CHAPTER 5

Chapter 5

“Emily…you’re still sleeping? c’mon wake up!” Ruby scowled as she attempted to drag her best friend out of the bed

Slowly, as if lifeless, Emily opened her eyes. She lay in the bed motionless, inhaling the fresh scents of baked treats, she squinted her eyes, trying to make the time out of the wall clock that hung just above the board nailed into the brick building. It was 12 pm

She gasped, “How could I have been in bed for so long? Ugh…my head aches so badly” as she palmed her face with one hand, rubbing her forehead with the other.

“Well, we both slept quite late you know…and besides I figured you must have been so tired, I was hesitant to wake you up at first,” Ruby said, handing her a cup of water before turning her direction to the kitchen 

“I can’t believe I have wasted most of the day already” Emily shrugged. She got up from her comfort duvet and walked into the bathroom, a few minutes later she emerged, water dripping from her delicate skin as she flawlessly dapped the towel over her body.

“Why don’t we go to the café down the street, it might do us some good,” Emily suggested, with a little mischief in her voice

“And I would be able to fill in my participation form for the Magazine cover shoot, their wi-fi is always available.”

 "You mean the one for The  Chique magazine?" Ruby asked,her eyes glistening with excitement for her friend 

“Sure, I’ll just change my slippers and you get ready, yeah?…” 

The city’s biggest magazine company, The Chique, selected Emily as one of the models for their cover up photo shoot and she was super excited about it when she got the letter,now that she had graduated she has a lot of time for it. The first step to building her career dream

Within a short period of minutes, Emily was ready, dressed up in an elegant floral print dress, running down to her knee. She tied her hair in a messy bun and accompanied her dress with a necklace pendant her father gave her when she turned 18. She packed her laptop into her arm bag, took a few necessities, and headed downstairs, to meet Ruby in her car.

Ryan arrived at the Company’s headquarters exactly 30 minutes after the call with Zak. The eight -story building stood tall and elegant, with marble finishing and bright light spelling out the name in bold and designed letters.

The interior of the building was a marvelous art. The spacious area was brightened in warm, natural light pouring in through the glassy floor-to-ceiling windows, showcasing the stunning city skyline. The floors were made of polished marble, glistening underfoot, and a modern-automatic  chandelier hung from the high roof.

He walked to the black reception desk curved like a crescent moon, behind it sat the receptionist 

“Good morning, Mr. Ross” she greeted with a nod, her voice calm and happy. "You have a meeting with the board of directors and they’re already gathered in the conference room."

Ryan nodded curtly and responded “Victoria”

his eyes scanning the papers scattered on the desk.

He turned around and made his way to the elevator,still thinking about his grandfather’s threat.Ryan's palms clenched into a fist. "I'm ready for them."

He marched towards the conference room, his footsteps echoing off the marble floors. The door opened with a weak push, he scanned the faces of his board of directors before moving over to his seat,right beside Zak.

With a nod,he greeted all of them sitted,his face blank,showing his seriousness as he knew it was time for business-and he was very serious about his business.

The meeting ended in less than 30 minutes and his mind was now focused on changing his grandfather’s mind-or so he thought.

His phone kept buzzing,it was a call from her. Stacia. He was already tired and wanted to discard her,to him she was just another glorified sex-patner,she enjoyed basking in his fame and was wanting more,more than she could handle.But everyone knew Ryan was just a playboy.

“Hello”Ryan answered the call,annoyance written all over his face,as he strode into his chair.

“Ryan,baby! I miss you!And I know you miss me.Anyways, I’m driving over to your office yeah, I want to see you!”

“I’m heading out…I’m having lunch with someone,I’ll let you know when I can meet you…understood” Ryan sighed as he tried to pacify her. 

“Okay,fine!”

She knows she had no choice but to obey him,and that made him all much happier. He had power over her and he was gonna keep it that way for as long as he wanted to .

Inside the café, the aroma of roasted coffee beans surrounded them,the soft hum of conversations created a cozy atmosphere.

 They settled into a quiet corner, surrounded by exotic and plush armchairs and vintage bookshelves.

“I’ll have a latte please,less sugar and some brownies”Emily placed her order,her back to the barista while her fingers run through her hair she closed the menu and handed it to Ruby

“I’ll have some expresso too” Ruby requested

"How's the form coming along?" Ruby asked, leaning in, her voice dripping with a mix of curiosity and excitement.

Emily looked up, and smiled. "Almost done. Just need to add a few more details..."

“Em! I have to tell you something tho, it's related to my internship” Ruby spoke up  after Emily closed her laptop, her hands rubbing the tip of her cup. 

“Okay..what’s it about?”Emily asked,wondering what she might be talking about.

“ I was assigned to the branch at New York, so I have to go there…. Will you be fine without me?”

Ruby mumbled, reaching out for Emily’s hands into hers, she tried to pacify her bestfriend more

“ I’ll always check up on you,I’ll call,I’ll text,FaceTime…everything okay. I’m going to miss you so much”

Emily raised an eyebrow,not knowing how to react to this,as much as she was happy for her bestfriend she wasn’t prepared of having to live without her,

but she had no choice

“I’m happy for you,okay… and don’t worry, I’ll be just fine till you come back okay”She let out a smile as her eyes lit with excitement for her friend 

“As long as you promise to call me everyday,besides,When are you leaving?”

“Oh that would be in three days time. I only found out later from an email earlier today. So I will be moving out next week” Ruby replied,letting out a sigh.

After his call with Stacia, Ryan  got a text message from his grandfather “The Coco de plui Café,in twenty minutes,I’m already there” he decided to give it another try and buy himself some more time concerning their marriage discussions,he picked up his phone and headed out of the company,hopeful that his grandfather would try to give him some time because he has no interest in getting a wife soon..at least not yet.

 As he walked in, he spotted Alfred already seated at his usual spot by the window, where he could see the street in clear view,a round cozy table with fluffy chairs sipping on a cup of coffee.

As he got closer he noticed his grandfather sitting with someone. A woman. “what could be going on?

Who was she? And why didn’t Grandpa tell me we had company”