Chapter 1

• “Tamara needs to see you.”
• Alice, Tamara’s secretary says quietly as she stands by my desk.
• I look up to see her brows pulled together and a pained look filling her sweet face. Tamara was the head of accounting in the large business firm I work at. I sit up straight to see her glaring at me through the large glass wall that encases her office. Her dark ebony hair frames her perfectly painted face with beautiful waves that look effortless. I swallow the lump in my throat and stand up, straightening my skirt and blouse as I make my way to her office. I can feel everyone’s eyes watching me as I walk by them, they are all eager to see the Tamara bitch show, and I just so happened to be her favourite contestant.
• “Ayla, take a seat.” Her voice always sounds so condescending, and the way she says my name, it is always filled with disgust, as if my name is a sour taste on her tongue.
• I hear the door close behind me as I take a seat on the chair placed in front of her desk, I glance over my shoulder and see Alice talking to Steve who gives me a clenched half smile before turning back to Alice. Tamara walks past me, her long legs look sculpted in the black heels she wears and I feel myself shrinking in on myself, I always feel so self-conscious when I am near Tamara, she radiates power and confidence, and I feel so feeble in comparison when I’m near her. She opens a filing cabinet behind me and begins to flip through the folders inside. I hear the drawer sliding shut and Tamara making her way past me once again. She drops the file onto her desk and sits down. I glance down at the file and see my name written on the small tab at the top and begin to run through what I could have possibly done to get called into her office and made to feel like a naughty school kid visiting the head mistress’s office.
• “I am afraid I have some bad news.”
• I could feel my heart thrumming against my chest. My stomach felt heavy as a tight knot began to knit together inside of me. I knew something bad was going to happen the moment Alice told me Tamara needed to see me, she never needed me and the sinister smile that was plastered across her face as she sat opposite me, staring deeply into my soul sent shivers down my spine, she looked like the wolf about to blow down my straw house, her usually dead looking eyes gleamed with delight, and her cheeks seemed flushed with pleasure. She was enjoying every second of this moment and my discomfort seemed to bring her joy.
• “Ayla, I’m sorry we are going to have to let you go.”
• I can see the sly smirk that flickers across her full taupe-coloured lips. It was only for a moment, but it was there and it felt like a slap across my face. All day I could sense something was up, Tamara had been glaring at me more than usual today. I always tended to avoid her, she made it blatantly obvious she didn’t like me, and she was never afraid to hide the fact. I didn’t know why Tamara disliked me, I was nothing but nice to her, and now she was taking pleasure in dragging out firing me.
• “Why?” I ask.
• My voice is quiet and I see Tamara lean forward to hear me better. She brushes her ebony locks behind her ear, but that wicked smile grows wider.
• “Excuse me?” She asks, her voice dripping with ridicule.
• “Why?” I ask again, this time louder so I don’t have to feel humiliated by repeating myself once again.
• I started here three years ago as an intern straight out of university. I had just got my CIMA in business accounting, and the kind man that Tamara replaced just a few months after I had started, decided to take a chance on me. After 6 months of just being an intern, the partners of the company gave me a permanent job, which Tamara despised, but I worked hard and made sure I gave everything I did my all. I loved it here, everyone I worked with excluding Tamara was like a second family to me, and it was because of this job that I met Marcus, my boyfriend who I have just recently moved in with. This job was the first real thing I accomplished myself after leaving home, and now it was all been snatched away from me.
• “Because we are having to cut back and there is just not enough money in the budget to keep you. You were the last one in so you're the first one out.” She smiles.
• “That’s ridiculous, Tamara! I have been here longer than you and Derek.”
• I slam my hand down on the desk and stand up furious. I can feel the heat of my anger climbing up my body, consuming me. Tamara raises her brow at me and smiles that wicked smile once again, the smile that says she is happy to be firing me and glad to see the back of me.
• “Goodbye Ayla.”
• She nods her head indicating to someone behind me. I turn and see the security guard who’s been called to escort me out of the building. I turn back around to look at the woman who loves to make my life hell, there is a pounding in my ears and I can feel the adrenaline pumping through my body, I open my mouth to say something, anything, just to make me feel better, but I can see the sly half smile that says bring it gracing Tamara’s beautiful face, and her eyes have a fire flickering in them, daring me to fight back, but I refuse to let her get the best of me one last time. I still have my dignity. I snap my mouth closed and turn on my heel, storming past the security guard, and quickly grabbing my bag from my desk. As I pull my coat off the back of my chair, I yank too hard making the chair tumble back and I internally curse my clumsiness, so much for making a quiet exit. I reach out to catch the chair to stop it from making a racket but screw them, I didn’t see one of them stand up to see if I was ok, and not one of them looks at me with solidarity, only pity. I let the chair crash to the floor and quickly walk down the aisles of the desk, holding my head high, the guard firmly on my tail making sure I leave the building quietly. I push the doors open and swiftly walk across the road to the car park. I route through my bag, quickly find my keys and climb into my car. As I look up at the building I see Tamara looking down at me so I start the car up and drive to the next car park, parking up, so I can allow the tears I was holding in to run freely. All different scenarios begin to play in my head, making my tears fall harder. Thankfully I have some money saved so I don’t have to worry about my half of the rent or bills for the next couple of months whilst I find a new job.