Prologue

~*~

A young woman with an ebony complexion suddenly entered one of the bathrooms of a luxurious mansion. Her name was Natacha Barnes and she sported a silver-gray curly afro hairstyle, light-brown eyes, and the expression of someone about to regret what she was about to do. Dressed in a blue nightie that revealed everything she was wearing underneath, namely her panties, this young lady walked over to the mirror and began to observe her reflection.

“My make-up,” she said a few moments later as a tear rolled down her face.

Natacha gently wiped it away with a handkerchief she’d just picked up, only to be disturbed shortly afterwards by the sound of someone knocking on the door. It was another woman wearing a completely black three-piece suit with a white tie and an earpiece in her right ear.

“Miss Barnes, the ceremony is about to begin,” she retorted just after entering the room.

“I’m coming.”

Barnes tossed the handkerchief she’d just used into a garbage can before following the woman whose demeanor was similar to that of a soldier.

One week before

One Saturday morning in a small coffee shop, Natacha Barnes, who was dressed in a red hat, a rather short white dress and black ballet flats, had made an appointment with her best friend, Enola Johns, who was wearing a t-shirt the same color as Natacha’s dress, gray Jean pants, and a pair of gray sneakers. The two women were seated in a corner of the establishment, waiting for the order she had placed a few minutes earlier.

“So, are you going to tell me what happened, or are you going to pretend you only called me for a coffee?”

Natacha exchanged a dark look with her friend as she took a sip of her black beverage.

“El, I’ve just heard that Tess has had another pay rise,” she said after putting down her cup.

“You’re kidding me?! Again?”

“Yep, again. If only you knew how much it pisses me off. I work just as hard as her, if not harder. I’ve never been late, either at work or in handing in my various reports. I’m as competent as she is…”

“But she’s the one who gets promoted.”

“Exactly! I’ve been working there for years, working for Mr Invictus. So, how come she’s the one who gets the promotions and I don’t?!”

Letting her emotions run wild at that moment, Barnes couldn’t help but violently hit the table in front of her, attracting the attention of the people sitting around her and her friend, and also spilling the contents of her cup. The other customers wondered what was going on at their table and Enola suggested her friend to calm down, adding that everyone’s eyes were on her.

“Look, I know you’re really upset, but you don’t have to take it out on this poor table. Look, you’ve even spilled your drink,” she continued.

“Hmm.”

After realizing that everyone’s eyes were effectively on her, Natacha calmed down and apologized to Enola. A few moments later, she apologized again, but this time to the employee who came to clean up the mess she’d caused, as well as giving her a warning. Barnes also took the opportunity to order a new coffee to replace the one she’d just spilled.

“I never thought this whole thing would get the best of me,” Barnes retorted after letting out a deep sigh.

“I understand you perfectly, Tacha. If I’d been in your shoes, I’d probably have reacted the same way. By the way, have you spoken to Michael about this?”

“Yes, I did, and you’ll never believe what he told me to do.”

“What did he say?” the young woman asked, curious.

“Mike told me to go knock on my boss’s door, look him straight in the eye, and ask for a pay rise as if I were the boss.”

“That’s quite radical.”

“That’s exactly what I thought when he suggested I do it.”

Natacha later added that, according to Michael, her three years of seniority entitled her to do so, and that it was practically her right to do so.

“He’s out of his mind. Doing this is the best way for me to lose my job,” she continued.

“You may be right, but it’s still a good idea. I totally agree with Michael on this one. If you want to be on the same level as this Tess, you’ve got to take the lead. You deserve a promotion too.”

Natacha remained silent for a few dozen seconds. She was thinking about whether or not it was worth doing such a thing. She knew her boss and the risks she ran if things went wrong. However, the young woman was also aware that she wouldn’t get anything if she didn’t take any risks.

“You know what? You’re both right. Next Monday after work, I’m going to ask Mr. Invictus to raise my salary. I deserve it too,” she exclaimed playfully.

“Great! My heart goes out to you.”

The young employee who had come to clean up what Natacha had spilled a few minutes earlier returned with Natacha’s new coffee as well as Enola’s and set them down right in front of them. Now that the two of them were alone again, Johns broached another topic of conversation that was close to her heart at the time, namely the haircut her friend was sporting.

“I still can’t believe you really did it. You know, when you told me you were going to dye your hair silver-gray, I thought you were joking.”

“Do you like it?! Mike also couldn’t believe his eyes when I came home with it yesterday. He even said it looked great on me,” Barnes said, touching her hair.

“I can just imagine his reaction. That hairstyle does look great on you. I just have one small question. Why silver gray? You could’ve chosen a less flashy color.”

“That’s the point. It’s because it’s flashy that I chose it. To be perfectly honest with you, El, I had my doubts at first. I didn’t think the result was going to be this fantastic. I’m glad I took this dye.”

“I see.”

After listening to her answer, Enola realized that this was Natacha at work. Choosing this kind of dye just to attract attention was indeed something her best friend was capable of doing. At the same time, she wondered what the result would have been if she’d chosen a completely different color, like magenta pink or purple. Johns imagined Barnes in these different shades and couldn’t help but laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing. I was just thinking that silvery-gray really suits you.”

“Oh, thanks for that.”

“So, what do you say we take a trip to the mall? I hear a new collection just arrived.”

“El, you know I’m always up for that. No need to ask.”

Without missing a beat, the two women rose from their seats. Natacha, who hadn’t even touched her second cup of coffee, went to the cashier to pay for their drinks before joining Enola outside. The two then headed for their favorite shopping center where they spent many hours browsing and shopping.