Chapter 4
1321 Words
It was very cold in the coffee shop but I couldn't really complain. I knew it was important for Arianna to be here so, if I had to pretend to enjoy the cold for a few minutes, so be it.
Looking at Arianna, I could tell that she wasn't a fan of the coffee shop either. This wasn't really her kind of vibe. She preferred the club, bars and generally places with loud noises and zero decorum. I don't think she has ever even been inside this coffee shop before because the drink they served us was so bland that none of us had touched it in the past minutes. We just sat there in awkward silence.
“So,” she tried to strike a conversation. “Nice coffee, am I right?” She said with the fakest smile I've ever seen.
“Right,” I lied too.
I could tell that she was uncomfortable and I knew why. Just the night before, her father had instructed her to send me out of the house even though she had promised to help me through my difficult times. She felt guilty for it even though it was never her fault.
“I know why you brought me here, I tried to interject.
“You do?” She was surprised.
“Yeah. I heard you and your dad talking last night,” I could feel a heavy weight lifted off her shoulders.
“Oh! My God. I'm so sorry you heard that,” she apologised. “I don't know what came over him. He wasn't always like that,” she said, her voice trailing off.
“Are you alright?” I asked.
“I think it's because of the issue he's been having with mom. They were even considering a divorce, can you imagine?”
“A divorce?” I thought. “I didn't know it was that bad,”
“So, I'm sure it had nothing to do with you. He just wanted to vent his frustration on someone,” she kept on explaining.
“But I'll keep talking to him,” she promised. “I promise, I'll do everything I can to make sure he takes you back,”
“How about you just let me talk to him?” I advised.
“What?” She asked.
“I think the whole thing is just one big misunderstanding,” I said. “If I talk to him, maybe he can see that I am not a bad person and change his mind on the matter,”
“You really think so?” She asked.
“Yes,” I answered.
“Oh! Thank God. Cause I really didn't want you to go live somewhere else when you could be with me,” she said. It was the sweetest thing she had said to me since I landed in New York.
“Me too,”
“Now let's pay this stupid coffee shop and get out of here,” she said as she stood up.
“The coffee is so horrible,” I finally said.
“I know, right?” She confessed. We stood up and left the coffee shop happily.
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I stood before my mirror, examining my look. I am not a makeup person. I haven't used one in a long time and I considered it a waste of my time. But tonight, I knew I had to leave an impression.
If Alan was going to help me, it wouldn't be because I was that sad girl he met at the bar. That pity party was over. It was going to be because he saw me as a professional. He has to know that I am serious about this.
The door opened and Arianna walked in. She was shocked to see dressed in a business suit and properly packed hair.
“Wow. You're really ready for this,” she said.
“Did you tell him?” I asked.
“Yeah. He's waiting for you in his study,” she replied. “Best of luck.”
**************************************************************
I opened the door and slowly walked inside. He was sitting there in his casual shirt. He looked different than the man I met the other night. Maybe it was because he wasn't putting up any pretences today.
“Come and have a seat,” he said. His tone was commanding, absent of any form of courtesy. He is the boss today and he knows it.
I walked forward and sat on a chair before him. He didn't even look up to acknowledge me.
“You said you wanted to see me,” he said.
“Do you recognize me?” I wasn't sure.
“Of course I do. We had a nice time at the hotel that day,” he said. His description of the night was awful, almost like it was casual for him. “You being my daughter's friend complicates things. I do not wish for this to drag longer than it already is,” then he brought out another envelope.
He was doing it again, treating me like some broke girl who only needed him for money.
“I didn't come here for your money,” I said. “I came here for an opportunity. I have a degree…” I tried to explain to him but he stopped me immediately.
“I can't work with you,” he concluded. “There's just too much history, I'm sorry. But it has to be a no for me,” he stretched his arm again, offering me the money for the last time. It would be impolite to just leave him hanging so I took it from his hand.
“That is 50,000,” he said. “I'm sure you can do something with your life with that.”
Then he stood up like he was done with the conversation.
“I'm sorry our chapter has to end like this,” he said. “Maybe sometimes in the future, we can meet again on neutral grounds and…”
He kept on giving his farewell speech but I knew I had to do something at that moment. Something. Anything. 50,000 dollars cannot pay a percentage of my family's debt. I cannot go back home like this.
“I'll tell your wife,” were the words that came out of my mouth. I didn't even know where the thoughts came from.
“What?” He turned back.
“I'll tell your wife what happened between us if you don't help me now,” his calm face immediately turned into a rage.
“You crazy woman,” he cursed.
“You can't just send me away. I need this more than you'll ever know,”
“You think you can manipulate me?” He said. “I was trying to help you…”
“No. You were trying to buy me off,” I cut him short. “Just like you tried to buy me off the other day too. I am not your p********e. I didn't come here looking for handouts. I have a degree. All I'm asking for is work,”
“You can't do anything,” he said. “You're just bluffing.”
“Oh! You think so?” I knew I had to intensify my threat now. No going back. “I know she's already on the verge of divorcing you. What do you think will happen if she found out about this?”
He was shocked. Even I didn't know I could be this cruel and to my surprise, it was working. He was reconsidering everything he said. He paced angrily around the room, then turned to me with a crazy rage.
“I'm just going to ask you this once so choose your words carefully,” he said, moving closer to me. I was so scared, I started moving backwards too.
“What do you want?!” He finally asked.
- Writer
