The carpet was mocking her.

When Leandra returned to the Empyrean after losing her job, suddenly all she could see was the multicolored carpet stretched as far as the eye could see, with the exception of one lone strip of marble flooring, that forked off in several places to lead to the elevators, the restaurants, and other G-rated places. With a sigh Leandra stepped onto this path, ignoring any looks from any former coworkers as she headed for the elevators. She was safely confined within the walls of the elevator once the doors closed behind her; with a sigh she rested her head against the wall behind her, closing her eyes as the elevator traveled upward. She took a deep breath and stepped off the elevator and onto the seventeenth floor when it stopped, finding welcomed silence as she ventured down the familiar corridor, and slowed to a stop in front of the double doors. She didn’t even know if he was in his office. He could have been anywhere in the never-ending expanse of the Empyrean, but this was the first place that had come to mind. She knocked once and let her hand fall to her side as she waited, her eyes traveling over the tiny wood grains in the smooth, polished surface in front of her. She hadn’t been standing there long; she pulled her attention from her task as she heard his calling invitation, moving to open the door and allow herself in in response.

He was at his desk, as he usually was, only standing this time; he looked up as she stepped into the room and his eyebrows rose at the sight of her, his hands pausing.

“Leandra…” He set down the papers in his hand and rounded the desk, moving towards her.

“I wasn’t sure if you would be here,” she said as a beginning, fussing with her hair.

“You almost missed me; I was about to head downstairs,” he told her. “What’s wrong? I’m assuming you came all the way here to tell me something.”

Please Subscribe to read the full chapter