Loop-sided ~ Ink Well Prompt #94

There was never a time she smiled. That singular attitude had cost her her entire career. Belinda craved to have a great shopping mall. Her mother, Debbyrose made sure he started a small business. She started with a provision stall and then the business grew until every necessary household item was part of the commodities she sold.

Andrea Piacquadio

After her retirement, Debbyrose gathered all her gratuity and invested it in the business then called Belinda to manage the mall while she supervises the accounts.

Shoprite became a popular shopping mall in the entire city. Belinda had built it so much that even heavy-duty machines are part of what they sell.

As an engineer, Belinda had hoped that upon her graduation, she would work in a firm where automobiles are being designed but she is managing a shopping mall.

After the first year of Belinda's resumption as the manager of Shoprite, she was glad that she had made so much progress and recorded so many profits.

I wouldn't have made such progress had I ventured into engineering.

Belinda having a chat with her boyfriend, Max.
They have been together for over three years. Every other year, they would nurse one grudge or the other until a whole year is gone. In the current year, Max had told Belinda that she always wears a frown on her face whenever she appears.

Belinda felt that she was her best self every day. She gave everyone attention but they feared her because of her looks. From a distance, no one would know that she is a very simple person because she hardly smiles.

In her fourth year as the head of Shoprite, she called for a staff meeting, which was to give a surprise to the staff. Every December, the staff was treated to a dinner. They would wear very beautiful clothes as the management of the mall would invite a guest musician. It was one event every staff member had looked forward to.

When the staff meeting started, all staff were not expecting much because of the usual frown that Belinda always carried on her face. While Peterson thought that it would be to assign people to different positions, Adiele was indifferent. He thought that a new manager was going to be introduced. However, they all had wrong assumptions.

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

Belinda calmly said as she started the meeting.

Happy new month to you all.

She sounds happy today, all the staff thought, and in reply, they said:

Same to you ma'am.

The whole place went silent again. Despite that she smiled a little this morning, the staff were all waiting to hear the sledgehammer point she had come with.

You know, every December, to mark the end of the business year, we celebrate with a dinner party. That has to stop forthwith.

Peterson, from a distance, looked at Adiele. In their minds, they were saying that they knew something wrong was with what Belinda would be bringing to the table.

This year, we shall be having a cruise party. You are all allowed to bring your spouse and any two other persons.

The cheering in the room became so wild. This was never what they bargained for, especially with the heavy frown that Belinda would always appear on. A cruise party to make the end of the year will make sense.

This is not happening in our time.

Adele said as he smiled at Peterson, he wasn't sure whether to laugh or to just look away because all that people had said about Belinda is not what they have suffered, having worked closer to her.

cottonbro

Yes. It is true that appearance shows the manner but some appearances may not depict the true picture of the person we thought they are, just like in the case of Belinda.