She reached the office. Instead of ordering everyone about or making snide remarks, she went to her cabin quietly where she found Athena still working.
"Good timing, I have just fi..what happened to you? Why are you looking like you have came right from a cemetery?", she asked, genuinely.
"Nothing", said Lucy.
"You know you can trust me. If it's really worrying you, then tell me. It will lessen the burden and you will feel better. If you want to keep it secret, it's completely ok", said Athena.
Lucy, overcome by gratefulness and emotion, recounted everything that has happened to Athena.
"Hmmmm", she said, thinking 🤔," I can understand the situation but I am not able to recognise the problem ".
"Same with me", said Lucy ,"I am not able to understand that why is it affecting me so much?".
"I don't know, but if it's really disturbing you, then I will try to understand this 'love' problem. Personally, this whole 'love' thing is stupid...hey, what happened to your hand?", she said, when her eyes reached Lucy's hand which was bleeding heavily.
Before Lucy could say anything, she took out bandage 🩹 and dittany from her purse and applied sone cotton before wrapping her hand.
"You carry all this in your bag!", exclaimed Lucy.
"Just for emergencies ", said Athena ,"You didn't even tell me that you had cut your hand so severely ".
"It was not that important ", said Lucy ,"So?".
"Do you think that all this is happening to you after meeting Adrian....I mean do you think that he's making you weak and vulnerable?", she asked.
"Even if he is, I will have to put a stop to it now. I cannot let him make me weak" , she said.
"Spoken like the true mafia queen, the CEO Coco Styles, and one of the richest women of the country ", smiled Athena.
There was a knock at the door. However, the intruder did not stop after knocking and entered. It was Adrian.
Both the women looked at each other, there faces reflecting shock 😲 and bewilderness . If Adrian had entered about her being the mafia queen, then it would create a big problem.
Evidently, he had not entered anything because there was no change in his expression. They both heaved a sigh of relief.
"Why are you here?", she asked, haughtily.
"I can go wherever I want ", he replied,in the same tone.
"Unfortunately, this is my office and not your room , and I can do anything here including forcing you to get out", said she.
"This would be the last place where I would want to come, when I get a break. But I had no option as mother made me swear that I would give you your lunch which she had cooked", dropping the food parcel 📦 at her table.
"She cooked for me?", repeated Lucy. She felt a warm desire in her heart to hug her mother in law. After all, she had been behaviour so nicely with her. Instead of asking her to cook for the family, she was actually forcing her son to carry food for her.
"You've got such a good mother in law", said Athena, smiling.
"Thank her from my side for the trouble ", said Lucy, "You can leave now".
"No, I can't. Mother told me to get up only after seeing you finish the food ", said Adrian, taking a chair.
"But I have got to arrange these files. I can't eat now ", said Lucy.
"I'll do it", said Athena ,"And you really look as if you need food. You need the energy for the meeting".
"You are the one working", said Lucy, furiously, "You are the one who needs food".
"I will eat after arranging these files, you don't worry?", she said, carrying all the files outside.
"What happened to your hand?", asked Adrian.
"It was just an accident", said Lucy, opening the food parcel.
"You can't even take care of yourself. What kind of girl are you?", asked Adrian.
"It,s just a bruise", said Lucy.
"You are not using your hands. Do you want it to pain even more? Let me feed you", said he , and without even waiting for permission fed her a spoon.
The food fell out of her mouth and her lips got stained. Adrian wiped her lips with his index finger, before realising what he had been doing.
Lucy was so shocked that she didn't even try to push him. Adrian was also unable to look elsewhere than her pink full lips.
They were much too close...