Chapter 4: Inception

Dreams feel real while we are in them. It is only when we wake up that we realize something was actually strange. - Inception.

Sapphire's POV

I groan loudly as I sit up on my bed, rolling my head along my shoulders to loosen the knots that had formed in my neck.

I didn’t get much sleep last night or the night before. The same dream kept replaying constantly in my head. It had me waking up at two in the morning abruptly covered in beads of sweat and heavily disoriented as I struggled to get my bearings right.

To make matters worse, I still hadn't found my necklace. I had worn it for as long as I could remember, and it gave me comfort when I felt down. I knew there was certainly a logical reason as to why it was missing, but I couldn’t help but wonder if the dream that I had had anything to do with it.

I made a mental note to go to the pharmacy after work to get some sleeping pills to help me sleep better.

Slowly I sat up from my bed and swung my legs over the side. I was never a morning person, and I am a firm believer that making people wake up by seven am to go to work is a punishment.

I head towards my bathroom and decide to start properly, getting ready for the day. I did my usual business, not bothering to look in the mirror, knowing there wasn’t much to see before I made my way back into my room.

I ran towards my closet and rummaged through it, looking for something decent to wear. For some reason, I felt the need to dress up a little bit today.

I picked out a knee-length black pencil skirt and a white button-down shirt. I was never a fan of make-up and never bothered much about my physical appearance, so I only wore eyeliner.

I heard the loud clanking of pots downstairs and groaned loudly, knowing who it was. I had to be very quiet if I wanted it to go as planned.

I moved stealthily down the stairs and into the kitchen before creeping up to him and shouting, "boo!"

"Oh, Moon Goddess." He screamed, and we both watched as the pans and pots fell to the ground instantly with a loud bang and rattle.

I couldn't help but burst out laughing at the sight in front of me.

But I stopped and composed myself when I noticed the hardened expression on Michael’s face as he said, "That wasn’t funny."

I grinned as I shrugged my shoulders before saying, "I think it kind of was."

Michael rolled his eyes at me as he once again picked the pan from the floor. "Breakfast in bed for mum again?" I asked him, and he nodded his head. I hummed at him in response.

"Well, what a lucky man you are," I said as I came to pat him on the shoulder.

I rounded the island and took a seat on one of the high stools. "Anyway. I would like my omelet with cheese and mushrooms."

"Aren’t you a little old to be having me make you breakfast?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, aren’t you a little old to be making babies?" I fired back at him.

He opened his mouth to speak, but the words were stuck in his mouth. "Touché." He said with a tight smile.

I watched as he handed me over a plate of my cheesy egg delight. I inhaled its sweet smell and moaned loudly. I was able to gobble it down in a matter of seconds. "You know, you are like an animal." He muttered.

"Well.... then we both are because you are a chicken," I said to him flatly.

He furrowed his eyebrows at my words, asking, "What are you talking about?"

I stared at him pointedly before saying, "I saw the engagement ring." I watched his face turn as pale as paper as he began fanning himself.

"Don’t worry, I haven’t told her, but I don’t know why you haven’t just asked her. She loves you, and for some magical reason, the two of you are having a baby." I said bitterly.

It wasn’t that I hated the idea of having a sibling. It is just that... I was already twenty-four, and I would hate to have to explain to people how that dynamic worked. But genuinely, I was truly happy for them.

"Aren’t you going to be late for work?" He asked as he stared at me observantly.

I stilled my movements and glanced down at my watch. "I need to go," I said loudly as I rushed to grab my handbag.

He noticed my frantic movements before asking, "Do you want me to drop you off?"

I shook my head. "No, thank you, ‘dad,’" I said with an eye roll before rushing to the door.

As I walked outside, the last thing I heard was him shouting, "I am not your dad yet. But I might be soon."

I couldn’t help but smile at his words. He was the thing that our family needed. I heard a loud crack of thunder above me and flinched away. I watched with dread-filled eyes as thick clouds began to gather.

I quickly made it to the bus stop and sat down, cursing myself for not bringing an umbrella and also for not letting Michael drop me off.

To make matters worse, the bus was late.... again, and by the time I made it to Hargrove Inc., it was pouring outside, and I was soaking wet.

I met Mel at the door, who only snickered at me. "Not a word out of you, Mel," I said to him bitterly. I pulled my suit jacket close to my body and buttoned it up to hide my soaked blouse.

My hair was soaking wet, and there wasn’t much that I could do about that. I felt multiple pairs of eyes trained on me as I walked to the construction department, but I ignored them.

I sat down on my small desk in the corner of the filing room and groaned as I began to go through the piles of paperwork that had been placed conveniently on my desk.

Safe to say, I hated my job. I was the youngest, which meant that the others used me for their bidding. They had me doing coffee runs and also doing jobs for them that they didn’t want to do themselves.

"Greetings, Sarah." I heard a voice call, and I grimaced as I stared at Carlos.

He was one of the worst. He always made an effort to make me feel bad and my day more annoying. He had made it his mission to make my life miserable. I was almost certain half of the paperwork was his that he didn't want to do.

"It's Sapphire," I said to him.

"Whatever. Well, I am going to ignore the fact that you look like a wet dog and let you know that Mr. Hargrove wants everyone in the meeting room." He said, and like the anxious girl I was, a million scenarios ran through my head.

Mr. Hargrove was only the owner by name, the company was run by the department heads. If he was here, it meant something bad had really happened.

"Why is he calling a meeting?" I asked shakily.

Carlos rolled his eyes at me before saying, "How am I supposed to know? Probably wants to fire someone."

I gulped as I felt anxiety wash over me. He couldn’t possibly be firing me. I hadn’t even worked here that long. I sighed as I stood up from my chair and realized that I would just have to find out what it was.

I made it to the meeting room, where loud chatter filled the room. All the seats at the grand table were occupied, and so I made myself comfortable in one of the stools in the corner.

Suddenly the door at the back opened, and everyone stilled as Mr. Hargrove walked in. He had a solemn look on his wrinkled skin as he paced the floor.

"I am sure you must all be wondering why I brought you here." Mr. Hargrove said, and there were a few murmurs in the crowd. There was a grim expression on his face as he took in the worried expressions on everyone’s faces.

“I have had a wonderful time working with you all.” He started as his words faltered slightly. “What is going on, Sir? Are you firing us?” Suzzy, who worked at the reception desk, asked nervously.

Mr. Hargrove shook his head frantically as his eyes widened before he said reassuringly, "I assure you no one is getting fired." I realized his words before glaring at Carlos, who only smirked at me in response.

“Then what is it?” Suzy asked nervously.

Mr. Hargrove gulped as he said, “The company isn’t doing as well as it used to, and for that reason, I can no longer be your boss.” He looked pained as if it physically hurt for him to say the following words.

"The truth is the company is going bankrupt, and we are drowning in debt. For that reason, I have made the decision to sell my shares in the company. Starting Monday, this company will no longer be called Hargrove but Sterling. Working with you has been an honor, and I wish you all well."

And then the pin dropped as an uproar filled the room.

But I remained frozen in my spot as only one question rang through my mind, and that was... Who was this, Mr. Sterling?