AMBY
Amby's eyes snapped open as a loud knock shattered the silence. She groggily got out of bed, still disoriented from a late night of painting. Another knock, louder this time, prompted her to quickly throw on a robe.
"Amby, I know you're in there! Open the door!" a voice called out.
Amby's heart sank as she recognized Mr. Williams' voice. She knew she was in trouble.
As she opened the door, Mr. Williams handed her a letter. "You've got a quit notice, Amby. You're three months behind on rent."
Amby's face burned with shame and guilt as she pleaded with Mr. Williams to give her more time.
"You have come up with many reasons, but I also need money for my bills. You have to leave today."
"What? Today?" Amby exclaimed. Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets at his words.
"I am so sorry, sir. I will definitely clear all backlogs this month-end when I get my pay. Please bear with me. It is because of the student loan I am paying."
"I know," Mr. Williams interrupted. "I will give you the rest of the month to pay the backlog and for the new month. If not, the law will take over."
The rest of the month? That was just two weeks away, Amby thought.
As Mr. Williams left, Amby returned to her room, checked the wall clock, and yelped. She was running late for work!
Amby rushed to her 9-to-5 job, still reeling from the quit notice. As she sat at her cubicle, her friend Lucy warned her about their supervisor Ethan's bad mood.
"Watch out for Ethan today," Lucy whispered. "He's on the warpath."
Amby nodded, focusing on her design work. She scrolled through her screen, hunting for inspiration for her pending tasks. She would have gone ahead with her personal style, but Ethan, their supervisor, was so dictatorial, always wanting jobs done in his exact design, which were so boring.
"I also heard rumors of possible layoffs," Lucy whispered. "Be nice to Ethan."
As Ethan sauntered into the office, Amby focused on the logo she was designing for a client. She had only drawn a circle and the acronym of the client's business name when patterns began to appear within the circle in blue. She knew they were only visible to her because of her special brain, and she tried to ignore them. But they were so beautiful and precise to the vision of the client's company that she could not ignore them.
Amby began to replicate the patterns in the logo and was so immersed in it that she did not notice when Ethan got behind her.
"What rubbish is this?" Ethan yelled. "Is this according to the format I gave you?"
Amby kept quiet, remembering Lucy's warning.
"It is a logo." she attempted with a smile.
"Is this some kind of fantasy world you are creating?" Ethan sneered. "Because, newsflash, Amby, this is not a game. This is a design firm, and we don't pay you to indulge in flights of fancy."
Amby felt a surge of defensiveness, but she tried to keep her cool.
"Ethan, I am just exploring some new design concepts," she said. "I think I might be onto something here."
Ethan's expression turned red with rage. "You think you are onto something? Do you think you are some kind of genius?" he sneered.
"Listen, Amby, you are not even in my league. You are fresh from school. I have been doing this for years, and I know what sells. This, this nonsense you are creating is never going to fly."
He glared at Amby, his eyes gleaming with malice, as she shivered within. "You know, Amby, I have been watching you. I have seen the way you work, the way you think. And let me tell you, it is not at all impressive. You are a one-trick pony, and that trick is getting old fast."
"That is not fair, Ethan," Amby managed to reply, trying to keep her voice steady. "I am just trying to do my job to the best of my ability. I am using my creativity,"
Ethan cut her off, his voice dripping with disdain. "Is this your creativity? These meaningless patterns? What happened to standard, Amby?" He swiped his hand across his head and continued. "You know what? Here is the deal. You can either start producing work that is worthy of my attention, or you can start looking for a new job."
Amby's heart sank as Ethan's words hung in the air.
"The management has asked for a list of redundant staff, and I am compiling it. If you choose the latter, don't expect me to give you a glowing recommendation. In fact, I will make sure you never get hired again. Rubbish!" Ethan concluded, slamming the adjoining door as he stormed into his office.
Amby looked over at Lucy, who sat across from her, and Lucy mouthed "calm down," placing her hand on her chest and swiping it down. Amby nodded, wiping away a wayward tear from her eye.
She took a deep breath and considered her options. What should she do with the logo? She decided to save the one she had just finished and design another one according to standard, giving the client a choice.
Amby opened her fridge on arrival at home and was met with emptiness, as usual. She wondered when she would pay off her student loan and have a normal life. Her room was a large one, and she used a corner for her painting. That was the only place she felt free to indulge in her creativity and bring her magic to life.
Amby sighed as she looked at her pieces. She did not have the boldness to put them up for sale. People like Ethan, her critical supervisor, seemed to be everywhere, and she feared her pieces might not sell.
"Amby! Are you in?" That was Lucy, her friend, calling out from the other side of the door.
Amby opened the door and helped Lucy with the paper bag she was holding. "Wow," Amby sniffed. "Something smells yummy."
"Yeah, I stopped at our favorite place and got burgers and juice," Lucy replied.
"That is why I love you, Lucy. A girl after my heart," Amby hummed as she began to unload the goodies.
Lucy joked, "After your heart or stomach?" as they both dug into the burgers amidst laughter.
As they ate, Lucy noticed Amby's recent paintings and walked over to the corner. "You truly are gifted, Amby. These are nice pieces,” she paused, deep in thought, then said, “as if they are from another era."
Amby muttered, "Ethan does not think so."
Lucy replied, "Ignore Ethan. He's so mono-directional."
Lucy's eyes sparkled with an idea. "How about you post them on Facebook for sale? I know an Arts Ethanet group you can join and post in."
Amby hesitated, "I am not sure about that."
Lucy encouraged her, "Come on, you have to try first."
Lucy took Amby's phone and took pictures of the art pieces. She added Amby to the group and posted the paintings.
"Done. I put your phone number for buyers to contact you. You can add the price later."
Amby thanked Lucy, hoping that the pieces would sell so she could pay her overdue rent.
Just then, Lucy's phone beeped, and she picked it up. "It is a notification from Facebook. I follow Breaking News," she explained while Amby busily munched on her burger.
Lucy exclaimed, "Wow! This is huge: Billionaire Gabe Blackwood donates a well-equipped hospital to Middletown Children's Hospital for cancer patients!” She exclaimed.
She drew closer to her friend. “See the value of the building and equipment, Amby."
Amby counted the zeros after the digit and stopped at eight, her mind reeling at the vast sum. But something caught her attention as she looked at the photo of the billionaire.
"Who is this man, Lucy?" Amby asked her friend.
Lucy replied, "Gabe Blackwood? He is the most eligible bachelor in New Haven. He was born into money and has made even more. He is the CEO of Blackwood Industries, a group of many businesses, ranging from real estate to production. But there are rumors about him." Lucy's voice dipped lower, taking on a conspiratorial tone.
"What rumor?" Amby asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
Lucy whispered, "He is a recluse. He owns a big mansion in the reserved area of the city, but he hardly stays there. He lives in another million-dollar house in the outskirts of the city, close to your place here. He rarely attends social functions, always sending his assistant, Caleb Ross."
Lucy placed a hand on her chest and slowly shook her head, a wistful look on her face. "I envy his future wife." She trailed off, lost in thought.
Amby began to clear the table when Lucy suddenly snapped back to reality. "Amby, just look at him, he is like a gentle sheep, a handsome sheep. I want to cuddle him."
Amby shook her head in amusement, taking Lucy's phone to get a better look at the billionaire. Truly, Gabe Blackwood was handsome in the full-length photo. He should be in his early thirties, over six feet tall, with impeccably styled dark brown hair and a chiseled, athletic physique. Not bad looking for a billionaire.
As Amby looked at Gabe's photo, she felt a shiver run down her spine. There was something about him that seemed off.
And then, she saw it. An invisible image appeared under his photo - a ravenous wolf.
Amby's heart skipped a beat as she wondered what secrets Gabe Blackwood was hiding.