The shrill noise of the doorbell jarred Hannah awake. She groggily lifted her head and looked around the room, trying to remember where she was. As consciousness slowly dripped in and lifted the fog in her head, she recognised the familiar interior of her bedroom. She was sprawled on top of the covers, still wearing the outfit she wore to work yesterday. Her shoes were scattered around the room as if they were caught in a mini hurricane. A greasy pizza box lay open on the middle of the floor with a toppled can of Cola next to it. Memories trickled in: of stumbling home after another late night in the office. She buried her face back into the pillow, hoping to catch a few more minutes of precious sleep when the infernal doorbell rang out again. She groaned loudly and swore under her breath.
"Alright, I am coming!" she mumbled as she staggered out of bed and walked on unsteady feet towards the door. She fumbled with the latch and flung open the door, blinking when a bright shaft of sunlight hit her in the face. When her eyes adjusted, she found herself staring at the cleavage of an unusually tall woman. Hannah strained her neck to look up at the woman's face and was greeted with a ravishing smile from a stunningly beautiful face.
"Ms. Hannah Morgan?" enquired the mystery woman.
"Yeah...how can I help you?" asked Hannah.
"My name is Louisa Fletcher. I am here on behalf of Ms. Cunningham. May I come in?" the woman's voice was as smooth as honey. Hannah's ears pricked up at the mention of Cunningham. The last dregs of sleepiness drained out of her and she became fully alert. Eugenie Cunningham was the wealthiest woman in the country and Hannah's boss. Hannah was the Chief Marketing Officer of the Cunningham Group: a business empire that spanned the globe.
"Of course! do come in. I apologise for the mess, I have been extremely busy with the new launch campaign for the last few weeks." Hannah opened the door wider, wishing she had had time to at least run a comb through her hair. Her crumpled black dress looked positively ghastly next to the crisp designer outfit that Louisa was wearing. It accentuated the shapely curves of Louisa's perfect hourglass figure β making her look more suited to be on a glitzy catwalk than here on the doorstep of Hannah's unkempt flat.
"Oh, don't worry about that at all. We all know how busy you have been," Louisa glanced back at the gleaming black saloon parked on the road and made some kind of a signal. Two men, dressed identically in black suits, got out of the car. They opened the boot and wrestled a large wooden crate onto a trolley and pushed it up the driveway. Hannah looked on bewildered as they came up behind Louisa.
"Shall we?" Louisa gestured towards the interior, still maintaining the dazzling smile on her face.
"O-oh, yeah, sorry!" Hannah stepped inside to let the posse through. Louisa strode in confidently, her designer high heels clacking noisily against the laminate floor. The men followed her to the living room. She pointed at a spot in the corner and the men unloaded the crate there. Hannah stood on the threshold, bemused, watching the proceedings. When the men left, Louisa beckoned Hannah to come closer.
"Ms. Cunningham is very impressed with you Ms. Morgan," Louisa said cheerfully.
Hannah beamed. Any compliment from the notoriously hard to please Ms. Cunningham was high praise indeed. "Thank you, I am so glad to hear that! And, please, call me Hannah."
Louisa nodded. "Thanks Hannah. As I was saying, Ms. Cunningham is really pleased with how you have dedicated yourself to the company. You have worked non-stop, putting in long hours and not even taking any holidays."
Hannah blushed slightly. She was feeling giddy about being recognised for her work. "There's so much to do with the new Synex launch. I couldn't possibly think of taking a break in the midst of it all."
Louisa nodded. "Don't think that hasn't gone unnoticed. Ms. Cunningham is worried about you though. She doesn't want her best employee to burn out. So, she sent this as a token of her appreciation," she pointed at the crate.
"That's so kind of her. What is it?" Hannah's imagination was running wild. Was it chocolates? No, not in such a large crate. Wine, perhaps? Ms. Cunningham did own several vineyards after all. The crate was huge though. Surely she doesn't think I am a massive alcoholic?
"Let me show you," Louisa said with a mischievous look on her face. She strode over to the crate and pulled out her necklace, which had two small keys hanging by it. She inserted one of them into a hidden crevice in the wood and turned. The side of the crate swung open like a door. Hannah stood on tiptoes to peer into the box but the door blocked her view. Louisa bent down and fumbled inside the box. There were some scrabbling noises and what sounded like metal chains clinking together. Louisa straightened with a huff and brushed away a strand of hair from her face.