𝑺 𝑬 𝑹 𝑬 𝑵 𝑰 𝑻 𝒀 (18+)

one.

S E R E N I T Y

♥

I beat my record, I had been working at Ivy headquarters for seven months and to tell you the truth I fit in quite nicely. The only downside being Mr. Harrington and his horrible attitude. He was an enigma to me, so close yet so far from reach. He spoke to me when he had to and it was always short but never sweet, he was respectful but constantly cold. I would be lying if I said his attitude towards me wasn't intriguing-

But still, annoying.

The rest of the staff was lovely, so they made up for his behavior. We would often go out for drinks after work and gossip about the budding office romances unbeknownst to Mr. Harrington. I could even call a few of them friends, emphasis on the word few.

The higher-ups in the company were around Noah's age or older, one of those men being the COO Andrew Young. He was the boss's best friend and his senior by 2 years, they were night and day those two. Andrew was lively and an unforgivable flirt. He liked to party and he wasn't ashamed of it, I lost count of how many times he'd come into work hungover only to get viciously reprimanded by his superior. When I first started, he spent a lot of his free time checking up on me and making sure I adapted well to the new environment. We flirted occasionally, but he seemed to respect Noah's rules too much to risk anything serious. Still, he came very close to trying.

My mornings all started the same way now that I worked at Ivy headquarters. I'd wake up and take a thirty-minute shower, making sure the water was piping hot. Then I'd pick out my outfit, on this particular day it was a dress. I ironed out the brown designer ensemble before slipping into it, making sure it wouldn't rise above my knees. I parted my dark brown hair down the middle and brushed both sides down to put it into a ponytail. Then, I wrapped the hair into a bun, sticking a pin into it to make it stay. I'd add a few pieces of jewelry to my outfit to liven the look, and slide my manicured feet into a cream set of heels before leaving.

Usually, I didn't like to wear makeup to work. The most I'd do was apply mascara to my decently long lashes, bringing out the brown in my eyes, and swipe some red lipstick across my lips. I'd fill in my brows and apply blush and bronzer, wiping any makeup that covered the beauty mark on my cheek off. Most people hated any 'blemishes' on their faces that weren't freckles, but I embraced all of them.

Once I looked presentable enough to be in Mr. Harrington's presence, I'd drive to the local coffee shop and pick up his coffee hoping by the time I arrived it was still piping hot. He hated people who were late, and he hated when his food or drink wasn't to his liking. I always tried my best to be on time but I was a woman of leisure, I liked spoiling myself in the morning.

It was also imperative that I made it to the shop on time or else I'd have the unfortunate pleasure of waiting in line. Roasted was a small coffee shop but it had a big business, everyone would pile in there for their morning coffee. I parked outside of the shop, forgetting to toss a coin in the meter. I'd be in and out it made no sense to waste the change, besides if I got in trouble I could easily talk my way out of it.

"Do you mind? I have a pick-up order." I tapped on the gentleman's shoulder in front of me and patiently waited for him to move out of my way. He completed my request but he wasn't happy about it, the poor thing.

"One large coffee black, and a medium caramel macchiato." The barista called out my order and began the necessary steps to craft it.

"You're a lifesaver, Corrine he's going to kill me if I'm late today." I tapped my foot on the wood floor checking my Apple watch for the time. I should have gotten his coffee five minutes ago but I was late leaving the house due to a fragrance emergency. It was important I smelled good, and he should've been grateful I cared so much about my personal hygiene.