Chapter 13
An omniscient feeling of a bad day followed as she sipped her coffee from the paper mug in the elevator.
Rosa frowned as if she was forgetting something-- as if she was about to miss something huge but couldn't quite put a finger on it.
She shook her head when Niccolo raised an eyebrow in question regarding her facial expressions of utter despair.
They walked out of the elevator together, ignoring the glances from the few people who worked on the ground floor.
"Pick up the material from the warehouse before the flight." She announced loudly to Niccolo, who went along with it with a nod.
She indicated Niccolo to his phone by picking hers out and texted him to take keys from her driver.
She turned around and glanced at the receptionist discreetly. She hated the way Claire had a stick figure with a larger chest size than hers, but she felt quite less insecure to remember that her behind was flat enough to hand a portrait.
Rosa herself wasn't bad-looking-- in fact-- she could look great with a pair of round and clear glasses, but she cringed everytime she thought of doing so because of college regrets of riding a bike to extra classes and specifically wearing glasses for the sole purpose of keeping dust out of her eyes in all possible hours of the days.
She was herself, an hourglass type of figure, except she'd gained weight easily and could get rid of it equally easily, since after she'd discovered her puberty.
She was trailing off with thoughts of Claire's very clearly bleached hair next but was made to turn to the glass entrance doors with a car horn.
She saw the familiar car and made sure of it by walking in a sideways to see the licence plate to confirm.
She affirmed the car to be hers and pulled the door open to see Niccolo in the driving seat. She sat in happily, forgetting all the insecure thoughts and feelings she'd felt a few minutes earlier.
"Where would you dine, signorina?" Niccolo chuckled after his very serious tone of question.
"In a unique place." She replied with a smart answer and mentally recorded the line for a later use.
"How about a library? It's in my bucket list for long." He suggested softly.
She nodded with enthusiasm and smiled at him, and he immediately accelerated the car through the city after her positive response.
She watched the traffic as they dashed past several people and several other things. She felt a familiar suffocation. She rolled down the windows as she remembered the night when she returned home to Tati to find out what happened the day when her parents crashed themselves intentionally.
She could feel her heart pounding against her chest as she saw the dead faces of her parents. She was reminded of her repeating nightmares.
She breathed heavily and leaned back into the comfortable seat, which felt more of a log to her. She grabbed the sides of the seats as tears flowed down her eyes.
"Not now... oh no..." She mumbled to herself, bringing Niccolo's attention to her from the road.
She took a deep breath and rolled down the window, and thankfully calmed down soon.
"Are you okay?" He asked quite concerned, "Do you want to get out? I'll stop the car." He said and was about to pull over.
"No, just keep driving." She said immediately and making him lose his chance of stopping the luxury vehicle, "It happens sometimes when I'm too tired."
He held out his hand, which seemed to require hers, and so she did the same. He took her hand and drove at a mediocre speed while holding her hand tightly until they reached a very peaceful and beautiful place.
She got out of the car and asked Niccolo for some water. He took her hand again and made her walk inside a small restaurant.
"Water." He said before anything to the cashier, and she stepped out with a small cup from the back.
"Anything else, sir?" She smiled at him, which made Rosa a little shifty.
"One cappuccino and a black tea." He said before handing out his card.
The card, Rosa noticed, was a black card instead of a regular one. She was sure they had no limits, and she frowned at him.
She stayed silent until they sat at a table, "You have a black card?"
"Oh--" He seemed flustered, "--Yeah." but it was his only response after which they sat silently.
"Do you not write anymore?" He asked.
"I don't. Gave up after the accident." She replied, looking at a big pot of a green plant she couldn't identify.
"What do you do in your free time?" He asked, "Not that a CEO would have some but..." He mumbled.
"It's really funny now that you ask me-- I sleep or read." She laughed, looking back at him.
"What biographies--"
"No-- I read only fiction." She stopped him, "I read non-fiction when I'm bored, not when I have intentional time to spare."
He sat back in the wooden black chair and laughed as he looked at her. He was amazed to see how she'd tried to keep her imaginative self alive even if she'd rather not express it.
They sat there with small conversations of work until their coffee was brought by the same cashier girl.
Rosa looked at the girl leave and wished that she'd punched her then and there. The girl looked back and realised that she'd forgotten to say something and rushed back.
"Ma'am," She interrupted Nick from something he was about to say, "I'm a big fan!" She held out a pen and tore a piece of paper from her note.
Rosa signed it and regretted wanting to punch an innocent lady. She was modal- material and was even more beautiful with the green eyes she adorned--
"Kings?" Rosa mumbled as she remembered her face from a party, "Lily Kings, right?" She offered a handshake.
"Pleasure to meet you again." Lily complied, "I couldn't talk much that day since I wasn't supposed to be with a higher circle." She smiled sheepishly, tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.
She bowed and left with Rosa's autograph.
Rosa sighed, knowing that the more innocent the lady looked, the more vicious she could be. Rosa immediately looked at a Niccolo confused and stupidly smiling, in front of her.
Rosa wanted a background check on whatever Niccolo was doing, because she was sure that an employee with a fixed salary didn't need a black card at all.
She sipped her black tea and thought of who to entrust the duty with when her phone on the table lightened up with 'Marco' written on it. She smiled and picked it up while exusing herself away from the table.
_____________
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: Truyen247.Pro