No Escape

Chapter 5: An Unexpected Friendship Blossoms

About 6 x months have passed since Laura and her team received the budget for the training. It is now December, and everyone in the team were preparing for the Christmas break.

“Everyone is in high spirits, aren’t they?” Jennifer commented to Laura as they were typing away on their computers on a busy Friday morning. “Yeah tell me about it.” Laura responded simply in haste, typing at 1000km an hour. “You seem on edge today… in a hurry?” Techy Tom mentioned, almost speechless. “What do you think? I have only until 5pm today before the Manchester sale ends today!!” She exclaimed anxiously. “Why don’t you just go now, since it is just down the road?” Adrian responded simply. “If I do that, then I won’t get my reports done for tomorrow’s final management meeting with the board before everyone goes on holiday, then we will have to wait another 3 x months until everyone gets back and double up on our work!” Laura exclaimed with anxiety.

Adrian took a deep breath “Fine, fine, just trying to help” Adrian and her team shrugged. Laura looked at the time, and it was 12pm. “Alright everyone, please email me your final reports by 4pm and I will finalize my reports for our team for the presentation tomorrow.” Laura said professionally. “If we do that, you won’t have time for your shopping spree?” Jennifer commented, as they all wanted to finish up early. “Doesn’t matter if I don’t make it to my shopping spree, I will wait until the after Christmas sales.” Laura responded simply.

“tight, isn’t she?” Techy Tom whispered at Adrian across his work-station, “Yeah…” They both said in silence, watching their boss type away as she usually does.

3pm arrives and every member of her team provide her with their final reports. She takes a look at them and they all look fine. “Thanks everyone, this looks good. Good job guys.” She smiled at them as she went to the spare office to print off all the reports.

5pm arrived and everyone left for the evening, “So Laura, is the Christmas party tomorrow night?” Jennifer asked. “Yes, located at the central building, top floor. Starts at 7pm and tell the concierge it is for the office Christmas party, and they will know what you are with the company.” Laura responded professionally. “Alright, thanks boss.” Everyone said and walked out.

Laura closed up her workstation as she finished at 6pm and as she got up, she saw Adrian had just finished work as well, “I thought you left early with the others? How come you are still here?” Laura asked him to walk towards his workstation. “I needed to get the reports your boss requested from me the other day and he wanted it today. I am done now so I will walk out with you” he said walking with Laura.

“it’s your fault for leaving things to the last minute, Adrian” Laura responded to him, almost like scolding a child, to say serves him right, sort of speak, as they walk out together, as she had been working with him for six months now and they finally got along, even when no one was around. They may have gotten up to a rough start, but things can change, and people can work together, is what Laura thought.

“Yeah, yeah, it’s my fault…” Adrian smiled as he shrugged it off.

“Goodnight, Adrian” Laura said. “ ‘Night Boss” Adrian said waiving to her goodbye as they walked out of their office building together.

As Laura heads home to her apartment down the road along the city streets, she passed the Manchester store down the street from her office building where the sales had happened earlier that day, but the store was closed but she looked at the sales from the window.

Laura sighed, “Oh well… I will wait for after Christmas sales as always…with so many hours at work I won’t be able to make it after work…” Laura said to herself in a disappointed tone of voice.

 “Why don’t you… just go tomorrow?” a male voice told her from behind.

Laura grasped for a moment in fright, “Ah! Adrian!?” Laura grasped, “Sorry, I happened to be walking this same way and saw you here…  is this the store you wanted to come to today?” Adrian asked her softly yet curiously as they both looked at the store together, which was a couple of blocks away from their office building.

“Yeah, but it’s closed…” Laura said so down hearted.

Adrian looked at her for a moment, as he looked down for a moment with a slight smirk on his face, “which one did you want?” Adrian asked her. “What?” Laura asked. “I asked, which one did you want, from the window?” Adrian asked her kindly as he smiled somewhat to her.

Laura swallowed a breath for a moment, as she didn’t think too much about it as to why he was asking her such a question,  “I was going to buy the Tefal pot set in there while it was on special, but looks like I will wait when I have free time after the holidays to get it…” Laura said as she decided to walk off, Adrian followed her and walked beside her as they walked together, “you cook?” Adrian asked her. “On my days off…” she smiled.

“I didn’t know you were one to cook, boss” Adrian smirked as they walk along the city streets together in light conversation. “Do I look like the type who doesn’t know how to cook?” Laura questioned and frowned curiously yet with a soft smile on her face, conversing with him. Adrian chuckled at her for a moment, “I didn’t say anything of the sort…” he said, as he went on to say in a gentleman type tone of voice to her softly, as they chuckled together.

“You may have to bring some home cooking to the office” Adrian said to her as they walked along the streets of the city, being the end of the working day, people were out last minute Christmas shopping.

“Yeah, maybe, if anyone survives my cooking that is…” she responded in tongue and cheek as they chuckle together walking in the streets together. “don’t worry, I am sure your cooking is fine” he smiled at her to reassure her. “Thank you…hey, where’s Ashleigh?” Laura asked. “She’s been busy, so we don’t have time to see each other for the moment” Adrian told her.

“Yes, the office can be quite hectic this time of year, Adrian” Laura told him in an understanding manner.

Suddenly, Adrian sees his uncle who works in parliament, so he decides to go and see him, “please excuse me, but I have to go, see you in the morning… excuse me…” Blake said with a serious look on his face as he swallowed a breath, looking towards his uncle in the distance behind Laura, “sure… see you tomorrow” she said kindly to him as he walked off, turning around to watch him walk to someone.

As he walked off and Laura happened to walk in the opposite direction, she noticed that he was talking to an older gentleman, “Premier Blacksmith… Does Adrian know him personally?” Laura thought to herself. “Hmmm…” Laura thought to herself suspiciously, but she kept the thought to herself as she walked on.  

As she is walking by, she sees an old acquaintance. “Trevor Reilly!” She grasped in surprise excited to see him, “Laura Hilton! Long time no see!” he exclaimed as he shook her hand. Trevor Reilly was the CEO of LMX Company IT software down the street from her office building.

“How’s Tom working for you?” he asked her as they went for dinner together.

“Yes, Tom is doing well, thank you for referring him to work for us, he has done extremely well in our company” Laura smiled at him, they ate their dinner together in this five-star restaurant.

 “That’s good to hear. I also hear that; Adrian Blake… has joined your company?” Trevor said to her in a casually formal manner. “Adrian? Our Business analyst? Yes, do you know him?” Laura asked, keeping things professional between them and not to disclose any other information about her employees, as she stuck to the rules of the book. Laura was the person to do things by the books and did the right thing by people and the company.

“Not personally, but by the sounds of it, you don’t know who he really is?” Trevor asked her, as he cut through his steak, eating his dinner.

Laura drank her non-alcoholic wine as she glanced at him, “I… don’t interfere with my employees’ personal lives or their business, Trevor, so I am sorry I don’t know who he really is…” she said softly yet professionally as she also cut through her chicken dinner she ordered.

Trevor smirked in some jealousy towards Adrian as he went on to say, “Well, he is the son of the rich tycoon Edward Blake of CDA industries, one of the biggest real estate companies in the world, which makes billions every year and is in at number two at the stocks exchange index. He almost didn’t need to work with such income from his family’s income and trust accounts.” Trevor said, just to gossip about him.

When Laura heard this, she was shocked and almost didn’t know what to say, almost taken back by what she heard. “How… do you know all of this?” Laura asked with suspicion.

“In the business world Laura, you have to know who is who in business by networking, and I happened to meet his father once, very honest yet straight to the point, quite the character…” Trevor commented as he drank his wine.

There is a moment of silence for a moment between them, as Trevor glanced at her, “his uncle… is the premier of the state… Scott Blackwood….” Trevor said with a serious look on his face.

Laura grasped within herself when he said this, “this all… makes sense…” she thought to herself.

“I see…” Laura responded simply. “Well, thank you for dinner, Trevor, and the business discussion, but I must get going, as I have some business documents to prepare for tomorrow’s meetings. I will pay for this. Charge it to my credit card.” She said softly looking into her handbag to get her purse. “No need, I got this.” he smiled pulling out his credit card to pay for their meal.

“If you insist, thank you” she smiled as they both walk out together of the restaurant.

“Laura…” he asked her as they walked out of the restaurant. She turned to look at him as it began to rain, “We should do this again sometime” he smiled at her. “…thank you for dinner” she smiled, and they walked their separate ways.

“Trevor is nice, but there seems to be something a little off to him…” Laura thought to herself somewhat suspiciously towards him, although she didn’t mind his company, but still she had a bad feeling about him, or perhaps her bad experience with her past, made her a little weary of men.

Because Laura didn’t live far from her workplace, being living and working in the city, she decided to take a short train ride which was about ten minutes from her work office, to her home building. As Laura gets home, “so, Adrian is from a rich family, why would he want to work when he could have anything at his fingertips?” Laura thought to herself as she drank some coffee, sitting on her couch and looking out through the window of her apartment, looking out on the city view…. In her “comfy casual house clothes”, all snuggled up on the couch, considering it was a cool breezy night.

“Hmmmm…” she thought.

Laura looked down with a shrug look on her face with disgust towards Adrian for a moment, “so, that’s why the boss hired him… his uncle got him the job with us…” Laura thought to herself.

“Rich prick…” she thought to herself, but she kept the matter to herself.

“As long as he does his job right, I don’t need to fire him, or the boss may find a way to keep him” Laura thought to herself casually.

“Well, it’s none of my business, just do your job, get paid and go home, Laura” she pondered within her thoughts casually.

Meanwhile, that night, Adrian is having dinner with his uncle at the blue star fine dining restaurant to discuss business negotiations, as they were laughing together and in cheer, “I heard, your father got the latest real estate contract over at the building on Flexton Street.” His uncle, the premier of Metta city, Premier Blacksmith.

Adrian drank his wine as he glanced at his uncle, “yeah I heard… good for him…” Adrian said in a low laid-back husky tone of voice.

“Your father hasn’t heard from you in a year, Adrian… you should drop the matter what happened and-“ his uncle said.

“And what? Forget what he did to my mother and let it go? He drove her to her death, and you want me to forget it just like that?” Adrian said in a self-controlled manner, holding in his anger as he clenched his fists on his sides under the table as he looked to the side, taking a deep breath as the waitress came and took away their empty dinner plates.

“Some more wine, please” his uncle said to the waitress in a formal manner. “Yes, right away sir” she responded.

His uncle leans in on the table, lays his chin on his knuckles and said to him, “Adrian… I am sorry about your mother… she… meant the world to you… I am sorry… but putting all personal feelings aside, I need you to focus. Learn all you can from LMN company on how they operate, then come and work for me in politics and then take over from me when I retire in a couple of years…” his uncle said in a serious yet low tone of voice.

Adrian looked at his uncle for a moment, being blinded by hatred towards his father as Adrian sighed as he quickly wiped his tears taking a deep breath, “yeah… you’re right… uncle….  ….” He said humbly. “You’re a good man, Adrian…” his uncle said as they cheered and drank their wine together.

From there, Adrian and his uncle went their separate ways, and Adrian went to the tallest building and went to the top floor at the city look out, just overlooking the city, feeling the cool breeze across his face and the wind blowing through this hair (he had long black silky yet somewhat thick hair), as his fringe swept across his face and his hair fluttering in the wind.

“One day, I will make him fall…” Adrian thought under his breath, referring to his father’s empire as revenge for what he did to his mother.