"Welcome, Maam, " the employees chimed at her arrival.
Aryanna came out of her daze at the numerous greetings. She stared ahead, the guards blocked her view of the people addressing her.
"You should all return to your posts, " Faber ordered.
"We wanted to welcome our new boss. It's not wrong to want to make her feel welcome, " Leah stepped forward with a bouquet of roses. Aryanna flinched at the sound of her voice.
She wasn't aware that Leah worked at Devonte. It caught her by surprise and made her blood boil.
"I simply want to see that good-for-nothing girl shattered beyond repair, " Leah's words from Carlos from that night echoed in her head.
Aryanna clenched her fingers around the cup of latte in her hand. She took a moment to compose her emotions.
"I bought you flowers, Ma'am, " Leah spoke up in an attempt to get Aryanna to notice her. She struggled to catch a glimpse of Aryanna behind Faber and the guards.
Aryanna waved the guards to move aside and let her speak to Leah. She was ready to meet her enemies with her head held high.
Leah smiled brightly when the guards moved aside. She was the first to meet Sebastian's wife. Leah hoped to get a chance to woo the CEO's wife and earn favors to get a promotion sooner.
She saw how a friendship with the boss's wife could open doors for her in the future. She held out the flowers and bowed her head to show her respect.
Aryanna came face to face with the vixen that tried to ruin her life. The night they met, it was she who was forced to lower her head. Now, the roles were reversed and Aryanna couldn't be more pleased.
She took the flowers from Leah. Her mind raced back to the flowers she bought for Carlos. Leah didn't hesitate to crash her pure intentions under her heels.
Leah stepped on the flowers mercilessly and walked away. The memory left a bitter taste in Aryanna's mouth.
"I'm Leah Belet, it's a pleasure to meet you, " Leah let out without raising her head. She didn't dare to move until she heard from the boss's wife.
A tear fell from Aryanna's eye. She did her best to compose herself but the wounds left by Leah and Carlos were fresh in her heart. A week did well to stop her tears but it didn't stop it from hurting.
Her hands shook, and the bouquet fell to the ground. Aryanna wiped her tears and stared up to blink away the tears welling up in her eyes.
Leah saw the flowers drop to the ground. She clenched a tight fist around the hems of her dress. She dared to raise her eyes to stare at the boss's wife and question her.
Her eyes landed on Aryanna's petite frame and her attire from head to toe. She worked in the beauty and fashion industry, she was well aware of the value of everything Aryanna had on.
Leah's sum went up as far as three million, she glanced down at her outfit for the day. It paled in comparison to the boss's wife. Leah felt envious, she didn't hold a candle to the wealth the girl had being Sebastian's wife.
Leah's words were stuck in her throat. She failed to get the courage to confront Aryanna for dropping her flowers.
Aryanna lowered her head after successfully blinking away her tears. Shock registered in Leah's eyes when she saw her. Of all the people in the world she expected to meet, Aryanna wasn't one of them.
Leah cast her gaze over Aryanna once again, her jar dropped to see how well Aryanna cleaned up. From a street rat to the boss's wife. The perfect definition of from rags to riches. She was thunderstruck.
Aryanna didn't spare her a glance, she stepped on the flowers Leah brought her and walked passed her. The scent of her perfume wafted in the air as she passed.
Leah felt her world caving in, she woke out to see Aryanna destroyed. Only to have Aryanna walk into her office as the boss. Guarded by a dozen bodyguards and welcomed by the CEO's personal secretary.
The scene was surreal. Leah glanced at Aryanna's retreating back in envy. She coveted everything Aryanna had and wanted it for herself.
Aryanna walked into the building, the employees bowed their heads as she passed to show respect for her. She held her head high and let Faber lead her to Sebastian's office.
Leah watched the respect awarded to Aryanna, a lump formed in her throat, her heart squeezed in pain. It hurt to see Aryanna walk with her head held high. Especially since Aryanna is the illegitimate child of her father, her half-sister.
She stared down at the flowers Aryanna crashed. The change in roles didn't sit well with her. The other employees straightened their backs once they confirmed that Aryanna was out of sight. They rushed over to Leah.
"The CEO's wife seems to dislike you, " one of the ladies reported.
"I'm glad I didn't approach her, I can't afford to have her hate me. I love my job, " another let out.
"I wonder why she is in a bad mood?"
"I wish she gets to be my client. Perhaps I can impress her with my skills. "
"I wish I could trade places with her. She is so lucky. "
"Not to mention beautiful and with her hourglass figure, she is perfect. "
"I agree, the CEO raised the bar with his gorgeous wife."
Leah heard Aryanna's praises from her colleagues. Her anger burnt her skin. Aryanna was a nobody, if anyone deserved to be praised, it was her. Leah refused to let Aryanna be the envy of all who saw her.
She marched into the building, racing to find her boyfriend and have a word with him over what went down. Leah wanted to know how Aryanna got to meet Sebastian and why she wasn't crying herself to sleep in some hole in the slums.
The one person who could fix everything was Carlos. Aryanna was head over heels for him and would ditch Sebastian for him. Leah planned to get Aryanna and Carlos together to create an opportunity for her to swoop in and win over Sebastian.
'You don't get to win, Aryanna, ' she thought bitterly.