The convenient marriage

Chapter 9. A melancholic piano piece

'Ryan!' A small beautiful blond girl, dressed in a professional blue suit, called out to the assistant who was at the moment passing by her office.

'Yes, manager Leah. Can I help you with something?' Asked the assistant, stopping in his tracks. 

'I have a report I must give to the president. Is he meeting with someone now?' Informed the beautiful lady, smiling a bit.

'Ohh... I can give him the report if you would like!' The assistant offered, and had already extended his arm to take the report from her hand.

Holding the report even tighter in her hands, as if embracing it, the young manager seemed reluctant to give it to him.

'It is better if I give it to him myself, I also have some things that I must point out to him personally!' The manager explained her reasons, when she realized her actions had been too abrupt.

'Then you will have to wait until Monday. The president already went home!' Ryan explained, and waited to see if she changed her mind regarding the file in her hand. 

'Really? Then I will give it to him Monday morning! I am sorry I stopped you for nothing.' She apologized, showing a truly regretting face, although one could not determine if she was sorry because she had held the assistant's time, or  if  she was sad she was unable to meet the president.

The assistant nodded, smiling a bit, and did not accept her apology. There was nothing for her to apologize about. And then making sure she did not want something else from him, turned around and continued walking away.

'It's only 6 pm, the president is always at the office at this hour. What could have happened today?' She said slowly, as if she was talking to herself, but her secretary that had her desk just outside her office still heard her.

'The president has left at 6 pm, if not earlier for this entire week, not only today. I heard his secretary joyfully saying this, the poor girl could finally go home at a normal hour after so many years. She was ecstatic when she told her friend in the small pantry.' Her secretary slowly whispered, afraid to also be heard by others. Surely, nothing good would come out if others caught her gossiping.

'Ehhh... Really?' She asked, widening her eyes.

'Yeah. I heard it with my own ears.'

The manager frowned, and did not continue the discussion, turning around and entering her office. Her secretary was quite a gossiping girl, if she had known more she would have told her already, it was not necessary to ask her. But she truly wondered what could have made the hard working president, the man who always left the office last, leave before everyone else.

At the mansion

Satie's Gymnopedie number 1 resounded slowly inside the mansion, it was a song which made one's heart peaceful and calm, but ironically at the same time, it was a song that could stir and bring forth emotions of sadness for the one listening to it, depending on their own life experiences. As it was a mild song that had melancholic and grave nuances to it, this was perhaps to be expected.

Watching the slender hands playing skillfully across the piano, Aria's heart felt wretched as she listened to the song, but pleased at the same time. Satie's Gymnopedie number 1 had been the song she most liked to listen to in the later part of her last life.

It was a song that lamented her immobile state, but it was also the song that ironically calmed her when all she had wanted to do was cry.

Hearing this song played by him now, it felt like it was even more sentimental than when she had heard it on the radio before. Was it because his image fitted perfectly with the song? Or was he just that wonderful at playing it?