Chapter 4 Miss Lane

• Her pointy heels clicked on the floor, making noises as she walked along the long hallway.
• The sound of Gina's heels coupled with the loud bubble gum chewing could be seen as a nuisance as she walked past several workers.
• But she didn't care. It's her friend's company and she could do anything she wants to do.
• She walked straight to Claire's office to see her. When she opened the door, she saw her friend pacing up and down and wondered what was going on. Her daughter was sleeping at the far end of the office.
• "Hey, girl." Gina waved and sat down.
• "You looked perturbed. What's the problem?"
• "Like you don't know, Gina." Claire hissed and sat down on her seat.
• "Your husband is what? Hitting on another woman?" She asked and earned a deadly glare from the angry woman.
• "He wouldn't dare do that to me." Claire spat. "He's a loyal man admin would kill any woman he tries to get close to."
• Claire had almost forgotten that he had to cheat with her before she became his wife.
• "So, tell me, what is the problem?" Gina relaxed her back on the seat and swayed left to right.
• "My company, Gina, my baby is going down every day and I keep dismissing my workers." She rubbed her temple. She felt relieved that she had finally said it out but that didn't solve her problem.
• "Oh, that. That was the first thing that popped into my mind when you asked that question. About that, I asked my aunt how she got back on her feet and she spilled. Since I'm her favorite cousin, she spilled for free." Gina grinned and moved closer to her friend.
• "There's this new jewelry and fashion designer in Bogotá and trust me, she's good at what she does."
• "A new designer? That's not what I'm looking for. I'm looking for someone with experience."
• "Are you kidding me? You've not heard of miss Lane? She's the biggest and most expensive jewelry designer of all time. Her designs are top-notch and if you can give her a contract, your company will bloom. Check her out on the internet. You'll be wowed." Gina assured her. And although Claire was a little bit skeptical about it, she just decided to give it a trial.
• She checked for the lady's photos and truly, she was wowed. She marveled at her fashion sense and her red hair went well with all her dresses.
• "Oh my God!" Claire stood up abruptly, causing Gina to flinch.
• "Watch it, girl. You might want to inform someone before doing that." Gina scolded but her words fell on deaf ears. Claire was only interested in the new lady.
• "Why is she always putting on a mask?" Claire asked as she sat down.
• "Beats me but they sure are pretty and it gives her this mysterious aura. No one has seen her full face. I think she's ugly." Gina replied nonchalantly.
• "Someone that ugly cannot make such beautiful dresses and jewelry. She just doesn't want the world to know her yet. And she's hot too. Jason must not find out about her." She clicked her long and relaxed on her seat. "That man has a soft spot for curvy ladies."
• "Reminds me of the only very curvy person I know. Elaine, with her pretty dirty blonde and green eyes. Too bad she was barren." Gina shrugged.
• "This one is curvier, her red hair and blue eyes fit her a lot. I'm gonna try to contact her on her Instagram account."
• Claire searched for her immediately and texted her. She went straight to the point. Miss Lane's social media handler saw her text and smiled.
• Another contract.
• They chatted and ended up concluding on a meeting when she is in Cali. Claire was excited at the fast reply and almost screamed. Her business was going to be better than ever with that talented designer on her side.
• "All this silence is making me tired and hungry." Gina yawned.
• "I just finished texting with her and guess what?" Claire asked.
• "Just tell me, girl." Gina urged.
• "Miss Lane is coming to Cali." She revealed excitedly.
• "That's nice. My aunt had to go over to see her. Lucky you." Gina said and stood up, stretched, and yawned again. "I'm tired. I need to rest before going back to work." She informed.
• "Thank you so much for the info, Gina. I really appreciate this, my love." Claire said gratefully. "Bye, and enjoy the rest of your day."
• "Sure, you too." They shared a brief hug before she departed. Claire went back to miss Lane's Instagram page. She was so obsessed with her fashion sense and her designs.
• "My marriage is perfect, I have a rich and handsome husband, the most lovely daughter and soon, I'll be back in business." She raised her hands in victory.
• "I mustn't let her see my husband though." She reminded herself. Soon after, her daughter woke up and began crying. She was a year and three months old.
• Claire rushed to her and picked her up to her shoulder. She patted her shoulder until she stopped crying. She fed her and let her play on the floor. When it was time to go home, she carried her and drove straight home to make dinner and meet her husband.
• ***
• "Miss Lane," Her assistant called out.
• Miss Lane turned from the window to her, her mask on.
• "Yes, Stella," Lane answered.
• "You have a contract from Cali. Nadia already told her to wait till you get to Cali, so as to meet in person." Stella reported.
• "Who is this person from Cali?" Lane asked.
• "Her name is Reed Claire Danes."
• "Reed Claire Danes...." Lane sat down in her seat. "Alright, text her later tonight and ask her what exactly she wants, so that I can fix a budget for her. I need to know what I'm working with; whether she wants a new design or an old one." She directed.
• "Okay, Miss Lane." She took down some notes before looking at her boss. "You look so beautiful, ma'am." She beamed.
• "Thank you, Stella. You're not so bad yourself." Lane reciprocated.
• "Your big reveal is coming up, two days after you get to Cali. We all can't wait to see your beautiful face. The whole world will be shocked."
• "What makes you think I'm beautiful?" Lane inquired.
• "You have a beautiful soul, ma'am. You're a nice and lovable person, you're the best person I've ever worked for. You treat your employees and clients with so much love and care, and you're very understanding about their budget. I know a lot of rich people who aren't up to your standard but as still rude. You're beautiful, ma'am."
• Lane felt emotional after Stella's speech.
• 'A beautiful soul...' She thought.
• "Thank you, Stella. I'm glad to have you on board with me. You may leave." Lane said softly and Stella nodded and left.
• Miss Lane stood up and walked over to the gigantic window. Parts of the busy city came into view. She saw some kids running back from school with their parents behind them. She smiled and looked at them till the family disappeared from her sight. She sighed and went back to her seat.
• Miss Lane had just been transferred from Bogotá to Cali for her work. She had clients who needed her help urgently and as a nice person she was, she saved them the stress of traveling by going to Cali to reside.
• Before her closing time, she drove to her house to make preparations for her relocation.
• She made several calls concerning her apartment and the event hall for the big reveal party.
• Stella had called her concerning the monetary gifts she received from men who had shown interest in her.
• Of course, money wasn't her problem. She was rich enough to retire at the age of 28. She just hadn't seen whom she liked yet.
• "Nadia, please, don't forget to text back Reed Claire Danes. Make sure to give me feedback by tomorrow. I need to know what to tell her when I get there." She ordered.
• "Yes, ma'am. I will do that after replying to other potential Cali clients. I've received lots of messages from around Cali after I posted about your relocation there. It's been mad since then." Nadia said and laughed nervously.
• "I don't want my one and only handler breaking down. If the workload is too much, you leave it for today and continue tomorrow, alright?"
• "Thank you, Miss Lane. But I can't accept that. Working for you is an honor, I'd even do it for free. I just can't wait for the revelation. It will be world-shocking. I can't wait to see your wonderful face behind those masks." She replied with a huge smile on her face.
• "Of course. Thank you for all you do." She smiled before hanging up.
• Miss Lane is going to Cali!