Chapter 3

BRENDA POV

"You're 15 minutes late, Brenda," Carol remarked as she walked up to me.

"And how is that your business, Lord of the times and seasons," I murmured.

"What did you say?" she asked, smirking.

Oh, how much I'd give to wipe that smirk off her plastic face. Well, a girl can wish, at least.

"Why are you in my office again?"

"Ms. Chan wants all our designs to be submitted tomorrow," she replied, lacking conviction.

I noticed a flicker of emotion in her eyes, a strange tone before she quickly masked it. Something was off, and though I sensed she was lying, there was an element I couldn't quite pinpoint.

There was an awkward silence before she declared, "I will take my leave now... ta ta."

"So, let me get this straight; you came all the way to my studio before I got here, sat in my favorite and only chair, just to tell me that?"

She turned around and smiled.

"Aww, it's no big deal. Besides, I should probably be nicer to less unfortunate people, you know. Tata."

At least she was smart enough to close the door quickly, for both our sakes.

What does she have up her sleeve this time? All I could do was sigh. She's definitely up to no good, but I should probably leave her and her usually futile schemes behind and focus more on finishing my design

I got so immersed in my designs that I forgot about leaving early. It was already 3:00 pm, an hour past when I should have left. Today was grocery shopping day, and the thought of another night with UNCLE BOB'S takeout was unbearable. Pizza sounded tempting, but a homemade meal was what I truly craved. I packed up my bag and materials, determined to finish the designs tonight.

Hurrying towards the elevator, I collided with someone, spilling my stuff on the floor. "Oh, shit," I exclaimed, bending down to pick them up. Another hand reached to help, and I looked up to see Justin, our oldest intern and a friend. With his blonde hair and captivating green eyes, he was undeniably handsome.

"I'm so sorry, Justin. My head feels like there's a wild hurricane in there," I said, standing up.

"It's OK. It was a long day, I guess," he replied, gesturing to my materials.

"You have no idea, Justin," I said, smiling at him.

"I gotta go, Justin. See you tomorrow," I said, walking into the elevator.

"Bye, Brenda," I heard him say as the elevator door closed.

Heading home first to drop off my materials and freshen up, I couldn't be more sarcastic if I claimed the day had been the best day of my life.

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I quickly halted the taxi and provided my home address to the driver. Today, I wasn't in the mood for the bus. Within a few minutes, we reached my apartment complex, and I descended from the taxi, paying the driver.

Walking into the apartment complex, I encountered Thomas, who was likely on his way out. "Cupcake, you came back late today," he remarked, and I smiled in response.

"Yeah, Thomas, I had to go grocery shopping today," I explained. He observed my struggle with the numerous items I carried and furrowed his brow slightly.

"Need any help?" he offered, gesturing to my materials.

"its okay, Thomas, I can handle it. You look like you're on your way out. Bye, Thomas," I said, rushing to the stairs.

"Bye, cupcake," his voice echoed as he exited the building.

Reaching my apartment floor, I approached my door and embarked on a balancing act with my materials, simultaneously extracting my keys from my bag to unlock the door. Once inside, I locked the door with my leg and headed to my room, dropping the materials on my reading table.

I immediately went to my bathroom for a quick freshening up, realizing I hadn't had a proper bath in the morning. Emerging with a towel around me and another around my hair, for the second time today, I hurriedly picked out an outfit.

After straightening my hair and adding a loose curl at the tip, I applied some lip gloss to combat dry lips. Finally, I put on my shoes.

I grab my pulse and make my way downstairs, I put my purse on the table as I went into the kitchen I opened the fridge and got some juice and some leftover pizza.

Lisa would be spending the night in her friend's place so I have the house all to myself, I finished eating and went to do the dishes. I make my way to the door.

I locked up the apartment and went out of the building, I decided to walk to the mall because it was not far from my apartment. I also like walking it helps me to relax.

After a lengthy shopping spree at the mall, where I picked up necessities, toiletries, underwear, and materials for my own clothing designs, exhaustion had set in. As hunger gnawed at me, I spotted a Starbucks across the road and decided to grab a bite.

As I approached the crosswalk, a car seemingly appeared out of nowhere and nearly hit me. Panic set in, and I couldn't stop screaming even after the car came to a halt. A deep and sexy voice interrupted my hysteria with, "Stop being a drama queen; I didn't hit you with my car."

Livid, I turned towards the source of the voice, only to be met with an incredibly handsome and god-like figure. Despite his stunning appearance, his lack of apology fueled my anger.

"How. Dare. You. Say. That. To. Me," I fumed, punctuating each word with a poke. "You almost ran me over, you fuck face," I spat out, seething with anger.

"Fuck face," he repeated, clearly amused by my choice of words.

As he approached, he unexpectedly gripped my hand tightly, and my anger intensified. Without a second thought, I kneed him in his crotch area, prompting him to release his grip and groan in pain.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Do you know who I am?" he groaned, holding his area. Satisfied with his discomfort, I smirked and replied, "I do. You are a 'fuck face,'" emphasizing the word with another kick.

"That will teach you how to treat a lady, idiot," I declared before walking away.

It was late, so I decided to head home and order a pizza. The encounter with the attractive and sexy stranger had certainly ruined my day.

Wait, did I just call him "sexy"? What am I thinking?

"You find him attractive, don't you?" my subconscious teased.

"I do not," I retorted, blocking out my subconscious as I walked home.

Arriving home, I delved into my designs. Despite the lousy day, I needed to complete my work. It was going to be a long night, and I required a bucket of coffee, not just a cup.