Her Stolen Memories

5- The Colors of the Sky

"Ms. Reed!" Someone rattled Aana's shoulder hard, almost ripping it off its socket and making her eyes snap open while gasping for air.

What the hell was that?

"I... I am not feeling well." Aana managed to choke out the words before scrambling to gather her wits and running out of the room with hurried steps. Her eyes stared down on the ground as her heart pounded. The voices, the giggle still echoing in her ears. Was she going mad?

Aana ran down the corridor and slammed open the door to the washroom. Rushing fast towards the washbasin, she gripped its edge and heaved heavily. Bile had risen up in her throat, she could not breathe anymore. She clenched her eyes shut, trying to push back the feeling of mortification and panic.

As she threw up in the basin, the reality of what she had just done set in her mind. She had just practically ruined every chance of having any deal with the investors with her own hands.

Tears welled up in Aana's eyes instantly. She was prepared. She had worked so hard! And then, just a few minutes of anxiety had stolen it all from her. And those voices? What was that?

Thinking of that conversation as a random, made up thing of her mind in anxiety, she wiped at the mouth with the back of her hand.

"Ms. Reed?" Michael knocked on the door, "Are you alright?"

Gathering herself, Aana wiped off the tears and her mouth before walking out of the washroom. Just as she opened the door, she found Michael standing there with an extremely concerned look on his face.

"Are you okay?" Michael asked.

"I am alright." Aana murmured, urgently running towards the meeting room as Michael followed her close behind, "Let's finish the meeting."

"Ms. Reed, there is no use now. The meeting-" She heard Michael say as she reached the door of the meeting room and slammed it open in a hurry just as Michael finished saying, "-is already... over."

Her feet came to a halt as she stared at the now empty room. The projector was on. The pie chart that she had prepared to give the investors an idea of how much growth Reed Cementations had gained since starting the company till the time before her accident rotated in the centre.

"They are gone, Ms. Reed." Michael said ever so gently, "We had to call off the meeting since you said you were not feeling well."

Aana slowly turned on her feet, her face red in shame. She had let everyone down, including herself. She could clearly imagine the things that the investors must be discussing right now, the things about her and her useless attitude with no sight of professionalism. Her business was surely about to receive more threats of drowning now.

"Oh, God." Aana rubbed her temple in tension, "Michael, what are we going to do now?"

Aana's iPhone chimed up with a new message. Unlocking it she found a new message from the Bank of America,

$5,687,098 withdrawn from A/c xxx4526 on 30/03/20 at Prada- The Bavern, Seattle. Avl bal. $50,594,450

"The hell?" Aana's eyes widened in shock, "Five Million withdrawal?"

"Is there any issue, Ms. Reed?" Michael sprung in action seeing the expressions on her face.

"Who else has access to my bank account?" Aana asked, worried that someone had hacked her bank account.

"Your personal account is given access to Mr. and Mrs. Reed."

Aana's shoulder slumped in relief but the tension did not leave her eyes. Seeing that Amelia had an obsession with expensive things, the shopping of five million in a day did not come as a shock to Aana. What worried her the most was that she did not think they had enough finance to spend this freely right now.

"Michael, can you bring the financial reports of the past year for my personal and company account, please? Have it placed on my table by morning. I am leaving for now." Without waiting to hear Michael's answer, Aana walked out of the building.

Her bodyguard, Liam, that Amelia had assigned for Twenty Four Seven to be with Aana, followed her instantly while calling the driver to bring the car at the entrance.

*****

*Dream*

"Ms. Aana?" the sweet sound called out to Aana. The voice was kind of shrill, loud, but melodious nonetheless, "Are you ready for the party?"

Aana had lifted her head up from the table, she was staring at someone but the face was a blur. The girl in front of her was wearing a knee-length, light blue, tailored suit. Like the colour of the sky. The girl and she were in Aana's office as Aana could tell from the blurred surroundings.

"You are joining from today?" Aana asked.

"Yes." the girl replied with a tinkle of a smile in her voice, "I hope we get along well."

"You are not here to get along with me." Aana said sternly while gathering her tablet from the table, "You are here to assist me and I want you to focus on that only."

"Y... yes, of course, Ms. Reed." The girl's smile in the girl's tone had faltered.

"Did you prepare the check for the Hope Foundation for the charity event?"

The girl's hand flew up to her mouth as she gasped aloud, "I... Sorry. I went to get the file of..."

"Shut it!" Aana snapped crudely, "Is there any work that you will be able to do without having me remind you?"

Aana strode out of the room, but not before seeing the girl's hands clenching into fists on her sides.

Aana's eyes snapped open. Her eyes clashing with the dark ceiling of the room as she laid on the bed, cold, unable to move.

The dream felt real. Too real. The voice of the girl was the same that she had heard earlier in the meeting room. It took Aana five minutes to differentiate and realize that this was reality, and not a dream. She was awake, in her bed, and thirsty.

She scrambled up and grabbed the bottle of water from the nightstand. Chugging down gulps after gulps of fresh water, her eyes fell shut as she tried to make herself believe that what she had just seen was just a dream.