IN LOVE WITH THE FRENCH BEAUTY

~**~Chapter 5~**~

~**~Chapter 5~**~

Three months later and Arabelle was starting to rethink her decision to work for Dahveed Messina as a challenge. She fought to stay afloat every single day in the office just as he’d promised, and she prayed that something would be done. But her prayers were in vain because he was the law and order around the office. The funny thing was that she actually enjoyed working for the tyrant, as unbelievable as that sounded. She’d noticed that he treated people with respect despite their status in society. He also listened to everyone who approached him with a problem. Well anyone except Arabelle because the minute she showed up, he went into evil boss mode.

The morning of Dahveed’s birthday, which she didn’t know about, she showed up happy as she could ever be. She and Diana had become the best of friends; everyday, they ate breakfast together and sometimes dinner when their schedule weren't as hectic. Arabelle would share the pranks she pulled on her arrogant boss at work with Diana, and it was a bit unsettling how Diana would hang on to every word Arabelle recited.

That morning before she left for work, Diana gave her a brown bag full of her delicious appetizers and asked her to share with everyone she knew at the office. This didn’t spook Arabelle’s curiosity because Diana had told her all about a son she lost almost twenty years ago. Diana had said that she celebrated his birthday and since Arabelle was her best friend, she asked her to spread joy among her coworkers. If only she’d known.

“Morning, John!” Arabelle greeted her good friend when she rounded the corner of his office.

“Cheery this morning, are we?” John teased and she smiled. Arabelle was the sister he never had, and John the brothe she never had

“Let me enjoy it before going up stairs.” She answered and he nodded.

“What’s up? You look a bit nervous.” Arabelle inquired after seeing John wipe his palms to his pants twice.

“Err…Nadia wants to talk to you.” He said grimacing. Nadia, a coworker who was mistaken as one of the models on a daily basis was Arabelle’s nemesis for no aparent reason. Apparently, Nadia found it outrageous that a dirt poor nobody with the likes of Arabelle worked with Dahveed while she, the desrving candidate, worked on the ground floor like an outcast.

“Hello.” Nadia sneered and Arabelle nodded in acknowledgement. “We, as in the women on the first floor, want to give Dahveed a birthday present.” Nadia and everyone else in the office knew how much Dahveed hated and how nasty he behaved on his birthday. He was mean and arrogant on a normal day, but he became a nasty tyrant on his that day. Nadia figured that Arabelle didn’t know this little fact and she was happy to take advantage of the other girl's naiveté . “We want you to give this to him on our behalf.” Nadia handed her a big bouquet of a mixture of white lilies, blue orchids, and pale pink roses. “I hope you don’t mind. I would’ve been happy to deliver it myself but I’m not allowed on the the seventh floor." her voice was the epitome of gratitude.

“Well I don’t see any problem. I’ll make sure he gets it!” she said and went to the elevator.” Arabelle was in deep thoughts because everyone was acting so strange around her. What is it with the boss’s birthday that makes people so skittish all of a sudden? She asked herself. She found out just as soon as she walked in his office and found an angry, brooding man in place of her boss.

****

Dahveed was having a bad, no, terrible day and it wasn’t surprising. His birthday tended to shatter his calm and controlled demeanor. He’d woken up panting and sweating with nightmares of his childhood. Then his dad had coyly asked him when he was getting married. The thought of being shackled to a no good, deceiving and conniving woman for the rest of his life made him a bit dizzy.