Chapter 3
Chapter Three
SOFIA
Sofia’s pulse quickened as the train pulled into the station and she searched the mass of bodies swarming through the carriage doors. Her heart was thumping so hard she was surprised the other commuters couldn’t hear it.
She strained her head as more bodies squashed into the space, causing the passengers to grumble and shift into non-existent gaps.
Just when she feared he wouldn’t be on the train, the woman in front shifted position and she saw him. He was standing in front of her, one hand holding onto the rail, his body jerking with the movement of the train as it pulled away.
It was an illogical feeling. She knew nothing about this man, what his name was, what his voice sounded like, or whether he was kind and considerate, or a nasty thug.
And yet a pull within her made her want to reach out and run her hands through his wavy black hair.
Not that she’d ever dream of approaching him—she was far too introverted, admiring from a distance was as far as her bravery went.
She glanced discretely at him from her seat, trying not to draw attention.
He was so close she could read the Superdry label on his jacket, see the depth of his brown eyes and admire the soft hair framing his jawline.
He was only a few inches taller than her, and like her, he avoided eye-contact with the other commuters.
It only made her like him more. He wasn’t rugged, like the men her sister Luisa favoured. He was beautiful. There was no other word to describe the paleness of his skin and the flutter of his long lashes. He was mesmerising. And she’d got it bad.
But he didn’t look her way. He didn’t even register her existence—like he hadn’t on the other four days since he’d started sharing her morning commute.
Why was it that men she wasn’t attracted to approached her, but the men she’d like to talk to never did?
Luisa’s theory was that Sofia intimated men.
Her sister claimed Sofia’s outward appearance didn’t match her reserved personality, referring to her busty curves and slim frame as ‘porn-star attributes’, which Sofia had never found complimentary.
Clothes fitted her snugly, which often drew men’s gazes downwards, and invited salacious suggestions, which made her uncomfortable.
In contrast, if the men she wanted to notice her caught her eye, they’d become flustered and look away, as if fearful of being inappropriate.
Proving her point, the train pulled into White City and the man disappeared without a backwards glance. She tried to find him amongst the wave of bodies crowding the platform, but he was gone.
Sighing, she rested her head against the seat, her mind awash with ‘what-if’ scenarios.
If she was brave like Luisa, she’d have flirted with him and asked for his phone number.
If she was confident like her elder sister, Elena, she’d have struck up a conversation with him and discovered whether he was as adorable as he seemed.
Instead, she’d cast him wistful glances and looked away before he’d spotted her staring at him.
Sofia wasn’t timid when it came to other areas of her life. She had an extensive client portfolio at the media firm where she worked, and she line-managed a team of five people. She was assertive and confident in her abilities, a natural team leader—according to her colleagues, anyway.
She was the same at home. Despite being the quietest of the three sisters, she held her own when it came to family dynamics.
She’d adopted the parental role since their mother had died and Papi had returned to Colombia, stepping up to look after Luisa and helping to run the family home.
She didn’t mind, she was homely by nature, content to spend her time cooking, reading, and listening to music.
An evening on the sofa watching a romantic film was preferable to hitting the bars in town, and she had been voted by her sisters as the one ‘most likely to settle down’.
The trouble was, until four days ago, she’d never met anyone she could see herself ‘settling down’ with.
She wasn’t going to achieve her dream of living ‘happily ever after’ if she didn’t have the nerve to say hello to a man, was she?
Besides, he probably had a girlfriend. Why wouldn’t he?
He was gorgeous, and she was getting carried away by an unrealistic romantic ideal.
When the train pulled into North Acton station, she squeezed past the bodies crammed into the carriage and exited the train, ignoring the man whose arm brushed against her chest. It wasn’t the first time. Sadly, she doubted it would be the last.
It was only a short walk to Park Royal. She liked the opportunity to exercise her legs and clear her mind.
She was soon entering the lift in the plush building where she worked and heading up to the top floor where her office was situated.
She wasn’t artistic, like Luisa, or sporty like Elena, and a job in media hadn’t been her dream career, but everyone had been excited for her when she’d won the hotly contested graduate role, so she’d faked enthusiasm in the hope that time would lead her onto something more appealing.
Five years had passed, and she was still waiting.
Sofia knew she should be grateful. She was proud of achieving so much at twenty-seven, and yet she couldn’t shift the weight in her chest that had landed when their mum had unexpectedly died.
A feeling compounded when Papi had disappeared back to Colombia.
She missed them dreadfully and her life had felt slightly empty ever since.
‘Miss Romero?’ The sound of her name stopped her from entering her office. One of the HR secretaries scurried towards her. ‘Miss Romero, your presence is required at a meeting on the fourth floor.’
Meetings on the fourth floor were never a good sign, and neither was the prefix of ‘Miss’ when using her name—formal titles were only used when trouble was afoot.
Sofia tried for a smile. ‘I have a staff appraisal this morning.’
‘Mr Ackroyd needs to see you immediately. He’s waiting in his office.’ The secretary rubbed her palms on her skirt, seemingly panicked at the idea of not following Mr Ackroyd’s instructions. ‘If you’ll follow me.’
Sofia hung up her coat in her office and placed her bag in her desk drawer, sliding her phone into her skirt pocket.
She needed a moment to compose her thoughts, even if she’d anticipated this moment coming.
Senior management hadn’t been happy with her attendance record of late.
Perhaps today was the day things switched from informal reprimands to an official warning.
‘Cancel my appraisal meeting, would you, Rupe?’ she said to her colleague as she passed his desk, aware that her team had wary looks on their faces. It seemed as though they expected the worst too. ‘Hopefully I won’t be long.’
Ignoring a few raised eyebrows, she was escorted across the office as if being led to the docks by the prosecution. Neither of them spoke as they entered the lift and travelled down to the fourth floor.
Silence greeted them as they exited the lift and she was shown into an interview room where three people were already seated around a large table.
Giles Ackroyd, the Head of HR, stood up when she entered.
‘Thank you for joining us, Miss Romero. I assume you know my colleague, Mr Smithson—he’ll be taking minutes of the meeting.
And this is Rosemary Pitts, solicitor and CEO of our parent company.
’ He gestured towards a stern looking woman in a grey trouser suit.
Sofia’s unease increased. Her employers were bringing out the big guns.
Giles Ackroyd pointed to a chair. ‘Take a seat, Miss Romero.’
Sofia sat down, folding her hands in her lap to hide their shaking.
Clearing his throat, Mr Ackroyd returned to his seat and pulled a file towards him. ‘This meeting has been arranged to address the issue of repeated absences from work, a situation that seems to have deteriorated over recent weeks. I note you were absent again yesterday?’
Sofia nodded. ‘I had to attend a treatment plan meeting with the medical team looking after my sister.’
He looked up from the file. ‘Which resulted in you failing to attend a meeting with one of your clients?’
Sofia flinched. ‘I rescheduled the meeting before I left.’
‘Something I’m led to believe you’d already done twice before?’
There was no point denying it. ‘Yes.’
Giles Ackroyd exchanged a look with the CEO, as if gaining her consent for what was coming next. ‘When we spoke about this situation two weeks ago, I pressed upon you the need for your career to be your priority and informed you that action would be taken if further absences occurred.’
Sofia’s mouth had gone dry, but the water jug was out of reach, no doubt done on purpose to make her suffer.
‘I assure you I take my work very seriously, and I try to provide my clients with the best possible service. However, I also have care responsibilities for my younger sister, who has a serious medical condition, and there are times when I have to deal with emergencies arising from her complex needs. She currently has a chest infection.’
‘A chest infection?’ The CEO’s tone questioned the seriousness of the situation.
Sofia met the woman’s glare. ‘My sister has Cystic Fibrosis, a condition that affects her lungs and digestive system. This often requires intravenous antibiotics and additional oxygen if she doesn’t respond to oral medication.’
Her three accusers exchanged awkward looks.
‘While we sympathise with your situation, Miss Romero, you must appreciate we have a business to run.’ Giles Ackroyd poured himself a glass of water, failing to offer Sofia one.
‘Client welfare must take precedence, and we cannot ignore these repeated absences and not take action. We must treat staff equally, and this behaviour would not be tolerated by any other member of the organisation.’
The CEO nodded her agreement.
‘You’re a valued account manager, but your tardiness is affecting your productivity.
For that reason, we’re forced to start formal disciplinary proceedings.
This isn’t something we take lightly, but it’s something we feel is necessary to maintain the level of professionalism we strive for as a company. ’
Sofia licked her dry lips, trying to prise them apart.
‘I understand that, and I’m truly sorry for causing such disruption.
However, I’ve worked for the company for five years and until my mother’s death four months ago, I hadn’t taken a single sick day, or taken any unauthorised time off.
This is a temporary situation and one I hope will be resolved when my father returns from Colombia. ’
Mr Ackroyd tilted his head. ‘And when will that be?’
Sofia’s cheeks grew warm. ‘I don’t know.’
‘A week? A month?’
‘I honestly don’t know. He’s dealing with a business matter.’
It was hard not to feel let down by Papi.
Sofia adored him, they all did, they were a close-knit family, and their mum’s death had shattered them all.
She understood his need to free up monetary assets, but he’d been gone over two months and showed no signs of returning.
His daughters were suffering too, but he didn’t seem to understand that.
Or if he did, it wasn’t enough to expedite his return.
Mr Ackroyd remained unsympathetic. ‘You cannot expect the company to continue allowing repeated absences with no reassurance the situation will be resolved any time soon.’
Sofia glanced at the other two, hoping for an ally, but she was met with stony-eyed glares. ‘I appreciate that, but the staff handbook states that compassionate leave can be granted for registered carers, which I am.’
‘The policy relates to immediate family only,’ the CEO replied, as if anticipating the point being raised.
Sofia looked at her. ‘My sister is immediate family.’
The CEO opened the handbook and read from a section bookmarked with a post-it note. ‘Immediate family is classed as a child or parent of the employee. It does not extend to siblings, grandparents, or other extended family.’
Sofia had hoped these rules were open to interpretation. ‘My sister has no parents to look after her. She relies on me. Can’t you make an exception in this instance?’
Mr Ackroyd sighed, as if weighed down by the difficulties of being head of HR.
‘I’m afraid our position remains unchanged.
The company offers a comprehensive benefits package, which we feel is reasonable and generous.
Introducing discretionary decisions would only encourage other staff to take advantage of the rules. ’
The weight in Sofia’s stomach grew heavier. So much for them showing her some compassion.
‘This meeting constitutes a first official warning,’ Mr Ackroyd continued, picking up his pen.
‘If your attendance doesn’t improve with immediate effect, the company will have no option but to issue a second official warning.
After which, your contract of employment will be terminated.
’ He closed the file. ‘Notes of this meeting will be sent to you and a copy placed on your personnel record. You have the right to appeal any final decision, which must be submitted in writing within seven days of your dismissal.’
Sofia felt tears welling. Things had escalated quickly if they were talking about dismissal.
‘Do you have any questions relating to the process?’ The CEO’s tone was abrupt.
Sofia shook her head. There was no point prolonging the agony. ‘I have no questions.’
Giles Ackroyd stood up. ‘Thank you for your time this morning, Miss Romero. I sincerely hope no further action is required. We would be sorry to lose such a valued employee.’
They didn’t sound sorry, they sounded judgemental and mean.
Leaving the room, she wasn’t sure what to do with herself. Collapsing in a heap and crying wouldn’t help, so she aimed for the water cooler by the lift.
A tight throat made swallowing hard, but she forced down the water and took a few deep breaths, trying not to panic.
She couldn’t afford to lose her job. The house might be mortgage free, but there were bills to pay.
Bills that her and Elena barely managed to cover between them.
Losing an income would be a huge problem for all of them.
Any hope of remaining calm evaporated when her phone vibrated in her pocket and she read the message.
Breathing not good. Called an ambulance. Admitted to ICU. Bruised from several attempts to insert cannula. Feeling tearful. Need my sister. Can you come to the hospital?
Sofia sagged against the water cooler.
How on earth was she supposed to prioritise work when her sister needed her so badly?