AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Trembling, he puts his hand in his pocket. "You're Raven," he whispers.
He doesn't take the money. A new confidence appears to light up his face.
How the hell does he know my name?
"Just... take the money," I insist.
I have no idea how to process this information. As of right now, I'm more than five minutes late for the big Monday meeting, and I just want to get away from the busy intersection.
"You're her!" he shouts. "You're... Raven."
All attention is still on me. I hate attention.
"Excuse me," I say, trying to push my way through the crowd.
His eyes are wild and buggy. Beads of sweat cling to the thin hairs near his temple.
I start to walk, but I can feel him following me. Each breath I take fills my lungs, but I feel dizzy and weak.
At this point, I just want to be inside.
He laughs hysterically. "I knew I'd find you here. It all makes so much sense."
There's no stopping his incessant shouting. The gut-wrenching sounds increase as I hit the revolving doors. As I enter the building, his voice is muffled.
I exhale violently.
"Jesus," I whisper and clear my throat.
Was he trying to kill me? Was he trying to kidnap me for ransom?
Okay, maybe I'm going a little too far, but it's not like our firm is that well loved. People know who I am.
When the flash crash ruined the economy, it affected everyone, but lower-income people felt it the hardest. Some people lost everything. Their homes, their investments, and their jobs.
Maybe I handled one of his accounts...
My boss is standing at the edge of the lobby, and he looks pissed. "Ms. Harowitz," he announces to a crowd of employees. "Out feeding the cats again?"
I rush toward him and frantically start digging into the daily report. I definitely look like a mess, and it appears as if the meeting hasn't even started, yet. They've been waiting on me.
"Sorry about that, Jackson," I say, feigning a laugh. "A derelict followed me all the way to the entrance. Can you believe it? He spilled coffee all over my new suit."
He laughs at the word derelict and says something unkind, but I don't actually share in his joy. In fact, saying the word aloud makes me a little sick to my stomach. However, in this world of monetary worship, it's how you have to act.
To survive? Sure. Why not? I would do anything to keep my job.
"We have security for those types of interactions," he says. "You want me to call them outside? It would be no skin off my bones."
I reach into my pocket and grab a handkerchief to wipe away the sweat. I'm still covered in coffee, but I have a change of clothes in my office upstairs. "No need," I say. "I'm just thrilled I made it here before the rest of my team."
The silence is so deafening that I start to waver in thought. I notice everyone else's silently shocked expressions. A dumb smile is fixed on my face, but no one else is smiling. Some of them have tears rolling down their cheeks.
Why is no one else smiling?
This isn't the big Monday meeting. This is something unprecedented.
No...
