Diya touched up her makeup with some lipstick. "I heard the new branch manager is reporting this morning."
Anastasia just nodded. She had heard about it but didn't care much. Fixing her bangs, she turned towards Diya. "I'm going to have lunch with Bella today. Don't wait for me, okay?"
"Your sister?" Diya asked as she closed the lipstick lid. "Can I ask you something, if you don't mind?"
"What is it?" Anastasia leaned back against the sink, waiting for Diya's question.
Diya hesitated for a moment before speaking. "You and your sister…" she paused as someone entered the restroom. "Never mind, I'll just ask you later."
"What is it? You're making me nervous!" Anastasia tapped lightly on Diya's shoulder.
Diya giggled. "Nothing, I'm just curious about something." She gave her a teasing smile.
"Why? Do you want to ask why she is pretty and I am not?" Anastasia seemed to read Diya's mind. Of course, both of them looked different; they were not biological siblings.
Diya's mouth fell open. "No!" She denied it quickly. "Don't tell her, but you're prettier," she laughed after saying it. "In my eyes, your sister is more on the cute side rather than pretty. Well, that's just my opinion."
"Then what is it? What's the question?" Anastasia insisted on making Diya reveal what she was curious about.
Shaking her head, Diya rushed to the door and exited the restroom.
"Hey…I'm going to bother you until you tell me what you're curious about. Hurry up!" Anastasia walked quickly to catch up with Diya, but she accidentally bumped into someone's chest. "Oh shit," she muttered under her breath. "I'm sorry…" she immediately apologised and slightly bowed, refusing to raise her head from embarrassment.
No answer from the person in front of her, Anastasia continued to stare at the man's shoes before she finally tried to walk away.
"Anastasia, right?" The man's rough voice stopped her.
She slowly raised her head and looked at the person in front of her. "Ye–es…" she answered, hesitating as she tried to recall who he was.
"Stomach cramp?" The man asked suddenly.
Frowning, Anastasia replied, "Excuse me?"
"Or is it diarrhoea?" He continued with a serious expression.
"What do you mean?" She was confused, thinking, 'Why is he being so rude?'
"You've been in the restroom for a while. I thought you might be having that kind of problem," he said, raising an eyebrow.
"Sorry, sir, but you're being rude right now." She sighed, trying to hold back her irritation.
"Daniel," he said, handing her his business card. "Come to my office. We have an urgent discussion." He turned and walked away, leaving her dumbfounded.
Anastasia frowned and checked the name card. "Daniel…Harrington…" she murmured, pausing as she thought, "Harrington?" The name rang a bell, but as she continued reading, she froze. "Be–branch manager!"
=====
Her legs wouldn't stop shaking. Anastasia tried her best to avoid the man's gaze as she continued to underline anything she could on the paper on the desk.
"A report about yesterday's issue. You're the one who did it, right?" Daniel broke the silence.
Raising her head, Anastasia nodded. "Yes, sir. Is there something wrong?"
Daniel shook his head. "Did you meet with her?"
"Her?" Anastasia didn't catch the reference.
The glare from Daniel seemed to chill the room. "I guess you're the slow type?"
"Sorry, sir?" She bit her lower lip, trying to calm herself.
"We're talking about the report you wrote about yesterday's issue. So who do you think 'her' I'm talking about right now?" Daniel's tone was strict and harsh.
"Ah…" She realised who he meant. "About that, she refused to meet anyone from our company. I tried to arrange a meeting with her yesterday evening, but she refused, and her company's statement is still on her social media."
Yesterday's issue had kept her at work until ten in the evening. She couldn't resolve it that day because Clara, the actress, had felt humiliated. One of the staff didn't recognise her and refused her entry to the event because she forgot her invitation card. Clara had run amok, causing a scene, and now refused to accept an apology from the company.
Daniel pinched the bridge of his nose, "So?"
The question left Anastasia in a few seconds of silence. "So, we are now trying our best to communicate with her through her company..."
A minute of silence from Daniel left Anastasia in a cold sweat. He continued to stare at the report, frowning. "You can leave."
Daniel's words confused her. She stood up, hesitating to leave, but as he continued staring at the paper on the table, she quickly walked out of the room. "What a weird one," she muttered after closing the door.
"Who's weird?"
"Oh my God!" Diya's question made Anastasia jump in shock. "Why are you sneaking?" she whispered, still in front of the room.
"Well…I couldn't wait to hear about our new boss from you," Diya grinned, pulling Anastasia to their desks in a hurry.
Diya blinked her eyes profusely as she waited for Anastasia's story. "Hurry up. How handsome is he?"
"Do you prefer a handsome one even though he is a hell of a rude one?" Anastasia asked, still annoyed as she recalled everything that just happened.
"Yes!" Diya gave her an honest answer, and it made both of them burst out laughing.
Anastasia shook her head, smiling despite herself. "Well, he's definitely good-looking, but his attitude is seriously awful. You should have heard the way he talked to me."
Diya grinned. "Good-looking and difficult? Sounds interesting."
"Maybe for you," Anastasia replied, rolling her eyes. "I'll take a nice guy with a dad bod over Mr. Handsome-Rude any day."
Diya laughed. "You're missing out. There's something thrilling about a bad boy."
Anastasia snorted. "Thrilling? More like headache-inducing. If I wanted a challenge, I'd solve a Rubik's Cube."
"You're right… that's probably why you never solved a Rubik's Cube," Diya said with a laugh.
Their conversation had been observed from afar. Daniel stood in front of his door with his arms crossed, his face expressionless, leaving no one able to read what was on his mind.