Love is Like A For*bid*den Fruit

Chapter 5

Elena’s Point of View

“Listen Elena, I know that you are not a little child anymore and I’m sorry for snapping at you. It’s just that, Aunt Irene called me today morning informing me about the most disturbing news of all the times. Turns out that wit ch in our family Tabitha has successfully pocketed a billionaire playboy widower. Looks like they both are in so much love and are getting married coming Friday in some chapel around here".

"She asked me to help her with the flower decorations. That is the only reason that she contacted me, or else you know about how they are with our family. I have to arrange for the lilies, as she has particularly asked for lilies as the flowers of decoration for the marriage. I am in such a foul mood from the time I received the news. Yes , I'm happy that I got some business to take care of, but Tabitha marrying again, I mean like for the 4th time? Seriously what is wrong with her. I guess she did see his money and nothing else and that man might have needed a trophy wife", she continued.

"You know that wi tch Tabitha is nothing but plastics from head to toe. Anyways, I need your help in the arrangement of flowers and also with the decorations. I have asked Sebastian to help with the flower delivery. Look at me blabbering my issues with you. Fine. Go home and rest, because sweetheart you do look like a zombie” my mom stopped speaking and shooed me away to the house.

What? I mean seriously? Aunt Tabitha is marrying again, and the groom is a billionaire widower. Oh God, where has the world headed towards these days? It was really disturbing news and I shook my head both the sides and left towards the home.

Little did I know that I will be meeting someone, not only just meeting, but will also be getting related to someone, I least expected to become related to, because of the wedding. 

After a few minutes, my mom came inside the house and started calling her friends who were also the flower vendors and asked for the availability of the stock of the lilies with them. After 10 to 15 phone calls, she successfully obtained enough quantity of lilies as required for the complete decoration of the chapel. Somehow she managed to get enough flowers and they will be delivered a day before the wedding arrangements. Everything was set. The time was around 8pm and we thought of having dinner and getting to sleep, as I was really tired because of my clubbing night with Nicole. 

“Mom, prepare your famous spaghetti with meatballs. I'm so craving it. Please mom”, I went towards the kitchen and hugged her from behind. She held my hand from the front and turned her head to look at me. I gently placed my head on her left shoulder, as we both were of the same height. She gently slapped my left cheek with her left hand and let go of my hand and removed herself from my embrace.

“Keep water for boiling and keep it in low flame. I will get freshened up and will come and prepare your favorite spaghetti with meatballs. Remove meatballs from the fridge and keep some to boil separately”, she instructed and left towards the washroom. I did as she instructed and went towards the dining area and sat there.

I checked for the mails from the office and saw that there were some mails from Rachael. I opened them and went through them and they were mostly about the results of our current experiments and some instructions for me to follow, as soon as I reach the lab tomorrow. I started going through them. I starred the mails and left towards the room so as to pen down all instructions as suggested by Mrs. Stiff in my lab notebook. 

I was trying to understand what she was saying, and was making notes as I saw fit and that was when I heard my mom calling. 

“Elena, come down dear. The dinner is ready”, I left towards the dining area and had a plateful of my favorite dish and ate till I couldn't handle eating anymore. I said my thanks for the meal to my mom, and left towards my room. I was very much tired and didn't take much time to drift off to the dreamland.

I woke up somewhere in the middle of the night and checked the time. It was 4am on a Wednesday morning. Oh God. I slept in the afternoon and I’m wide awake now. I just twisted and turned and tried different positions to get the sleep, but in vain. I then sat up and checked my mobile and saw that there were some messages and mails and some such notifications. I started going through each one and found Nicole’s message also. 

“How are you doing now Elena? Hope you are not too hungover. I’m feeling like throwing up every now and then. I'm never ever going to get drunk again. Don't know what had come over me yesterday?” read her message.

I laughed and replied, “I'm doing fine dear. I'm replying now because I just checked your message. I think you are sleeping now. Anyways, let's meet up tomorrow and talk to our heart’s content. I will hold onto your word of not drinking ever again. Ha ha ha”.

I was just browsing through the mails and messages and that was when a thought came into my mind. I hesitated for a while and somehow managed to build up some courage and proceed with doing what I had planned. I went towards my table and switched on the laptop. I typed in the words “CEO of Strauss Pharmaceuticals” in the search tab available in google. I somehow managed to press the enter button and the page took a while to load. The page starts loading and that was when I saw his images in the whole page.

Thomas Strauss, CEO of Strauss Pharmaceuticals, was shaking hands with some foreign delegates somewhere, was posing for the camera in some social event, he was in some woman’s arms in one photo, which made me feel a bit of different feeling and the list of the images went on and on. I started scrolling down and found one photo where he was getting down from his private jet and was looking more or less like a God on earth. The picture was taken in a close up and I could see every muscle flex in his face. The picture was of his face and torso and he was talking on the phone with someone. I couldn't see his green eyes, as they were hidden behind his shades.

I, for a minute, felt like he might be speaking to his girl, whom I saw in one of the photos. A sense of hurt flashed in my heart, but it was gone in the fraction of seconds. What is wrong with me? I exited the tab and switched off the laptop and went towards my bed. I couldn't drift off to sleep so easily. I once again twisted and turned and tried different sleeping positions, but couldn’t get to sleep. I thought about the day’s events and that was when it hit me.

I was looking like a drunk mess yesterday morning in the lab when he visited at that time. Oh crap. I don't know what he thinks of me. Looking at me like that, he might have thought that I go to work drunk or hungover most of the time. Oh No. He is my CEO and he can fire me, if he thinks what I think he thinks about me. Great. Now I have to look for another job. I don't want to look for another job as I love my work here and also I love working with Rachael. I am all set in my career and now I have to look for another job. No please God. I guess he might have already informed Mr. Smith not to keep a drunk mess like me, and I might get the mail in the lab today regarding me getting fired from the job.

If at all I’m fired, then I will help mom with her wedding assignment of aunt Tabitha, and I will start searching for the job again. Today is Wednesday and I have two more days to work on the wedding arrangements, I will take the rest of the week off and will start job searching from Monday. I went with the train of thoughts as they went on and I didn't know when I drifted off to sleep.

I woke up and saw that the time was as usual 7am. I got up and completed my morning chores and took a shower. I was feeling fresh and something flashed in my mind. I thought for a while and realized that it was the photo of Thomas that I saw today morning on my laptop. I shook my head and moved towards my wardrobe and removed a black leather pencil skirt, red button down with full arm sleeves. I neatly tucked my button down shirt inside the skirt and let a little bit flow on either side. I tied my hair in a messy bun and went towards the dining area.

My mom had prepared a light breakfast, some bread toast and omelet and bacon fries. A glass of mango juice was also placed next to the plate. I read a note next to the plate from my mom. “Elena, I have some flower deliveries to collect. I am in my shop. Have food before going to the office. Don't go without having anything. Love you my dear”, read the note. I took it and threw it in the dustbin and had my food and drank the juice and left towards my room. I took my bag and left towards the office. I knew that I will get a mail from Mr. Smith, from the company's email portal, regarding the fact that I have been fired from the job. I went into the lab with my head held high and started my day’s work, as suggested by Rachael.

Rachael came in and I greeted her. She came towards my station and checked the progress of the work that I was doing. She patted my back and went to do her work. I continued preparing everything as she had suggested and was working on our procedures, when someone came and asked for both me and Rachael to meet our manager. I felt like my heart was thumping so hard that it would surely blast into a thousand pieces or would jump out of my body. I gave a nervous smile to Rachael and she looked at me confusingly.

“Elena dear, what happened. Why are you looking so nervous today?” asked Rachael, and I didn't have any answers for her. She held my hand and took me out towards our manager’s cabin. She shook me gently, when she was sure that there was no one around us.

“Elene. What happened? Did you do something wrong that I should know about? Tell me girl” she insisted.

Tears started rolling down my eyes, as I didn't know how to tell her what I was feeling at the moment. I mean, I loved my internship and the pay was very good. The important part was that I loved my work under Rachael and the experiments that we were currently working on. I looked at her with my sorrow filled eyes and didn't know how to tell her that my work here will be done today, at this very moment.