Chapter 1- Amelia

2355 Words
“I’m done! I can’t do this anymore!” I whined throughout my office. It was louder than I intended it to be. Alexandria came barging through the office door, looking at me like I had lost my mind. “Ms. Amelia, are you all right?” Alexandria asked as she stared at me with one eyebrow raised, trying to read my expression. There are days, like today, when giving up was all I thought about doing. “Yeah, I am exhausted. I was up all night looking over some files that needed my attention.” I rubbed my temples. I didn’t want her to know that I had been up all night looking into my dad’s murder. I could feel the onset of a headache forming. “My brain is hurting me.” I thought to myself. “You’ve been working very hard, way harder than before they took your father away. Alexandria acknowledged my complaint. I didn’t realize I had said it out loud. About a year ago, as of tomorrow, we buried my father. I am his only living heir. I was so thankful that my father watched me receive my diploma as I graduated from college. I graduated at the top of my class in fashion design and business. My father was exceptionally proud of me when I followed in his footsteps. Robert Sterling owned one of the most famous fashion companies in the world. He had hundreds of clients, from famous people to international clients. Requests for custom-made articles of clothing poured in all the time when my father was running the company. They continued to do so, even after his passing. At 27 years of age, I became the world’s first female billionaire. It’s a man’s world, and they don’t want me in it. It’s been a struggle to keep the business alive. Everyone wants a piece of my business now that my dad is deceased. They thought because I am a woman, I must be weak. I didn’t have a single clue about what I was doing or what it took to run a successful company. It’s because I happen to be the woman running the most successful business. Those pompous men may be right about me not knowing what to do, but they are completely wrong about me being weak. My dad taught me to be strong and always stand up for what I wanted, and that is what I plan on doing. I planned on showing these fools they couldn’t have what was rightfully mine. I took over Sterling Fashion House after my father died. I wanted to work my way up from the bottom of the company to the top. I would give anything to have my father by my side while I work through this struggle. I wanted my dad to show me around the company, teaching me how he successfully runs his business. I was spoilt my whole life by my father. I was his only child and only living family member. He had no one but me. My mother passed away after giving birth to me. Egotistical pricks that they are. They say he would resent me growing up for taking his wife away from him, but not my father. My dad showed me constant love and support. He would tell me how proud my mother would be of me and how proud he was of me. My dad would tell me stories about my mother and how much we looked alike. He had pictures of her everywhere in the house, so I always knew what she looked like, even if she wasn’t around. My dad would say I was my mother’s twin. He would pick up a picture, showing me how I had her long brown hair, her big brown eyes, and her sun-kissed skin that made everyone jealous. Every time dad talked about mom. The biggest smile would grace his lips as he reminisced back on his life with her. Dad always said mom was the most beautiful woman, inside and out, that he saw her in me. My father was my best friend, picking up the phone and calling dad day or night. He would answer the phone without a second thought. You could hear the happiness in his voice when he picked up every time. “How is my princess doing?” He inquired every time he took my calls. This past year has been rough on me. Since he passed away, I no longer had any family members to turn to for advice. I miss him every day and wish I could pick up the phone and call him one more time. Why would anyone want to harm another person? A man like Robert Sterling who has only ever done honorable things in his life? Robert Sterling was always the biggest supporter of the community. A charity event that he received invitations to attend, he pushed himself to consistently raise more funds to support their cause than anyone else in attendance. He donated enough money, so the charity had sufficient funds to get through until the next gala. Robert Sterling will always be the kindest, most generous person you will ever meet. I hope I can be just as good as him. I need to find out who killed my dad. I’ll have this immense weight lifted off my shoulders from the anger that radiates from the fucker who took the closest person in my life away from me. Someone so f*****g selfish, so entirely selfish, that they took a good-hearted man from this life. The scared bastard that took my dad from me, well, let us say whoever he was will experience pain far more heinous than any man can endure. I will get my revenge, even if it costs me my life. “Ms. Amelia,” Alexandria called my name. I was so deep in thought, with memories of my dad playing in my mind, that I flinched when she gently touched my arm. Alexandria's soft touch brought me out of my reverie. I forgot she was still in the room. I just stared at her with a small smile. “You have a meeting in thirty minutes.” She pauses, looking at the file in her hand. Adding a smile to her face, Alexandria says, "The conference room is ready for your meeting with the Reynolds Real Estate company." “Do I need to show up to this meeting?” I questioned myself. “If you keep postponing the meeting, then you're screwed. You need these men to be scared to mess with you,” my subconscious retorted. My stupid subconscious is right. I need these men to know they can try to run me out of the business world, but I'll come back and take everything they hold dear in life. I will make them fall flat on their faces as they crumble under my feet. “Alexandria, please see to it that you cancel all my meetings for the rest of the week and have them rescheduled for next week. I won’t be able to focus on any meetings right now.” Whoever Reynolds Real Estate is can deal with me canceling the meeting. My mind isn’t in it today, and I definitely can’t handle a bunch of overgrown babies. My patience to sit and listen to anyone cry about stupid s**t is borderline on thin. The anxiety was at an all-time high. While it would be easier for me to crawl into a hole if I didn't talk to anyone, no one would allow me to do so. Alexandria nods her head in agreement. “Do you need anything else, Ms. Amelia?” Alexandria asks as she walks over to my office door. “Coffee, please,” I answered politely. Not even 5 minutes later, she walked back in with a steaming cup of sugary goodness, making my heart cry out for the warmth it needed. I need to head to the gym before my mind explodes with the horrible thoughts swimming through my head at the moment. I want revenge. I want justice for my dad. I’ve been stockpiling a list of people who disliked my father. I know my dad was a very well-loved man. After putting my belongings away, I step out of my office and walk to the elevator. Pressing the down button, I called out to Alexandria, “I’m heading home. I’ll see you tomorrow. I will only be here for half the day. Can you please lock my office before you leave? After you have wrapped up postponing the meetings, head home, will you?” It was more of an appeal because knowing Alexandria as long as I have, she would remain working until late in the evening. Once the elevator doors opened, I was able to step inside. The doors were about to close when I heard Alexandria’s voice call out. “Have a good evening, Ms. Amelia.” Ugh, Alexandria. I hated being called Ms. I prefer being called by my name. “How many times must I tell you to call me Amelia?” She snorted as the doors closed tightly in front of me. I have known Alexandria since I was a little girl. She is like the mom I never got a chance to meet. Alexandria always made sure I had snacks and toys to play with when my father brought me to work with him. This way I wouldn’t become crazy with boredom while he worked. She used to be my father’s assistant before he passed away. I offered to find a replacement assistant so she could retire and spend time with her family. Alexandria has the kindest heart, a beautiful soul. For her being 55 years old, she looks spectacular for her age. She has long black hair that has already started showing more grey hair, bright blue eyes that would make any woman jealous, and a beautiful round face. I know that if Alexandria wasn’t by my side helping me out with the company, I probably would have given up, running far, far away by now. However, she would never let me do that. In the past year, I have tried hundreds of times to offer to pay her and benefits to get her to resign from her job. However, she refused to budge from my offer. I always tell her that she does not have to worry about me. No matter what, she would not give up on me. I was not her child that she needed to take care of, but for whatever reason, she was not willing to leave me alone with someone who didn't know what they were doing. After months of persistence, I finally gave up. Eventually, I grew tired of telling Alexandria to take what I was offering her and be with her sick husband. “Amelia, my husband is very significant to me. I need you to know that you are just as precious to me." That was her motto for me. I know she was tired of hearing me say it, so instead, I would help pay for her husband’s medical bills. She didn't have any kids because her husband’s illness took away too much of their time, so she treats me as her own, as I treat her as a mother figure in my life. The elevator dings, bringing me out of my thoughts. The doors opened wide, allowing me to step past the elevator and over to my car. I keep my car parked in the garage because I don’t trust anyone with my baby. My baby is a matte black Lamborghini Aventador SVJ. My dad bought me this car as a graduation gift from college. I got in the driver's seat, started my car, and drove out of the parking garage onto the main highway towards my apartment building. I drove for about 15 minutes before I pulled into my apartment garage and parked the car. I pushed the elevator button to the penthouse floor when the doors opened. As I stepped out of the elevator, I walked to my penthouse. I unlocked my door and dropped my things on the kitchen counter. I grab a bottle of water out of the fridge. I took a few sips, feeling the coolness slide down my throat. I walked towards my bedroom, setting my water bottle down after stepping into my room. I walked over to my closet to grab my workout gear. I strip off my office attire, letting it pool around my ankles before pulling on a pair of black leggings and a red sports bra. I grab a pair of ankle socks and my red trainers. So I pulled out my phone and dialed my best friend to get her to work out with me at the gym. I have to sweat; she has to sweat too. She asked as she answered the phone on the second ring. “What’s up, Mel?” Ever since we were kids, she had trouble pronouncing Amelia, so she kept calling me Mel for short. “Hey, get your ass dressed! We are hitting the gym today. I’ve got too much buzzing around inside my head, and a great workout will relieve some issues.” I said. "I will be at your place in 10 minutes," I said for good measure as I sat on the edge of my bed, putting on my socks and shoes. Ending the call before Arielle could even reply. She's likely to be mad that I cut off the phone on her, but she’ll get over it. I did it because I could hear her now, complaining about getting sweaty and being gross. I hear the same nonsense every time we go to the gym. With my water bottle in hand, I leave my room and walk to the kitchen. I grabbed my keys and an extra water bottle for Arielle, knowing she'd forgotten hers. The gym has always been a way to relieve the pent-up stress and anxiety I had felt a lot.
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