C6 The Mantra

ARIEL’S APARTMENT, NEW YORK.

Shutting her eyes tightly, Ariel tried to focus on her breathing while maintaining a balanced sitting position. However, the face of Ethan's grandson kept coming into her vision. She growled in frustration as her yoga got disrupted for the third time in a row. She has never felt so much anger towards a person before.

What irked her the most is how he had referred to her as a mere employee, and Ethan couldn't say anything to it. Instead, he had asked her to step out. Maybe she wasn't supposed to feel otherwise. But, somehow Ariel felt sidelined.

Sniffing, she lifted herself off the ground, giving up on the yoga. Heading to the kitchen, she brought out ingredients to make chicken and waffles for dinner. Ariel enjoys eating just as much as she enjoys cooking. Also, cooking feels therapeutic for her. It helps to clear her mind, especially on bad days like today.

Getting to work, she tried not to hate on Ethan's grandson. He would be her new boss, and it won't be nice to end up losing her job because she can't let down her ego. What she won't accept is to be disrespected, but she would try her best to create a balanced work relationship between them since they started on the wrong note.

The main door opening got her attention. Looking toward the direction, she almost burst into a fit of laughter at the sight of Nina.

"Why do you look like you have been struck by lightning?" She asked.

Nina glared at her, sitting on the couch. "Right, very funny."

"What happened? I thought you were heading out for a nice time with your boyfriend, Leo," Ariel mocked.

"It would be nice if you keep that mockery from your voice and act like you really care. That's what true friends do."

"Don't use that tone with me. It still won't save you from my wrath. You made me waste my time today and ended up jinxing the rest of my day."

Nina turned to her, "your day was ugly?"

"Yes," Ariel paused at the look in Nina's eyes. "Did your day go bad too?"

She nodded, teary-eyed. "Yes, and all I want to do is crawl under the bed and cry my eyes out."

"Hold on to that for a brief second. Let me get us some wine. It's not nice crying without wine." Hurrying through the kitchen, she grabbed a bottle and two glasses. Handing a filled glass to her friend, she settled on the couch opposite her. "Talk to me, what happened?"

"You first." Nina gestured.

"Well, I am angry at you for setting me up with that fake blonde called Nathan. The moron went further to enrage me when he tried to kiss me. I would have felt better returning to the office. Instead, I bumped into someone on my way, cursed out at him. Only to find out he is my boss's grandson."

Gasping, "you don't say? Dante is back?"

Ariel raised a brow, "I'm surprised you know his name."

Nina snorted, "Ethan mentions him every time. It's like a mantra for him."

"Yeah, that might be true. Anyways, I don't like him. He called me a mere employee."

"What? Has he lost his mind? Did you tell him that the company would be in shambles if you hadn't held it down when Ethan was terribly sick?"

"It's obvious he cares nothing about what I do. I'm still on their payroll, you know what, forget about me. What happened to you, and why do you look this tattered, and your hair all over the place?"

Nina gulped hard as the memories of the day came back to her, the tears she had been holding back fell uncontrollably. All day long she had felt guilty to face Ariel, knowing she had crossed the line by thinking her decision was better off than Ariel's resolution.

"I want to apologise to you, Ariel. I'm sorry for making it feel like you are crazy to want to remain a virgin."

Ariel shifted to the edge of the couch. "What's with all the touchy words? Did Leo do something wrong? I knew he wasn't worth anyone's two cents. What do you expect of a jobless thirty-five-year-old?"

"Ariel, please." Nina sniffed. "Turns out he has a baby mama and a girlfriend. I had taken an excuse from work to visit his home. Since he always said I couldn't visit him at night, we were in the middle of a loud sex when the door burst open, and two vicious women stormed in. They almost yanked my hair off."

Imagining the scene, Ariel felt the urge to laugh. However, the look on Nina's face made her rethink. "I'm really sorry about that, Nina. Did they leave any scars?"

"Can you not do this for tonight, please?" Nina pleaded, knowing what her friend could do.

Ariel couldn't hold back anymore as she laughed loudly, throwing herself on the floor. Holding her belly, she sat up. "How many times has it been, Nina? You always get beaten one way or the other. And this is because you hang around the wrongest of men."

"It isn't that bad!" She whined.

"My dear, it's bad if you keep getting in this sort of trouble. Aren't you scared you might end up getting poured acid, or kidnapped and thrown deep into the sea?"

She shivered, "your thoughts are dark. But I think I would stay away from men for the meantime."

"I'm glad you are thinking it through." She giggled.

"I hate you," Nina muttered, taking a sip of her wine. "So, tell me. How handsome is Dante?"

Ariel's face fell, "how do you switch from sad to nosy in a second?"

"Live life to the fullest, they say. Give me a perfect description of him."

Snorting, she stood up, returning to the kitchen. "You would be sad to know that I didn't check the arrogant buffoon out. But I guess he looks good."

"You know what? Don't worry, I will find out myself when I come around to the office."

"No, you won't!"

"Oh, yes I would. Just watch me."

Ariel groaned painfully, feeling sorry for herself. It's obvious there is no way she would escape Nina coming to the office. Her attention shifted to the message notification on her phone. It was from Ethan; the message was an apology for his grandson's behaviour toward her. A small smile played on her lips. Ethan does know how to make a human feel important. Her irritation and anger dissipated almost immediately.

She grinned widely at Nina, "you know what, knock yourself out. You can visit the office tomorrow. Ethan would love to see you."

Nina did a quick shoulder dance, and she let out her tongue at Ariel. It's not like she ever needed her permission. But it felt nice that she agreed to it. Ariel laughed at her childish act. Nina would never learn her lesson.