Too Broke For Afterlife

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The motion sensor activates and opens the big glass doors in front of me so I can step inside.

The first thing I notice when entering Green Vision is Luca at the reception desk. Her eyes widen when she sees me walk over to her.

"G-good morning Ms. Green."

"Hello sweetie, since when do you work the morning shift? Did Gary quit?"

"N-no, he had a mental breakdown so he got some paid vacation."

Her eyes wander down to my throat, looking for the strangulation marks.

"They have faded already."

Luca's face heats up. "I'm s-sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Oh please, I can handle that much. Anyway, let's get back to work."

I smile at the girl and then walk over to the elevator.

I'm not surprised that my coworkers are shocked to see me. A lot has happened in the past month.

First my ex boyfriend tried to brutally murder me and then, when I suddenly disappeared from the hospital without any trace, my father, the CEO of Green Vision, was forced to hold a press conference discussing my possible death only for me to reappear two weeks later with a new girlfriend by my side, looking as alive and healthy as one could.

Now everyone wants to know what happened but I can't answer that question. Well, theoretically I could but no matter how I would approach the topic, I'm sure I would be put into a mental institution without second thought.

So instead, let's keep them wondering.

The elevator doors open and I step onto floor 15, one of my favorite places on Earth. I am early, most of my coworkers haven't arrived yet and I enjoy the quietness as I stroll down the hallway to the small office of my PA.

Through the glass the tall, dark-haired woman sees me approaching and almost falls out of her chair.

She jumps up as I swing the door open.

"Good morning, Tamara. How are you doing?"

"Ms. Green! What are you doing here?"

I raise my eyebrow. "I work here?"

Tamara's face heats up and she slowly sits down again.

"Could you please send me the last two reports as well as the protocols of the meetings I've missed? And could you also make me some lemon tea? Thank you."

I turn to leave but she calls me back.

"Wait! What about your mail? And the phone list?"

"I'll be picking those up later. Thanks."

Tamara just nods and then quickly looks back at her computer, she is too uncomfortable to speak what is on her mind or to ask any questions.

And I am not mad at that. Right now I want to focus on work and work only.

When I see the door to my office, I can't stop myself from smiling. The small plaque next to it shines brightly.

Isabella Green

Creative Director

When I had moved to this office after my last promotion, I was a tad disappointed because I expected to be getting a fancy glass cube like all the other big bugs. But soon I've realized how much privacy comes with a wooden door and this unexpected advantage is something I never want to miss again.

My office looks exactly the way I left it. My MockBook is lying in the middle of the desk, stacks of paper are neatly placed on the right and my notepad is still open with the pen on top of it.

The only thing that is unfamiliar is the smell. With me sitting in this room for 8 hours a day, 5 times a week it always carries a trace of perfume and coffee but the only thing hanging in the air now are the aromas of various cleaning supplies.

I unpack the hyacinths I bought earlier and put them inside the purple vase on my window sill. Through the glass I smile down at Manhattan where the day had already begun hours ago and watch as cars drive past the building.

A few more seconds of silence, then I make my way over to the desk and start my MockBook. Once I've logged in, all my apps pop up, in the background the logo of Green Vision appears - an emerald with golden lining.

First thing I do is check my email but when I see the number, I groan.

452 unopened messages, the last one being the automated confirmation mail letting me know that my time tracking has started.

As always, I delete it.

451 unopened messages.

"Progress." I sigh and look through the next few emails.

Newsletters, ads, a note from the cleaning team, informing all employees that degradable trash bags are now being used for the sake of environmental protection.

The sound of Tamara's high heels makes me look up.

She puts the tea down in front of me and then hands me two folders holding the reports.

"I just sent you an email with the protocols. Nadim mentioned that you might need to talk to him to clarify some things."

"Thank you."

I open up the first report and start reading. This is going to be a long day.

<<<

Around 11:30 my stomach starts growling and my head is in pain. I thought it would be easier for me to get back into the groove but I really seem to be out of the loop.

As I try to distract myself by going through my lunch options, my door gets opened again.

"O Theé mou! Is that really you?" Nadim is staring at me, his mouth wide open.

"Did you miss me?" I grin at him and get up so I can walk over and pull him into a hug.

"Of course I did! Everyone here was acting like the rapture was coming. And I had no one to take to the cinema with me. I had to watch the new Star Horse movie alone!"

I chuckle and let go of him.

"You're such a geek."

"No, baby. I'm Greek. Big difference." He accentuates the word 'big' by pointing at his crotch.

Nadim, the lead supervisor and with that management's right hand, has only been working at our company for two years but he is by far my favorite person here. Not only is he extremely funny and kind but also one of the few coworkers who recognize my hard work and don't discuss family privileges behind my back.

I walk over to the desk and grab my notebook.

"Perfect timing by the way, I need to ask you something. I've been looking at the protocols and you guys have been discussing a company called 'NeYonCity' a lot. I checked them out, they do graphic design? Are we planning to collaborate with them?"

Nadim raises his eyebrows in surprise. I can tell that this is not the reason he came to my office but he grabs one of the empty chairs and sits down in front of me.

"We actually plan on buying them. Their design team produces great concepts and their style is very on demand right now. With their ideas we could push our print to a whole new level."

"So a takeover?"

He nods.

"NeYonCity is a small startup but they have been growing like crazy, there is lots of potential."

"If you've got any more information on them, do let me know."

I make a quick note to do some further research on that topic later.

"Well, I would have done that anyway because..." He grins. "Management wants you to do the negotiating. To test if you're ready for...you know."

"Leading?"

"Yes."

I sink back into my chair. Oh Lord.

I have attended negotiations before and even done some sales talk myself but being responsible for buying an entire company?

Nadim tilts his head. "You seem unsure?"

"Of course I am! This is a pretty big thing."

"It is but we've all got faith in you. If they didn't believe you could do this, they wouldn't give you the job. But anyway, I came to discuss something else."

Only now I notice that Nadim seems uncomfortable.

"You are not going to like this."

"What?"

He fidgets, avoiding my eyes.

Then he clears his throat.

"After everything that happened to you and what you had to go through, management decided that they need to make sure you are mentally ready to work again."

"Why? I'm here, aren't I? As a grown woman I'm very much able to decide that for myself."

"Yes, but they want you to see a psychologist who can evaluate your current situation. It's for your own safety."

I blink. Did he really just say that?

"Excuse me?"

"Yes, they want you to attend at least three sessions to make sure you're ready for the stress. I guess you might as well finish your shift today but you won't be able to start working again until you've gotten your evaluation."

I shake my head. "No."

He sighs. "You have to."

"I don't-"

A knock on my door. What now?

I shout: "One minute!" Rolling my eyes, I turn back to Nadim.

"When's the first session?"

"Tomorrow. They'll be coming to your place."

He gets up and pushes the chair back into its original position. Then he looks at me.

"And you think you're fine? I mean, after everything?"

I sigh. "Yes. I can't be shaken that easily."

"Isabella, you almost died. You-"

"I don't want to talk about it, okay?" My words are sharp and loud.

Nadim's eyes widen. "I-"

"No, I'm sorry. I just want to concentrate on my job right now and get up to date again."

He nods and smiles. "I understand. I should do the same. Concentrate on work, I mean. We'll chat later."

He walks over to the door and opens it.

"Oh, hello." He grins at whoever is waiting and then turns around to wink at me. I just raise my eyebrows.

Once Nadim is gone, I take a deep breath and shake off the remnants of our conversation.

"Okay, you can come in."