Chapter nine: A gift for being beautiful
“It’s okay… I have heard you and I’ll look into it.” I replied because I wanted to avoid having such a conversation with her. As I sat right there, Irene stepped into the office and she clapped to call attention of the ladies who sat in there.
“Listen up everyone. We’ll be auditioning today. Ava, come with me, and from now on, Ava will no longer stay here again. She is going to stay in another room, so if you need her you as to be taken to her office,” Irene met everyone’s eyes, and then she winked at me to follow her.
I pushed my chair backward and stood up, following her behind. She took me into a room with a very high-resolution lightning power, and the light in the room almost blinded my eyes. “Sit down there,” She pointed at a stool right under the spotlight and I went to sit on it.
As I was walking to take my sit, snapshots were already taken and I sat down, Irene gave me hints on how to keep my face and postures for the snaps.
After a few minutes, I was done and I was offered cold refreshments. Irene led me to my new office and for one reason, I was happy because at least I was going to be away from the gossip in that room.
“Your picture is going to be shown everywhere for this brand. You look so mesmerizing!” I heard Irene say and walk to me. ” Thank you,” I smiled and took my seat in the new office.
Within a period of twenty minutes, Lilac called me, “Hello my pretty damsel! You look so beautiful! I just saw you pop up on my screen and I couldn’t help but marvel! Damn… I had to show everyone around me!”
I shook my head slightly and touched my face, still in disbelief because I didn’t really see what people were attracted to, that wasn’t even my real face. I smiled and replied, “I just auditioned today, even without makeup.”
The call ended and I went back home, Harvis never called me that day and I was glad he didn’t call me to speak with me or anything.
Later in the evening, while I was preparing a meal with Lilac in the kitchen, I heard knocks on the door and noises coming from outside the environment where we lived. “Let me get the door and why is it noisy over there?” Lilac said, moving towards the living room.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.
I dropped what I was doing and followed her behind, ” What’s going on here?” I heard her ask in a stern voice. She folded her hands and I came close to her.
” Oh… this is the angel I am here to see, ” I heard a voice which sounded like a grandpa say, and behold when I looked up at him from his feet, I was marveled to see this old man with bags of flowers and a key.
“See me for what?” I asked, my tone raised and my voice stern. ” I got you this just for being beautiful!” He said, stretching his hands to hand me over what he held.
” Oh please! I don’t need that, have you ever given your daughter or your wife any gift for just being beautiful? And I know that you are married right? Don’t tell me that, ” my eyes met the rings on his finger.
“Just look at the ring on your finger, a gift for being beautiful? Why not share it to all the girls walking around the world?” I snapped, hindering him from even saying a word.
Lilac exchanged glances at me, ” Now is that what you are here for?” She asked and the old man’s face squeezed into a frown. He let out a sigh and took a step forward, ” Now when I am talking about beautiful, I mean exceptionally beautiful and not all girls are!”
This old man wasn’t backing down, he was fit to be one of the sugar daddies if only he wasn’t!
“How many girls have you told that to? Now leave this place you fool!” I pointed in the direction of where his car was packed for him to move away.
He smiled a me, shrugged, and raised his hands muttering, “That’s okay, I’ll leave now!”
He turned his back to leave and another man mocked him and moved to come towards us, ” Now it’s my turn! I told you old Fargo that she won’t even look at you for the second time, go meet your wife at home!”
Turning to Lilac I said, ” Let’s get back in and shut the door,” Lilac shook her head in disapproval. ” No, we shouldn’t, I want to watch this drama,”
The statement from Lilac made me furious and I screamed at the man who was already trying his luck, ” Look here if you dare come closer to this place I’m going to call the police on you because this is harassment. Don’t you dare,”
The man halted in surprise and I heard an outburst of laughter, those were not the only me there. ” That’s fine my pretty lady! Your wish is my command and that I’ll humbly take my old face away.”
He turned his back and went away.
“Now all of you, get out of this premises before I lock you all up?” I yelled after stepping out fully and seeing that it wasn’t just two men but up to six all coming to try their luck with me.
“Now what is all this?” I turned to Lilac and said in frustration, my voice barely audible. They all paused and I noticed one recording, I turned my neck and went back into the house, ” Lilac get in!” I commanded immediately after I got inside the house.
Surprisingly, Lilac obeyed and followed me inside too.”
“Like what is wrong with all these men? When did I mistakenly pour some charming milk on my face?” I rhetorically asked.
The next thing, my phone pinged, “AVA! WHEREVER YOU ARE! I MUST FIND YOU AND GET YOU. MAKE SURE THAT YOU HIDE VERY WELL BECAUSE THIS TIME AROUND? I WILL CUT YOU AND FEED YOU TO THE BIRDS OF THE AIR!” my heart skipped a beat as I stopped reading.
I read further, “THIS IS FROM YOUR DARLING SISTER MABEL AND HER BELOVED HUSBAND MABEL”
My head spun for a while and even when Lilac called my name, I couldn’t hear her until she tapped on me. ” What’s wrong? We were about talking about those men?”
I looked up at Lilac and responded, ” Take this and read, make sure to paint me before this week runs out, I’ll give you, in short take!” I remembered and took out an old picture of me and handed it over to Lilac
“They are still hunting me! I don’t know what I did, the fact that my sister is all cheerleading. Damn, I don’t know what to say anymore.” I mumbled and covered my face.
My heart was pounding so hard, “Please take a screenshot of that thing for me, I’ll just go to sleep now! I can’t!” Tears glistened in my eyes as I spoke and Lilac followed me behind.
My eyes opened to see myself on a board, Lilac had drawn me while I was asleep. The visual imagery in the drawing was just so real, and then the picture she took in a phone for a proper edition made my heart flutter.
At that moment, I was glad that I chose to stay with Lilac because this was the best decision ever. ” Thank you Lilac,” I said with a smile on my face. After two days, I and Lilac executed the plan and sent it to Mabel anonymously then I switched and threw away my sim. Got a new one the way I got a new life.
A week later, while in my office, Harvis came to me, ” Can I come in?” He asked, but he was already Inside. I looked up at him and smiled without a word.
He walked over to me and took a seat, ” Sitting like a queen! You look so beautiful!”. Mind you, I was already tired of hearing how beautiful I was. “Leave the office, come with me!” He ordered and I stood up and followed him silently.
He walked into the last office where I stayed, the moment he got in, everyone looked up at us and they were calm in the room. Laura stood up from her seat and came closer to him, “Hi sir, is there any problem?”
“Go take a sit, I don’t know why you are smiling like a child being offered a packet of candy,” Harvis said sarcastically and other colleagues let out soft chuckles. Laura’s face flashed red and she glared at me angrily like I was the one who offended her.
The whole room fell silent within a second after the giggle, “What does he want to say and why did he have to bring me with him?” I questioned myself while waiting for him to talk.
After moments of intense stares which he passed at every member of the house except me, he finally spoke up, “It would excite you to know that, the woman standing right here, is my girlfriend.”
My eyes bulged out of my eye sockets, I exchanged shocking glances at him but he averted his eyes and continued talking. The ladies in the room exchanged glances at themselves and Laura shook her head with disdain. Her face showed anger and hatred.
My feet twitched me to move out of the room but I found that so petty to do or would I say I didn’t want to embarrass Harvis. As he continued to speak, the straw and shock that landed on me was when he said, “She is going to be taking half the shares from this company from now on and I demand. That’s the first part, I demand that she gets maximum respect and satisfaction here. Any report or complaint from her, you are fired! Have a nice day!”
Harvis turned his back to leave and held my hands, I didn’t resist. I walked behind him and I never turned my head back to know what the faces in there looked like. I already knew that they were going to be gossiping but I don’t really care about gossip.
Inside my office, I screamed at him, “Now why did you have to do that?”
He laughed it off and said, “You deserve to be shown to the world. I know Laura always comes to disturb you about going down with me. Do you think I don’t know about that? I placed a recorder on your desk!”
My mouth opened in awe, and I looked at him intently, “Why would you do that? That means I never had my privacy? Is that it?” I rhetorically asked.
“I know you have every reason to be angry, but I’ll give you another reason to be mad and not angry. Now follow me!” His tone raised and I followed his beckon.
I followed him and we went into his office, as I got there Irene was already sitting there as if it was planned.
“Here take this and read!” He handed a file over to me and I flipped it open, “A deal? No, I don’t want to sign this!”
Surprise spread across their face, “Why are you not choosing to sign this?” Irene couldn’t hold it anymore.
“Why am I offered the shares of the company? Is there any valid reason? Look you just met me about four months ago and the next thing you do is throw a contract on my face? What if I am a hired killer and an undercover agent?”
Irene and Harvis exchanged glances at themselves and burst into laughing, “Um… Ava, we know you are not an undercover or serial killer. Look, I love you and I like you that’s just the point! I love you! Now take this and sign!”
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