Chapter 2 A proposal

David woke up with a serious hangover. His head was throbbing with headache and his body was completely weak. 'Did I get drunk last night?' he wondered. He looked at himself and discovered that he was still on his trouser and sleeved shirt. ' How did I even get home?' he remembered ordering a glass of whiskey from a bar and a girl sitting next to him asked if he was okay, but he was feeling a bit tipsy and he told her that he wasn't okay. He tried to remember the rest but the headache returned so he gave up.

He grabbed his phone lying on the bed to check what time it is and discovered that he had several miss calls from Peter and from his sister, Isabel. It was already 9:00 am.

"Shit!" He exclaimed as he realized that he had an important meeting with the advertising company today and he was damn late. No wonder he had several missed calls from Peter. If not for the meeting, he would have finally listened to Isabel in taking a break from work today.

Getting up in a haste, he rushed to the bathroom and freshened up before putting on his formal clothes. He quickly took some slices of bread and prepared tea for himself since he was already late, before going to his car. Before leaving, he called Peter to inform him that he was already on his way.

As David opened the front door, the first thing his eyes took notice of was an ID card lying on the floor of the car. 'Whose card is this?' he thought. Without caring much, he sat in the car and drove off. While driving he looked at the card and saw the picture of a young girl, and the name written on it was Alicia Taylor. How did someone's card get into his car? He looked at the picture of the girl again and his mind went back to last night, where he met her at the bar, and he even told her about his fiancee being pregnant for his brother. Gradually, he recalled everything that happened last night.

"I made a fool out of myself" he murmured to himself. With the impression he gave, she would probably think he was some lousy dude who just went out to get drunk because of his problems. But things really got out of control yesterday and he just couldn't help it. Soon, he arrived at the office and he had to put everything aside to prepare for his meeting.

He rushed towards his office to take a few minutes to prepare everything he needed for the meeting and just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in" he said and Peter entered. He was dressed in his usual blue trousers and white sleeves with his medicated eyeglasses which he was always wearing. Peter was a few years older than David. He was married with a little kid. The man has been working with his company for years and proves to be a trustworthy man. But despite the fact that he's been working with him for years their relationship remained official and based on mutual respect.

"Good day sir" he greeted

"Good morning Peter. How's it going?"

"They are here already, and they are waiting for your arrival" Peter stated

"Okay, I'm ready now. Let's go" David said after collecting all the things he needed and they both went to the meeting room where the advertising agents were waiting.

The meeting stretched for long hours as both parties were trying to come to a unanimous agreement. He listened patiently as they preached their ideas and also brought his own suggestions. But half his mind was occupied with the thought of last night. No matter how hard he tried to focus, her facial expressions and concerned eyes kept swimming to the surface. He just couldn't wait for this meeting to end so he could have some fresh air and recollect himself.

After the meeting, he instructed Peter to distribute the invitation to the company's annual gala which is next tomorrow to the members of the advertising agents present in the meeting.

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When Alice got home last night, she found her dad already sound asleep, so she took a warm shower and went to bed. But she couldn't stop worrying about him. 'Did he get home safely? Is he alright?' were the thoughts that occupied her mind before her phone rang and she picked it up.

"Hey babe," said the male voice.

"Hey"

"Are you home yet?" He asked

"Yeah, I just came back and I'm really tired, '' Alice said and yawned loudly.

"Are you still mad at me?"

"Luke. We talked about this, and I told you we're good. Enough of the apologies"

"Alright. Well, I'll be back soon. I can't wait to see you"

"Me too," she said with a smile. Her boyfriend, Luke, has been out of town for almost two weeks for some business adventure.

"Since you're tired, I should let you rest"

"Yeah, I really think you should. And you should get some rest too"

"Love you"

Love you too" she said and he hung up. Luke and Alice were friends from high school but they somehow lost contact after graduation. Few months back they happened to cross paths and renewed their friendship. Then he expressed his feelings for her and they started dating. It all happened so fast and she was already in a relationship with him. He was a very nice guy and has been supporting her so far. Since they've been dating, Alice made clear her stand that she wanted to take things slowly and wouldn't have s*x with him until they got married, which he agreed to. But for some days now, he kept pestering her about it but her stand remains the same. There was a time he left his phone unlocked and a text popped up on the screen.

"Babe, please let's meet tonight. I really miss you. Call me when you get this'' when Alice first saw the text she was furious thinking that he was cheating on her. But he explained that he had nothing to do with her and she was just some girl at his workplace who was throwing herself on him. But he had no interest in her. He sounded so convincing and even kept apologizing so she decided to give him the benefit of doubt.

She woke up early the following morning to prepare breakfast before leaving for work. She assisted him to the table where breakfast was set and then sat with him to eat.

"So, did you have fun last night?" Her father asked

"Yeah, I really had fun" she replied

"That's good. How's everything going with finding a job?"

"It's really discouraging not getting any response, but I'm still trying," she said. He placed his hand on top of hers and squeezed it in a comforting way and said to her.

"Don't worry, dear. There is always a way out of any situation. I'm sure you'll get, so don't give up"

"Thanks Dad, I love you so much" she said and hugged him from her seat. Her dad was all that she had and she was ready to do anything for him.

Alice has been living with her father since she was eighteen years old when her mother left. Everyone was doing well and the family was happy, until that unfortunate day of the accident. Mr Jack Taylor was a middle-aged man and he was a construction worker, and that day when going to work he had a serious car accident which cost him both legs. Since then he has been confined to a wheelchair, and the doctors said he might not be able to walk again.

Months passed since the accident and it turned into a year, but there was still on progress. Mrs Taylor gave up on him and began to have an affair. It happened that she was having an affair even before her father's accident. Her father was depressed and heartbroken, yet he chose to forgive her and let it sly, but Mrs Taylor apparently didn't want his forgiveness. Later she left with the other man to start a new family. Alice was so disappointed in her mother and she had to care for her sick father as he could no longer work. She worked very hard to provide for both of them and also took care of his medication. It's been four years since her mother left and they haven't heard anything from her. Not like they wanted to, she made her choice.

Alice now works as a waitress at a restaurant in order to earn a little money while she hunts for a job. But she still hasn't gotten any feedback from the companies she applied for.

"Okay, dad. See you later" she gave him a peck and left the house. She resumes work by 9:00 am and closes by 3:00pm.

While at work, she received a call from Audrey.

"Hey! Ali" she sounded really cheerful

"Hi! Audrey. What's up" she asked with less enthusiasm

"What's up is that I have a proposal for you"

"And what could that be?" Alice asked

"You know what? I'll just come over during your lunch break so that we can discuss it over lunch" Audrey suggested

"Okay, that will be fine"

"Yeah, see you soon," Audrey said and hung up.

"Hmmm. Why does she sound so excited?" Alice wondered.

Time flew quickly and soon, it was already lunch time. Alice caught sight of Audrey entering the restaurant and took her seat by the window. After rounding up with whatever she was doing she went ahead to sit with her. She came along with two glasses of juice and they sat to have a chat.

"So what is this proposal?" Alice asked as she couldn't wait to hear whatever she had to say. Audrey cleared her voice and began.

"Next tomorrow is going to be the annual gala of Walter enterprises. And the CEO himself is gonna be there"

"And what does that have to do with me?" Alice asked in confusion.

"Well, since I'm attending the gala, I want you to come with me. I would introduce you to David and perhaps he can get you the job you've been looking for"

"Really? Does it work that way?"

"Look, he's my friend. I'll talk to him about it , perhaps he would consider your application, and I'm sure he'll give you a chance"

"Audrey, I don't know how to thank you enough for this," Alice said, feeling very emotional.

Even if her friend was a spoilt brat sometimes she still was a very nice person and Alice loved that about her. Many people would think that she was friends with Audrey because of the financial benefit, since her parents are rich and she was their only child. But Audrey didn't care about those things and she was just a simple and humble person.

"What are friends for?" She said with a warm smile.

"So tomorrow we will go shopping. You need to wear something nice, it's gonna be a big occasion and you need to make a good first impression on David" Audrey explained everything they were going to do in detail.