When Phoenix didn't turn to look at the woman who didn't care about her, she went straight to the company. A tall building of about twenty floors stood there lazily.
It had a beauty to give, but its face was not friendly.
Phoenix had added ten more floors after the demise of her first friend. It wasn't easy but she made it through.
All eyes fell on her.
"Is this the CEO?"
"She's gorgeous!"
Her employees began to whisper. Mostly, Phoenix is always the first to arrive there; she was a bit late this time, causing her to be the topic of the day.
The box was still in her hands and some guards were behind her. Since the guards had no chance, nobody dared to approach her for the box or backpack.
Those who had never seen her before marvelled at her beauty. Those who had seen her but not less than twice just stared.
Nobody said a word about her dress. None dared. Although no one had ever been fired there, they were aware of how aloof their CEO was.
It's a shame she was still single. She looked perfect in their eyes. Their salary was very much enough for them. They also prove to her every day to work hard.
Phoenix took her private elevator which led to only her office. Anna, her assistant was in front of the elevator waiting for her. She took the box from her hands.
Why was she still holding the box? The guards at the door tried to take it but she refused.
They even followed her to the elevator; then they resumed their posts.
Anna led the CEO to her office first; She checked in as usual with a biometric that scanned her two thumbs. Phoenix then walked to her own office. Their offices were conjoined, so she had to pass through Anna's before going to her own.
.
.
.
Phoenix quickly walked through a door, and it was her other room, where she stayed if she didn't want to go to her flat or the mansion. It contained everything in her bedroom at her flat. She then went to change her clothes.
She wore a charcoal grey suit, not the soft flannel of a country barrister, but a metropolitan blend, tight-woven and rich with a subtle pinstripe that caught the overhead light like threads of cold steel.
The jacket was double-breasted, the lapels broad and clean, tailored with such severe attention to detail that it seemed less like clothing and more like a second, architectural skin.
Beneath the jacket, the silk of a pale blouse offered the only visible respite from the fabric's severity.
Her trousers broke just at the ankle, a deliberate, modern cut that drew the eye instantly to the shoes.
They were classic pumps, a lethal, polished black, and the decisive click of her heel on the marble floor was the single, unhurried sound in the otherwise murmuring space.
FACE had no other company that she shared her assets with, but it was doing just fine on its own.
She walked to the shelf where Anna had kept the boxes.
She took one box and opened it. A small transparent bowl was in it. It had a label of fifty pieces on it. She opened it revealing white and black moulded clay.
The black was on the right side, and it was twenty-five in number. The same as well as the white on the left.
Phoenix brought a white one to her nose, inhaling the scent. She took a bite of it, almost half of it.
Phoenix licked on it like a lollipop and closed her eyes. She focused on nothing but the clay on her tongue.
She took the bowl with her to the couch. Her eyes were still closed, savouring the taste of the clay.
Anna came in, with a coffee and a file in her hand. She gazed at her boss; she looked stunning in the tailored suit. Her fair skin shone in the light.
Anna handed Phoenix her black coffee. She took a sip and placed it on her desk.
"How was your break?" Anna asked as she made herself comfortable in one of the armchairs.
Phoenix leaned against her desk and crossed her long legs.
"I regret it," she stated.
Anna stared at her boss, who was also her friend. She had predicted it.
Going swimming with her other face was a very bad idea.
She gazed at her friend with pity in her eyes.
"It's okay, at least you took some time off,"
Anna moved to hug her friend and patted her back gently.
It was her idea that Phoenix took a break. She had suggested a week.
Phoenix didn't agree and made it only a day. She got the information when she called the mansion to deliberately deliver something to her boss.
She found out from the workers there that she had gone swimming with her sister, Phoebe.
Although Phoenix never shared anything with her, she knew at least something about her.
"Back to work," Anna announced.
"Have something for me?" Phoenix asked, eyeing her friend. She knew something was up. Her quickly announcing work was new.
"Spill it,"
"Stylish, wants our jewels." Anna spilt the beans, handing her boss a document she had come in with, which was, in fact, a contract.
Phoenix scanned through it with her eyes and placed it down beside her.
Stylish was one of the leading companies in all three cities. It was known for its beauty in fashion.
They made the finest designed clothes ever. Phoenix knew about the head. He was a young man taking over his grandfather.
Everyone in the city knew him as a very honest and caring man. Rumour had it that women were dying to be with him, but he seemed to have no eye for any of them.