The choices we make [Completed]

Chapter 41 - A collision of past and present

Author's note : Bessy's photo above

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Chapter 41 - A collision of past and present

Olena leaned back in her chair, knuckles kneading her temples.

She had been going over their financial statement for over two hours, looking for possible errors before finally sending it to their accountant, and her brain was about to burst from all the numbers she forced herself to absorb.

Finance was never her forte, but between her and her business partner Bessy, Olena was the one who had more experience dealing in business. Bessy was in charge of sales and PR while Olena handled the numbers and concepts for their accounts.

But at least the headache was worth it, Olena thought, as their small events company was getting more and more profitable.

When they started it three years ago, they struggled with bad decisions they had made which almost led them to bankruptcy.

If she were to be honest with herself, Olena had to admit that it was partly because her heart was not in it when they were starting. She just accepted Bessy's invitation to help her organize events because she saw it as an escape from the uncomfortable atmosphere at home.

Two years of cold treatment was too much to bear, and Olena thought she would go crazy if she did not find an outlet. So when her high school friend Bessy floated the idea of setting up an events company, Olena gladly accepted.

Bessy used to be in sales in an advertising agency and she knew Olena had a solid career in marketing and events so it was a perfect match. But it was their first time managing their own business and they realized it was a totally different ball game.

Then a former client asked them to handle her wedding, and they found their niche.

It was something both women enjoyed doing, which reflected in their work, and led to word of mouth spreading about the unique, memorable, and professionally managed weddings that they worked on.

That was how their company Dream Weddings was born.

Olena smiled at the memory. Dream Weddings was her lifesaver in more ways than one. Having this had made her financially and emotionally independent, and had allowed her to make difficult, life-changing decisions that she would have been too afraid to do otherwise.

She closed the file and attached it to an email she sent to their accountant. They were done with their financial report for the first half of the year, freeing her to help out Besssy in the two weddings they were organizing this month.

After a quick glance at the wall clock, Olena decided to invite Bessy out for lunch to celebrate their small victory. It was already half past ten, and the tailor shop where Bessy was scheduled to be in today was not too far from the office, so the timing was perfect.

Grabbing her phone on the desk, she sent a quick message to her partner.

"Finished the report! Yay! I'm free the rest of the day. Are you still at the tailor's? Why don't I pick you up there and let's have a quick lunch to celebrate?"

"I just have a last fitting scheduled at 11, then the next would be at 3pm. Late lunch okay?"

"That's fine. I might as well drop in early and help you out. I've been feeling guilty letting you carry the burden this past few weeks."