25

CHAPTER 23
Celine was deep in concentration as she worked on the blueprints for a new building she had been commissioned to design. Her mind kept drifting to thoughts of William, and the memory of their recent romantic outing and first kiss. She was unable to shake off the feeling that something was off with him, and she found herself worrying that he had been avoiding her.
Just as she was about to lose herself in her thoughts again, there was a loud pounding on her door. Celine quickly got up from her drafting table and made her way to the door. When she opened it, she was surprised to see a disheveled and tired looking Rachel standing on her doorstep. Without hesitation, she urged her friend inside.
“Hey, how are you doing?” she asked, beaming instantly.
As Rachel entered Celine’s apartment, Celine greeted her with a warm hug. Rachel, however, didn’t reciprocate the embrace with the same enthusiasm. She felt numb and her body was stiff as Celine hugged her tightly.
Celine could sense something was off and pulled away, studying Rachel’s face. Rachel’s eyes were dull and her complexion was pale, an indication of the depression she was feeling.
Celine’s living room is a cozy and inviting space, decorated with a mix of vintage and modern elements. The walls are painted a warm, creamy white, and the hardwood floors have been stained a dark chocolate brown. A large bay window takes up most of one wall, letting in plenty of natural light during the day. A vintage Persian rug in shades of red, blue, and gold covers the floor in front of a comfortable, tufted navy blue velvet couch.
Across from the couch is a wooden coffee table, its surface covered in stacks of architecture books and magazines. A large, abstract painting in shades of blue and gray hangs above the couch, adding a pop of color to the room.
To the right of the couch, there is a small reading nook with a comfortable armchair and a matching ottoman, both upholstered in a soft, muted floral fabric. A small side table holds a lamp and a collection of novels.
The other side of the living room has a small but functional working area with a wooden desk, an ergonomic chair, and a shelving unit filled with architectural blueprints and drawings.
Rachel was clearly upset and Celine could see the tears welling up in her eyes. She sat Rachel down on the couch and listened as her friend told her that the date for the arranged marriage had been set, and that she had seen a picture of her future husband.
Rachel confided that she had a feeling that they had met before, and Celine could not help but laugh at the irony of it all.
“Hey, come in, take a seat. How are you doing?”
Rachel sighed “Not great. The date for the arranged marriage has been set, and I saw a picture of my future husband.”
Celine gasped “Oh no, that’s not good. What’s the matter?”
Rachel was doing her best to keep the tears at bay”I don’t know. It’s just that… I feel like I’ve met him before.”
Rachel let out a sigh and nodded, “Yeah, and I saw a picture of him too. I can’t shake off this feeling that we’ve met before.”
Celine chuckled, “Well, that’s quite the irony, isn’t it? But don’t worry, we’ll figure it out together.”
“At least you got a good looking guy,” Celine joked, trying to lighten the mood.
As the conversation between Rachel and Celine continues, Celine realizes that they could use a nice warm cup of tea to help soothe their nerves. She gets up from her seat and walks to her small kitchen area, located just off the living room.
She flips on the kettle, filling it with water from the sink. As the water begins to boil, she reaches for a small tin of loose leaf tea, selecting a soothing chamomile blend. She carefully measures out the tea leaves into a small strainer, and places it into a teapot.
Once the water reaches a rolling boil, she pours it into the teapot, allowing the tea leaves to steep and infuse the water with their flavor.
Celine takes a moment to gather a couple of mugs and some honey to sweeten the tea. She carries everything back to the living room, setting it down on the coffee table in front of the couch where Rachel is sitting. She pours the tea into the mugs and hands one to Rachel.
But Rachel was clearly still upset. “I don’t want to marry him,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion. “I don’t even know him. It’s been very tough, honestly.””
Celine could see how hard this was for her friend, and she knew that she had to do something to help. She put her arm around Rachel and tried to comfort her. “It’s going to be okay,” she said soothingly. “We’ll figure this out together.”
As Rachel calmed down, Celine was overcome with worry about her own situation with William. She hesitantly told Rachel about her worries and Rachel reassured her that she would talk to William.
“So what’s been going on with you? I’ve been worried about you. What’s been going on with you and William?”
“Things have taken a strange turn, I don’t know what to say about that, to be honest.” her voice dropped an octave.
“What do you mean?” Rachel asked, suddenly feeling better.
“I mean, he’s been avoiding me since our first date. I don’t know what’s going on with him. He’s been ghosting and I don’t want to reach out first. Perhaps he wants to play some crazy psychology sh! t with my mind.” she complained, shaking her head hopelessly.
“Oh, that. Don’t worry about it. I’ll talk to him. He’s just probably feeling a little guilty or something.” She said, chuckling softly.
“Really? You think so?” her thick brows came together.
“Don’t worry,” Rachel said, determination in her voice. “I’ll take care of him. I’ll talk to him.”CHAPTER 25
Another Monday, and Rachel was back at the office. She arrived early, eager to start the new week with a fresh attitude and a positive outlook. But her enthusiasm was quickly dampened as she walked into the office and greeted her boss, Leo.
He was curt with her, barely acknowledging her presence as she smiled and said good morning.
“Good morning, Leo!” her greeting came with a smile.
Leo responded with a grunt, being a jerk again.
“Is everything okay?” She asked.
He responded curtly “I need these reports on my desk by noon, and I want that presentation done by the end of the day.
Rachel was taken aback. It seemed the nice Leo was gone. “Okay, I’ll get right on it.” She turned around to leave but was interrupted on her way out.
Leo chipped in brusquely “And I expect them to be done to my satisfaction.”
Rachel replied, trying to stay professional. “Of course, I’ll make sure they’re done to your standards.”
“Good. That’s all.” he replied dismissively.
“Okay, I’ll get to work then.” she said before making her way out of his office, already feeling a bit frustrated..
Determined to prove herself, Rachel worked diligently, completing the tasks that Leo had assigned to her. She submitted her work to him just before the lunch break, and was happy to see a flicker of surprise on his face as he looked over her work. Without a word, she left his office, trying to keep her anger in check.
Rachel knew that she couldn’t let her boss’s behavior ruin her day. She had a wedding coming up soon and she didn’t want anything to spoil it for her. She made her way to the cafeteria for lunch, where she saw Leo sitting at a table with one of his colleagues, William.
William smiled at her as she walked by, but she was angry towards him for ignoring Celine, his assistant. Everyone seemed to give Leo and his table a wide berth, as he was in a foul mood. Just as Rachel was about to sit down and enjoy her lunch, her phone rang. It was Leo, and he was calling her to come to his table.
“Rachel, I need you to do a very quick work right now.”
“Can it wait” she replied, knowing he was doing everything to make her more angry.
“I want it done right now. Outside, you will see a car waiting. I need you to go to the airport with the company’s driver? We need to pick up some models.”
Rachel’s heart twisted painfully as she mentally called him an asshole “Sure, I’ll be there in a bit.” she flashed a very insincere grin before turning on her heels.
“Great, I’ll see you there.”
Rachel felt her anger boil over. This was not part of her job description, and it was clear that Leo was taking advantage of her willingness to go above and beyond. She was furious that he had ruined her lunch and that he kept giving her tasks that were not in her job description.
Rachel stepped out of the building and saw the company car parked at the curb, the driver standing beside it. She made her way towards the car and the driver greeted her with a polite smile and held the door open for her. Rachel slid into the back seat of the sleek, black car and admired the leather interior. The car had a new car smell which was pleasant. The driver closed the door and walked around to the driver’s seat. He started the car and began to drive towards the airport. Rachel looked out the window and watched the city pass by as they drove.
As she made her way to the airport with the company’s driver, Rachel was so angry at her boss. She was determined to prove herself and to not let him take advantage of her any longer. But at the same time, she also knew that she couldn’t let her anger ruin the upcoming wedding, something that was important to her and her family.
The drive to the airport was a long one, and Rachel spent the whole time trying to keep her anger in check, reminding herself that she was a professional and that she had a responsibility to her job and to her family. As they arrived at the airport, the driver pulled up to the terminal and parked in a designated area.
Rachel took a deep breath and stepped out of the car, she didn’t want to transfer any anger on the innocent ladies. She was greeted by a representative from the airline, who led her to the VIP lounge where the models were waiting.
“Hi, I’m Rachel.” She introduced herself.
“Hi Rachel,” she replied “we’ve been expecting you.”
“Great to meet you all, thanks for coming.”
“If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to the VIP lounge where your models are waiting.”
“Thank you.” she said before following the lady’s lead.
The models were a group of tall and beautiful women, dressed in stylish clothing and carrying designer bags. They greeted Rachel with smiles and hugs, and she introduced herself as the representative from the company.
“These are beautiful designer bags you all have, where did you get them?” she asked, trying to lighten the mood.
“Oh, thanks! I got mine from the designer’s new collection.”
“I got mine from a boutique store in Paris.”
“Nice! I’ll have to check them out. Alright, let’s grab our luggage and head to the hotel.”The driver is waiting for us outside.
“Great, let’s go!”
The representative from the airline assisted them with their luggage and they made their way to the company’s car. Rachel and the models chatted and laughed as they drove to the hotel.
“So, how was your flight?” she asked.
“It was good, thanks for asking”.
“Yeah, we slept most of the way.” Irene, the third model chipped in.
“I’m glad you all were able to rest. The hotel is just a few minutes away, we’ll get you settled in and then we can discuss the schedule for the next few days.”
“Sounds perfect, thank you.”
The driver navigated through the busy city streets and soon they arrived at the luxurious hotel.
“Here we are. The driver will assist you with your luggage, and I’ll meet you all in the lobby in an hour to go over the schedule.” she intoned as they stepped out of the car, taking in the creme-de-la-creme cityscape, the hotel itself was an architectural marvel.
The hotel staff greeted them at the entrance and led them to the elevator. They all got off on the designated floor and the hotel staff led them to their rooms.
Rachel made sure that the models were settled in and had everything they needed before leaving them to rest. She gave them their schedule for the next day and made sure they knew where to meet before leaving them to rest and prepare for the photoshoot tomorrow.