Jane
' Arrghhh! Seriously!! I should cut down on the chocolates and burgers' I whined as I scrutinized my reflection in the full-length mirror of my room. I was wearing grey ankle-length slack which hug my plump legs and a black peplum blouse which at least thankfully covered my buttocks and hid my belly fat. It was cinched under my breast giving my formless body some forms. My skin which was medium brown courtesy of my Indian ancestry was glowing, not the heavenly pretty glow but the oily glow which could almost make my skin be a reflective surface. I grabbed some mattifying papers and ran them through my face.
"Those makeup companies should be sued for their supposedly mattifying products!!" I groaned in frustration as I applied some translucent powder to my face. I then grabbed my black silky hair, the only feature I loved about me and yanked it high up to tie it in a tight bun though some wild strains could not be contained by the elastic band. Next, I proceeded with some light makeup and headed for my black pumps. I quickly glanced in the mirror to check my overall appearance and I looked quite presentable. But I could not help having a sinking feeling in my stomach. I was never the pretty one. I sometimes wished I were the head turning type and people would notice me. I was simply a plain jane always fading in the background. This is why at thirty-one years old I was still single with no relationship prospect. On some days, I could feel the void in my life. Having a stable job and living my dream of becoming a scientist often left me with a burning desire to have something more. ' Ting' My mobile beeped dragging me out of my thoughts. I quickly pushed away my insecurities and focused on my upcoming meeting. The cab was already here. I grabbed my bag and keys and rushed to the gate without failing to greet the watchman.
"Good morning Mr. John" I yelled and waved at him.
"Good morning Miss, late as usual" he replied with laughter but then rushed to open the gate for me.
I climbed inside the cab and gave the driver the address and then waved back at Mr John as the cab driver started the car. I sank into the cab's seat and closed my eyes to take some deep breaths. I waited for my heartbeat to return back to normal before letting my mind focus on today's meeting. It was not unusual for Mr. Alexander to call me in for a meeting, but he never held any at his house. He was a man known to keep business and his personal life separate. He even had a rule to never be disturbed during his lunch hours or after office hours unless it was matter of extreme urgency and it was the same for us, his employees. So him asking me to meet on a non-working day and that too at his house, was a bit confusing and scary. It might be due to my current situation I said to myself and brushed off my concerns. I just hoped that he had a solution for it. I have been in this country for over three years with no visa issues but for the past one month, the immigration office started to bother me with some formalities. Though I had all my papers in check, Meghan, my lawyer, who was also a dear friend told me that they could complicate the visa extension process and I could not afford to be in this mess. I was on my final year of training as Scientific Officer in the field of Food Technology. I sacrificed hours of sleep and had to stay away from my country and family for this training, I could not let all this go in vain. I must admit I was baffled with the number of obstacles I met during my extension process. It never happened before, and Meghan suspected that one of our competitors had a hand in these complications. For me it was a foolish theory, who would stoop so low? Since the beginning, I focused only on my job and what I could contribute to my field. I never put my nose in others' businesses and I knew I was as invisible as a wallpaper. Her theory was bullshit as I was practically a nobody. Initially I brushed off this visa matter as a simple formality which would resolve itself, but my concern started to rise when Mr. Alexander became involved and started to worry about it. I was working on a new project which would be a new revolution in the rapid diagnostic of contaminated food items, and I had my presentation in front of the concerned body for validation and verification of the method in six months.
The cab stopped and I quickly came back to reality. The driver informed me that we reached to the address I gave him. I paid him and stepped out only to realise that I was not at Mr Alexander's house but rather his empire. The skyscraper building screamed luxury and class. For a moment I could have think that the driver brought me to the wrong address and left me in front of a very luxurious hotel but the sign Alexander marked in vertical along the many floors of the building was unmissable. The building was so high that even if I tilted my neck to a full seventy degrees, I still could not see the top of it and it was hard to miss the building as it stood out from the classic urban buildings. I knew that Mr. Alexander was a well-established business tycoon, a real state magnate and that he had ventures in almost every field possible. I also heard that he came from Royal blood but I never expected him to be so rich. I chuckled at myself. I was never good with money and establishing the real statures of billionaires, in fact I tried as much as possible to steer clear of them as I liked my world to be simple and down to earth. I came across Mr. Alexander when he took over the Greenfield Laboratory. His management was a welcomed change and he made it his duty to be accessible to his staffs. Since I was a foreigner and the youngest one among my colleagues, my ideas and opinions were often dismissed as too modern or too innovative. Mr. Alexander was quick to notice that and encouraged me to come with new ideas to diversify and modernized our lab. This led to an easy and honest relationship between him and me to the dismay of many of my colleagues. He reminded me a lot of my father as he was an experienced person and I always enjoyed learning from him. I snapped out of my thoughts and noticed that there was at least a two dozen of security guards in front of the building Does he own an army as well?? and all of them were eyeing me. There was a sudden fear which gripped me. Where was I? I willed my frozen feet to take some steps towards the building, all the while trying hard to control the sudden rush of adrenaline I was feeling. My overactive mind started to play plausible scenarios such as I could be mistaken for a thief or some type of stalker. Rich people always have stalkers, right? What would the security guards do to me if Mr. Alexander forgot to mention my arrival here today? I scolded myself mentally and took some deep breaths to calm my erratic heartbeats and gave a meek smile to the strict looking guards observing their movements closely. They looked so still, and their faces were etched with strictness. Do they ever smile? Are they allowed to smile on duty? I wondered but then I jumped as one of them approached me with determined steps. I wanted to run away but I forced myself to stand still and let him come to me. It was unnerving to be eyed by so many trained guards.
"Purpose of your visit, Miss?" asked the guard in a gruff manner.
I smiled meekly at him and answered
"I have a meeting with Mr. Alexander".
Without wasting a second, he pressed his finger to his ear and asked someone over the earpiece
"Any meeting scheduled today?".
His voice was laced with suspicion, and this made me anxious. It was so obvious that meetings on non-working days were rare, and I took the time the other person took to answer him to admire their outfits. They looked less as security guards and more as commandos. The types you see in action movies. He was easily a foot taller than me, buff as hell with muscles threatening to rip the tight khaki shirt and he had a black mask tugged into his trouser pocket. I could feel his gaze running over me certainly to assess if I was concealing any weapons. I sighed and wanted to almost scream at him for the absurdity of all his actions. I meet Mr. Alexander every day, why would I come to harm him in his heavily guarded house?? I rolled my eyes and it seemed that he had noticed it.
"Your ID Miss" he demanded. I was taken by surprise and started to fumble into my bag. Generally, when I go to a place where my ID card is required, I would always keep it a place where it is easily accessible, but I did not expect to show my ID at someone's house. I was still fumbling when I heard someone whistle. I looked up from my bag and one of the other guards was signaling the one standing in front of me. I looked expectantly at the guard, and he gestured me to go in.
I started to walk confidently but when I saw all the other heavily armed guards, my steps slowed themselves and I glanced back at the one who questioned me.
"You may go to the lobby Miss. Mr. Brown will receive you".
"Mr. Brown?" I asked confusingly.
"The butler" came the curt reply. I nodded and walked past the guards trying hard not to fidget or make a fool out of myself. I was again stopped before I entered the lobby by another guard. He was holding a metal detector. He was about to walk near me when the first guard stopped him and signaled someone else to come forward. A lady with a boy cut, dressed in jeans and long sleeved-white shirt came forward. Her well-toned body and muscular arms were discernible under her clothes. She was also part of the security team and at least she was smiling. I smiled at her and opened my arms to allow her to hover the metal detector thing over me. I then proceeded to open my bag for her inspection.
"If I knew I was going to be searched for a simple meeting, I would have brought a clean bag. Sorry for the mess Miss". I said to her. She laughed and I heard a chuckle form behind me. I turned to see that it was the first guard was still there. I wanted to ask him his name but refrained from doing so. I should not push my luck further. As I felt the tension leaving me, I finally had time to observe the interiors of the building. The interiors were more opulent. There was not a single thing out of place. Mr. Alexander did have taste as I could see he opted for a minimalist décor. A middle-aged man dressed in black suit and white shirt approached me. He introduced himself as Mr. Brown, the butler.
' Good morning Ms. Matthew. Mr. Alexander is waiting for you on the fourth floor. His office is at the end of the corridor' He guided me to the lift, pressed some buttons and then left. Wow Trust this man to concise. Why was he not accompanying me till the office? Was it not his job to leave me in the presence of Mr. Alexander. A prickly feeling started to bother me. I had seen the amount of security this place had. What if something gets broken or goes missing? Won't I be the suspect. I had preferred Mr. Brown stayed with me.
After a few seconds, the doors opened on the said corridor. It seemed endless. I stepped out and could see the walls were lined with famous arts and tapestry not that I knew much about arts. But I did catch one or two famous artists while going to the museum on my own during my free time. There were some of their works displayed in this corridor. I also knew the exorbitant price of these works. But putting the price aside, this corridor offered a sense of peace and serenity. I was walking, taking my time to observe the walls and the amazing view the wide large windows offered. There was also a mixture of modern and ancient furniture and all these mixed together perfectly. There was also a smart play on the lighting maximizing natural sunlight indoors. I could easily linger in this corridor for days and months and yet still be at peace. ' Woof Woof'