Alicia Taylor

Alice just got back from work and was having her lunch when she received a call from Audrey.

"Hey, girl, are you ready?" The excited female voice sounded on the phone

"Ready for what?" Alice asked as she took a bite from the hot noodles.

"The concert. Don't tell me you forgot" Audrey said and Alice could imagine her pouting her lips right now. She totally forgot about the concert she was going to attend with her best friend.

"I'm so sorry, I'll get dressed now" she said

"Fine, hurry up, I'll come pick you up in ten minutes" she said and disconnected the call. Alice checked the time on her phone, it was a few minutes past three. She should have a little more time to finish her lunch and get dressed before Audrey gets here.

Alice and Audrey have been inseparable since high school. Audrey's parents are rich and she's an only child. She loved to have fun with friends and go out to any party she hears about. Today, she was going to a big concert where her favorite singer was going to perform in the city, and she made sure to drag Alice along.

Alice ate her lunch quickly and went up to her room to put on a simple dress. She wore a yellow mini skirt and a black tank top with a pair of white sneakers. Then she let her curly black hair fall over her shoulder. Then she walked out all dressed but came across her dad on the way sitting on his wheelchair.

"Ali, are you leaving?" The man asked

"Yes Dad. I'm going out with Audrey and I might not be back early" she replied

"It's alright, go have fun" he said with a smile

"Alright, take care of yourself, Okay" she said and bent down a little to place a kiss on his cheek before leaving.

Audrey was already waiting for her in her car packed outside. She hopped in and they drove off to the venue.

The concert was huge and there were lots of people there. The air was filled with the sound of music and a cheerful crowd. They really had fun going out together. But Alice was not the party type.

"I'm so exhausted. Can we go home now?" Alice said as they walked towards the car.

"Okay, let just go and have a drink and chill out, then we can go home" Audrey suggested

"But it's late already" she protested

"Come on we won't stay long" Audrey pleaded with her puppy eyes and Alice couldn't say no.

"Argh... you're such a spoilt brat" they entered the car and drove to the bar nearby.

When they arrived at the bar, Alice went ahead to sit and ordered a glass of wine. She doesn't drink much because she didn't have the best experience with alcohol.

"Audrey!" A female voice sounded from behind and they both turned back to see who it was. Audrey saw a girl coming towards them with a broad smile on her face and she immediately recognized her.

"Chloe" Audrey reciprocated in the same manner and they both hugged each other.

"It's been so long since I saw you. Wow! Are you married?" Audrey asked as she noticed the ring glittering on her finger.

"Yes I am. You should meet my husband" Chloe said and dragged Audrey along excitedly.

"I'll be back soon" she told Alice before leaving with her friend.

==============

"The father of my baby is Jake"

"Maybe you were not man enough"

Those hurtful words kept echoing in his head and he couldn't think straight. He looked at his desk and there was some pending work but he no longer has the strength to deal with it. He still can't believe how he ended up in this situation. Feeling weak and exhausted, he grabbed his bag and walked out of his office. He came across Peter, his assistant, along the way.

"Sir, are you okay?" Peter asked with concerned eyes

"I'm fine Peter. Just really tired. I'll see tomorrow" he replied

"Alright"

He sat in his car and took a couple of deep breaths before starting the engine. Instead of driving home, he stopped at a bar to have a drink. All he wanted was to forget about the pain and everything. He entered the bar and sat at the far end before asking the bartender for a glass of some strong alcoholic drink. He put his phone on airplane mode before he started sipping on his wine without a care of the world around him.

A glass became two, and two glasses became three until he almost emptied the bottle, then he started feeling dizzy.

"Sir, are you alright?" Someone tapped on his shoulder. He turned and noticed the girl sitting next to him, and she had a concerned look on her face. 'Why does everybody pity me' he thought before replying with a hoarse voice

"No, I'm not alright"

"Oh! I'm sorry about that" the girl said simply.

"So what are you going to do about it?" He asked, looking straight into her big brown eyes.

"Huh!" She was confused by his statement

"Argh... what am I even saying" he said, more to himself as he realized he was spitting rubbish. But he felt like speaking to someone.

"My fiancee is pregnant for my brother"

============

Alice was forced to sit alone and wait for Audrey. Not long, a young man walked in and sat right next to her before ordering a glass of wine. He seemed to be in deep thoughts and didn't even notice her and she continued sipping her drink. She was watching him as a glass of whiskey became two and two become three. He had almost emptied the whole bottle and she was still on her first glass. He looked really moody and unhappy and she wondered what could be wrong him. Something in her felt deeply concerned about him. So she decided to ask and he admitted that he wasn't fine, but now she didn't know what else to say. She was taken aback by his next statement.

"My fiancee is pregnant for my brother"

"Oh my God! That is serious. I'm really sorry about that" she managed to say. She couldn't imagine being in his shoes, she would feel even worse. He must be going through a lot of pain. She felt sad and felt the longing to console him even though they haven't met before, but she didn't even know how.

Alice tried calling Audrey as she was taking too long, but her phone was switched off. She has the habit of always running off with some of her friends she met at random, that Alice just had to get used to.

The guy got up to leave but the bartender stopped him as he hadn't paid for the drink. He started searching himself frantically for his wallet or something but he couldn't find it.

"Oh! I left it in the car. I'll just go and get it" he said

"Sir, you can't leave the premises until you pay the bills" the bartender protested

"Here, this should cover for his drink and mine" she stretched some cash to the bartender in order to resolve the issue and the girl quietly took the money. Alice was surprised by his emotional reaction.

"Oh! Thank you so much. You're a lifesaver" he said and abruptly pulled her in for a hug. She didn't see that coming and neither could she resist. He looked quite unstable and she had to support him to his car packed outside.

"Are you sure you can drive in this state?" She asked as she was really worried for him.

"Yeah, I can drive," he replied. Just then her saw rang and she saw it was Audrey calling so she had to pick it up quickly and she walked aside.

"Where the hell are you? I've been waiting here" Alice said, annoyed

"I'm so sorry, Ali. Something came up. I'm on my way now" Audrey apologized. While answering the call, she noticed he drove off already. Without saying goodbye.

"Alright, just hurry up okay" she said and hung up. She wanted to keep her phone back in her purse but discovered that it was unzipped.

"Hope I haven't misplaced anything valuable" she murmured and looked around but there was nothing. Soon Audrey arrived and she dropped her off at home, before saying goodnight to each other

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.

===========

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.

"Hello"

"Hey David. How are you doing? I'm sorry I couldn't call you earlier I was in class" the female voice sounded on the phone

"It's okay, I'm doing fine?" David said and sighed deeply

"Are you sure?" She sounded worried

"Isa, you don't have to worry about me. I can take care of myself"

"Alright then. I always knew that girl was crazy b*tch" Isabel said in anger.

"Okay, let's leave that aside, how are you?" David changed the topic. He didn't want to think about it anymore

"I'm doing great, actually I would be coming next week" she said with excitement

"Oh! That's great"

"Yeah, I have to go now. We'll talk later"

"Yeah, take care" he said and she disconnected the call.

The meeting ended and he went to his office to sort out his thoughts. Once again she creeped into his mind. He opened the drawer where he had kept the ID card and looked at her picture on it once again. 'Why does she keep coming to my mind?' He went home early to rest and prepare for the gala which is tomorrow.

==========

It was the day of the gala and Alice was quite excited about it. She really hoped that things would work out well so that she could finally get a well paying job. She told her father everything and he was as happy as she was. Now, she just had to meet with Audrey so that they can go shopping.

Audrey arrived on time and they went to a fancy boutique. There were a lot of beautiful dresses and bags and

"Don't you think all this is too expensive?"Alice asked her friend.

"You don't have to worry about payment. Just take what you want" Audrey said confidently. She knew her friend was capable of paying the bills.

Alice selected a simple peach dress that perfectly complimented her skin tone. She just wanted to look simple yet presentable. Audrey was having a really hard time in picking a dress. She was very selective and wanted to look her best at the occasion. Finally, she picked a blue dress and went to the dressing room to try it on. She came out wearing the dress and Alice's mouth fell open. It was a long dinner gown with a thigh high sleet exposing her smooth and flawless legs. The back of the dress had a deep opening, exposing a generous part of her back. And the deep neck showing off a little cleavage.

"This is exactly what I want" she said with a satisfactory smirk when she looked at her reflection in the mirror.

"But, isn't this too... much?" Alice said. She hasn't seen her friend dress like this before, although she has many beautiful dresses. This version was new to her.

"Nope. It's just perfect" Audrey replied

"Is there something you're not telling me, Audrey? Or you're planning to seduce someone?" Alice looked at her friend with suspicious eyes. And she could see a blush creeping on her cheeks. 'Something is definitely up with her' Alice thought.

"It's nothing, I just want to look nice"

"Alright if you say so. But whoever it is you're trying to seduce, it is definitely going to work with you in the dress"

"I'll take that as a compliment"

Their shopping took hours as Audrey spent her time buying everything she needed before they went to Audrey's house to prepare for the party. After dressing up, they did each other's makeup. Alice let her hair fall to her shoulder in a smooth wave while Audrey packed her blonde hair and held it up with small silver hair pins. She took her time to prepare well and they almost ended up late.

The large hall was already occupied by lots of people including well known business men and women and a few celebrities. As elegant as Alice thought it was, Audrey said last year's gala was even bigger, but they decided to keep it down this time. The sound of music and the aroma of food and wine welcomed them as they stepped into the Hall. Alice has not been to such an occasion before so she was really thrilled. She looked around and saw the beautiful paintings on the wall. She had always loved drawing and painting since she was a child and her dream was to become that big artist one day. If this deal works out, probably she could achieve that dream and many others.

Audrey went ahead to socialize with friends and some people she knew and the event was about to begin so everything settled down.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the annual gala night of Walter enterprises" a man dressed in a black tuxedo announced from the platform and everything applauded. I couldn't wait to see the CEO himself. Audrey said she hasn't seen him yet, but I was already impatient as Audrey has told me alot about him.

"Please welcome the CEO of Walter entertainment, Mr David Walter" the man introduced and there was a loud applause once again. When Alice caught sight of the man climbing up the platform, her jaws dropped.

"Oh! My God"

"Yeah, he's hot isn't he?" Audrey was staring at him with desire obvious in her eyes and she clearly misunderstood Alice's expression. Alice didn't say a word in reply as she was still in shock. She can't believe that she actually met the CEO of Walter entertainment completely drunk at a bar.

Well, his physique wasn't bad at all. He was tall and handsome with a perfectly chiseled body. His smooth black hair was combed back neatly, emphasizing his facial features. He looked perfect in that royal blue suit that fits him so well. He grabbed the microphone and thanked the audience for being present at the occasion and said some things which Alice didn't really pay attention to before heading back to the direction he came from.

Then food and drinks were served and everyone began to enjoy themselves.

"Hey! He's standing right over there. This is the right time for us to see him" Audrey said as she pointed to the guy and dragged Alice along with her before she could even utter a word. She could feel her heart pounding with anticipation as they approached him, closer and closer until they were standing right behind him. Audrey tapped on his shoulder lightly to get his attention. And he turned around. A smile appeared on his face as he saw Audrey's and my heart skipped a beat.

"Hey, Mr CEO" Audrey said with a sly smile

"Audrey, you came. Nice to see you" he said and they hugged each other.

"You look nice" he complimented her and her cheeks flushed red. I knew she had a thing for him and she just couldn't hide it.

"Thanks. You look nice too" They looked like really close friends. He hasn't even noticed Alice yet. 'Was he even going to remember me?' She wondered

"Oh! Pardon my manners. Please meet my best friend, Alice. Alice, meet my friend David" Audrey introduced us both. And for a moment, it felt like time stood still for both of them.