Protection

Opportunity

ZAHRA'S POV

I took a taxi to the address Hassan messaged me. I could immediately see the change in environment through the car window. The streets looked cleaner, the houses bigger and no buildings were tagged down. The class difference in New York City was beyond words.

When I finally reached my destination, the taxi stopped in front of a building. I got out of the taxi and looked up in shock. I didn't expect this building to be so tall. The whole building was made from dark blue glass that reflected the blue sky and the clouds. It was beautiful, so Hassan was rich rich.

I walked into the building standing in front of the entrance. I was just about to open the door when a man in a pilot-looking uniform opened the door for me. I immediately thanked him feeling immense awkwardness. This was not my place, and I thought the supermarket was bad.

The moment I walked into the building I was awestruck by the beautiful interior. The floor was made from white marble and the ceiling was an art piece itself, like a Picasso painting full of different colors forming weird cartoon-looking people.

I walked further inside the building. A blonde receptionist was sitting there filing her perfect nails infront of a big apple screen she didn't seem to care one bit about. I could feel my heart beating faster and my palms getting sweaty when I realized I had to talk to this stranger. When she finally noticed me she gave me an ugly stare which I understood. I know very well that I don't belong here, maybe I will just decline Hassan. This is way out of my comfort zone.

"Are you lost?" The woman asked with a fake smile on her big plump lips.

"N-no I came to meet Hassan Awan."

"You need to have an appointment for that," the blonde woman said not paying attention to me, back at filing her perfect nails with her pink nail file.

"He sent me the t-t-this message," I said showing her my phone. She looked shocked for a minute but touched my screen clicking on Hassan's number, so she didn't believe me. She then proceeded to type something on the computer screen I was not able to see. The sound of her long nails against the keyboard echoed in this empty beautiful hall.

"Take the elevator to the 30th floor. Go to the left and you will see a door with his name on"

"T-t-thank you" the woman got back to filing her nails again. I walked to the elevator on the wall and clicked on the 30th floor that was the last button among many. Hideous elevator music immediately played when the doors locked. Did she say right or left? Probably right, right is always right.

I walked to the right trying to find a door with the name Hassan on, but instead I saw a place where many people in professional office attire sat at their messy tables. Some were glued to their computer screen playing Tetris while others talked to each other laughing with the sideman. No door with the name Hassan on could be seen at this place. I walked back to where the elevator was located and went to the left corridor.

Finally, a door with Hassan Awan written on it with thick black letters along with the Awan industries logo you could see everywhere else in the building was in front of me.

I carefully knocked on the glass door and stood there nervously for a few minutes my legs uncontrollably shaking. The door opened along with the increase of my heartbeat and my palm sweat. I regret this already.

"Hi, I am glad you came, welcome," he said smiling at me. I smiled back holding my files in my hands feeling them nearly slip with my sweaty palms. He made space for me while holding the door so I could walk in. I looked around his office and it was breathtaking. The whole office was dark-themed with black leather interior and a dark wooden table. A big Mac computer covered the table. The walls of his office were made from glass where you got a beautiful view of the whole city. The yellow cabs, the tall buildings everything looked so small standing in this room. The sun looked like a yellow pearl standing on the blue sky.