บท 10: People are so weak
I walked briskly through the sleek, modern hallways of Steele Enterprises, my heels clicking sharply on the polished marble floors. As I reached my office, I took a moment to compose myself, allowing the cool, detached persona I was known for to settle over me like a well-worn cloak.
The dream from last night still lingered at the edges of my mind, but I pushed it away. I had more pressing matters to attend to.
Settling into my chair, I glanced at the stack of documents on my desk. The first meeting of the day was with the investment team, who were perpetually worried about securing more investors. I sighed inwardly, already dreading the tedium of it. Reaching for my coffee, I took a sip of the strong, black liquid, feeling it invigorate me slightly.
The meeting started promptly at 8:00 AM. As expected, it was a monotonous parade of figures and projections, all aimed at convincing me of the necessity to attract more investors.
I answered their questions with curt nods and monosyllabic replies, just enough to keep the conversation moving. My mind wandered, thinking about the upcoming photoshoot. The investors droned on, oblivious to my lack of interest.
By the time the meeting finally wrapped up, I was more than ready to escape back to the solitude of my office. I returned to find a lunch box on my desk, a small note attached to it: "Eat well, Mrs. CEO, you are loved." I scoffed, crumpling the note and tossing it into the trash. People and their sentimentality. It was a sign of weakness, something I could not afford.
"People are so weak," I muttered, my eyes drifting to the glass wall. I saw a woman standing there, her face falling as she noticed me throw the lunch box away. She quickly turned back to her work, her shoulders slumping. I shook my head, dismissing the scene from my mind as I sat down and resumed reviewing the documents on my desk.
It wasn't long before the door to my office opened again, and Lydia entered with a computer in her hands, her expression stern. "You did not eat. It's 11 AM, it's time for you to eat," she said, placing the computer on my desk with a thud.
"Oh, it's not a big deal, and you are not my mother," I retorted, feeling a flicker of annoyance. "Why did you bring that computer here?"
Lydia, undeterred by my tone, replied, "You are the one who said you wanted to look at the models yourself, so here is the selection we made." With that, she turned on her heel and left, closing the door behind her with a loud noise.
I sighed, rubbing my temples before turning my attention to the computer. "Let's see what we've got," I muttered, opening the folder containing the models' portfolios.
The first model appeared on the screen, a blonde with a wide smile. "Ugly," I commented, clicking next without a second thought. The next few models fared no better. "Very bad," I muttered, shaking my head. "Is that a model?" I scoffed at another, wondering why I had even bothered to take on this task.
One by one, the models flashed before me, none of them impressing me in the slightest. "Ugh, why did I say I wanted to do this? They are all bad," I grumbled, ready to delegate this task to someone else. But then, I clicked to the next profile, and my breath caught in my throat.
There she was. The woman from my dream. Black curly hair, brown skin, and deep brown eyes. She was wearing a simple white dress in her portfolio picture, and the resemblance was uncanny. I leaned closer to the screen, studying her features.
"That woman looks quite fit," I murmured to myself. "Should I choose her?" I scrolled through her portfolio, noting her name. "Elena Vargas," I said aloud, testing the sound of it. She had an elegance, a presence that the others lacked.
I pondered for a moment, my fingers drumming lightly on the desk. It was unusual for me to be so affected by a model's appearance, but something about her drew me in. The dream flashed through my mind again, and I felt a strange compulsion to see her in person, to understand why she had such an impact on me.
I picked up the phone and dialed Lydia's extension. "Lydia, come to my office," I said, not waiting for her to respond before hanging up. A few moments later, she entered, her expression questioning.
"I've made a decision," I said, pointing to the screen. "I want Elena Vargas for the photoshoot. Make the arrangements."
Lydia's eyebrows raised slightly in surprise, but she nodded. "Of course, Ms. Steele. I'll get everything set up immediately." She left the office, closing the door quietly behind her.
I leaned back in my chair, staring at the image of Elena on the screen. There was something about her, something that made me feel...almost human. Shaking my head, I closed the laptop and stood up.
I had other matters to attend to, but the thought of meeting Elena in person lingered in the back of my mind, a curiosity that refused to be ignored.
As I prepared for the next meeting, I couldn't shake the feeling that this encounter would be significant. For now, though, I had to focus. The world of Steele Enterprises never slowed down, and neither could I.
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