Lost and Found (A Novel) (4 page)

Curling up on her bed, Caelie thought about the conversations she had with Annetta. Annetta had always asked her to bring friends over to meet her but there was just no one. She had many acquaintances, yes, but that was all they were. None of them were close enough to even be considered a friend. She was used to being alone all her life and did not see the need to have any friends. There was nothing a friend could ever do for her. The one friend she had thought she had when she was younger had left her in the lurch when she needed him most. Nothing could describe the hurt and betrayal she had felt at that time. Since then, she knew that she could only rely on herself. There were no such things as true friends whom you could count on in times of need. This belief was so deeply rooted in her heart that she knew nothing could ever change the way she felt. Not now, not ever. Or so she thought.

“You’ve been here for a month now.” Elise started as she leaned back on her chair across the table from Caelie. “I’ve heard good feedbacks from Alex and the people whose projects you were involved in only had praises for you.”

Caelie smiled politely at the compliment. She was trying to keep herself composed, clenching her fingers tightly on her lap to stop them from shaking. Even after a month, Elise’s intimidating force could not stop her from being nervous around her. Especially now during the one month review of her internship progress. Elise’s opinions meant the world to her. Caelie waited eagerly for Elise’s next words.

“From the works I’ve seen, I would say that you are a fast independent learner, dependable and highly efficient. Those are exactly the qualities that we need here. But it’s only been a month. You have a lot more to learn and I dare say you have the potential to go far in this industry.” Elise’s lips turned up into a big smile, one which was rarely seen by her staff. You would have to earn it to get one from her. In that instance, Caelie’s heart swelled with pride for her achievement. The moment was broken when the door flew open and a grumpy Wynne stormed in.

“Chanell said you wanted to see me. What is it Elise?” Wynne’s words were dripping with annoyance. Caelie’s jaw dropped as she watched Wynne with disbelief at his rudeness. What shocked her even more was that Elise did not seem rattled by Wynne’s delinquent-like behavior. In fact, she just sat staring at Wynne with a bored expression as if this happened all the time and was to be expected.

“Had a bad night Wynne? Or did you get up from the wrong side of bed this morning?” Elise replied back calmly. Wynne grunted something inaudible and leaned against the window impatiently. That seemed to be his favorite place, Caelie thought. He seemed oblivious to her though. Either he really did not notice her sitting directly in front of him or he could not be bothered to acknowledge her presence. It was more likely the latter but Caelie could not care less. She wanted as little interaction as possible with the jerk.

Elise turned back to Caelie with an unreadable expression and resumed her speech, ignoring Wynne. “As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, you still have a long way to go Caelie. I know your passion is in creative writing and producing great articles but I can see that you have a greater talent than that. It would be a waste if you just let it reside dormant inside you. I believe in stretching the capabilities of my staff and helping them develop their hidden talent. Tell me Caelie, what do you think makes a successful magazine company?”

Before Caelie could even formulate her answer, Wynne was doubling up with laughter. Caelie turned to him with an annoyed look.

“Oh please Elise. You asked me here just to listen to your conversation on developing her? What is so special about her? For all you know she doesn’t have any talent at all. I don’t need to listen to her crappy answers. Just call me when you are done.” Wynne made to move out of the room.

“Stay put. This concerns you too.”

“But-” Elise glared at Wynne to say that she meant business. Wynne threw his hands up exasperatedly as he returned to his position by the window. The room was silent now as they waited for Caelie’s answer. If words could kill one’s spirit, Wynne’s just did. Way to put someone down jerk, Caelie thought ruefully.

“The focus of the stories and what you are bringing to the readers?” Caelie asked meekly. She could not believe that Wynne could rob her of her confidence with just a few hurting words.

“Well, that’s true to a certain extent. Great stories would pull people to buy them but that alone would not be enough to generate the necessary income to sustain a company. Don’t forget that it is still a profit-making company and the goal is to boost sales. How else can you ensure that you have a steady stream of income for every issue?” Elise nodded at Caelie as if giving her an encouragement.

“Through advertisements and promotions. Basically marketing campaigns.” Caelie knew exactly where Elise was headed and her confidence returned.

“Excellent.” Elise seemed to be beaming with pride. “That’s where Wynne comes in. He leads a team of people who generate this source of income for us. Your smart brain could provide new refreshing ideas for the team. So for your next project, I want you to be attached to Wynne’s team.”

“WHAT?” Wynne shouted in disbelief at the same time Caelie’s jaw dropped. Again. Just when she thought things were going her way, it took a turn for the worse, and nothing could be worse than working with him.

“No, no, no. I’m not going to babysit some intern Elise. I told you that before. She’s a journalism student not marketing. Just let her stick with doing what she knows.”

“It’s non-negotiable Wynne.”

“I bet she doesn’t even want to do it Elise. She’s not obliged to do projects that were outside the scope of her degree program. You can’t force her. Hah.” Wynne crossed his arm smugly.

Elise raised an eyebrow questioningly at Caelie. Caelie knew Elise wanted to hear her answer but she was unable to form any words. Caelie sneaked a glance at Wynne who was glaring at her warningly. His grey eyes were imploring her to decline. Caelie herself would rather not work with Wynne. She knew he was going to make her experience working with him a living hell. On the other hand, as she faced Elise’s expectant look, her heart was telling her that this woman thought highly of her and it was only right that she lived up to her expectation.

As if sensing her internal battle, Elise spoke up before Caelie could make up her mind. “How about if you give it a try and see how it goes? We will look at your progress during the next review. If it is really not your cup of tea then we can reassign your project. What do you think?”

Elise had already made a concession, there was no way Caelie could reject the offer. “Okay, I’ll give it a shot Ms. Kerbs.” Behind her, Caelie could hear Wynne exhaled sharply. What had she just gotten herself into?

“Fine, whatever.” Wynne stormed out of the room without so much as a glance at Caelie. He was mad, of that Caelie was sure.

“I’m glad to hear that Caelie. That’s all for this session. You can go now.” Caelie nodded politely and stood up. Just before she stepped out the door, Elise called out to her.

“Don’t disappoint me Caelie. I have high hopes for you.”

“I won’t, Ms. Kerbs. That’s a promise.” Caelie gulped as she walked back to her workstation. It was going to be a tough fight. She did not know if she could keep that promise.

“So, how did the review go?” Alex jumped on Caelie as soon as Caelie reached her cubicle. Caelie sighed and sat down wearily. Pulling up her own chair, Alex turned Caelie so that she would be facing her.

“Hey, what’s wrong? It could not have gone that bad. You’ve been doing good. Great even.”

“The review went fine. It’s just this new project that I’m assigned to.”

“Which is?”

“Ms. Kerbs attached me to Wynne.” Caelie whined, dropping her head above her arms on the table. A low chuckle came from Alex. Caelie looked up, frowning at Alex. She could not believed that her mentor could be laughing at her predicament.

“Is that what’s bothering you? Chill girl, it’s just Wynne. He may be grumpy but otherwise he’s harmless.” Alex flicked off her purplish hair casually over her shoulders and leaned back on her chair, amusement twinkling in her eyes.

“Harmless? To you maybe but he’s going to slaughter me. That man hates me from the moment we met. I’m totally screwed.” Caelie moaned which caused Alex to laugh harder, much to her annoyance.

“Don’t worry, if he tries anything funny, just let me know. I’ve got your back okay. Besides I’m still your mentor, even if you are attached to him. Hmm, come to think of it. Ms. Kerbs has never assigned any interns to Wynne before.” Alex tapped her fingers on her temple as if in deep thought. “Aha! You must be really special Caelie. She must see the potential in you. Good for you. You’ve gone into her good books.” Alex seemed satisfied with the conclusion that she had pieced together. Caelie wasn’t appeased though. It just meant that Wynne must have seen her even more as an annoyance. He did say that he had told Elise before that he did not want any interns attached to him. A sigh escaped from her mouth again.

For a few moments, Caelie remain seated, silently watching Alex swiveling around in her chair playing with her long purple locks. She envied the carefree nature of Alex. She was always so happy. Caelie liked being around Alex, rubbing off the positive vibes that emanated from her. Not that Caelie was full of pessimism but she needed that extra bit of push to keep her from faltering. Something moved from the corner of her eye and Caelie looked up just in time to see Wynne sauntering over to her cubicle. He eyed Alex like a vulture eyeing its prey. Alex stopped swiveling and stared back coolly at Wynne, wagging her eyebrows as if egging him on. Caelie watched them in turn with interest.

“Well, well, well. As usual, Alex is having her playtime. Was it fun turning in circles?” Wynne smirked with sarcasm.

“Sure old man. Gosh, you need to try it sometime. It will loosen the tense muscles in your body caused by years of grumpiness.” Alex smiled sweetly at him.

“Shut up. I’m not here to talk to you anyway.” Alex chuckled in victory as Wynne turned his attention to Caelie, who was staring at them wide-eyed.

“As much as I don’t like it, I’m stuck with you. So get moving. Were you waiting for a red carpet invitation from me? Unbelievable! This is the only time I’m calling for you. Next time, be smart enough to come over yourself. My work goes on regardless of your presence. I’m not going to babysit you like Alex.” Wynne hissed, throwing a sharp look at Alex as he walked off, leaving Caelie with her mouth gaping.

“You better go then Caelie. He doesn’t like to be kept waiting.” Alex made to move back to her own cubicle.

“Oh gosh Alex, I’m so dead.”

“Don’t worry, just handle him like I do. Don’t let his words get to you. He hated it when people fight him back so just tell him straight to his face to shove it.”

Caelie left the comfort of her cubicle and Alex with a heavy heart, dragging her feet towards Wynne’s office. It was easy for Alex to stand up to Wynne but not her. She was only an intern and it would not look good on her report if she talked back to Wynne. On the other hand, she did not know how much more of the verbal torture she could endure from him.

CHAPTER 4: PRESENT YEAR

Wynne paced up and down the length of his huge bedroom. He was restless. The room was dark other than the early morning rays of light that streamed through the curtains. He had very little sleep and this would make him grumpier than usual.

He was angry with Elise for throwing the girl at him and even madder that the girl had accepted the suggestion. Ever since the incident during his teens, he had kept a cold distant from girls. Especially those younger than him. Sure, he had a fling or two with mature women but that were all they were. A fling to past his time.

However, his restlessness was not just because she was a girl. Usually he wouldn’t have any qualms about treating a girl the way he had been treating Caelie but there was something tugging at his heart. The guilt that had haunted him for years seemed to be burning up. As if by being mean to Caelie, the guilt was eating more into him.

Wynne dropped on his bed, his body almost hidden in the waves of the plush mattress. He was very tired and wished he could lie in. It was after all a Saturday. But no, he had to get ready and head to his office soon. He only had himself to blame though. In his vengeance to make Caelie miserable and regret accepting the offer, it did not occur to him that he would have to suffer as well.

His mind wandered to the previous evening when he told Caelie that she was required at the office on Saturday. Caelie had looked torn, as if she had a more important thing to do. She had tried to explain but him being Wynne, he had snapped at her and refused to listen. He would say that thus far, Caelie had kept a strong front, refusing to crumble even when thrown a torrent of harsh words. However, at that point, he thought she had looked close to crying. Whatever plan she had must have been very important to her. He had almost changed his mind and let her have the day off. Almost. But his egotistical nature refused to let him back down. It would only show weakness. Besides, he had promised himself that until he could atone for his past mistake, he would not allow himself to be emotionally attached to a girl again. Not even as a friend. And that would be a very long time, perhaps even forever.