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CHAPTER 1
“Next person?” The waitress yelled out after tapping the name on the batch of coffee, someone ordered as Maria walked up to her, with a smile on her face. “The usual?”
She asked as Maria gave her a firm nod. She had been buying her coffee here every day for the past ten years, it was well known, even to the owner of the establishment, as Maria’s usual was. She hummed a tune underneath her breath as she tapped subconsciously to the beat on the counter when the waitress appeared again, with her coffee, all set up ready to go. “All set.”
She chirped as she handed Maria the coffee who took it and paid. “Thanks Amy, you are the best.” With that she stepped out of the line and walked outside eager to catch the bus to her company.
At the bus terminal, she bumped into someone and ended up spilling some of her hot coffee on him. “Oh my gosh, I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to. Please allow me.’ She said as she brought out her handkerchief and started swabbing at the man’s white, trying to dampen the temperature of the spilled liquid, so it wouldn’t burn his skin, that much. ‘It is understandable. Accidents happen, do not beat yourself over it.”
The man said as Maria bit her lips, knowing that the man was just being kind about it. She wanted to insist that she did something to compensate for her mess, the bus rolled into the stop as people started gathering to enter.
Due to commotion, the man was able to slip away, leaving Maria there, who soon gave up and got in as well. Maria strode into the 14th level, where her office was located, with just her bag and phone after tossing the coffee cup into the bin, after gulping down the last drop. She fell into her chair and exhaled, today was going to be a long day and it was just seven thirty.
She sat in her office, making sure that her things were in order, and ready to get to her boss's hands. Knowing the old man, he was already stuck in his office, working his ass off as usual. And she was proven right a moment later when the telephone on her table shrilled and she quickly picked it up and placed it on her ears. ‘Raymond’s office?”
“Maria, its Raymond, Come to my office now, it's important.” The call was disconnected before she even replaced the phone back to the cradle. She picked up the documents that needed to be signed by him, before heading out of her office and into his own. She knocked once as courtesy demanded and stepped inside the next second not waiting for a response.
“Good morning Mr Raymond. I have three documents with me that need signatures. Two from the financial departments, to approve the new budget schematics of the new underground structure and one from the department of Research. I have gone through all of it, and have highlighted the main parts of the contracts that you should be focused on.”
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