A Moment of Silence

Chapter 3

Mr. Ambrose looked generally the same, excluding the fact that he wasn't wearing what one would deem 'proper Victorian attire'. He wore a very modified version of a suit to say the least.

I on the other hand felt like a strumpet dancing bare on the streets.

I was given thin, black, socks or 'stockings' as they called it, with a form fitting thing called a 'pencil skirt', with a long sleeved white chemise tucked into it.

The 'stylists' pulled my hair into a 'chignon', and they forced my feet into the black devils called 'stilettos'. Apparently, this was their definition of the 'perfect business casual look'.

Afterwards, like a freshly roasted pig, I was presented to Mr. Ambrose. He didn't look impressed. He didn't look repulsed, disgusted or anything. He just looked. All over. His gaze swept left to right, up and down, and all around.

I felt my face heat up, but my firm resolution sparked, as my good conscious refused the urge to blush in front of him.

It all went by in a blur, as we were shoved into a car, while Kasim drove faster than usual. I was left utterly confused.

All I knew was that I was a secretary, Mr. Ambrose was still a business mogul- even in the future, and we happened to be heading into an important meeting.

What I was supposed to do in this meeting concerned me. My sole goal was to not look like a fool who had no wits amongst herself. Therefore, I decided the note pad which was stuffed conveniently into my shirt pocket, would be used to it's fullest capacity.

I learned quickly; futuristic business meetings were held openly in an office of some sort, while a group of men and women in 'business casual' attire discussed delicate dealings. Some took notes like me, others stayed quiet and listened, and a small majority would talk a good deal.

I took notes at a furiously fast pace, attempting to write down everything if possible. The meeting ended quickly, and ended well, obvious from all the handshakes and offers of coffee and dinner.

There was only one thing that bothered me.

The stares- all of them issued by the men in the room. Since I wore such strange clothes, I couldn't help but be wary of every look shot my way.

None of the stares seemed business related.

Thankfully, Mr. Ambrose had me removed from the room, and quickly.

Outside, I met a good deal of semi-familiar people. I met a Patricia, the pseudo Patsy, Florence, the pseudo Flora, Eveline, the pseudo Eve, and Elle, the pseudo Ella. Sure enough, there was a pseudo Edmund too, named Edward. I learned two new terms that day. PDA and TV soap operas.

Talking to the group gave me more of an idea of who I was in this modern world. I was the one and only Lucy, the pseudo Lillian, private secretary to a pseudo Rikkard Ambrose, called Ryan Ambrose, and leader of everyone gathered here, officially dubbed as 'interns'.

They all seemed to be here upon the orders of me teaching them something, so I made a rather dreary impromptu speech of the importance of taking good notes.

It was quite obvious that I had no idea of what I was doing, so the group left saying they were going on something called a 'lunch break'.

Much to my luck, Kasim and Mr. Ambrose came out at that exact time, and we headed back into the car. To prove I actually did something useful during the meeting than just sit, I handed Mr. Ambrose the notes I took.

During the drive, Kasim recommended we take the thing called a lunch break, but Mr. Ambrose insisted we go back to the office, whereever that was.

Once we arrived to the building, I noticed there weren't many changes to the original structure. The building I knew and loved was still elegantly dreary. Kasim guided us back into Mr. Ambrose's office, which would truly be Ryan Ambrose's. Unlike the real Mr. Ambrose's office, the room was brightly lit with much more color and furnishings.

  Kasim dismissed himself, leaving the two of us alone.

I cleared my throat.
"I think it's safe now to say we are in the future."

Mr. Ambrose nodded.
"Not everything is completely different. Business seems to be held generally the same."

I frowned. "There has to be something here that links to the past. I mean, everyone I've met here seems new but old. Familiarly unfamiliar."

I searched around the room, carelessly looking everywhere, until I found an old and wearied, velvet, box hidden in a desk drawer, concealing a photo.

The box contained a picture of Mr. Ambrose and I. We looked slightly more mature, and I was dressed like a woman.

For the first time ever, I noticed he looked genuinely happy. Even if there was no blatant smile, I could see the difference.

I handed the photo to Mr. Ambrose, and he gazed at it for a moment, before handing it back to me.

After a long silence he asked, "Where did you find this?"

"In this weird treasure box thing."
I held it up twisting and turning it.

His eyes narrowed slightly and he pointed to the bottom of the box.
"There seems to be writing on the bottom of that. Read it."

I turned it upside down to find out he was right, because there was indeed a description etched in fine print.

I read it slowly and boldly, since the letters were extremely small.

"Founder of Empire House Corp., Mr. Rikkard Ambrose, and his lovely wife Lillian Ambrose."

When I finally realized what I had just read, I dropped the photo, watching it flutter to the ground.

Then just as I looked into Mr. Ambrose's eyes, time stopped. But only for just a moment.
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Omg! Thank you sooo much for reading. I don't care if I don't win, I just wanted to submit an entry...

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