Running From Fate Read Online Free PDF Page A

boss and his company?”
    “It does.”  Mira stepped into the elevator.  The doors closed behind them and the cab moved with barely a sound.
    Elizabeth leaned against a wall and crossed her ankles.  “You know, I used to be quite the environmental activist in my younger days.  It burns my ass when rich corporations think they can do whatever they want and damn the consequences.”
    Mira refrained from commenting on how obviously wealthy the woman herself was and followed her out of the elevator and into a well-appointed office with a gorgeous view of the bay.
    The woman rounded the imposing desk and took her seat.  “So what can I do for you?” she asked.
    Mira sat down and crossed her legs.  “I received a letter from Carter, Stevens & Weston this morning.”
    “Sharks,” Elizabeth muttered.
    “It seems,” Mira continued.  “That Mr. Mitchell is suing me for breach of contract.”
    “Not to worry.”  Elizabeth leaned back and rubbed her hands.  “It could mean a bit of a fight, but I’ll take care of it.  Now, what did you bring with you.”
    Mira opened the handbag that Lily had termed ‘monstrous’ and pulled out a thick folder.  An hour or so later she walked out the door and into a balmy San Francisco evening, very much relieved, but quite a bit poorer.  Ms. Stanton may have been a rebel in her youth, but she hadn’t come cheaply.
    She climbed in her blue convertible, tossed her purse on the passenger seat, and slid on a pair of sunglasses.  It looked like her brief, well-deserved idle was over.  She would have to start looking for work immediately.
     
    ************************************ **********************
     
    Mira came through the door, tossed her keys and bag on the coffee table, and collapsed onto the sofa.  Her first interview in over a month of searching, contacting, and sending out resumes to every architectural firm in the immediate area and even some a few hours’ drive away, and it had turned out like this.
    Sure the company had been impressed with her education and had gushed over her samples.  The woman interviewing her had seemed genuinely exited about adding her to the staff, especially since the company was fairly new and still trying to build a client base.  That and the fact that the place had been a little more than an hours drive outside of San Francisco were probably the only reasons she had even gotten an interview — the hiring manager hadn’t recognized her.
    Unfortunately, one of the other members of staff had and, after a whispered conference between the pair, she had been summarily sent on her way with a polite, “We’ll be in touch.”
    Of course they wouldn’t be.  The stellar reputation, which had once ensured her bigger and bigger projects and constant offers from companies trying to steal her away, was now shot.  No one wanted to come near her.
    She looked around her spacious living room — at the furniture she had carefully picked out and used a chunk of her savings to pay for, the pictures on the wall that she had spent years collecting.  She thought about the beautiful, expensive clothing that filled her walk-in closet upstairs and the credit cards she had stupidly used to buy some of the pieces , thinking she could pay the balances off when she got another raise.
    The car she was driving didn’t even belong to her.  She had leased it from a dealership just before the trouble started so that she could decide if she really wanted to buy a convertib le to go with the lifestyle she had been creating.   She had even spent months searching for her perfect hou se and had only signed the papers seven months ago.  She leaned back and r ubbed her tired eyes.  At least real estate in the area was moving pretty quickly .
    Because, i f something didn’t change quickly it would all have to go.  She could probably keep up with the bills for a few more months, but it would eat into the little she had in savings — money she might need to start