Stress. That's a word that many aren't prepared for when it really hits them. Funny thing is, life is full of it and yet, people aren't taught properly how to deal with stress. Some deal with it in unhealthy way; others do so by trying to be as healthy as possible.
Decisions always have consequences, much like a water drop making contact with a larger body of liquid. Ripples form where the impact was, spreading outwards until it cannot go any further. Stress pulls that droplet down, making those ripples. But how many of the ripples will actually do any good? How many of them will have a positive outcome? How many will have a negative one?

Valeria felt the sensation of falling right before her body jerked upward, waking her from her sudden descent into unconsciousness. The noise that berated her ears only belonged to one setting that she frequented, the subway. Children, parents, and all of those around and in between seemed to be trying to out scream each other. How Val was able to nod off was beyond her.

Pulling out her phone, her eyes darted across the screen briefly to see the time. She was exhausted from staying up late the night before. Val was never great at getting sleep before a big interview. It wasn't like many could blame her, though. She was in between jobs, in the big city, with rent due in two weeks. Her funds were running low and she needed any kind of job that was willing to help her hold her own.

Things grew very quiet, just as the subway's speakers began to boom with the usual voice's announcements. Her stop was coming up and she was going to have to force her way through the crowd in order to get out. Val hated crowds. She had no idea why she moved to the big city in the first place.

Oh yeah... A face that she had grown to know far too well appeared in her mind. Green eyes, brown hair, and an ego the size of the iceberg that the Titanic ran into.

Shaking away the bad memories before they tried to rear their ugly head, she stood just as the subway started to break and focused on the interview she was heading to. It was a nice office job that she wore a nice enough suit to. Hopefully, they weren't opposed to her black hair. Sure, it was tied back in a professional bun, but her mother liked to remind her that blondes tend to get more attention in those types of jobs. Val hoped that the older woman was just stereotyping... again.

Minutes passed and just Val was thinking about calling in sick already, she found herself in front of an impressive skyscraper. HammerTech was one of the fastest growing companies in the city, seeing as they had the best technological research in the local area. Seeing the massive building woke Valeria up. She was about to get the job of a lifetime. If she played her cards right, she would have enough money to buy the really nice meat at the grocery store down the street.

After wading through multiple customer service desks, Valeria found herself on the sixteenth floor. Large, glass windows surrounded all of the floors greater than four, allowing her a spectacular view... of more skyscrapers. The perks of being in the city was probably the shade the many buildings provided.

"Mr. Armstrong will see you now." The nice receptionist smiled at Valeria just as a couple of businessmen exited the office she had been "secretly" watching for the past few minutes. It was really her fault for being early, but the last time she had tried to be on time, her subway broke down and she had to walk. Yeah, you guessed it. She was late to that one and didn't get the job.

The men were in serious discussion as they were leaving. They were so serious, in fact, they didn't even notice Val as she approached the door. Bold, white letters read "Armstrong" on the glass door and she was only able to briefly read them before having to rush to grab the door handle again. Thankfully, she didn't look like a complete idiot since she grabbed it. Still, she mentally cursed the businessmen for not paying attention.

There was a small waiting room in between the office and the sixteenth floor's lobby. No light was on inside of the room, so Val could only make out the shapes of two couches and a table as she passed through it. On the other side of the room, there was another glass door. This time, there were no white letters. Instead, it looked like a holographic interface that showed where you needed to knock.

Valeria, unsure of how to work this thing, rapped lightly on the glass, only to hear bass from the inside of the office resonate in the same rhythm as her knock. That was... a little intimidating, to be honest. She, suddenly, realized that she didn't know what type of company she applied to in the first place. Rookie move, number one.

Suddenly, the door swung open and a short tune was heard. Thinking that it announced her arrival was allowed, she moved forward and looked around. Once she was inside of the office, the door swung closed behind her and another short tune was played. She now realized that the sounds were to announce that the door was open and/or closed. Still, it was better for her to step in when she did rather than wait like a rookie.

"Ms. Amell?" Valeria looked to where she heard her name. Large glass windows stared at her, this time showing her the outlook to the nearby reservoir. The cloudy day was not the best scenery, but it was better than looking at skyscrapers. Scanning a little more downward, she finally caught a glimpse of silver hair and a very impressive suit.

Just looking at the man made her subconscious whisper the words power and money into her ears. "Yes, sir," she finally answered. She probably looked like a dunce for not responding more quickly. Rookie move, number two.

"Please, have a seat." The man gestured to one of the two chairs in front of his desk. A smile pulled at the corner of his lips as he did so, allowing Val's anxiety to slowly loosen its hold on her. "Thank you," she stated before walking over to the closest chair. It was only after getting comfortable did she look at his eyes. They were a cold, green color. They weren't as inviting as his smile.

That's strange. I'm pretty sure that Violet said he had mix-matched eyes...

"I have to say, Ms. Amell, I am impressed." Valeria snapped out of her train of thought as he seemed to pay her a compliment. Trying to come across as confident and also questionable, she crossed one of her legs over the other, lifted an eyebrow, and gave a slight side smile. "Oh? Impressed by what?"

Lysander smiled again as he leaned back in his chair, his eyes looking over Val in an almost appraising manner. "For one, you are quite ordinary. You could meld completely into the work force." Was he complimenting your professional suit? The black and white was always a safety choice when it came to interviews. But if he liked it... "Thank you-"

"-if I was looking for a simple office girl. But Ms. Amell, do you think I'm looking for you to just punch in numbers into a computer?" Valeria was taken aback and before she could think on how to answer this, Lysander answered for her. "I'm not. I actually requested you out of everyone else for one purpose."

Valeria noted his eyes looking over a paper on his desk, one with her name across the top. It was no doubtedly her resume. But why would he choose her specifically? For what purpose if it wasn't for a traditional job? Did she not research this enough? Rookie movie, number three.

Wait... The job ad online had asked for data entry level office job applications. It didn't ask for anything else. What else could there possibly be?

"What... purpose would that be, sir?" There's nothing better than asking when it comes to getting answers.

Lysander smiled again before making his way around to her side of the desk. It wasn't a confident, friendly smile this time. It almost seemed nervous and... apologetic. That didn't make Val feel any better about this situation.

"I need you to be my housekeeper."