Life Without You

Chapter 32 - Obsessed Fans?

"Mum? Mum!" Andy said aloud.

"What!" Ariel snapped at him, irritated that she was disturbed in the middle of checking her phone.

"Nothing," Andy grumbled.

He wanted to show her his stunts on his balancing scooter on a quiet, sunny afternoon at their backyard garden. However, Ariel's mind was focused elsewhere. What was she so busy with on the phone, a device which he was denied from owning one himself?

Since the tabloid disaster, Ariel poured her attention to work and clocked in long hours.

Whenever she was called to Fujita Corporation's main office, some employees in the building would eye her as she walked past and whisper among themselves. She still did not like the fact that people were saying stuff behind her back, especially those at work, but gradually she grew not to care.

Like the big boss said, Keep your head up high. And on, she must. Work was the only thing that helped distract her from "petty" stuff.

Due to her extra dedication to her work, sales of Fujita sauces continued to skyrocket after Ariel worked with her chefs, Hong and Han to expand Fujita's range of BBQ sauces. The new additions sold like hot cakes within 48 hours after its first release in stores nationwide. Hinata restaurant's franchises expanded to five more states and cooking workshops at Hinata were fully booked to the point that new sign-ups had to wait at least a month in advance to get an available slot; at least three months in advance at a higher fee if Ariel was teaching that slot in their locale.

Because of the impressive revenue growth month after month, Ariel was recently interviewed by Forbes on her work, featuring her on their cover with her hair swept to one side and her corporate blue blazer put over her shoulders and folded arms where she carried a wooden ladle in one hand, in order to connote the commanding side of her. Time magazine listed her as one of the top 100 most influential people of the same year and she graced the cover of Tatler magazine where she posed like a model in high street fashion wear.

Ariel's fan base continued to increase and she garnered support from across communities, including the Asian community who proudly paraded her as a role model of empowerment and success.

However, in truth, underneath all this manufactured PR stunt, Ariel felt more incomplete and unsettled than ever and she tried to bury those unwanted feelings under more layers of work, hardly ever taking a break.

Despite Andy being homeschooled and being able to accompany her on some of her business trips, Ariel spent little time with him, leaving him to the company of his caretaker or Rita. To compensate for time lost, Ariel would give him a generous amount of money to splurge to his heart content while she was at work. But the fleeting feeling of contentment would dissipate after a while and all he was left with were the games and toys that accumulated on his shelf, half of which he got tired of playing with.

The moment his mother returned from work, she was too tired to talk and she'd rather have her evening massages undisturbed or plop into bed. Ariel grew more annoyed, sometimes agitated. Because she hardly cooked at home even during her off-days, Andy was fed food ordered from outside or brought home from Hinata. Sometimes, he would make his own dishes instead.

Andy missed his mother's home cooking very much. While the food served at Hinata was delicious, it wasn't the same and over time, he got so sick of it that he could remember the menu at the back of his mind without looking at it.

Andy reminisced the days his mother could spend real time with him and cook real good food was when she worked for Leon. While her previous workplace, The Orient Treasure restaurant had long hours and paid horribly low, working for Fujita was even longer and the time taken away from him when she worked for The Orient Treasure did not come close!