It's a corporate world,
I'm a corporation, a company needs a long vacation,
Corporate world,
I'm a corporation cutting back,
And I've been so patient.

I've got a guy in my pocket to vouch for your character,
You're the manager, you can handle her.

(Dale Earnhart Jr Jr)

. MONDAY .

MCKENNA
10:51 AM

"I am serious, Mac. Nelson, the cleaning man who always hits on me, told me yesterday."

McKenna Dunne stared at her friend Olivia. They were currently smoking a cigarette in the sumptuous Lezarc Corp HQ front yard. Before them stood a huge fountain with goldfishes swimming in it, perfectly cut emerald green hedges, and the view of 'the City' centre.

The smoking and the cigarette and the whole being there suddenly lost all meaning to McKenna.

"A new office? Where?" she lowered her voice while drawing Olivia closer to her, as if pleading her to lower her voice as well.

Olivia was the only one in the entire Lezarc Corp who was aware of her ever long crush, and there were many people there around taking a break just as they were.

"It's not here in the front area, that's for sure. They're renovating the whole last floor up there." Olivia explained "At least, that's what Nelson said. He got a backache from moving boxes and desks and archives for the whole afternoon."

McKenna couldn't care less about the cleaning man's backache. She threw her cigarette in the ashtray as the tension built inside her.

"What are you doing?" Olivia laughed at her. "Now you're giving up smoking just because you know he can't be watching? Well, at least this would be the only healthy thing I've seen you do in the last two years."

"I'm the healthiest person on earth." McKenna spat back, looking proudly at her fit body in her perfect white suit.

Olivia rolled her eyes.

"Just wanted to remind you - going through two years of unrequited untold love for a cold heartless despotic drug addicted married man is not what I would define healthy - even if he's an excruciatingly rich CEO with to-die-for cufflinks."

"There are rumours he's getting through a divorce." McKenna said tentatively.

"Yeah, sure" Olivia laughed again, shooting McKenna a sarcastic glare "This is what I call being reasonable."

EDGAR
11:20 AM

Edgar LeRoy, CEO of Lezarc Corp, was standing in the middle of his brand new temporary office, his arms crossed over his chest, surrounded by scattered and half opened boxes. He was trying hard to concentrate on his sterling silver Cartier cufflinks, on his navy blue fine patterned necktie, but the hard truth was that his eyes were hopelessly drawn to the pathetic scene taking place before him.

An IT guy was bended under his desk, trying to set up the connection of his laptop. He was by far the worst dressed man he had seen in ages at Lezarc HQ.

His jeans were worn out and faded, his green sneakers on the verge of collapse; at least his Star Wars T shirt was long enough not to reveal the colour of his underwear - that would be an excessively unpleasant view.

How is that even possible that someone is allowed to dress this way in my corporation?

He made a mental note - new dress code instructions to be delivered to the whole personnel.

IT guy cursed when he banged his head against the desk while standing back up.

Edgar was now definitely glaring at him, but IT guy just shot him back an apologetic grin while massaging his hit head, unconsciously ruffling his chin lenght straight brown hair.

"Sorry, Boss." IT guy was stepping towards the door already "So, everything should be fine now, I'll be going. If you need something, do not hesitate and call me. It's Adam Cook, IT office. Have a nice day, Mr. LeRoy."

Edgar didn't wish him a nice day back. He was simply hoping he would not need anything from that guy again: having seen a Star Wars T shirt once was more than enough for one day.

ADAM
11:29 AM

"Fucking fuck. I had forgotten how terribly full of it that jerk was." Adam was talking to his fellow IT colleague Cooper, while falling back into his desk chair, making it spin around nervously.

Cooper was in the middle of a phone call. He shot Adam a glance from the corner of his eyes, then he set his phone to mute.

"You should tone it down, Adam. It's the Big Boss you're talking about." He just said, and then he pressed the 'mute' button again, without even waiting for a reply.

"Yeah, yeah, fine, fine." Adam answered anyway. "You know what. If he calls because some damn cable is not correctly plugged in yet, you take it. And now, I think I need a joint."

The IT office was located in a sort of basement, a single sleek window looking on the backyard. It was by far the worst office in the whole Lezarc Corp. Adam hated his job, Adam hated that damn basement, Adam hated it all - the whole Lezarc Corp along with that self-satisfied CEO and his brushed back pompadour black hair. But he didn't really care. Right in that moment, the only thing that counted was that the window was big enough to blow the smoke out of it.

MCKENNA
03:32 PM

"We're so not going to have our cigarette breaks here." Olivia looked around sickened, letting out a disgusted moan as one of her stilettos sank in a small mud-pool. "This is horrible! I am serious about this Mac. No love is worth staying in this dump."

Olivia and McKenna were in the backyard, where the latter had forcefully drawn the former. The backyard was nothing like the front yard. There was no stunning view; it was wholly surrounded by Lezarc's walls, no fountains, no hedges. It was a sort of an abandoned yard. There were unidentified tools around, piled cabinets, ruined tiles, even a leftover desk. But it was not completely unused, because there was a white wooden bench near one of the walls, in the proximity of the only tree of the backyard. White, water-stained cushions adorned the weather-beaten bench. An ashtray had found its place on a small discarded cabinet.

"Don't be so skittish. It's not that bad." McKenna lit her own cigarette "You know, Spencer and Laura used to come here for their secret meetings when they were hooking up."

"Yeah, wow." Olivia looked around, her upper lip lingering upward. She didn't have the courage to imitate McKenna by sitting on the bench. "No wonder they've split up now."

McKenna raised her head, scanning the row of last floor windows. Some were opened, some were closed, as was customary in the springtime.

If an office doesn't overlook the front yard, it must overlook the backyard.

One of them was his, and that was all she needed to know to like that place

ADAM
03:35 PM

Cooper was smoking his own cigarette, blowing the smoke out of the small window, when he called Adam.

"Ehy, Adam." He made a gesture, meaning for Adam to join him at the window. "Isn't that the Dunne girl you like?"

Adam, a screwdriver in his hand and a dismembered keyboard in front of him on his desk, looked up.

"What are you talking about?" he asked Cooper skeptically. "McKenna? In the back yard?"

"I'm pretty sure it's her. Come and see yourself," Cooper insisted.

Adam stood up, approached the windows and peered outside.

Oh, crap.

Perfect, straight copper bob and fringe, huge green eyes, pale skin highlighted by the whiteness of her elegant suit.

"She is McKenna," Adam admitted dazedly.

"See? I told you." Cooper immediately lost interest and returned to his desk.

Adam, instead, lingered there, staring at McKenna.

What the hell is she doing in the backyard? I've never seen her here in two years.

A phone started ringing in the office.

"It's yours," said Cooper.

Adam ignored both him and the phone. McKenna was sitting on the bench. The blonde friend she was with was standing next to her, and now they were both chuckling.

"You know what?" Cooper raised his voice just a bit to overcome the ring of the phone. "You're so pathetic."

EDGAR
03:36 PM

Edgar deeply disliked having his office thrown in such disorder. Those scattered boxes gave him a sense of deep precariousness, as if he was about to leave tomorrow. It was just the first day in that new office instead, and all those boxes were meant to be unpacked. He had asked how long the renovation works would last, but he had received only evasive estimates. Even sniffing cocaine in that mess was not that great, he thought as he formed a strip in the centre of his wooden desk. He used to enjoy the view of the city from his office before this temporary moving - the whole shining city displayed before him, with its skyscrapers reflecting the setting sun. Now, his office overlooked a filthy backyard. The view was so distasteful that he preferred looking at his locked office door.

His window was opened, and when he heard voices coming from the backyard, he looked down. There were two girls - one with copper hair dressed in white, one with blond hair dressed in black. They seemed well-dressed and professional - he wouldn't have excepted more than a cleaning man actually frequenting a place like that.

Maybe it's just a coincidence.

He returned to his desk; the cocaine was waiting