Glass shattered. Everything rattled, objects shook from off the walls and onto the floor. Imani held on to Garrett for dear life. “What’s happening?”
Loud screams from outside his office found their way inside to them. Not wanting to sit still and wait for answers, they made their way out into the hallway only to find panic and chaos. People were running in every direction.
Garrett managed to get a hold of one of his frantic managers as they were dashing past him. “What’s going on?”
Wide-eyed and terrified, the man shouted. “It’s an earthquake!” He took off again on a sprint heading for the stairs.
Imani turned to Garrett. “Oh, my God. We’re on the seventeenth floor!”
Chapter 2
Two Years Prior
“You’re fired.”
Imani Jones’ notepad and pen fell out of her hands and onto the floor. Shock couldn’t begin to describe the warring emotions flowing through her body. She never expected this news when she entered her boss’ office. A promotion? A raise? Yes. She was more than deserving of that. Fired? No way!
Imani uncrossed her legs and scooted up to the edge of her seat, looking around for the you’ve been Punk’d cameras to come out of hiding or, at the very least, an “I’m just kidding.” Listening intently, after several minutes of silence, she realized Tabitha North, her supervisor over the last two years, wasn’t joking.
Once Imani’s brain started to somewhat function, she blinked a few times before responding. “I-I’m sorry. What?”
Tabitha had never liked her and, truth be told, the feeling was mutual. Actually, Imani couldn’t stand her. It was impossible to like someone who stole her design ideas and always presented them as their own.
Smugly, Tabitha sat behind her desk and folded her arms. Imani couldn’t seem to focus on anything, but her thin red lips that were always much too bright for her porcelain colored skin. The lipstick managed to get on her two front teeth. If Tabitha spent half as much time on her talent as she did chasing her youth, maybe she wouldn’t need to steal Imani’s work.
Tabitha’s rail-thin frame pushed up from her chair, and she stood. “Budget cuts. People are not hiring interior designers like they used to.” She shrugged as if she hadn’t just blown a hole into Imani’s world. “All department heads must release someone on their team. You’re going to have to be my one.” The words coming out of Tabitha’s mouth didn’t match the expression on her face. She wasn’t sorry in the least.
Imani’s brain went from not being able to form one coherent thought to a jumbled mess. She couldn’t get all of her questions out fast enough. Her eyes slowly narrowed. Her mouth opened, then closed only to re-open.
“Tabitha, I wouldn’t wish for anyone to lose their job, but I’m having a hard time with this. I’m usually the first to arrive at the office, and I’m always the last to leave. I’ve had more design concepts and projects accepted by clients than everyone on this team, including you. Especially if you include the ones I’ve submitted, but you put your name on. There are plenty of people on this team that just do not pull their weight.” Imani pressed her hand to her chest. “I find it hard to believe that I’m the one that’s getting let go because of budget cuts!”
Like a hawk about to pounce, Tabitha trained her eyes on Imani. That was the best she could do as an expression of anger. Her face was so tight from Botox injections that Tabitha couldn’t even frown. Instead, Tabitha raised her voice. “I’ve never stolen anything in my life! I certainly wouldn’t take something from you.”
Imani shot up out of her chair. “You’ve taken credit for more of my designs than I care to count!”
Tabitha stalked over to her door and yanked it open. “I didn’t think we would need security to escort you out. Am I wrong?”
Imani was pissed, but she wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of calling security and making a spectacle out of her. DeCorInterior Design was making a huge mistake. Imani held her head up high and never broke eye contact as she walked past Tabitha. She stopped suddenly just inches away. “I thought you were at least smart if not creative. Nobody on your team has my talent. When I leave, I’m taking it with me. At some point, they will realize your creativity dried up the second I left the company. How long do you think it’ll be before you are right behind me in the unemployment line?”
Tabitha pursed her thin lips. “Leave . . . now!”
Almost imperceptibly, Imani nodded. “I wish you nothing but unhappiness and incredibly bad luck.”
Furious, she stalked back to her desk. How dare that woman fire her when she worked her ass off for this company!
Malika Turner, a close friend, sat in a nearby cubicle. She’d been periodically checking the closed door to Tabitha’s office curious about the hastily called meeting. Malika continued to crane her slender neck around the short cubicle wall until the door opened. She whipped her brunette curls behind her ear and nervously chewed her bottom lip as soon as she spotted Imani leaving Tabitha’s office. Sitting upright, Malika used her short legs to roll her chair over to Imani the moment she got back to her desk and whispered, “What happened in there?”
Imani was
