Ariella
"Go up to bed, I'll clean up" Harry offered tiredly. "Maybe we do need a house elf," Ariella countered with a small smile. Harry chuckled under his breath and collected their dishes as she walked up to their bedroom.
She understood the team was pushing themselves even harder now that they were top of the leaderboard. Last year they had everything to prove, this year they had everything to lose. Harry was already exhausted, he wasn't saying it but she could see it in his features.
Ariella took a few extra minutes to stand under the pulsing stream of hot water. Her job wasn't nearly as physical as Harry's but mentally she was just as drained. She had no idea if she was making the right decisions or dooming the company entirely.
Stepping out of the shower she cast a drying charm over her skin and towel-dried her hair. After running a wide-toothed comb through her damp hair and moisturising her skin she left the bathroom. Her heart fluttered with affection as she took in the man she shared a bed with. The soft pale moonlight painted their bedroom in a cool glow making the call to sleep that much more alluring.
Ariella slid beneath the silk duvet pressing her body to Harry's as she wrapped her arm around him. His body always provided more than enough heat to keep her warm during the night. "Baby" Harry murmured sleepily, running a hand up the back of her thigh. "Sleep Harry, you're exhausted" she encouraged softly peppering the back of his shoulder with soft kisses before she too fell into sleep.
When she woke in the morning Harry was gone and a note lay on his pillow ' Tonight, I'm peeling that dress off your body with my teeth .' She sighed happily as warmth spread through her core at the thought. Picking up her phone she put in an early morning breakfast delivery for tomorrow.
The task had her contemplating a house elf for the first time since she was young. A foul house elf named Kreacher had been bestowed to her father. It had taught her words such as mudblood and blood traitor at the mere age of five. Her mother had been so outraged by the entire ordeal she banned the house elf from their estate entirely. Kreacher had returned to Grimmauld Place to serve her grandparents. He had always been acutely absent during their minimal visits, perhaps due to her uncle and Mattheo being half-bloods.
Ariella dressed in a grey cropped fitted dress shirt and black trousers, pairing the outfit with a simple black heel. She twisted her hair up into a quick updo with a large hair clip. Brushed her teeth, swiped on some mascara, blush, and lipgloss and cast a cleaning charm over their bedroom as she left.
In the kitchen, a bagel was toasted and spread with cream cheese and a coffee sat under a stasis charm for her. Pushing her just a little further in the direction of employing a house elf. Harry always did these small things for her that he didn't have to. She could toast a bagel, she wasn't that incapable. She knew he did it out of affection but that meant less time for himself.
She collected her breakfast alongside her purse and floo'd to her office. "Good morning Ariella" Peloma called from outside, Ari couldn't help but smile as she countered a friendly greeting.
Placing her things on her desk she heard Peloma scrambling "Sir, you can't go in there" she urged. Ariella sighed and took a seat as Hedrington marched into her office "This is a bloody Mistake" he hissed slamming a copy of the new budgets onto her desk.
"Thank you Peloma" Ariella offered with a smile before turning her attention. "I assure you it isn't" Ariella said firmly holding his angered gaze. "This company would not exist without me" he shouted slamming a palm to her desk. "While profits have continued to grow and you do play a valuable part in that as you oversee finance decisions it's your own salary that seems to be growing alongside those profits" Ariella argued with annoyance. "Smart business decisions should be compensated," Hedrington snapped. "As should the employees who bring in the opportunities to make said business decisions" Ariella shouted getting to her feet.
