Chapter two.

*

Aria inhaled deeply through her nostrils and exhaled slowly as she stood contemplating her next move that morning.

It was just 9am at the office and she was ready to go in and see her boss with her letter grasped firmly in one hand._only problem? She was starting to over think everything!

Damn!

Putting in the resignation letter turned out to be a lot more difficult than she had previously imagined it to be. She thought all she needed to do was go and slam it on his desk and walk out with her head held high but easily said than done right? So there she was pacing back and forth in total anxiety.

Earlier at her house, she was confidently rehearsing the line she had come up with over and over again while looking at her expression in the mirror but now that the only thing standing between her and her boss was the glass door and her sudden development of cold feet.

Huff!

Another five more minutes and she was in and standing before her boss while taking another puff of breath to calm her racing heart. Her boss, Mr Frank Okoji was in his usual position and looking as elegant as always. He raised a brow at her direction, wondering what she could be up to just standing there.

"Good morning sir" said Aria with her usual composed voice.

"Good morning miss Davis. What can I do for you today?" He continued to stare at her but she said nothing but instead,  gave the envelope in her hand another gentle squeeze.

"Are you okay? You look tense!" He asked still staring at her.

"I'm fine. I just came in to hand this in personally before leaving" she took a step forward and reached out with the envelope but he made no attempt to grab it from her outstretched hand.

He looked skeptical.

" What is that if I many ask?"

Aria hesitated for a moment before answering. "It's my resignation letter. Am leaving the company"

"What do you mean, you are leaving the company and for Christ sake, who said you can just resign because I don't remember asking for that thing in your hand! So do you mind explaining?" Mr Frank had half yelled and asked at the same time.

"No one  asked me to leave. It was my own decision to do so and I will ask that you respect that and grant me this request by approving it"

He only scoffed at her reply before leaning back against his headrest. He also seemed to be studying her with intense expression.

"I see that you are not aware of the company's policy do you miss Davis?" He asked her with a raised brow.

Aria only shook her head in reply before saying. "I'm not even aware we have one that is directly tied to an employee resignation"

"Well, now you do and it states that, any employee who wishes to resign from the company for whatever reason other than be told to do so will first and fore most have to submit a three months notice prior to their time of leaving and you haven't done that"

Aria was quiet for a moment as she stood raking her brain, trying to process the information she has just been bombarded with. She couldn't even recall anyone giving  her a written or verbal information stating such policy because in all her six years of working as a staff in that company, she hasn't come in contact with such.

Unless he was making it up to keep her from leaving she thought in sheer realization.

"How come I was not aware of this so called policy until now?"

"That's because you didn't mention in your résumé that you would wake up one day and decide it's okay to just walk out of the company after everything it has given you" he said matter of fact-ly.

For a moment there, Aria almost felt bad about wanting to quit her job. That very company has been nothing but good to her over the years and it will be a real shame to leave them without a tangible reason other than her desire to step out of her comfort zone and live a little.

Was that too much to ask for? But then again, her mind was already made up and it was not a question of indecision plugging her mind at this point.

'What if you are making the biggest mistake of your life?' Her subconscious had challenged her for the last time but she brushed it aside just as quickly as it had appeared on her mind.

She squared her shoulders and scoffed mentally at the thought itself.

Her boss noticed the scoff expression on her face and wondered if it was directed at him or the fact that she was having an internal battle within herself. Whatever it was, he wanted to find out as he leaned across his desk still studying her reaction.

He wasn't about to let her get away with a felony against his company. Frank Okoji was a man whose intuitive nature had helped him out of a lot of financial potholes. At thirty five, he was already a force to reckon with_succeeding his late father as the CEO and raising it from the ashes of bankruptcy with the help of his ever ready assistant who also happened to be none other than Aria herself.

He has always counted on her efficiency at every turn with confidential information and now she was suddenly on the verge of walking out of his company just like that? This must be the working of his rival company since they can't bring him down.

"How much are they offering you to leave us?" He blurted out the question at her.

That question came as a shocker as Aria could only stare back at him in disbelief.

"Excuse me, what?"

"You heard me. How much are they offering you to switch over to their side. Tell me and I will double the amount for you"

Aria couldn't believe her ears a she stood gapping at him. Was he in anyway implying that she has been bribed by some God knows  what company in order for her to betray him? Because that would be total absurdity. The fact that he could think that way about her, annoys her to no end.

She took a step closer to his desk and placed both palms against his desk with her eyes in the same level as his.

"I don't know where you got that absurd idea from but I'd like you to understand that, this is all me and no one is paying me to do otherwise" she took a short thoughtful pause for her word to sink in.

"You too can testify to this  very fact. Six years is not six months and I have a clean record to back that up so you tell me if am capable of betraying you or not" Aria had ended with a smirk that was barely noticed, seeing how much of a fight was left in his features.

In as much as he would have loved to argue with all she had said, he knew she was right. Aria was not that type of person. He was just hurt she was leaving without any tangible reason.

He picked up the letter lying against his desk and read through it before placing it back into the little envelope housing it a while ago.

"Alright then, am going to take this as you being foolish and in need of a break so take a month off if you want and after that time elapses and you still want to leave then I will gladly sign it".

"That won't be necessary because my mind is already made up"

She took a puff of breath and took a step back .  After realizing that her mind was already made up, he resulted to asking her a less complicated question.

"I see, so what kind of life will you have after you leave here. A fulfilled jobless life or there is something else you want to share with me"

"Let  me worry about that sir and just for the record, there is much more to life than work work work and work and as long as you are seated in that comfortable chair of yours, I doubt you will will ever understand. And as for the documents I was handling. I already had them placed in the top shelf drawer and even brief your secretary as well just in case you need some form of assistant" she ended with a sweet little smile.

"I will take my leave now" she didn't even make it to the door before his voice stopped her midway.

Frank Okoji got up in all his seven feet glory and walked over to where she stood staring back at him.

"So you are really leaving?" His voice barely audible as he stood only a breath away from her face.

Frank was standing too close for comfort at this point and it was making her really uncomfortable. If only her feet could just move an inch away from him. But she was frozen by the proximity of his presence for anything to function well.

When she finally snapped out of whatever was holding her captive, she stammered back a reply at him before looking away.

"Yes....yes i am leaving"

He took another inche closer. Aria could feel the strong alluring scent of his perfume pulling her in and causing her to grow weak around the knees.

What could be happening?

Aria has been in this man presence almost every single day for over six years and never once have they been this close in proximity.

And for the first time in six years, Frank was staring right into those brown eyes that has always been hidden behind those overly sized lens of hers and they looked quite pretty if not perfect just hanging loosely across the bridge of her small pointy nose.

She gluped down nervously as his eyes darted to her rosy red lips and lingered there for far too longer than necessary.

Damn!

Why was he staring at her that way!

Before she could process an answer, she heard his deep voice pulling her out of her imagination and back to reality.

"I asked you a question and you haven't answered" he stated.

"I'm sorry what? I wasn't paying attention"

He gave a short chuckle and reached out a hand and held her chin and causing her to shiver internally. "I asked if there is nothing I can do or say that would make you change your mind about leaving?"

Aria could see the desperation in his eyes as they kept staring at each other.

This man would do anything for his company not because he cared about anyone or anything for that matter and she wasn't about to be deceived either.

She was doing this for herself and nothing and no one will get in her way. Absolutely no one. Not even this handsome man standing before her who thinks he can change her mind with a flick of his smile.

Aria reached up and picked his hand off her chin with a tight smile before responding.

"No Sir, am afraid there is nothing anyone can do or say to change my mind on this matter. Am really done!"

She took in his facial expression for a split second and said,

"Goodbye".