Lost In The Middle Of Nowhere

Chapter VIII

If Ariana had known that Quinn and Talon had joined heads to scheme and pair her with the ruthless King Pin, she would have found every excuse under the sun to avoid meeting Quinn the next day.

Standing in her bathroom, she quickly replied to Quinn's iMessage before dropping her phone on a counter a distance away from her. She pulled her silky black Chanel bathrobe tighter around her before reaching for her makeup bag. She had an important meeting that morning so she had to ensure she looked good, even though she wasn't one for wearing much make-up.

Fifteen minutes later, she gave her face a satisfying once over before packing everything back into her makeup bag. Leaving her bathroom, she ventured back into her closet to choose something to wear. She settled on a black long-sleeved turtle neck dress which stopped at her knees. She paired it with a red mid-thigh boyfriend blazer, leaving her hair down and slipping her feet into a pair of strapped black heels.

On her way out the closet, she grabbed a red designer purse to match her attire. Shoving everything she would need into her bag, she picked up her phone from the charger on her bed side, tossing the charger into her bag as she exited her apartment. Arriving at her destination, Ariana paid the cab driver and stepped out onto the pavement. She closed the door before turning to the thirty storey building behind her.

The building was all black with dark tinted windows and while it wasn't as fancy looking and eye catching like the other buildings around, Ariana didn't seem bothered by it. She let her purse slid down to the crook of her arm as she held the box of pastries she had brought from a café at the end of the block from her apartment.

Most people who walk past the large building on a daily basis would ignore it. The dark windows and the black structure caused it to appear gloomy. What they didn't know what was the inside once they stepped through the glass doors, the interior of the building was an absolute contrast. It was like stepping into a different universe.

The lobby had white marble floors and soft red walls. On the left side, there were two white Italian leather couches for the guests to sit and wait. In the middle of the two couches was a small white marble and dark wood coffee table filled with the company's personalized information magazines. The receptionist desk was made of white marble with red accents to match the walls. Behind the desk was the company's name in a big neon sign with Mala Santa in white lights.

A woman around twenty four years old was working behind the receptionist desk, the sound of her acrylics gently hitting the keyboard keys filling the silent lobby. She was dressed in the mandatory red blouse of the company, with Mala Santa engraved on the left pocket, and the optional black pencil skirt. She had blonde hair which was cut into curly bob with short bangs.

Hearing the doors slide open, she had looked up from her computer screen, a momentary look of shock crossing her face before she broke out into a huge grin.

"Boss! You're here!" She exclaimed giddily.

"Good morning Hannah." Ariana smiled at the woman.

"Boss, what are you holding? Is it for the meeting?" Hannah glanced curiously at the box Ariana was holding.

"It's actually some pasties and snack and I picked up on the way over. I figured we could all have breakfast together since everyone mostly waits until they're at work to eat anyways." Ariana replied. "Is everyone here?"

"Only Ian is missing,"

"Well when he gets here you can close up and come upstairs."

"Alright," Hannah nodded her head.

Ariana shifted the box in her hand and made her way towards the elevators. She pressed for the twenty second floor. Ariana was the owner of the entire building and Mala Santa was her very own creation. Her company consisted of twenty four employees, eight of whom were skilled designers that worked very closely with her.