An Engagement Of PARALLELS

5. MAVERICK

I stare at her for way too long. There is something not right.

When I got up this morning, it was all about getting through the important investors meeting that we have been planning since a week. So my mood isn't exactly making space for the distraction I'm facing at the hands of Miss Dahan right now.

I raise my phone to my ear. "Charlotte, send Reyna in."

Reyna is still carrying two cups of coffee but instead of stopping by at my office, she is slacking next to Lisa's and Aiden's table.

Her walk is different. There is not the usual sway and bossiness in her strides. Since she has her cup of coffee, I know she is not on her periods because then she would have skipped it.

She is also wearing a high neck top. The two times she wore it in the one year that she has been on this floor, she hated it. She gets these unusual rashes the next day, but today she is carrying that high neck as her armor.

And then there are those black sunglasses. Inside the building. What's that about?

I stretch my spine and lean forward, when she enters my office. "You asked for me?"

"Needed my coffee. What's wrong?" I wait for her to spit out the reason for all the things I have noticed in her to be different.

"You mean the sunglasses? I got infection." Her voice is clipped.

She brushes off the question and even though her eyes are covered by the barrier of glasses, I know she is avoiding looking at my face, meeting my eyes. I also notice the ridiculous amount of product she has put on her face for God knows what reasons.

"And the high neck?"

"The high neck?" She repeats my question as if its absurd. Well, maybe it is. It must have been if I was asking them to someone else, but its Reyna and she knows what I mean.

I lean forward over my table and cradle my head. My stomach is churning from all of this. The coffee she brought has been sitting in front of me and she is sipping the water from the glass that I don't remember forwarding towards her. Although this is not unusual. Our movements have become so mechanical with regards to exchanging beverages that I hardly notice it anymore.

I was going to ask her about the leg next but Charlotte enters, her impeccable timing as always, and looks between us suspiciously.

When both of us do not speak, she sees it as an invitation to explain her barging in. "The team is here, sir and the meeting room is ready."

"Okay, make them seated, I will be there in a moment."

She nods and closes the door behind her.

But she already gave Reyna an opportunity to escape my questions. She gathers the files and follows Charlotte, leaving me alone.

Every person that was called for this meeting, was now seated here. My dad and Marshall are also one of them.

Dad is quite and seemingly focused on whatever information Reyna is giving him but when I take my seat next to him at the head of the table, he eventually looks up at me. He seems sincere when he says, "Please consider your pops offer."

Marshall can see the war in my expressions and counters it with a reassuring look. As the meeting commences, not much is said between us, but the more we progressed, the more it became clear to me that perhaps I'll have to consider Pop's offer afterall.

The non-verbal cues between my family are enough for me to take decisions and counter argue my case.

Reyna, Charlotte and Aiden assist us with paperwork and presentation and we are successful in courting a favor from two investors. Its not enough but at least its a progress.