Author's Note: This story is completely fictional and did not happen. All names of characters are fictional and were made up. Please do not copy and plagiarize my work.
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Atlanta, Georgia
"There might be some slight overcast by the afternoon, but no rain is expected until Friday. As we head into the evening hours, the temperatures are going to drop and things get a little cooler. Sixty-eight degrees by ten at night will be a welcome relief after the high temperatures the last few days."
From live television, a short brunette haired woman stood in front of a blue screen. To counter the background color of the projection, she wore a red dress hugging all of her curves. From the shoulder straps, a heavy cleavage was visible with her buxom build. No jewelry was necessary apart from a wedding and engagement band glimmering when she waved her left hand from a certain angle. Behind her was a projected map with the state of Georgia in the center. Counties were divided along lines with a few green clouds demonstrating the expected rain to come. Just another Tuesday morning for the forecast with their local friendly meteorologist as part of channel five. The screen changed as she gave out the forecast for the week in the closing minutes of her early morning segment.
With the live camera turned off, Mary left the set. The studio set was sleek with its metallic silver and wood aesthetic. After so many years on the job, this had become normal to see on a daily basis. Her life had been spent in front of the camera broadcasting seven-day forecasts for Atlanta and the greater north Georgia area. At forty-two of age, she believed to have lived much of life to say she had experience. Once the program had ended accordingly, she left the set. Her black high heel pumps clicked and clacked across the floor. Taking a moment to herself, Mary ran her right hand through her brunette hair. Despite her age, she did not show any silver linings in her hair yet. One day it would come, as it did for her local weatherman she watched every morning on channel ten.
Beyond the door leading off the set was a hallway stretched out with several other doors. An assistant was ready to get her coffee or anything else she desired. Mary new everyone on staff from the security personnel and assistants. Her personal assistant always had a fresh cup of coffee waiting for her off the set, not counting the beverage she had back in the studio. The work environment made for a friendly atmosphere. Everyone knew each other from the beat reporters to news anchors. Some had been working much longer than her while others hoped to land bigger jobs elsewhere. Stomping down the hall, she first took a trip to the bathroom before she was ready to enter the main breakroom. One floor down a set of stairs, the office was designed with cubicles to space out desks. Instead of the sleek metallic silver design, this room was plain with white wallpaper and black leather chairs.
"I've got fresh coffee waiting for you, Mary."
Her assistant greeted her with a friendly smile. Matt had been working for Mary at the studio for the past three years. Always going out of his way to please her and make sure she was comfortable at all times. All she could do was laugh at him.
"Thank you, Matt. You don't have to always make me coffee. Why don't you go and fix yourself something?"
She appreciated his aid, but did not feel the need to be waited on hand and foot. In the past, Mary had other assistants, both male and female. They would fix her drinks, take her phone calls, and keep her up to date by the time she left the studio set. Sometimes her husband would call her, but most of the time she was rarely interrupted from work. At this point in her career, the opportunity of retirement had been on the table for a few years. Strolling alongside Matt, Mary stepped through a door leading into a small break room that was shared among the other anchors. White walls greeted her with wooden furniture of tables and yellow chairs.
"Another Tuesday morning gone by, huh?"
An older man in a white button-up shirt and tie greeted her. Tim was a senior around the offices, never moving on from HLN despite reaching well into retirement age. It would be an unusual day without his clean shaved face and nearly bald head looming in someone's direction. Mary smiled back at him.
"Yeah, just another day at work."
Tim chuckled at her remark.
"At least it's a slow week so far. Nothing big in the headlines right now."
He stepped past her, heading out the door, as she was now left alone in the break room. There was truth in Tim's words. Despite their job revolving around local news, they still had to cover the breaking news stories from the major networks on cable TV. This aggravated some of the newscasters. As her gaze scanned the wooden table, it was the furthest thing from her mind. Her coffee was freshly prepared in a metallic pink tumbler cup, but something else caught Mary's attention across from it. Sonya had made her presence felt at work by leaving behind her large black leather Gucci purse. The atmosphere changed any time she was in the room. From the first appearance, Sonya seemed to be just another woman in her mid-thirties. She had been married before Mary met her. The life of the party with a larger than life personality.
When someone got to know Sonya, they quickly learned that she was different from the other women in the office. A homegrown Atlanta native, for one. Rumors always swirled around the offices. 'Sonya said what!?' was a common reaction since her arrival. Despite how polarizing she could be, Mary admired the younger woman. Last year, she came to know her husband. A tall black man who had business interests across town. Much of the rumors at work had to do with their wild sex life. Since she was not tied down to a family, Sonya had something of a swinger lifestyle, or at least that was what Mary was led to believe. The woman was quite open about seeing other people, all while co-workers speculated about what kind of business her husband was truly into.
Mary could not judge Sonya for infidelity. In the years past, she had indulged herself in affairs. During her time working in Ohio, she had an assistant she had to fire before the affair took a toll on her emotions. That was meant to be a one time only deal, but the temptations were always lingering when a man caught her eye. Sometimes Sonya would spark her curiosity when overhearing conversations. Some women in the studio avoided her, given the reputation she had but others embraced her as a friend. While looking over her purse, Mary could not help but wonder what the woman was up to for the week. The last she saw of Sonya was last Friday. Since she was on the board of staff as a local reporter. Mary grabbed her coffee and took a sip after popping the lid. As she took another sip, the door opened behind her.
"Oh! Hey!"
Sonya stood tall in a pair of black high heel pumps and a short skirt above her knees. A V-neck cut out at the top revealed plenty of cleavage to the wandering eye. Her long jet black hair was always fixed with plenty of waves and a few curls. Gold hoop earrings glimmered beyond her hair, all while her big brown eyes fixated on Mary. She sounded surprised by the tone of her voice in the greeting. Mary returned the smile, speaking up.
"Hey Sonya, were you coming back to get your purse?"
With a laugh, the other woman responded.
"No, I don't think you would dig through my stuff."
