Things were coming along slowly with the JL Architectures launch.
June and Lucy worked hand in hand as they slowly arranged the office while June sought out clients in need of her architectural skills, as well as properties she could develop and make into something profitable.
A large chunk of the money she had received had gone down with making the office a homey place and she didn’t for one moment regret making the place into what she envisioned.
The only problem was the incessant lack of customers and clients. All efforts to secure paying customers in need of her services had proved futile and she was on the verge of losing her mind.
One of the days, after going through the series of rejections from prospective clients she pitched for, she was ready to call it a day and headed downstairs in search of Luis.
Perhaps he could get her out of the mood she felt at the moment.
Unfortunately, Luis was still busy with his classes and the last thing she wanted was to be the reason he was distracted. She opted to watch some TV instead.
As soon as the TV came on, Ethan and April sat in the screen, speaking eloquently as they were probed by the host of the event. Apparently, April was the new project manager of LT Constructions.
That was not all, they also spoke of a party which was to be held at the weekend to celebrate their unconventional marriage and upcoming wedding.
A party June decided she was going to attend. No matter the costs. At that moment, she received a call from Lucy and with one swipe, the call connected.
“Ma’am! I have great news!” She said and June switched off the TV.
“What’s going on?”
“I was able to secure a client for us! She wants to build herself a home and requires we bring a model of our designs so she gets a feel of what we offer.”
June was overjoyed. “Great! What do I have to do?” She asked, suddenly feeling at a loss for what to do with herself.
“I scheduled the meeting for tomorrow. We would be meeting her at a restaurant.” Lucy provided details, and soon enough, June was preparing herself for the first prospective customer of JL Architectures.
The next day came and June met with the client who liked her work and awarded her the contract with an advance payment. She almost cried when she saw the alert of the money entering her account.
“We have to celebrate!” June said to Lucy on the way home.
“I would love to, but today is the day I visit my dad in the hospital.” She said, hoping her boss would understand.
“Your father. That’s right! What do you think? Would he enjoy eating some fried chicken? Or roasted meat?” June asked excitedly. “We can go visit him together and boost his spirits!”
As much as Lucy appreciated the idea, she didn’t want her boss to see her father in such a frail state. A shadow of the man he used to be. June noticed her hesitance and spared her the efforts.
She picked up her phone and transferred half the money into Lucy’s account. “You can use that to treat yourself to a meal with your father. Maybe we can celebrate some other time, I have to get to work anyway.”
Lucy who knew that was half the price had a grateful look on her face. “Thank you so much.”
“Without you, this couldn’t be possible. So thank you.” June responded and they shared a smile.
June dropped Lucy and went on to her destination. Happy with how things turned out, she decided to go shopping for dinner which she planned to make for Luis and Rafael.
When she got home, she busied herself with the deal, working into the afternoon and making substantial progress on the work. By the time she got her head out of work, it was late afternoon.
Deciding to make dinner, June made her way out of the room and headed to the kitchen. Luis was seated in the living room, fixing puzzles when he heard her come down the stairs.
“Auntie!” He got up and rushed towards her. “Where are you going?”
A smile. “Into the kitchen.” She ruffled his hair.
“Are you hungry?” His tone was laced with concern. “I could order they make you something. What do you want to eat?”
June smiled and squatted to his size. “I don’t want to eat love. I want to make us dinner.”
“Auntie knows how to cook?”
June felt a whiplash of embarrassment at her little prince’s perception of her. She needed to cook more often for him.
“Let’s find out. Would you like to help auntie in the kitchen?” She asked and Luis nodded enthusiastically, willing to do anything that meant being with his auntie.
Together, they made a feast, and when Rafael stepped into the living room, he was assaulted by the aroma of the food June prepared and served on the table, steaming and ready to be devoured.
He raised his brows. “What is the occasion?”
“Auntie signed her first contract.” Luis said before she could say a word.
“That calls for a celebration. Congratulations!”
“Thank you. Please, eat a lot.”
Rafael didn’t need be told twice. After the meal, June and Luis retired to her room where June fussed about her appearance at the party.
Other than the fact it was an engagement for her sworn enemies, she knew there would be a lot of clients and people to network with at the event. Which made it much more important.
Luis hated seeing his auntie fuss around for an invite to the occasion so he took it upon himself to get it done. That would be alleivating one more worry from his auntie.
When Rafael heard his office door open, he didn’t need a soothsayer to know it was his son. “What do you need?” He asked from his seat.
Luis pursed his lips. “Auntie needs a dress and invite to some party.”
His brows perked at his son’s words. “And you are telling me because?”
“You have a personal designer, and the connections to make it happen.” Luis said with a similar perked brow. “And you owe me.”
With that, the little one turned around and left the office, leaving his father wondering what the hell just happened.