Just Like Work

Chapter 8. The Text

The hospital room was a cocoon of muted tones , the air heavy with the scent of antiseptic and the hushed murmur of medical equipment attached to Maria’s mother . Fluorescent lights cast a cold glow that seemed to drain the room of its color , which wasn’t something too lively anyway , leaving only shadows that danced along the edges of the walls . Maria had fallen asleep while sitting on another bed beside her mother , her tired eyes had fixed on the frail figure lying before her .

Her mother’s breathing was ragged , a reminder of the fragility of life . Despite the bitterness that had woven itself into their relationship over the years , the verbal barbs and harsh words that had been flung at her felt like a distant echo , all appeared to be muted by the severity of the situation .

With a sigh , Maria stretched her legs in sleep , adjusting to the full size of the bed . Even in sleep , exhaustion etched lines of weariness on her face , eyes heaving with the last day’s events .

DING !

Her phone vibrated in the pocket of her trousers , startling her out of her reverie . She got up instantly , looking around in panic . But she settled down quickly once she saw her mother sleeping like she did hours ago . Rubbing one eye , she pulled her phone out , her brows knitting together as she read the enigmatic message – “Hospital aurelius”

Regardless of the text being too short to miss anything , she read it again . The absence of a sender’s name or any context only added to the unease that churned in her stomach . She glanced at her mother , who was still sleeping fitfully , before slipping out of the room .

The hospital corridor was a monotonous expanse , the walls lined with informational charts and faded paintings that seemed to mirror the bleakness of the environment . Maria leaned against the cool wall , her fingers tapping against her phone as she tried to make sense of the message . Her heart raced , and a sense of foreboding settled over her like a shroud .

It was early in the morning , the world was still enveloped in the beautiful colors of blue and red . Maria looked outside and let out a defeated sigh , “It’s too early for anything , God !” Her tone was soft but accusing as her mind raced through the list of possible explanations for the cryptic message . A shiver of anxiety skittered down her spine , her thoughts circled back to Aurelius and Anthony .

"How did I forget about him?" she scoffed , her exhaustion more emotional than physical . The weight of the last few days had left her drained , and the mystery of the message only added to her exhaustion . She wished she could confide in someone , but it was all too much information to dump onto someone . She had thought of talking to Peach , but she would only get anxious on her behalf , plus she was still recovering from the shootout incident .

Maria drew a long breath but was more alarmed instead of relaxed . It was because of the unusual smell , other than the antiseptic , sickness and death . It was out of place , “It can’t be … Sh*t !”

The dim lighting of the corridor cast a silhouette against the backdrop of the outside world , a figure stepped into view , and Maria froze .

Anthony stood at the corridor’s entrance , his presence commanding even in the subdued lighting . The air seemed to shift around him , an invisible current of authority that held the promise of dangerous secrets . His dark gaze met hers as he stepped closer to Maria , a tension that mirrored her own played the depth of his eyes .

Shocked , Maria’s fingers tightened around her phone , her unease momentarily tempered by the knowledge that it was definitely him who had texted her . But then annoyance took over , and she reached him first , her steps steady despite the storms of emotions that raged within her .

“What are you doing here ?” Her voice was low , a mixture of curiosity and guarded suspicion . The bold look in her eyes held him hostage , while she stood blocking his path .

Anthony’s lips quirked into a half-smile , his gaze unwavering as he answered , “You didn’t answer .”

“Answer what ?” She spat .

“Hospital or Aurelius ?” his habit of talking in a gentle and calm voice wasn’t alarming , but the echo was surely unmissable . He stretched his back and placed his hands inside his pockets . “So , Hospital it is .”

Maria rolled her eyes , and her annoyance was slowly heading towards anger , “People answer to QUESTIONS not codes . Do you even know how to text ?”

A sliver of unease drifted through his features , he turned his gaze away from Maria , his mouth opening to say something before she cut him off .

Letting her irritation come out bluntly in her words , “What do you want now ? The "finest" bed or a spot in the morgue …”

It was new for him to witness her annoyingly distressed in front of him . He had sensed her fierceness , but it was a whole new experience to witness it . His tall figure inched closer , “You wish to see me in bed ?”

"Now he can talk in full sentences…" Maria glared at him . “I wish not to see you AT ALL .” Her anger calmed down a bit .

He almost smiled at her snarky remark , he was amused . “Shouldn’t you be scared ?”

Maria bit her inner cheek , she was afraid for her future as well as that man but she was closing near the edge . “Would that make you go away ?” Her voice was firm , and her eyes didn’t budge from him . She knew she might end up regretting her boldness , but the arrow was out now . Shying away was out of option .

Amusement took over his sharp features , A dark brow arched as he said , “This isn’t going to work either .”

“Then what will ? Tell me what you want and just let me be .” To mask her restlessness , she folded her hands over her chest . Waiting for his answer , her fingers tightly gripped her phone .

Anthony had anticipated this sort of conversation between them somewhere down the line , but not so soon , he could see she was restless as well as relentless . He watched her , her vulnerability that she was trying so hard to protect . She was ready to fight , a force to be reckoned with .

RING ! RING !

In the flash of a second , Maria’s expression changed . Surprised , she picked up the call , the corner of her eyes still on Anthony . “Som … Yes ?”

“No don’t . I will go ,” She talked in a hushed tone , not revealing who it was .

Anthony observed her , closely . Her voice lacked any emotion , not revealing who was at the other end . She mainly answered 'yes' or 'no' or a ‘hmm’ . It was a quick call and ended within a minute .

Maria clutched then un-clutched her fingers as she thought .

“You want me to leave ?” His voice echoed in the quiet corridor of the dull hospital .

"YES . DEFINITELY YES ." She had the answer on the tip of her tongue , but wasn’t sure if he would actually leave or do the exact opposite .

‘He doesn’t appear to give two sh*ts about not being a di*k so early in the morning .’ She couldn’t risk challenging his ego , she had seen sh*tty men do big damages for far less if it questioned their fragile masculinity .

As if he had understood her hesitation , “See you at Aurelius .” He said and turned to leave , actually leave .

“Well … Just like that ?” Still unsure , Maria waited a few more minutes to ensure he had actually left and not just gave her false hope to stomp on it . Once checking around the corridors that he was really gone , she took a mental note to not try being this snarky with him again , fearing it might make things worse for her . “He might actually make his motto to ruin my mornings like this , Fu*king Dipsh*t .”

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A taxi stopped outside the tall shiny building in the very posh area of the city , the marketplace for the rich and wealthy . Maria hopped off , rushing inside as she took out her ID card from her handbag along with a small square box .

The Aurelius , a luxury one-stop store that occupied three floors of the building . The store sold clothes and shoes mainly , but it also had all the other accessories and add-ons to go with the looks . Anything to please the rich .

The store was so bright with lights that everything in the store appeared expensive by a few thousand despite every item in that store already being an expensive piece from some limited collection .

Designer interior decors , white couch , furry cushions in the lounge , and outside the dressing room , minimalistic themed lamps and tables from the best interior designers , fancy plants , and painting . The decorations alone cost tens of millions , not to mention the upgradation of the store as per the season and the latest trends . They had separate staff dressed in different uniforms for serving snacks and beverages ... That alone said a lot about what kind of place it was .

Maria stopped at the door with a ‘staff only’ sign and swiped her card , then wore it around her neck , relaxed her shoulders , straightened her back , and walked in looking poised and elegant . Her left-hand ring finger now had a diamond ring , a trick she used to shut down any unwanted attention from male clients or even colleagues without putting in much effort . It most probably wouldn’t have worked for Anthony , but it worked well enough for others .

She stopped in her tracks , “Maybe it can work …” She rubbed her ring as she thought . It wasn’t just the ring , but she had also told her colleagues a story to go along with her ring .

At her workplace , she was engaged to her college friend who worked at an MNC in another state . And in addition to that , she had also made an impression that she belonged to a typical middle-class family , which was far away from reality .

She had spun a lot of stories to make an impression at work , to make her professional life easy , given that there wasn’t much she could do about her personal life .

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At work , things were smooth for most of the day outside of Maria being exhausted from not getting enough sleep last night and then Anthony’s surprise visit so early in the morning plus the possibility of him showing up at her store anytime was draining her .

“It would have been better if he had died that day ,” Maria grumbled under her breath while waiting at her assigned section for the day .

RING ! RING ! RING !

The intercom rang pulling her out of her cursing session . It was from the manager’s cabin .

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“Sir ?” Maria knocked on the door .

“Ms. Maria , come in .” Parth welcomed her with a smile .

He was concerned about her well-being since she looked ‘upset’ to him .

“Actually , I wanted to apologize . You were right . That Anthony guy was suspicious .” Parth said to Maria , his ever-bright eyes sank to the floor .

“It’s alright . We couldn’t have thrown him out , could we ?” Maria said , raising an eyebrow . It was nice to have someone to complain to .

“I am sorry for pressuring you into attending him .” He pulled on his earlobes . “I have informed the staff to report to me if he ever comes back .”

Maria’s heart fluttered , and she almost blushed . “It sounds good .”

Her fingers itched to fiddle . ‘Not like we’ll be able to stop him . But … still , he is too sweet for trying .’

Parth gave a side smile hearing her soft tone , his downturned lips found their way upwards to form a smile . “I almost thought you could smile .”

"I do smile , sir ." She acted unfazed as she averted her eyes from his charming smile . “Cute … as always .”

He was trying to catch her smiling when his eyes fell on her ring , his smile faded in an instant under the tiny shining stones of her ring . “I didn’t see the ring before . a piece of jewelry or you ... are you engaged ?”

“Sh*t .” Maria’s shoulders stiffened as she fiddled with her ring . “What does it look like ?” she hadn’t thought about the ring working on her college crush as well .

“It was at the cleaner’s .” It would have been a stupid move to throw away her made-up boyfriend of 4 years for a few hours of ‘acquaintance’ . It would have either made her look desperate or unfaithful and she hated both options .

“It looks pretty .” His voice lacked sincerity as did his smile which spread across his face like a ghost from the past . “He is one lucky man .”

“Thanks …” Her old flame was warming up . She again considered if she should let him know that the ring was just to keep clingy men away , “Nope . It isn’t necessary . Not yet .” Her rationality made the decision for her fluttering heart .

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