Matters of Chance

Chapter 15

Charlotte lived within a couple miles of her workplace. That morning, after Charlotte and Lizzie got ready for the day, they walked to the Rosings building.The Rosings building was built to look like it was made entirely out of glass. Elizabeth could see the reflection of the surrounding area in the building's windows. When they entered, Charlotte waved to one of the security guards as they passed and walked to the far end of the building to a row of elevators. Elizabeth did the same, following her friend. Charlotte pressed the elevator button. The glossy metal doors in front of them slid open with a ding.

The two of them stepped inside of the elevator. Charlotte pressed one of the buttons and began speaking, but Elizabeth wasn't paying attention. Instead, she was thinking about having to encounter Liam Collins again. She hoped that for all that talk about his job, he'd be working instead of trying to talk to her.

When the elevator doors opened into the office, the first thing that Elizabeth noticed was the light. The windows surrounded the office space and the bright California sun lit up the whole area, bouncing off desks and workers.

Charlotte waved a hand for Elizabeth to follow her. The office space was open. Most desks sat in a central area either alone against a wall or in clumps. There were four offices, each nestled in a different corner of the work area. The walls of the private offices were made of glass, allowing for people working in them to look out at everybody.

Charlotte stopped walking and Elizabeth nearly ran into her back. Charlotte gestured down to a neatly organized desk. A desktop computer sat on the surface and a neat stack of papers rested in the corner. Sitting at the front of the desk was a shiny golden nameplate that read "Charlotte Lucas" in black letters.

"This is my desk," said Charlotte. She waved her hand towards the glass private office that they stood next to. "That's Liam's office."

Lizzie raised an eyebrow and looked up at the office. It was empty. "Liam hasn't worked here for long, right?"

Charlotte nodded. "He rose up the ranks through ass-kissing, or at least, that's one of the office rumors." She lowered her voice and leaned in towards Lizzie. "The other rumor is that he and Attorney De Bourgh are having an affair."

"Ew." Elizabeth scrunched her nose. "Where's Liam now? He's not the type to be late for work."

"He's with Attorney De Bourgh," Charlotte nodded diagonally across the room towards the largest of the private offices, "He always starts the day by chatting with her. Sometimes it takes hours for him to leave."

Elizabeth looked across the room. It was easy to see into the large office thanks to the glass walls. Observing both Liam Collins and Catherine De Bourgh suddenly made her feel underdressed. Catherine De Bourgh wore a yellow dress that was complemented by large pearls looped around her neck and hanging from her ears. Lizzie had sworn that she had seen the Queen of England wearing a very similar outfit on TV before. Liam Collins wore a suit that looked like it was expensive, not because of the material, but because of the gaudiness.

Elizabeth looked down at the pants button up she was wearing, feeling misplaced. She looked at Charlotte, who was sporting a pantsuit and a briefcase. Elizabeth looked at her own Jansport backpack that held her laptop and tried not to cringe.

"Anyway, there's a spare desk pretty close to mine if you want to use it." Charlotte gestured to a desk a few feet away.

Elizabeth snapped out of her self-conscious bubble of thought. "Maybe later, Char," she said, "I'm going to do some interviews at an environmental protest that's happening a few blocks down."

Charlotte nodded. "Remember Lizzie, you're there to work, not to join in on the protest."

Lizzie shrugged. "I can't promise to stay on task, but I can promise to try."