Carters Redemption

As the blaring sound pierced through the tranquility of her bedroom, Alexa Allen, feeling a sense of reluctance, slowly and delicately opened her eyes. Her teeth lightly clenched in mild displeasure as she extended her hand in a tired haze, attempting to locate her phone. The remnants of sleep clung to her eyes, obscuring her vision like the wisps of clouds after a refreshing rainstorm.

The preceding night had been consumed by an arduous research project, one that her employer had entrusted to her for approval in the early hours of the morning.

The project revolved around the intricate details of an agreement her business had recently forged with a burgeoning corporation that was rapidly gaining prominence within the nation. Alexa was tasked with her part of the presentation and the imminent meetings with the esteemed board of directors scheduled for ten o'clock in the morning.

Engrossed in her responsibilities, she had dedicated the majority of the night to the project, with her sole companions being numerous mugs of coffee that fueled her concentration and the soft murmur of hushed voices emanating from the television, serving as a comforting backdrop to her solitary efforts.

With a groan escaping her lips, Alexa finally managed to lift her phone from its resting place and glided her index finger wearily across the screen, all while stifling a tired yawn. Her other hand instinctively sought solace in her luscious honey pecan-colored hair, providing a brief respite from the demands of the early morning.

"Hello?" she greeted, her voice tinged with remnants of sleepiness, betraying her exhaustion.

"Someone is still embracing the realm of slumber," her younger brother, Andrew, muttered lazily from the other end of the line.

The clarity in his voice hinted that he had risen from his own restful state earlier than the time of his call, a fact easily deduced by Alexa. As usual, Andrew should be at his workplace or on his way already.

"Good morning Drew." She yawned again.

"Morning. How are you and my angel doing?" "Very well. Your call woke me just now and

I'll check on her when I drop the call." She tried to keep the irritation in her tone at bay,

wondering why he called.

"Someone is eager to hang up." He spoke teasingly.

Irritation easily seeped into Alexa and she desperately hoped she wouldn't have to lash out at someone so early in the morning. She was sometimes a morning person. That is, whenever she had a good sleep.

"And someone is eager to get cut off the phone if he doesn't have any valuable reason

for calling so early. Why did you call?" She spoke through gritted teeth.

He couldn't have possibly called her at such an early hour of the day just to say nothing important. It was just too early.

"Okay, I'll let you know why I called." He added quickly with a light laugh.