A plethora of clothes was hung from the closet enough to give even an organised person a good choice paralysis.

But it was my first day and I had to look good. No cuts allowed. Truth be told, going back to work, that I loved gave me immense happiness but there's a feeling. Some part of me was anxious without a rationale. Surely I kept myself busy into prepping for my first day but that damn anxiety won't leave my mind.

Dress... yes..

At this point I had to make a choice. White shirt and beige trousers. Decent enough?

Lately, I had been on the headlines in bold. Not necessarily was it a reputation sabotaging news, yet those news has some commendable power to invoke subjective opinions in people. And above that, I was going to meet my colleagues, who I had worked with for years. While some may rush in to embrace me into a hug and tell me how much they missed me, some might choose rather to stay where they are, maybe letting their imaginations run wild and allowing their their speculations spread like wildfire across the floors.

Now don't get me wrong. It was long since I was out. Followed by Elijah's confession. And my subjects in question here are mere human. Who change, bend, mould and react differently to scenarios.

I picked up my watch and started to buckle over my right wrist.. wrong lock.. missed slide...

Suddenly, an unknown flash shielded my vision..a random scene flashed at the back of my head and my vision faltered.. The floor beneath my feet started to rock. The flower vase.. the green flower vase.. nothing in my vision resonated things around me... Broken vase.. I looked up at the mirror in a desperate attempt to pull myself together. But all I could see is a blurry apparition.

A sharp pain shoot through the back of my head that trickled across the skull increasing in intensity, pulsating harder. As if some monster was chewing at my bones. The watch slipped off my hand as I pressed my palm tightly against the back of my neck in an attempt to soothe the pain.

Was I dying? This wasn't my first encounter with episodes like this but everytime it's worse.

My legs gave up as I collapsed on my knees, frantically searching for any frame to lean on.

"Madam...The car is ready" with three knocks from the other side of my door.

Should I take a day off instead? No... I have to go.

Roughly 2 minutes has passed, there was no sign of reduced intensity in the pain. I kept pressing my palm at the back of my neck in a vain attempt to soothe myself.

Another knock,"Madam?"

There was no way I was letting them see me withering in pain. There was no way I was letting this news reach Elijah. How badly I needed to cry. How badly I needed assistance.. I cannot.

My eyes fell on the glass of water over the bedside table. Without another thought I reached for it and gulped down the whole.

A calm engulfed my nerves. I could feel the pain reduced even though not diminished.

"Madam", another knock...

"Coming!", I managed to reply with a quivering voice, hoping no conclusion would be dragged.

I picked myself up on my wobbly feet, adjusted my white shirt and made my way out of the room.

My doctor had warned me before. Putting extensive pressure on the brain can turn out fatal.

How?

For how long can one keep away thoughts?

The human brain.. and the human heart..
Does it ever listen to the human..no. It does as it pleases.

I took the elevator to reach the ground floor and made my way across the gigantic living room towards the giant door that overlooked the portico where my white bentley was waiting for me. The chauffeur opened the door of the passenger seat as I climbed down the stairs. 12 steps in total.

"Good Morning, Madam." he greeted with a solemn voice but with a subtle smile. I glanced at him and reciprocated his smile.

"Pardon my misstep. You don't look good." standing my the open door.

"I am fine."

"Sure." He bowed,"Let me know if you need any assistance."

I looked up at him from my seat and nodded in acknowledgement. He bowed and climbed into the driver seat.

It was a 43 minutes drive to the office. 45 minutes exactly to get seated at your station.

Soon the car drove into the property, taking the steep turn pulled over at the main entrance.

I stared... A clear glass door "Ahead Network" embossed in golden across the frame. Few plants with bright green long leaves accented the stairs that led to that shiny entrance. A guard dressed in black stood straight and stoic by the right side of the door.

I walked out of the car and towards the main entrance. As the guard glanced at me, I expected him to either greet me with a smile or enquire about my id.

He did none. A concoction of shock and horror dominated his countenance. To at extent that he failed to remain stoic for a split second. Gathering himself in the next minute, "Welcome back..madam..", he spoke in a shaky voice.

What was that? That reaction was quite... Not quite.. gravely unusual for a guard. As if he had a story to tell me, a rather long one. But he chose to stay shielded in his formal countenance.

I made my way up by the elevator and towards my designated floor.

The imaginations I had till now, was broken into a thousand pieces puzzle, dishevealed. Invoking new trepidations about all I was to expect.

16th floor. The door opened.

An eerie silence was dominating the place only intervened by the whoosing sound of the air conditioner.

At this point I was even able to listen to my own heartbeat drumming at my chest.

I made my way through the long enclosed corridor to reach the main office. An unprecedented scenario welcomed me as I stood at the threshold of the main office. No one bothered to look up or talk. I let out a shaky breath I didn't know I was holding and made my way to my desk.

I could feel few side glances as I sauntered through the passageways but I was relieved to reach my desk without being eaten alive.

My desk was my home at this point. The only familiarity in this world of unknown shocks. It was adjacent the glass window that overlooked the busy streets down below. I placed by bag at the desk and leaned in to get the view below when a voice pulled my attention.

"Uh.. Noor?", I turned. A woman stood there supporting her left arm over the desk and forcing a smile on her face.

"That's,.. " meekly pointing at the table.., "my desk.."

It was that moment I took a good glance at my desk. It was indeed preoccupied. Happy pictures, souvenirs, desk plants.

They gave away my desk to someone else. How long? How long was I away to let someone else claim my place?

She was intently staring at me. Watching my reactions. Waiting for my response. I looked up at her.

She beckoned me with a head tilt,"Let me show you to your desk." and turned over heel.

I pulled up my bag and followed.

She ushered me through the same passageway I came through and took a right turn towards a more spacious bay. This part of the office seemed to be less crowded than the place were I was seated. She stopped in front of an empty cubicle and looked back at me.

"There you go..." she exclaimed in a high pitch tone pointing her hands towards an empty cubicle beside her. A cubicle relatively more private and more spacious than the rest in the floor.

I nodded my head towards her slightly pressing my lips not knowing whether or not I should thank her. Atleast she took the efforts to aquaint me with my new seat.

"Let me know, if you need anything" she leaned against the frame of the cubicle as I placed my bag over the desk.

"Thank you...?"

The smile in her face faltered as I wanted to know her name.

She adjusted her shirt and stood up straight, "Sunny" and turned away from me.

I watched her walk away from my place. A visible strain on her shoulder. Evidently, she wasn't very pleased when being enquired about her name.

I settled into my seat and looked up when the shock of the day finally dawned on me. My cubicle overlooked Elijah's cabin.

This change of place was intentional. He ensured that I stay close to him.

Elijah was seated at his desk across the glass partition. Hands crossed over the table. His dark brown eyes fixated on me. A solemn gaze enough to keep me unsettled throughout the day. His jet black hair was slicked back neatly and everything about his posture exuded power, control quite effortlessly. Maybe some part of that charm could be blamed on his past profession.

There was another man. Probably someone from the top management who was seated across him and they seemed to be having a serious conversation. But, him... He was either too good at not zoning out or he actually was zoned out..

As per my past conversations with him, he had been quite good at his role, maneuvering through the challenges and biases he has gained as a star and managing the keep the brand name clean as a businessman. Everything as he explained seemed perfect but still. An emptiness prevailed. Something about that cabin and that space seemed shallow. Made up. There was some force that kept every inch of this space from blending in. Something was unsettling. Something that I could not quite point at.