Chapter 5 - The Monday After
The California sun was shining brightly as I walked into the Nova Tech headquarters.
It was my first official day as Lead Architect.
The glass building overlooked the beautiful San Francisco bay.
I carried my iced coffee and my leather briefcase with a sense of pure peace.
My phone had been blowing up for forty-eight hours straight.
I had seventy-two missed calls.
I had over a hundred text messages from my mother, my father, and Olivia.
Their messages had aggressively shifted from furious anger to desperate pleading.
Olivia’s last text read: "Dad says you won't help with the wedding debt. You are ruining my honeymoon."
I hadn't replied to a single one.
I simply put my phone on 'Do Not Disturb'.
I walked into my massive, glass-walled office.
My name was already etched onto the frosted door.
Mr. Sterling walked in a few minutes later.
"Welcome to the team, Maya," he smiled.
"Thank you, sir," I replied.
"Are you settled in after the weekend?" he asked.
"Perfectly settled," I answered honestly.
Around noon, my desk phone rang.
It was the front desk security guard.
"Ms. Brooks?" the guard asked.
"Yes?"
"There is a man down here claiming to be your father."
I froze for a split second.
My father had actually flown across the country to track me down.
He was that desperate for my money.
"He says it's a family emergency and he needs to see you immediately," the guard continued.
I looked out at the gorgeous view of the bay.
I thought about all the nights I stayed up coding until my fingers bled.
I thought about all the holidays I was treated like an unwanted guest.
I thought about the freedom I had finally earned.
"I don't have a father," I told the security guard clearly.
"Please escort that man off the premises."
"Understood, ma'am," the guard replied, hanging up.
I placed the phone back on the receiver.
I opened my laptop and typed in my password.
A fresh string of code appeared on my screen.
For the first time in my entire life, nobody was holding me back.
May you like
My past was officially deleted.
And my future was waiting to be written.
