remembering how I behaved. I can feel the sense of dread hitting me. What is going to happen to me now? 

"He will fire me. I am gonna lose my job, Zoe." I hand the phone back to her. Seeing how rude he was yesterday, he will fire me and hold it against me.

"He won't fire you. You're good at your job. He has no reason to let you go. You can apologize and try to make amends with him, I guess," Zoe assures me.

"You saw how cruel he was yesterday. Do you think he's going to forgive me?"

Zoe sighs, acknowledging the truth in my words. I didn't want to lose my job. I had worked hard to reach this position.

"Let's not be pessimistic. Maybe he'll forgive you." I know she is trying to cheer me up, but I don't have any hope that he will forget what happened yesterday. "I can come with you to talk with him and we can apologize together?" Zoe suggests.

"Thank you Zoe but I don't want you to involve in my mess. You didn't do anything so you don't have to apologize for me. I will take care," I say. Zoe looks at me sympathetically and nods. 

We finish breakfast, and Zoe drops me off at my office, as it is on her way to her workplace.

I stand outside, contemplating whether to go in. A sense of dread has settled in my stomach. Maybe I should take a sick day.

"Liora!" I hear a voice, pulling me out of my thoughts.

It is William Carver, my colleague from the marketing team. He is one of the hardworking people in my team. He starts walking towards me. He is wearing a blue shirt tucked into his grey pants, his muscles can be seen through his tight shirt. He is a good-looking person who is popular in our office. He can charm a woman with his words and gestures.

"William! Good morning," I greet him.

"Good morning! Who are you waiting for?" he asks.

"umm- no one," I reply, although the truth is I am hesitant to face what awaits me inside.

"Then let's go inside," he says, and I reluctantly follow him. I know I am just delaying the inevitable.

God, please help me.

I greet my colleagues and go to my cabin to prepare for the upcoming meeting. A knock on my door interrupts my preparations.

"Come in," I say, still trying to gather my thoughts. I hear the door open.

"Are you ready for the meeting?" Sarah, one of my team members, asks.

I sigh and nod. I am just stalling at this point, trying to delay facing what lay ahead. I should just accept my fate. I am going to be fired today. All the hard work I endured to reach this position will go in vain because of my stupid drunken mistake.

I hear Sarah cough as she adjusts her mask on her face, which I hadn't noticed before.

"Are you okay?" I ask, concerned about her. She is one of my best team members and my friend too.

"I have a bad cough. I am thinking of skipping the meeting and going home to rest." She explains.

"It's better to take a rest. William and I can handle the meeting and we will update you later," I suggest.

"Thank you, Liora," she says, appreciative of my understanding.

She is about to leave when a wild idea pops into my head. I probably shouldn't go with it, but I am desperate at this point.

"Sarah!" I call out to stop her.

At this point, I am just prolonging the inevitable.

"Do you have an extra mask?"

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With love,
flwenzi ♡