(Arata)
My mood remained soured throughout the day, and I didn’t go to check up on Karsten, nor did he call with his thousand requests. The caring side of him I received on the weekend seed to have transmigrated to Neptune.
Maybe that’s where he was originally from; cold and dark.
Astronors were spending trillions looking for aliens, all they needed to do was study my boss. I was sure they would find the alien within him from a distant cold planet.
I had a relaxed lunch with Chan and Miranda, although the only relaxed person was . Miranda’s phone kept blowing up by all departnts for updates. They were not allowed to call ; only outside clients and the personal tasks of Karsten were under .
Chan was tense that the sales would dip if this particular order was not completed and delivered.
"He is going to reprimand again," he sadly pouted, trying not to play with his food.
"Sothing will co up. Don’t worry too much." I had texted Mom and told her to talk it out with Karsten, and knowing how efficient my mother was, I had no doubts that we would get the shipnt of the cotton soon.
Relaxedly, I enjoyed my dumplings, they were delicious.
"He hasn’t eaten anything and hasn’t even taken his coffee. It’s worriso," Miranda fretted. "I should speak to Mr Ranold, he is the only one who can make him eat."
Forgetting her own food, Miranda picked up the phone and dialled Ranold, telling him to have a talk with Karsten.
After finishing my lunch, I headed to my office, and soon enough, I received a text from Mom.
{It’s done, Arata. Don’t worry, I got you. We will deliver the cotton tomorrow.}
A sense of accomplishnt and joy ran through seeing her text. I knew she always had my back.
Quickly, I typed back.
{Thank you! Mom. I love you.}
{I love you too, Arata Chan.}
I placed my phone down and the elevator dinged. Ranold erged from the glass cubicle carrying what seed like take-outs.
Seeing , he waved, flashing his extrely white teeth. I offered a professional smile and focused my attention on the task at hand.
An hour later, Ranold left waving at as if I was a child.
What was with this man? Treating like a small kid when I was sure we were the sa age.
The day ended with a drag and I decided to head back ho. My work for the day was done, which was not much considering Karsten hadn’t given his usual thousand tasks.
I was packing up when my desk phone rang.
Picking up I heard Karsten on the other hand.
"Report to my office before you leave for the day."
-Click-
The call ended at this.
See, alien from Neptune or beyond. Humans mostly use greetings and nas at the start of a call.
Drawing in a deep breath, I readied myself for more of his bad mood and left my seat. But, no way was I going to let him walk all over . He was going to get an earful if I detected any taunts in his voice.
As I entered his space, he was waiting for with his huge arms crossed over his chest as if ready for another confrontation.
I could feel them around my flesh and now knew how they felt.
Comforting, soothing and most importantly safe. Irrespective of his horrible moods there was this sense of reassurance and deep trust in his embrace.
"You called for ?" I asked, boldly facing him and he took his ti answering back. The touch of authority that always remained on the tip of his nose was very much in the air.
A silent step he took forward, letting his arms go and thrusting his hands into his pockets. As always his feet never made a single sound against the floor.
His dark eyes seed less hostile now and that rigidness on his face seed to have lted a notch.
"I received a very interesting call from soone today. They offered to sell us, Swanzi Land Cotton."
Another dangerous step closer and now he was almost in my personal space. My eyes never wavered from his and he hardly blinked. Although I did have to crane my neck to stare back at this giraffe, a very buff giraffe. "So tell truthfully, do you have anything to do with it?"
Did he suspect my involvent?
He should never know that I was trying to make this deal happen. He was too smart and would easily connect the dots.
"I am not sure what you are referring to but I have no involvent in this." My heart thudded so loudly at the lie I had just told him but I tried to keep this nonchalant façade.
He couldn’t know, he shouldn’t know.
His eyes narrowed a fraction and his lips twitched as if wishing to say sothing. I kept a straight face, not backing down. Not even when his scent perated my senses and I was reminded of the kiss we shared.
’It ant nothing,’ I reminded myself and kept repeating the mantra in my head, trying not to breathe through my nose.
"I shouldn’t have snapped at you but that’s what happens if I don’t get my coffee on ti. Don’t be late tomorrow."
My icy boss had a shitty way of apologising. He found a way to turn it on again. I wanted to retort that Miranda brought you coffee but you were a brute and too stubborn to take it from her, the woman who had been serving him coffee for the past many years.
Seriously, he baffled at tis, but then there were so many layers to him, and I had hardly scratched the surface. The absence of a father figure in his life seed to be another factor which had shaped him like this.
"I won’t. Do you need anything before I go?" I asked, knowing he had been tense all day.
"No, I will see you tomorrow." With that, he took a step back, and I let out a breath I had no clue I was holding.
"Good evening, Sir," I gave him a nod and turned on my heels to walk out of his office. He put on edge and that unwavering gaze of his unsettled on so many levels.
Reaching my car, I pulled open the door and settled inside. Dropping everything on the passenger seat I buckled myself in when my eyes fell on the other side of the windscreen. There was a paper placed on the outside of where the passenger seat was.
What was that? Unbuckling, I let myself out and went around the car to get to the paper. It had been folded and tucked under the wiper.
Curiously, I opened it to read and a shriek left as my hands trembled and the paper dropped from my hands on the floor.
In blood red, it was written. It was most likely dried blood.
"I know the dark secrets your parents hold and one day; I will bring them out for the whole world to see and then I will co for you, ARATA."
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