A few weeks into her new position as chief executive second, Tori was walking in the hallway of the research center, holding a clipboard and pen, when she saw the guy that snared her attention.

Derek Mortov, a lean handsome man from Bulgaria, wearing a three-piece navy suit and tie, caught her eye. He gave Tori a wink and a smile as he passed by, prompting her to glance back in flirty interest. Tori began to hear happy uplifting music play in her mind, her feet moving in a small twirly dance, as she closed her eyes and –

"Hey, watch where you're going!" a middle-aged businessman grumbled as Tori accidentally bumped into him, making him spill his fresh cup of coffee all over himself. As Tori hastily excused herself and ran off, the businessman muttered irritably, "Young people" and continued his way with a grumpy expression on his already grumpy-looking face. A nearby wide-eyed office employee remarked, "Wow, somebody's sour today" before continuing his way.

Tori headed for the observatory and looked down the rails, hoping to see her new crush. He was on his way to the locker room, his bag slung over his shoulder. Tori leaped down from the rail, causing a few employees to gasp in surprise. Landing about ten meters from her target, Tori was surprised that her heels didn't break from impact, but Tori was feeling reckless that day.

Derek hadn't heard her jump and continued walking unaware. Tori stalked him like a tiger stalking its prey, waiting until his fingers barely touched the doorknob, before she tapped him on the shoulder and said, "Hey, Derek."

Derek turned around just as Tori gave him a cutesy smile. She looked both sexy and professional in a short sleeve white business top and black skirt. Her blonde hair was in a ponytail and she wore black-rimmed glasses. She looked hot in them and she knew it.

"You're Tori Nichok, the new chief executive second, right?" Derek asked, indicating Tori while opening the door to let someone else through.

"Yes, that is correct," said Tori, holding her clipboard to her chest with one arm. "I am sure that I will be seeing you more often now that you've joined the team. It's been a pleasure meeting you, Derek Mortov. Perhaps you would like to have lunch with me sometime?"

Derek chuckled lightly, adjusting his bag. "Perhaps I will," he said, raising his eyes to look at her. "I would like to get to know you better."

"Excellent," said Tori, pleased. "How does today at noon sound?"

"I have a meeting at noon. Perhaps we should have dinner instead?"

"Does at five sound good?" Tori asked, slightly inclining her head to the side. Sczasov-Pekrasynie was one of her favorite fancy restaurants.

Derek smiled and said, "Sounds wonderful. See you at five, Tori."

"Likewise," said Tori, giving him a playful sailor wave, before turning on her heel and walking away, smiling smugly to herself and thinking, Oh yeah, I scored a hot one.

The rest of the day passed on rather quickly. When Tori got off work early afternoon, she got in her luxurious blueish black Bugatti Chiron and headed home to her mansion. Her mansion was a stunning view, accommodated with an outdoor swimming pool, elegant gold staircases, a balcony, designer furniture, a sparkling kitchen, and a two-level garage that had five different cars on each floor.

Sunlight flourished in every glamorous room, caressing Tori's blonde hair and dancing on her smooth, light skin as though it was alabaster stone. Her preppy short sleeve white business top with a black corset and a thin red belt looked exceptionally well. Paired with a black pencil skirt and black heels, accessorized with her black-rimmed glasses and a stylish black and red bracelet, Tori was the portrayal of a confident, successful woman.

Her home was the epitome of elegance. Posh furnishings echoed in the vast luxury of the place. Smooth walls and balconies with elegant black railings in curled design made the place look extra fancy. There was a curved arch above the side door with columns. The front entrance was as grand and beautiful as a fairytale palace, with stairs leading to the front door. Windows adorned the walls in graceful fashion. A massive, covered car garage was attached to the side of the building in a curvature design. The car garage had belonged to her father, along with ten of his top favorite cars. Tori's favorite car was the Bugatti Chiron and she drove it nearly every day.

Tori's bedroom was spacious with light greyish white walls, apricot cream and white sheets, and was entirely filled with natural light. The air smelled nicely of perfume, adding a touch of sweet femininity along with the fresh feel of the room. A bottle of Victoria's Secret Love Eau de Parfum rested on the dresser, directly facing a picture of a forest. On the other side of the room was a mural of stars and galaxies put together in an artwork that spoke of Tori's skybound dreams.

Her closets were to die for. Shelves looked like entire rooms for shoes, dresses, skirts, tops, even makeup and accessories. It was a girl's dream closet made into reality. White walls lit up with gold lighting and sparkle effects throughout, presenting a dazzling yet modern design.

The kitchen was white and airy. The light granite countertops were speckled with gold glitter and splashed with a dazzling off white shade. The floor was sparkly red and gold. The fridge looked like it could hold an entire month's supply of food. The laundry room had the washer on top of the dryer. The floor was smooth and elegant with a nice mirror finish. Everything about the mansion was rich, fancy, stylish, and spoke nothing short of excellence.

Tori's heels continued to click steadily down the hallway lined with ornate pictures of wings, forests, winter scenes, and picturesque landscapes. Taking her shoes off right beside her shoe closet, literally the size of a master bedroom, Tori picked them up and neatly placed them in a designated place. Replacing her formal pumps for soft casual slippers that were exactly the same red as her belt, Tori tossed her long hair once before heading for her office.

In her office, luscious red apples lay delectably in a sparkly cherry red bowl. All were hand washed in the kitchen sink prior to placement. Tori took one as she sat down at her desk and began to continue her secret search for extraterrestrial life, doing her own work outside of work. She crunched on an apple as she browsed through files, trying to uncover what she knew in her heart to be true, that there was extraterrestrial life out there and Earth wasn't the only planet that sustained life.

Tori believed there was no way humans were alone in the universe. While she brushed aside the notion of weird-looking aliens, she did believe that there were aliens that looked very human. The possibility of humans on another planet was one that Tori firmly believed in, the same belief held steadfastly by her father.

Area 51 and other noted government areas that kept such information under tight confidentiality were extremely tough nuts to crack, so Tori found other ways to try to obtain such information. She spent hours unsuccessfully trying to find legit information. Where others would be discouraged, Tori persevered even harder in her search, yet all her efforts were in vain. She might as well be searching for purple giraffes on the moon.

Getting up from her desk, Tori took another apple and began eating it as she walked out of the office, heading for the kitchen. She had beef stroganoff and pomegranate juice before putting on a cute dark grey dress and red heels, dolling up and getting ready for her date.

The evening was wonderful. The night following the evening was spectacular. When she was lying awake at night with Derek sleeping beside her after a sexy night, lingerie strewn on the floor, Tori looked up at the ceiling, thinking of how perfect everything was in her life.

One arm was tucked behind her head while Tori studied the ceiling that was made to look like the night sky. Her childhood glow-in-the-dark stars and planets were still there, as was her father's signature beside hers. Constellations and galaxies swirled, dodging shooting stars and a telescope that decorated one corner next to a beautiful Milky Way galaxy.

Tori had crudely painted a winged human silhouette the day she helped her father paint the ceiling. She was eight then, yet she still wanted to fly, to be up there with the stars, to be aboard a spaceship, and to see another planet with her own eyes.

Tori closed her eyes, sighing contently, as her skyward dreams lulled her to a blissful sleep.

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Music:

"Schatten & Licht"
by Glasperlenspiel

(means Shadow and Light in German)

"Bombshell Blonde"
by Owl City

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