Dumb

Chapter Eighty-Three – Dumb.
The receptionist bowed just as she left Arya on the doorstep of Damien’s office and she went down.
Arya stared at her. What was the bow for? Was it how receptionists worked here? The place was nice and the uniforms the receptionists wore were cute.
Just skirts, that stopped at the knee cap and long sleeved shirts. It was better to Arya than employees dressing really lewd and distracting others.
“I bet it’s Mrs. Wade that made the permanent employees wear uniforms. She’s quite conservative.” Arya smiled.
She held the lunchbox under her arm and knocked on the door. There was no reply after a minute. She was about knocking again when she saw a button by the side.
Was it a bell? She pressed it. Nothing happened.
She heard a door close, then someone walked into the room behind the door. “Who is that? Come on in.”
Arya grinned and gently opened the door. She closed it gently behind her then opened her hands wide. “Surprise.”
Damien was indeed surprised. He looked outside his window and found Kane and one of his cars outside. “You really took the trouble of coming.”
Arya nodded, walking around his office. It was huge and seeing another door made Arya wonder how big the room would be. It looked like a mini apartment.
She twirled around and landed on a couch. “Yeah, I did. I was getting really bored in the mansion. I can’t believe being cooped in would be so hard on me.”
Damien wanted to return to the other room, where he had been taking a nap but he decided against it. It had a big bed and Arya may feel weird staying there with him.
He sat on his chair while Arya placed the lunchbox on a table. “I decided to bring a little snack along. Honestly, I didn’t think much before coming but I’m glad your receptionist let me in.”
The aroma from the lunchbox was enough to drive off the remaining sleep that tormented Damien.
“I guess you weren’t very busy today, that’s why she let me in, right?” Arya plopped down on the couch, feeling fulfilled.
“No, I actually told her that I’d be sleeping.” Damien said, “She let you in because she assumed you’re important.”
Arya sat up straight. “Eh? But I didn’t say I was anyone important. How could she just assume?”
Many people came to see a CEO; students, business prospects and all, it didn’t make them important people. Or were things ran differently here?
“Well, one, you were driven by Kane, my former personal driver. That’s a clue that you’re an important personnel. Two, Ken walked in with you, right? He signed in now.”
Damien explained, looking at the digital attendance from his laptop. Since Ken just signed in just as Arya knocked on his door, then it meant they came in together.
He wondered how their meeting went. Arya seemed to be in a good mood so Ken might have listened to him and not guilt trip her about Connor.
Arya’s jaw dropped. Of course! How could she have missed it!
Kane was currently the driver of Mrs. Wade. Kane driving her meant she was just as important as Mrs. Wade and Damien.
“I’m really dumb! I thought my plan was impeccable. I tried really hard so no one would suspect I’m your wife.” She sighed. “The receptionist wouldn’t think that far, right?”
If it was before, Damien wouldn’t mind anyone figuring she was his wife but things were different now and he was glad she understood this.
“Hmm, she might not think you’re my wife though.” He replied, opening the lunch box.
Arya exhaled, a smile coming to her lips.
“She might just think you’re a girlfriend. Or fiancée.” Damien added, looking at the ceiling. “Hmm, she’d think that instead.”
Arya sprang from the couch again. Wasn’t that just as bad? No one should figure out that she was anything to him.
“Just cos a girl comes to see you then she’s your girlfriend? They’d think that way? That’s very narrow minded!”
Damien smiled. “Don’t blame them. Very few ladies come to see me without prior engagement, with a lunch box in hand. Actually, none. You’re the first.”
So it was the lunchbox that gave her away? Arya sat back on the couch. Her perfect plan had been ruined.
“Does that mean you didn’t have girlfriends who visited you or you dated in the background?” she asked nonchalantly.
She didn’t really care about his past relationships, she just wanted to know what made the receptionist so narrow-minded. A part of her was curious to know still.
“Hmm, I became a CEO quite young so I didn’t even have time to make friends. Having a girlfriend would be easy but keeping it would be hard, so I avoided it.” He replied.
Truly, getting a girl, with his status would be relatively not difficult but she might love his money more than him.
“Also, my mother is conservative. She wanted me to deal with women when I’m older. I’m glad I listened. Ken went through a lot in his relationships.” Damien smiled.
Arya remembered the celebrities Ken said he dated and shook her head. To her, it felt like those ladies were the ones who went through a lot in their relationship with Ken.
“By the way, come join me.” Damien gestured.
Arya smiled but shook her head. “I ate thrice before I got here. I told you, right? I was bored out of my mind.”
“I’m not doing anything you can help me with now though.” Damien looked around him.
Did she think he had anything she could actually help him with? Arya’s eyes widened. Damien must believe in her so much. It was actually scary.
“I’ve been thinking for a while about getting a job. I don’t know why but Ken repeating it today made me make my mind up about it.” She blurted out.
Damien tilted his head, studying her expression.
Was there any reason she needed a job other than Ken teased her about it? He would give her anything she wanted, she didn’t need to work. At least, not yet.
“You attend school, right? Having a job while going to school, it’s not as easy as many say. And you have a flower shop.” He remembered her mentioning that to him.
Arya sighed. Her reason for wanting a job was simple. “I just wanted extra income, even if I don’t need it. And the flower shop can wait. It belonged to my mother.”
Her mother? Damien knew little about the lady. Anna once told him Arya was a child when she stopped seeing their mother. But Anna had more memories of her.
Damien wondered if their mother couldn’t be with them for other reasons before her death. Maybe an illness.
“Well, leave having a job till the issue with Debby is settled, okay? And you should eat with me, I can’t handle this alone.” Damien smiled. Arya smiled back and moved to join him.