Chapter One
Sophie
I opened my bedroom door. As i walked through the frame, i hit my toe
"s**t" i exclaimed, that's whats I get for walking bare feet. I got to the kitchen to make myself some tea, some people say they cannot function without coffee in the morning, well, i cant function without tea.
I put the pot on as i wait for it to boil, i had two hours before i get to work. I loved cooking myself breakfast in the morning.
The silence is soothing, I take my tea as I browse through my phone. I read my messages, and found a message from my best friend Gabriella.
Me and Gab met years ago when i went to live with my granny, our friendship wasn't instant, I cant even tell you how we ended up inseparable, but we did. And here we are still each others buds.
We still had that agreement that if we both turned 50 and still single we should move in together. I know, its crazy, but we are crazy, thing is, Gab is in love with her boss who hasn't even realized she exists.
love is cruel sometimes. I look at her as she talks about him sometimes and i cant help but sympathies. Every time we see him on tabloids with a beautiful woman on his arms,Gab gets really hurt and sad.
I wish it was possible to choose the people we love, she would have chosen Aldo. The guy who serves us tea and scones at the downside cafe near our apartments who happens to adore her.
We don't live together, but we are more or less neighbors. I got up and headed to the bathroom to take a shower and dress.
I'm a Realtor and today I have a client who I have to show this beautiful house to. I love my job, but a part of me thinks its because every time I get a new house to show, I dream more about the house I want to own someday.
I should start to save,but I don't have enough money to do so, but It wouldn't hurt to start a savings account. To be putting in just a little amount there, would it?
Anyway. I dress up in a skirt suit, pick up my phone and car keys, opens the door and close its up and leave.
We don't have a parking in the apartment, so I park outside, I don't mind. No one in their right mind would steal my car anyway. It was a small old beetle car that I bought from David, a friend of mine who owns a garage not far away from here. He also gets to check it out for me regularly. The last thing I need is to get into an accident and harm myself and anybody with me or around me, although no one likes riding with me.
Gabs hates my car and rarely rides with me, she prefers her old but still serviceble Chevrolet. Its better than mine. A car is still one of those things I want to buy myself some day, plenty much like the house. Maybe I will buy
myself an Audi, I chuckle to my self, "a girl can dream right?"
I drive to the house. It was located in those beautiful neighborhood that just exudes wealth, maybe my house will be In such a neighborhood, I tell myself.
I almost believe it, but being a girl who came from nothing, and fathered by a man who told her she'll amount to nothing did something to my self esteem, but my granny made up for it. She loves me, she is all I have in this world, which reminds me. I should call her today.
I round my car to the entrance to wait for my client, its almost 9am. I sit up and wait, I'm never late for work I like it that way. I don't want to give my boss any reason to fire me. Although we have never had any disagreement about how I do my job, we have had a few run in.
He came onto me the first month I started working in the company, he is married and has two beautiful girls. Why would he think I wanted to be the other woman? I would rather end up alone than get mixed up with a married man, God knows I would hate myself.
I want a man to call my own, I want a man who can love me insanely, crazily, passionately and irrevocably. I know, I'm unrealistic, I have been told that a thousand times, but still. I dream, I hope and I pray. This will come from God.
I see a land Rover pulling beside me, I guess my client is here.
I get out just as a beautiful stunning blond woman is getting out too. Wow! She must be a model, I thought.
"You must be Sophie" she says, her voice is soft, she extends her hand to me, as we shake hands, I say
"Yes I am,
"My name is Kelly, I'm here to see the house"
"Yes, of course, nice to meet you Kelly, sorry for staring."
"No problem, can we get started, i kind of have a meeting at 10:30
"Sure, come on in" i tell her
We walk towards the house as I open the door she says "its so beautiful from outside" and I nod in agreement as we enter.
The living room is big. I have seen it more times that I can count, but every time I see it again it feels like the first time.
"Its beautiful" I whisper in wonder, she looks at me in and nods vigorously.
" I love it, I guess we have a winner"
"You do? Wouldn't you like to see the rest of it"
"I already love it, but I wouldn't mind seeing the master's bedroom"
"This way" I head to the bedroom, I can hear her heels as she follows me, I open and I let her proceed.
"Wow I love it. I keep saying that, I'm sorry, I don't have another adjective to explain it. I smile at her to show her I understand.
" I guess we'll see you by the end of the week to sign the papers?"
"We?"
"Yes, me and my husband, he is out of the country at the moment, we would have come to see it together, but he will be delighted"
I looked at her deeply sceptical, I lost a bit of my hope, I had been so excited, I had started planning for the commission I would get. But now I didn't know whether her husband will love the house or not, I prayed he would.
"Don't look so forlorn, he is gonna love it. I know my husband, he would love it for the sole reason that I do! So' don't worry about it"
"Okay". That was comforting, I guess.
"We should go so I can make that meeting," she says
"Yes of course"
We walk outside in silence, then she turns around to Shake my hand again.
"Thank you for showing me the house, I think you love it as much as I do if not more"
"Yes I do, its a beautiful house, anybody would."
"I agree with you, I will call you to confirm the day we sign those papers?"
"Okay, see you then."
She gets in her car and wave at me as she drives away.
I made a sale today, I thought, but I will not celebrate until the agreement and the cheque is signed. But nonetheless, that doesn't make me less excited.
I pull out my phone to call Gabriella
"Hi swirie, I think I just made a sale"
"Oh, really? Maybe we should celebrate, she says after a high pitched screech.
"Gab, that's an annoying sound, do you want your boss to come and throw you out?"
"At least he will notice me"
"Oh Gab_
"No, no, no, this is not about me, its about you, and we need to celebrate, wine is on me."
"I don't want to celebrate right now, we can do after the cheque is signed. I don't want to jinx it."
"Since when do you believe in jinxing anything, I thought you're a strong believer of 'what is meant for you will be yours and no one can do anything about it?'
"I still believe in that but I want to wait for this, please"
" Okay, the wine is still on me when that cheque is signed"
"You won't get an argument from me on that. Thanks swirie I have to go to the office now, see you at Aldo,s."
I end the call. We call it at Aldo,s because he is the one who serves us most times, but we both know its because he's in love with Gab. Poor guy. But the fact that he knows Gab doesn't love him back will never deter him. He always welcomes us with a smile, you should see him telling us each time the cook tries a new recipe for pastries.
I drove to the office and parked my car at the end of the drive way,I didn't want to park near the entrance. I knew I won't be staying in the office for long, I just needed to write a report and get out as soon as possible.
"You're late" Mr Hanson says as i enter the office, he shouldn't be here, he has his big office at the corner, but here he is.
"I had an appointment" I tell him, he shouldn't even have to ask me, I have a supervisor who is my immediate boss, whom I report to.
"With whom?" He asks
"A client" I answers vaguely
"Which property were you showing" he continues with the interrogation
" The big house at 7th avenue, I say as I walk through to my desk
Just as he was about to join me, Marissa, my supervisor walks in.
"There is my girl, how did the showing go? She asks me with a smile.
"Good. Great actually, we may have the signing by the end of the week"
"Good girl, done the report yet?"
" Not yet. I was about to I just came in and Mr Hanson here was asking me about it."
"Okay, send it to me when you finish"
" Will do."
I switch on my PC , and as I wait for it to power up, I walk past Mr Hanson to the small office kitchen to get myself a cup of tea.
I get back to my cubicle office and Mr Hanson has already gone back to his office. I write my report and send it to Marissa.
I decide to then check our available properties, I find we have a new house in the market.
"woow" this is a freaking mansion. We have never had such a pricy property before not as long as I have worked here. And this is not such a big real estate company anyway.
The highest property we have had for sale is 5milion dollars, this is a whooping 50mil.Who the hell has this kind of money anyway? Must be a drug dealer, or a billionaire, but wouldn't billionaires like want to build their own houses in their own style?
Anyway, I have got to stop being judgey, just because I can't imagine myself having that much money doesn't mean no one else can.
Its Saturday, which means I'm only working half day today. I check my next appointment and find we already have a client for the new property. A Mr Raphael Boselli, Italian, I guess. But I won't be the one showing it, Abby will, lucky her. If its bought her commission will be out of this world, but I'm not jealous.
Like my granny always says, what's yours is yours, and no one an take it away from you. I think its how God gets to reward and punish or even out the world population. Who I am to question Him why I didn't get it. He chose Abby, and that's okay.
I pick up my purse to go home, but I decide to walk by Marissa before I do.
"Got my report. Right?" I ask
"Sure. Have you seen the new property on our portfolio,Cool right?" She is smiling like a Cheshire cat "
Yes I did. Impressive 50mil, I can't believe it."
"Believe it garlie, we hope this Italian guy buys it. That will bring a lot for us."
I can't argue with that, I for one will want to see someone who can sign a cheque to buy a house worth that much.
"I guess I will see you on Monday?"
She nods at me as I leave "and don't be late, we are having a meeting at 8am" she shouts.
"Okay" I shout back. Most Monday meetings agenda is usually about whether the company has made a sale in a month, or whether it had the potential to do so, and which team hasn't been able to meet its target.
They are scarcely, especially if your team is dragging behind. Mr Hanson loves nothing more than shaming and embarrassing any person he feels is not pulling the effort to make the company money.
He once humiliated me by telling me I was a joy rider and I put no effort whatsoever to make sales.
He said real estate is not a business run by looks, if I wanted to live off my looks I should have gotten a more appropriate profession. I remember I ran to the bathroom and cried until I felt a headache. I hated him then, still hates him now ,and that coming from me is a big deal. He is prick.
I was not a fun of Mondays, I have no idea why, but its always so hard for me to wake up. But a girl got to earn a living. I dragged myself out of bed, rushed to the bathroom and within a few minutes I was out of the door.
Another thing I hated about Mondays, I never get to make breakfast. I don't get that quiet time I like in the morning, but tomorrow is still a day.
I drove to work. I didn't want to be late for the meeting, I parked my car in the usual place, and walked to the office. Just in time, I thought. And surprisingly, the meeting wasn't so bad, no one was humiliated, and it felt good.
By the end of the meeting, everybody was really in a good mood, this is going to be a wonderful week, I could feel it.
Everyone was talking at the same time, shouting and laughing, then all over sudden, nothing, there was a complete silence.
Then I looked around to see the reason for it, and I was met with the darkest eyes I have ever seen, they were beautiful, and he was...I don't know what word I could use to describe him, he seems so manly and masculine to be called beautiful.
He stared at me and I stared back, I didn't feel like I had it in me to avert my eyes, but I finally did.
I was embarrassed for staring, I looked away and sat at my desk.
I saw Marissa from the corner of my eyes walking towards the stranger. "You must be Mr Boselli, welcome to our office" she said as she extended her hand to the stranger who was sandwiched between two very serious looking men.