Free Yesterday & Forever by Sophie Rodger

Chapter 1
     
    “ Grey, grey, grey!” Cassandra Regence muttered to herself, as she looked up at the tall London buildings.
    Cursing the fact there was no where closer to park, she hurried clumsily past the throng of lunchtime commuters. The boxed retirement cake tilted perilously in her arms. The glass domed building that housed ‘Moringdon Asset Management’, the cake’s final destination, lay just in front. It towered above all the others, casting a long ominous shadow.
    Cass wrinkled her nose as a series of buses went past, their fumes wafting into her face. It was moments like this that she was grateful she didn’t work in the City. Her small country bakery was doing well for itself, although she’d made sure to pack a few extra business cards just in case this event got her more publicity.
     
    Weaving in and out of the crowd was a lot more difficult than she had anticipated. She finally arrived at the glass revolving doors after her long trek, red faced and panting. Her blond, wavy hair had escaped from its tortoiseshell clip confines and stuck inelegantly to her face.
    Pushing through with her bottom, she approached the black marble desk, manned by one bored looking security guard. Cass always thought the flower -displays in these places were ridiculous. Her sky-blue eyes were wide as she inspected the display of one single, orange lily, artfully shoved into a round fish-bowl vase stuffed with tangerines.
     
    “ Hi. I’m Cassandra Regence. From ‘CC’s Bakery’”, she announced brightly, pointing to the pink company name label embroidered on the black tunic, “I’m here with the retirement cake”. She heaved the cake onto the desk, her large pink carrier swinging around her back as she did so.
    The security guard eyed her over the steel rim of his glasses. Pushing the cake to one side, he handed her a small plastic card. “Twentieth Floor please. You’ll need this pass to get through”, he answered, dragging out the last sound of the ‘oooo’ in ‘through’.
    “ Thank you!”
    Cass grabbed the pass. Precariously balancing the cake in one hand and the pass in the other, she made her way through the small, metal gates to the lifts.
    Ting, ting, ting. Finally the doors opened. Managing to press 20 and still hold onto the cake, Cass turned and caught sight of herself in the wall mirror. She knew that the company uniform of black tunic, leggings and ballet pumps made her look a lot younger than her 28 years. Not exactly the mature businesswoman image she hoped to present.
     
    Humming along with the Greensleeves lift music, she soon found herself up on the twentieth floor.
    And yet another desk, she thought to herself, moving the box out of her line of vision as she approached the desk. No silly flowers here though, eyeing the tall, thin vase of yellow roses. The blooms seemed to be drawing her closer to them, their scent wrapping itself around her senses.
     
    “ There lovely aren’t they”.
    Stopping abruptly, Cass realised she had been walking straight towards the vase, past the receptionist behind the desk.
    “ Yes they are”, she murmured, dragging her eyes away from the flowers back to the receptionist. “I’m Cassandra Regence, from CC’s Bakery. This is the retirement cake that was ordered”.
    She placed the cake carefully on the counter as she unclipped the small electronic signature machine.
    “ They are ‘Midas Touch’ Roses. Very exquisite”, the receptionist continued as she scribbled her signature on the small machine.
    “ Midas Touch?” Cassandra repeated breathlessly.
    The receptionist looked at her closely. “Yes they are. Mr Drake insists on having them fresh every week. I say, are you feeling okay? You’ve gone a little pale dear”.
    Cassandra smiled shakily as memories, too painful even now, threatened to surface.
    “ No, I’m fine. You said Drake. I thought this was ‘Moringdon Asset Management?” she queried, her eyes jumping from the face of the