Delilah
"It's a good thing I met you too." Kelvin replied with a smile on his face.
"Can I ask you a question ?"
"Go ahead." he urged.
"So how did you land a job here ? I mean it's not that easy to just get a job here. People use connections, you know."
"It's actually my sister," he began. "I was unemployed at the time I prevented your kidnapping. So your dad wanted to give me money and I politely refused. He asked if there was another way he could compensate me and my sister asked for a job. Initially, I was against it but now, I'm cool with it."
"So she forced you to work here ?" I rephrased.
"Force is a strong word." he laughed. "More like, she helped me make up my mind."
"But you are enjoying it here right ?"
"So far so good," he nodded. "It's not bad here. Has it been bad here for you ?"
I didn't want to tell him about my tales with Sonya. "No, not really. So what book are you reading ?" I asked, switching the topic.
Kelvin introduced the book as The Merchant Of Venice, a play written by William Shakespeare. I haven't read much of his books, so I asked Kelvin to enlighten me on what the play was about. He did a good job narrating everything chronologically and I had a fair idea on the play.
Kelvin and I had a lengthy talk about books and it turns out he's a book lover, just like me but he doesn't read consistently due to distractions and work. We spoke for about half an hour till Kelvin checked his watch and informed me that he's leaving.
"I will be leaving now," he stood up gently. "It was nice chatting with you. I hope to see you later, Delilah."
"I hope to see you too soon, Kelvin." I waved as he walked out of the room.
The room became dead silent and I looked at the book Kelvin was reading. I decided to give it a try and read it into details. I should have just left the book cause when I started reading, I had trouble understanding some words. It's like the entire book used poetry and some sort of old English I've never seen before. All that reading made me feel sleepy and I went to my room to take a cozy nap.
Like I said before, my sleep cycle is now messed up. When I woke up from my nap, it was evening. I was shocked and disgruntled that I slept that long. I got downstairs to search for Kelvin but I didn't find him this time round. He wasn't in the library either. Reluctantly, I went back to my room, ate dinner, took a shower and went to bed.
When I opened my eyes the next morning to see the sun rays brighten up my room, I thought that I was going to have the same idle and free day like yesterday but I was wrong. My dad had other plans. This man called me and instructed me to come over to his office at the textile company. I tried to protest against it but he wasn't hearing anything from me.
I sighed and prepared myself to go meet him at his office. When I was done, I called the driver and he arrived with my bodyguard in the car. I even forgot that guy was alive. I got in the car and we drove off to my dad's office at the textile company. I wondered why I was summoned to my dad. I didn't do anything wrong and I have no business with his companies, so I was lost.
When I got to his office, I had the biggest let down I wasn't expecting. Right in the office was my dad's friend and business partner, Mr. Dansu. To make matters worse, his teenage son, Herbert, was also there and that guy is the worst. He talks too slow, has droopy eyes and acts sluggish. I wanted to leave but I couldn't.
It turns out that Mr. Dansu and his son just got back from overseas and my dad wanted me to spend the day with Herbert and show him around whiles he had a business chat with Mr. Dansu. This is not the first time I've been asked to spend the day with him. I didn't know how to react with the situation.
So I left home just for this ? I can't believe my dad.
I actually spent almost the whole day with Herbert. I didn't go around town with him as my suggested. I just sat with Herbert in the company, pressing my phone whiles he was mumbling whatever. If my dad was using this as a torture method, it's working effectively. Finally, my dad called and informed me that his chat with Mr. Dansu was over, so I can actually go home. I wasted no time in leaving Herbert behind in the company.
When I got out of the company, it was almost evening. Evening ? How long did my dad speak with Mr. Dansu ? I angrily got in the car with the bodyguard and we were off. When I got home, I was so exhausted from spending time with that guy. As I walked through the hallways, I remembered I hadn't seen Kelvin the whole day, so I decided to look for him.
Luckily for me, I found him in the kitchen, helping out the chefs. I tried signalling him but he couldn't notice me. So one of the chefs directed him to me and that's when he saw me.
"Can I see you for a minute," I called out to him.
"Sure." he responded. He left what he was doing and we went into the hallway to speak. "So what's up ?"
"It's been a tiring day for me and I want you to help me on an errand." I implored.
"No problem. What is it ?"
"We will be going out soon. So get ready. When you are done, I'll be in the car, waiting."
I got to my quarters and prepped myself well. I got downstairs and got in the car afterwards and waited for Kelvin. He showed up and entered the car, sitting next to me in the back. The bodyguard joined later and we left the house. I told the driver earlier where to drive us off to, so he knew where we were going.
Minutes later, we arrived and Kelvin and I got down. I ordered my bodyguard to stay behind and he gladly abided. When we got down, Kelvin looked puzzled.
"I'm confused. Are we coming to buy cappuccino for someone or ?" he asked.
"Just follow me." I smiled as I led the way. We got into the shop and took our seats at a table. Kelvin still had that puzzled look on his face and it was funny. "Okay, you can now ask your question."
"I thought we were on an errand," he said.
"Sorry for being misleading," I smirked playfully. "I actually had a long boring day at my dad's office and I wanted to spend some time with you to clear up my exhaustion."
"You could have just said that. I wouldn't mind."
"I just wanted us to leave the house under the pretense of an errand." I explained. "Spending time together there wouldn't be ideal at the moment because of all the distractions, you know."
Kelvin paused for a moment. "Okay. So what do we do now then ?"
"We are going to drink some cappuccino," I suggested. "And you are going to tell me more about your childhood and your family, especially your sister. Are you okay with that ?"
"I'll be actually happy to do so." he beamed.
I supported my head with my hand on the table as I stared at him with a wild grin on my face.
"This is going to be interesting...."
.
Sonya
We arrived at the shop and I got down from the car. With hasty steps, I got into the shop and the place was filled with an inviting aroma of food. The cool air-conditioning made the smell even better. Hilda emerged from the kitchen to greet me. She led me into the kitchen and showed me what she and her mates had prepared according to the order from the client.
I was actually impressed by how they were able to organise themselves and work together to accomplish the task they were given. I left them to add the finishing touches to the samples and I waited for Olivia in the dining area. She was sure late today and I wondered why.
I didn't have to wait for a long time cause after a while, I saw Olivia arrive in her car and parked it in the lot. She got out of the car with a middle-aged man and that raised an eyebrow. They walked in the shop and I got up to meet Olivia.
"You're late," I pointed out straightly.
"I know, I know," she admitted. "But it was for a good reason."
"And what's that ?"
"I got a driver for the delivery truck." she announced.
"But there are two trucks and here's only one driver." I pointed out. "We'll need another one."
"Let's not be too hasty." Olivia chuckled. "I'm introducing our driver for now. Let's stick with him first cause we don't know the exact order of the client who is arriving today. So be patient, Sonya."
I sighed. "Alright. So what are we going to do with the driver right now ?"
"Leave that to me." she replied.
I sat back on my chair and watched Olivia and the driver leave the shop as they engaged in a conversation. The driver ended up leaving and Olivia returned back to the shop.
"I've spoken to him and he will be coming tomorrow." she laid out.
"Great....." I said shallowly.
"You are acting up, Sonya." Olivia observed. "Did something happen to you today ?"
I didn't answer her straight away. Instead, a car arrived and got parked in the lot. A tall dark man got out of the car with a petite lady behind him. They walked towards the shop and finally got inside. I stood up majestically to go greet them and shake hands. The tall man was the client and as said, he came exactly at noon.
We didn't say much pleasantries and we delved right into business. I called for the caterers to bring out the samples and they came out with them and laid them on the tables in the dining area. I decided it was best to give my client some space, so Olivia and I left them in the dining area and we got to my office to wait for them to finish their tasting.
To keep myself occupied, I used my phone as Olivia made a phone call with "you-know-who". After several minutes, we heard the man call for us and I was surprised to see that they didn't just taste it but they ate majority of the samples. The client paid for the samples and was ready to make his full order.
We talked it out in my office and he made his full order. It was quite a little much and he said he expected the delivery by tomorrow. We reached an agreement and he sent the money for the entire services. We shook hands and he was on his way with his companion. When he left, I let out a huge breath.
"Is something wrong ?" Olivia asked with concern.
"It's nothing. The order might be a hassle for them." I said. "I'm going to inform them about the details of the order. Let's see what they think about it."
I informed the caterers and I expected them to have some kind of objection to the order but they were all optimistic and certain that they might finish it by tomorrow. They began work immediately. With everything under control, I decided to leave the shop. I went out with Olivia and we got to the parking lot.
With a serious look, I faced Olivia. "I met Raymond today."
"Raymond ?" she echoed. "I even forgot about him. What did you say to him ? Don't tell me you created a scene."
"That twerp had the audacity to ask me if there was anything wrong with him coming to shop at my dad's mall."
"But there's nothing wrong with that really." Olivia shrugged.
"Where's his shame ?" I raged on. "He shouldn't even cross paths with me. After everything he has done, he still had the guts to show up there like he's some kind of regular customer."
"Girl chill," Olivia tried to calm me down. "Is that all that he said to you ?"
"I can't remember well but I remember him saying something about meeting me again. As if that will happen again." I scoffed.
"Which means he will be coming back to the shop again of course."
"And why would he do that ?" I asked. "He never showed up at the mall when we were together. Why is he showing up there now ? That guy is crazy."
"You still shouldn't have spoken with him," Olivia advised. "He will notice that he's triggering you."
"What do you mean ?"
"He was just going to shop right ? You should have just ignored him than paid attention to him. Don't let him trigger you again like that or he'll keep on doing it."
"Doing it ? And who said he's going to be doing it again ? This would be the last time I ever laid my eyes on his miserable soul."
"And how are you going to do that ?" she queried.
"I'll ban him from coming to the mall of course." I told her. "He won't be allowed to step foot there. He will be banned for life."
"Here we go again," Olivia rolled her eyes. "Do whatever makes you happy."
I didn't say a word, so she spoke up. "So, about the shop. Now that you have gotten a business you run, when are you going to tell your dad about it ?"
"I have been thinking about it and I think it's best if I wait for the right time."
"Well, good luck on that. I hope you have a good day. I'll be going now." she said as bade farewell.
Olivia went to her car and drove off. I got in mine and got back to work at the brewery. For the rest of the day, I worked nonstop in the brewery before going home after work. I didn't do much at home. I took a long shower, ate in my quarters and went to bed afterwards.
The next day, I got to work early and continued on what I was working on the previous day. After working for a while in the brewery, I moved on to the mall and I remembered what I had promised yesterday. I informed the securities about Raymond and I showed them his picture. I strictly told them never to allow him on the premises of the mall. They took notes of what I said.
At noon, I got to the catering shop to check and see if they were done with the order from the client. I was impressed. They were almost done with the order and they had to now start packaging them. Olivia gave me a notice that she wouldn't be able to make it at the shop, so I had to deal with the order by myself.
And that's what I did. I helped the caterers package the food nicely and that helped speed up the work. We completed the packaging after a while and the caterers carried them to the delivery truck. The food they had made for the delivery was enough to fit into the truck with space remaining. With everything settled, the driver drove away with two caterers to where the client had ordered.
I was happy that the caterers had finally made their first delivery. Seeing everything finished, I left the shop as the remaining caterers cleaned up the place and made it tidy. I got back to work and continued from where I left off till evening. This Friday had been a long one. I was taken home and I laid on my bed for a while before taking my shower.
As I was freshening up, I heard the noise of a car engine in front of the house and it stopped momentarily. I then heard giggles and laughter from downstairs. So I checked through my window and to my utmost surprise, I saw Delilah walking with the guy from the restaurant. I couldn't believe my eyes. What exactly is going on ?