Lucky Day Ch. 01

Following the discovery of his betrayal, Annie had opened a separate account and deposited only enough to cover her half of the weekly outgoings.

Henry flew off the handle when he found out and it started another row that seared the very earth they walked on. Annie's mother tried to council her as well, tried to get her to open her heart if she could. Try and save the family, but even her consoling warmth couldn't bring her back from the precipice.

Henry became withdrawn.

There was a huge wall getting built between them, every day it got another brick higher.

Feeling as he did, I suppose it was no surprise when Kaia walked into his office one morning carrying coffee for them both. "Henry, what is going on with you? Every morning you walk in here as if the world was ending."

With his head in his hands he moaned, "My marriage is over. I have tried to talk to Annie, but she won't listen. She is hung up on the fact we still work together."

As they sipped their drinks, Kaia asked, "Is that the only thing separating you? Do you think you could mend things if we didn't work together?"

"I don't know." He grumbled, "I just don't know, she won't talk to me. Every time I try to talk to her, she fixates on the fact we still work together."

He saw the tense look on her face and quickly added. "Kaia, it's not your fault; she is being unreasonable."

"Is there any chance?" she asked, "Any chance at all... or do you think there's no coming back?"

"I don't know, Kaia, I am barely holding on by my fingernails, if it wasn't for the girls, I think I would leave."

"Oh, shit no... Please don't do that, Henry. I would feel terrible if your marriage ended because of our relationship. I would be devastated. Pease, whatever happens, keep trying."

They finished their drinks and at least Henry seemed a little cheerier, Kaia walked out feeling very sad. This was not what she expected to happen. Henry was just a little distraction as she worked her way into a new company, and he was so warm and loving it was good fun. She was not expecting his marriage to explode. She never saw herself as a homewrecker. She realised how stupid she had been.

By lunch time she made a decision. She walked into her boss's office and handed over her resignation letter. He tried to talk her out of it, but Kaia was determined to leave. She made up a flimsy excuse about her mother being sick and needing to spend time with her.

It wasn't until Henry was leaving and shared the elevator down with Daphne, that he heard. "Did you hear that Kaia left?" she asked.

Henry staggered, groaning. "What did you just say? Kaia... Leaving... No that can't be right, I just spoke to her this morning."

Daphne nodded mumbling. "Yep, she's gone, left today. Apparently, her mother is sick or something. You guys were quite close, I'm surprised she never mentioned it?"

The moment his car door closed he pulled out his phone and rang, "Kaia, what the hell are you doing? There was no need for you to leave."

He heard her struggling to hold back tears. "No it's the right thing to do. Hopefully she will understand and you can make a go of it."

"Kaia, this is fucked up; you were doing so well here, Daphne is very pissed off."

Through a faint sob he heard her say, "She will get over it. I hope everything works out for you and Annie." The phone went dead as he sat in his car, fighting of a desire to just cry. Everything was going wrong.

Arriving home, it was the usual cold welcome from Annie. The girls at least made him feel welcome; they were their usual boisterous playful selves.

It wasn't until they were gone, and Annie had finished cleaning up the dinner dishes that Henry dropped his bomb "Annie, Kaia left today. She no longer works for us, she's gone."

Annie spoke the first words she had in a long time, "Did you ask her to leave, or was it somebody else?"

Grunting snidely, he replied, "Actually, she left of her own accord, because of you."

"Me? Don't be ridiculous, I have never even spoken to her."

"She left because I told her you were fixated on the fact she and I still worked together. When I explained things weren't going well between us, she decided to leave. Believe it or not, she's not a terrible person."

Annie snorted. "Yeah right, she carries on an affair with a married man knowing full well it could destroy the marriage and you expect me to believe she's a nice girl. Grow up, Henry, she's a slut, a cheap nasty skanky bitch."

Henry was completely blown away by her vitriolic assault. "Think whatever you want, but either way she's gone. Can we now try to start again?"

"Moron! You're a complete idiot, Henry. No, we can't. I asked you to get rid of her as a sign that you chose your family over her. However, you chose to keep her hanging around for months. She falls on her sword and you expect me to welcome you back into my arms. Forget it, it's not happening."

Annie's stress levels kept increasing and it showed in every aspect of her life. At work, Annie had always been the cool calm collected one, the woman for a crisis, but now she doubted everything, decisions she used to make easily she now questioned. Her self-confidence was at an all-time low. Her PA who was pregnant was also suffering, and although she still had almost three months to go, the stress levels flowed through to her and complications set in. Her doctor advised her to take leave and stay home and put her feet up.

When she gave Annie the news, she saw the look of concern. They were friends, as well as colleagues. She felt guilty. "Annie, I could stay long enough to get a replacement in."

Annie sighed. "No, you have to go. Shit, I could never live with myself if something happened. No, Honey, you need to finish up."

They shared a hug, and as they pulled apart, Annie said, "Could you just put together a schedule for your replacement, get everything ready? We will get a temp until we can get a full full-timer."

"Sure, Hon, I will have everything ready for her."

As if she didn't have enough on her plate, now she was going to have to train a temp. Things kept piling up, the water main erupted like a geyser, her car started playing up. If it wasn't one thing it was another, the way things go when you're under pressure.

Henry tried to take the load, but she pushed back. She took control of every situation, leaving him nothing to do. He wanted to be her shining knight but every time something went wrong, she kept him in the dark, although she was quick to pass on half of all the bills.

With all that was going down, the one thing she lost track of was her PA. The ads went out, but she left it to HR to manage the hire. The temp was driving her to distraction, so she put the acid on them to get the position filled.

When she got the news on Friday that her new PA was starting Monday morning, she almost danced a jig. 'Thank god!" She sighed.

The weekends were the worst for Annie. Watching Henry play with the girls as if nothing was wrong made her ask those same questions. The love the girls shared for their father was so obvious, and he was such a doting father. He took them to the park. He cancelled his golf games to spend more time with them. The house had never looked better. He did all the maintenance, even the gardens. He had never shown an interest in them before, but now he was out there every chance he got and he got the girls to help, turning each job into a game. Now the girls loved pulling out weeds.

As much as she wanted to hate him, her bitterness slowly eased. It was that slow that she didn't even notice. It was the small things: when she got up in the morning and prepared breakfast, she made his as well. She started making his favourite meals. She smiled when the kids made fun or teased him. The glacier slowly thawed, bit by bit. Inch by inch the hostility eased. She didn't bite back sarcastically at everything he said. She let things slide.

Monday morning, she walked into the office to find her favourite Latte ready and waiting; her new PA obviously beat her in. She picked up her Latte and settled in behind her desk. There were several emails requiring urgent attention. Her new project was at the critical stage. She answered the easy ones first as she waited for her colleagues to get in.

With her head buried in the next email she was caught completely by surprise when there standing on the other side of her desk was Kaia. "What the fuck are you doing here?" she almost screamed. Her caustic words were loud, and she quickly glanced around the office to see whether her vitriolic screams had been heard. There were a few raised heads, lowering her voice she snarled. "I said, why are you here?"

Kaia smiled back, trying her best to keep it friendly. "Good morning, Annie, I'm Kaia, I am your new PA."

Seething, Annie snarled viciously, "Like hell you are, I know who you are... get your skanky ass out of my office."

Kaia arrived with such high hopes, she had promised herself there would be no tears, she wanted to be strong. This; however, was impossible. The tears started with a trickle but quickly grew to a full-on torrent and she sniffled. "Annie, I am begging, I need this job. Please, just give me a chance."

Annie stared at Kaia, her gorgeous face screwed and twisted into a mask. "Please, Annie, I am pleading with you. God damn it, I know I messed up, I did the wrong thing. I ruined everything. All I want is a chance to make things right."

Gobsmacked, Annie stood there blankly. Kaia looked so weak, so innocuous.

She slumped back into her seat, "What is it exactly you want? Were you not satisfied with stealing my husband, destroying our family? Do you just want to humiliate me further? Is that it, you want to see me crawl, beg... What exactly do you want?"

Kaia stood, her hands clasped together tightly, too scared to raise one to wipe away the torrent of tears. Her voice deserted her, she wanted to speak, say something, anything, but Annie's attack left her defenceless.

Neither women moved, the standoff grew as the dark mood descended. Eventually with her voice quivering, she murmured in a croak. "Annie, all I want is a chance to make things right. I made a big mistake getting involved with Henry. First, I want to apologise, and then to try and make amends."

Annie sniggered. "Good lord, you can't honestly be suggesting that I keep you on?"

Kaia nodded nervously. "Please, I need this job, I need it more than you will ever know. If you want me to beg, I will but please give me a chance."

She fell to her knees in the classic prayer mode. "Annie, I beg of you, please give me a chance to make up for my mistake." She fell forward onto her elbows. I am beseeching, please. I am about to be kicked out. Absolutely, I can help you."

"Oh god no, no chance in the world am I working with you." Annie growled. "Judas Priest, you wrecked my marriage for heaven's sake. I should be scratching your eyes out."

Apologetically, Kaia mumbled. "Annie, I never wanted to be a home wrecker, I wasn't trying to steal him away from you, he loves you completely."

"Then why for the love of god? Why?" Annie howled, banging her closed fist down on her desk, her laptop jumping, as if startled.

"I don't know, Annie; it was just supposed to be a bit of harmless fun. I never wanted anybody to get hurt."

"Well, you got that completely wrong. my Marriage, my life, everything is fucked, everything." The hatred flowed like vitriolic molten lava, her face a deep snarling scowl.

As they stared, Annie Furious, Kaia pleading, Annie burst into tears, her body gave up, her stern exterior melted and everything she had been bottling up inside exploded out in a torrent.

Kaia saw the hurt and anguish she had caused, ran around Annie's desk and wrapped her arms around her, holding her tight, crushing her in an embrace that tight it hurt.

Kaia nuzzled her head into Annie's shoulder, Annie reciprocated, and they sat huddled together, sobbing their hearts out, the anger, the bitterness, all the built-up rage Annie harboured oozed out, saturating Kaia's new dress.

It was many minutes before either of them felt strong enough to let go. As they did, Kaia lifted Annie's Latte and handed it to her, "Soy milk, one sugar... right?"

Annie sniffled. "Yeah, one sugar." She took the cup from Kaia's hand taking long a sip.

"Annie, if you give me a chance, I will never let you down, I will do everything in my power to make this work."

Kaia quickly rushed out to her desk and returned, carrying a box of tissues and her makeup bag. She quickly dabbed Annie's face, wiping away the mascara that had run from her tears. Reaching into her makeup bag, she knelt in front of Annie and with trembling hand reached up and touched up the ruined makeup before standing to do her own. "Umm, we better get a move on; you have a delegation from Turners arriving any minute."

Annie checked her watch. "Shit, shit, shit. I wonder if Carol organised the presentation?"

Kaia nodded as she ran her hands down her skirt, trying to remove an invisible crease. "Yes, It's all ready to go, it's loaded in meeting room two and I have ten copies printed out."

Annie sniggered. "You're not serious about this are you? I mean c'mon, this can't possibly work."

Kaia gritted her teeth, "Annie, I have never been more serious in my life. If everything Carol and Henry said about you is right, then I am going to learn a lot. Give me a chance; I will be the best god damned PA you have ever had."

Annie scrunched up her nose in suspicion. "Did Henry put you up to this?"

"Nope, this was my idea, I needed to talk to you, I needed to make things right. This seemed like a good idea."

"Are you going to tell him?"

"I haven't spoken to Henry since the day I resigned. I have no intention of ever speaking to him again."

Annie caught sight of the Turners delegation walking out of the elevator. "Shit, it's showtime. All right, Kaia, I am going to have to trust you for the moment. We will talk later."

Kaia smiled, nodded and turned for the door. "You won't regret this, Annie, I promise."

"Too late, I already do."

The meeting went well, Kaia went out of her way to make sure everything ran like clockwork. The drinks, the morning tea, the presentation and she stayed through the meeting watching in awe as Annie not only gave the presentation, but explained in absolute detail every aspect. It didn't matter if it was financial, structural, time frames or schedules, she had all the answers.

As they walked the group to the elevators, Kaia let out an audible, "Oh my god... that was amazing, incredible. How did you do that?"

Annie reeled back. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"That was amazing! I have never seen anybody that zeroed in on a project before, shit, girl, you're good."

For some weird reason Annie smiled, accepting the compliment. It somehow meant a lot coming from Kaia.

Back in her office Annie settled back in her chair. "Okay, this just isn't going to work. I am not working with that woman."

As the day progressed, Annie watched with interest. Kaia worked tirelessly all day. She made her way around to every desk and talked to all the staff, making sure she knew everyone by name. She finished typing up the minutes from the meeting, forwarding them to Annie for approval before sending them on. Annie scrutinised every word, every syllable, looking for errors, anything, spelling, grammar. Nope, not a single mistake. She competed it in record time, captured every detail in perfect faultless English. "Damn!" she growled to herself.

As Annie watched her gliding effortlessly around the office, she did a far more detailed appraisal of the bitch. No wonder Henry fell for her: she was gorgeous. Slender, a figure she herself would kill for. Legs, god her legs were incredible. She noted that as she bent over to talk to Alastair, she got a look up Kaia's short plaid skirt. Damn, those legs just kept going.

Her hair and makeup were perfect, not a hair out of place and her complexion was beautiful. In fact, beautiful didn't really do her justice. Shit, Henry never stood a chance.

It was much later in the day when Kaia walked in, carrying a schedule for the rest of the week. Memo's, emails and a meeting planner, she had it all.

As she sat across from her, Annie sighed. "Okay, Kaia, thank you for today. You did well, but let's not get carried away. I do not want to work with you. Surely you must realise that just seeing you reminds me of my husband's infidelity. You are not helping. If you are honest about trying to help, then please just leave."

Kaia had been expecting something like this. Hearing the words hurt, but she was committed to making things right. "I'm sorry you see things that way, Annie. I am not leaving; not unless you fire me. I am here for the long haul. I promise you, give me this chance, and you'll see, this will be good for both of us."

Annie gritted her teeth with grim determination, "Have it your way, Kaia, but I warn you, it will not be pleasant for you."

Kaia spun on her heels and walked out, throwing back her sealing comment, "Thank you, Annie, I wouldn't have expected anything less."

Annie felt empty, her tummy fluttering, completely flabbergasted; her life had somehow been turned upside down. She felt trapped and angry for allowing herself to be manipulated by Kaia. She must be psychotic, to think she could just walk in and Annie would accept her apology and it was all going to be cool. If she only knew how many different ways Annie had dreamed up to kill her.

As Annie and the kids rolled up at home, Henry was just pulling up as well. The girls ran over to him and jumped into his arms. Annie walked past him as he played with the girls and snapped, "After dinner, we need to talk." She walked inside leaving Henry feeling stunned, his happy demeanour destroyed by her cold words.

Dinner came and went. Annie, taking more notice tonight, saw the confusion on the girls. They didn't know whether to be happy or sad. Every time they spoke to their father, they stole quick glances at Annie to see if she was going to growl.

Henry strode powerfully down the stairs after putting them to bed, "Okay, Annie, what is it you want to talk about?"

Annie kept her voice calm, no waver, no fear. "It's over, I will be seeing a solicitor on Monday to draw up divorce papers."

He nodded as he listened to her words. "I see, so what am I supposed to do?"

"I'm not going to get a say? You say jump and I say, how high? Is that it?"

Annie gave him a quiet nod, their eyes locked together and she said, "What other option do we have? the girls don't understand what's going on. You being here all the time, but then leaving. It's not fair, they don't understand. It's not fair on them."

Before Annie could add anything, he said, "You think they would be better off without their father?"

She sighed, taking her time to choose her words carefully. "Yes, I think so. At the moment they don't know what is happening. You and I arguing over everything is confusing them. They don't understand."

"Fuck, Annie, I'm their father; I have rights as well, you know."

"I'm not going to cut them out of your life; you will have visitation rights. We can come to an understanding."

"So that's it? I make one dumb mistake and it's all over? Jesus, Annie, you're a cold bitch. This is my house, as well. Perhaps you should leave, and then you can have visitation rights."

She sneered. "Like hell. The only reason we have this house is because my Nanna gifted it to me, not to you, to me. She wanted to look after me. There's no way in hell you are getting your hands on this house."

He snapped, "You'll have to buy me out then; I'm not walking away with nothing."

Giving him a condescending sneer, she said, "We will let the courts decide. No judge is going to see us out in the street with nowhere to go."