Chapter 6 006

He couldn't take his eyes off her....~ Vesper's gaze was fixed on Ara, and he seemed mesmerized by her transformation. The attendants had done an excellent job, and Ara looked stunning in the red gown. Her hair was styled perfectly, and her makeup was flawless. Vesper's expression was unreadable, but his eyes betrayed his admiration. He was clearly taken aback by Ara's beauty. She, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying the attention, but also looked a bit uncomfortable under his intense gaze. The air was thick with tension as they stood there, Vesper staring at Ara, and Ara fidgeting under his gaze. It was as if time had stopped, and all that existed was the two of them, lost in this moment of mutual admiration. Ara cleared her throat to break the silence. "What are you staring at?" she asked with a chuckle. Vesper quickly composed himself. "Nothing." He muttered. "But it doesn't seem that way." Ara grinned, and Vesper frowned. "Wait, why would I stare at you? I already said you're not that cute and you're unattractive, so there's nothing to stare at." Vesper said, his words piercing Ara's heart. "Mr. Jenkins, do you like your wife's new look?" The attendant interrupted. "It's okay, I guess. Help her pick out some dresses, as many as she wants." Vesper replied he then returned to his phone call, and Ara felt a sting from his words. "Jerk," Ara muttered and followed the attendants to pick out some dresses. They showed her a beautiful gown with straps and a flowy skirt, and Ara nodded in approval. The attendant added it to the growing pile of clothes, accessories, and shoes. Vesper handed Ara his Amex debit card and told her the pin. She used it to pay for the purchases and wanted to return the card, but Vesper asked her to keep it. "I think we're done here." He said, and Ara nodded. Some attendants loaded the bags into the car trunk while Ara and Vesper followed behind. Their next stop was the mobile section. Vesper noticed Ara's cracked phone and offered to buy her a new one. He handed her an iPhone 15, and Ara was shocked. This was the same type of phone her friends Sofia, Holly, and Stacy used. She couldn't believe she was going to be using such an expensive phone. Ara collected the phone from Vesper with a smile and thanked him. "You don't have to thank me. I promised my father to take care of you when he told me I had a bride somewhere. I'm just keeping that promise. Besides, you didn't marry Vesper Jenkins for nothing." Vesper replied and Ara nodded, and they walked to the car. Vesper mentioned that Ara should resume school the next day, and Ara's eyes widened in surprise. She wanted to hug him but controlled herself. "Thank you so much! I thought I was never going to go back to school again... But thank you!" Ara squealed happily. Vesper rolled his eyes, and the driver drove off. ______ 𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐍 𝐂𝐋𝐔𝐁* Adriana had just finished dropping Alvin off at school and rushed to work. She changed into her waitress uniform and closed her locker, only to find her boss, Paige, leaning against the door. "Do you know the gravity of what you did yesterday?" Paige asked, and Adriana furrowed her brow. "I don't want to know who he is. He trespassed, so I gave him a taste of his own medicine. I don't have time to listen to your lecture," Adriana said. "Do you know who you're speaking to?" Paige asked, her tone firm. "Yeah, I know. You're my boss, Madam Paige, the owner of the club," Adriana replied. "Good. You know who I am, and yet you dare speak to me in that manner?" Paige asked, her eyes narrowing. "I'm speaking because I know I'm right. I deserve to fight for my rights. How can someone in their right mind stare at my breast if not a pervert?" Adriana said, her voice firm. "Does that give you the right to smash a bottle on his head?" Paige asked, her tone stern. "And I'd do it again if he dares to trespass. You can deduct my money if you want," Adriana said, her eyes flashing with defiance. Paige looked at her, taken aback by Adriana's boldness. She was tempted to deduct her money, but she knew how much she needed workers and had already lost many. So, she decided not to deduct her money this time. But she warned herself that if Adriana continued to run her mouth, she would have to take action. "Can I go now?" Adriana asked, her teeth gritted. Paige nodded, and Adriana rolled her eyes and walked away to serve a customer. "I expected her to deduct my salary, then that would be it. I'd resign," Adriana mumbled to herself. "But you know you don't have another job besides this one," her subconscious mind reminded her. "Yeah, I know. That's why I've submitted my CV to different companies. I just hope they call me," Adriana said, walking over to the customer. "What's your order, sir?" Adriana asked. "Just a vodka," the customer replied. "Right away," Adriana muttered and walked over to the counter. _______ 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐋𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐄* Fred stepped out of the car and his employees immediately bowed, but he waved them off. He entered his office and sat down in the swivel chair, while Dennis joined him. "How's your head now?" Dennis asked, and Fred scoffed. "What do you expect? It hurts," Fred muttered, and Dennis controlled himself not to laugh. "I hope you're calm now that you know who she really is," Dennis said. "Do you think I'd give up on her soon? I love fierce ladies, and she possesses that personality," Fred replied. "Maybe she wouldn't smash a bottle on your head this time, but she might cut off your torso this time around," Dennis mumbled, and Fred glared at him. "Fine, I'm sorry," Dennis quickly apologized. "About the secretary position, when should I schedule the interview?" Dennis suddenly asked. "Tomorrow, if I don't have a lot on my schedule," Fred replied. "Sure," Dennis said and dropped a file on Fred's table. "You have to sign them, so please do. It has to be reported to the managing agency," Dennis said and walked out while Fred pulled out a pen from his locker. He signed the documents and began to review the files, preparing himself for the tasks ahead. ______ 𝐉𝐄𝐍𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐒 𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐄* The car screeched to a halt in front of the mansion, and Ara got out. The maids quickly rushed to the trunk to bring out her things, and soon they had everything unloaded. The car drove off, and Ara watched as it retreated away from the estate. She sighed, thinking that Vesper was probably heading to the company. Ara entered the mansion and saw Nanny Celia addressing a maid. "Good afternoon, Nanny," Ara greeted, and Celia turned to her with a bright smile. "Oh, you're back," Nanny said, waving the maids off and walking towards Ara. "I didn't see you at dinning this morning," Ara asked, and Nanny Celia looked at her. "You know, I'm used to sleeping in late," she replied. Ara nodded, understanding. "You should rest, the shopping must have been exhausting." Nanny Celia said. Ara agreed, feeling grateful for someone who cared about her well-being. "I'll do just that," Ara replied and headed upstairs to her room. She bounced on her bed with a smile, excited to be resuming school tomorrow. She had missed her friends, lectures, and more. The maids had already arranged her clothes in the closet while she was talking to Nanny Celia, so she didn't have much to do. Ara's life was like a princess now. Since she arrived at the mansion, she hadn't had to lift a finger to get things done. In her parents' house, she would have been busy making dinner or sweeping the house if she didn't have lectures. This new life was a welcome change. Her gaze landed on the brand new iPhone that Vesper had bought for her. She unwrapped it and turned it on, still in disbelief that she was using the latest and most expensive iPhone. She quickly went to her call logs and debated who to call first. Without hesitation, she dialed Holly's number, which she knew by heart. _______ 𝐖𝐒𝐂 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐆𝐄* Holly was walking in the hallway when Stacy joined him. "Hi, Holly," she said, and Holly rolled his eyes. His hands were tucked inside his pockets, and he was wearing a bandana that gave him a bad look. "Hi," he replied bluntly. Stacy didn't know what to say, she always felt speechless around him. "Do you have anything you want to say to me?" Holly asked, and Stacy nodded. "Yes... I... I just wanted... to..." she began stuttering, and Holly rolled his eyes. Just then, his phone buzzed, and he pulled it out of his pocket. He smiled when he saw the caller ID, which read... “Ara heart with love emoji.” Stacy frowned, wondering why Holly had saved Ara's name with an emoji. "Hey," Holly said with a smile as he answered the call. He walked away, leaving Stacy in the hallway. "You didn't come to school today. Why?" he asked Ara. "I'll surely come, but I'm coming with a shocker," Ara replied, and Holly chuckled. "Shocker! Really?" he asked, and Ara nodded, even though he couldn't see her. "Well, can't wait to see what it is," Holly muttered. Stacy watched as Holly walked away, feeling annoyed that he had forgotten she existed. "Ara, Ara, I thought she didn't exist anymore... That girl is getting on my nerves lately, and I will make sure to deal with her," Stacy mumbled with gritted teeth. ______ 𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐍 𝐂𝐋𝐔𝐁* Adriana had just finished serving the last customer and was about to walk to the counter when her phone chimed. She quickly removed it from her pocket and saw that she had received an email. She wondered what it could be and quickly clicked on it. Her eyes widened in shock as she read the contents. "Ahhhhh!" she screamed, causing the other customers to turn and stare at her. "What is it?" they asked in unison. "Nothing," she replied, trying to play it cool, and quickly went to the changing room to read the email again. It was an invitation to an interview at Fred Conglomerate, and if she was selected, she would be working for the renowned Fred Reynolds. Little did she know that the same Fred was the person she had smashed a bottle on. She couldn't believe her luck and wondered if she would be leaving the club forever if she got the job. Just then, Paige called out to her... "Adriana, go and serve table 20!" Adriana rolled her eyes and mimicked Paige's voice..... "Adriana, go serve table 20." She quickly rushed to attend to the awaiting customer, her mind still reeling from the email. ______ 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓* Adriana finished serving the last customer and changed her clothes in the dressing room. When she was done, she walked outside and tried hailing a taxi, but there were none available. "Why aren't there any cabs around? I need to get to Alvin's fast," she mumbled to herself and turned around, but still, no taxi was in sight. She decided to walk when a car stopped beside her, and the window wound down. "Hey, pretty," Fred said with a smile, and Adriana looked at him with disgust. "You," she sneered. "Don't you remember me?" he asked, and she scoffed. "Of course, I remember the pervert," she said, folding her arms under her breast. "Hop in, let me drive you home?" Fred chuckled and asked. "Never." Adriana refused. Fred got down from his car and walked towards her, and she took a step back. But he kept taking a step forward until her back rested on the nearest pole. Their faces were almost touching. "What do you want from me, pervert?" Adriana asked, her voice firm. "I want you, and I'm willing to pay 10 million for you to be on my bed," Fred said, and Adriana felt a wave of disgust wash over her. Did he think she was one of those cheap sluts? She thought to herself, Why don't I show him a lesson? The one she did the last time didn't seem to work. "What do you say, princess?" Fred asked with his seductive smirk. Before he could blink or react, Adriana kicked him in the groin, and he fell to the floor. "Fvck you," she gave him the middle finger and walked away. "Arggghh..." Fred groaned in pain.