Rey held his phone looking close to his ear. He had his brows furrowed and his eyes blink in confusion before pulling the phone to look at the blank screen as the call went dead.
"What was that about?" He placed the phone on the table before exhaling and easing back into his seat.
"But why didn't she just say no?" He thought aloud, remembering Mia and suddenly, he remembered he had told her that she would have to expect a beautician and get ready to be out with him by 6.
It was better to get the beauticians over now, than wait till later and get late. Picking up his phone, he called The GG Reserved Store. On the second ring, the secretary picked up the call.
"Give the phone to your president."
"He is in a staff meeting, Sir." Came her polite reply but Rey wasn't having this excuse today, not on the day he had planned out something special for Mia and himself.
"What's your name, young lady?" Even over the phone, he sounded cold and commanding.
"Cath, Sir?" She sounded unsure as if asking what he needed her name for.
"You do know who is on the line right?"
"Uuhm…"
"Spare yourself the stress of knowing and get Kendrick on the phone in two minutes or lose your job." He hung up.
He stood up with a force and gritted his teeth, the image of Mia over the spilled food on the floor keeps messing with his head and now it feels like hell.
He felt like pulling his hair, his teeth gritted against each other but he wasn't given the luxury of time as his phone suddenly rang. Picking it up immediately, the caller ID flashed on his screen, it was Frederick. Putting the phone on hands free mode, he kept it on his table while he stood, supporting the edge of the table with his hand, staring down at the phone.
"Rey Rey!" Frederick bubbly voice bounce off from the phone but Reynaldo's face was as stiff as a log of wood.
"Hey, I need you to be at my residence in two hours. Do a complete makeover on Mia, I need her ready before 6."
"That's strange. This isn't the Rey…"
"Are we game Fredrick? Before 6."
"I am not your subordinate Rey and this is no way to talk to a friend." Fredrick sounded displeased.
"I need to get this job done."
"I was having an important meeting."
"Do you want to work or not?Are we game?" Reynaldo was basically glaring at his screen.
"Fine, fine! We are."
"Good, send me your price after you are done and you will be settled."
"Is the Princess home?" Fredrick asked but his voice wasn't as cheerful as it should be.
'Princess?' Rey thought, smirking.
"If you are referring to whom I think you are referring to, I suppose she is." He hangs before he does and calls for Andrew.
The image wouldn't leave his head and it was beginning to drive him crazy. Picking up the landline, he placed a call to Andrew's office.
***
"My lady, you do not look well. Is everything alright?" Gary, who had observed Mia walking out from the main house at an extremely slow pace with a reddened face and eyes, walked up to meet her.
Trying in vain to smile at Gary, she nodded assuringly at him. "I am fine Gary, just a little fever."
This time before he can say anything else, she walked quickly into her room, jams the door to the close, pull off her shoe and throws it off, she runs into the toilet and gags again but this time, nothing comes out.
Standing with her back leaning on the wall, she clenches her first and glares at the air imagining it to be Rey. Laughing spitefully, she opens her mouth but closes it again as it feels as if she had something painful stuck to her throat.
"I…" She tries to talk but it gets hard but imagining Reynaldo's smirk, she punches the air before heaving heavily.
Closing her eyes as the image from earlier replayed in her head, plus the humiliation, she snaps them open again and glares at the imaginary Rey. "I am not a dog. Neither am I a whore Sir."
"With all due Respect Sir, you are a fuckin' bastard!"
She felt relieved but not better, hurriedly walking into her bedroom, she searched for her phone to unlock it before tapping on the dial button. Beatrice's contact is the first to pop up and her thumb hovers over it.
"Should I really?" She smiled sardonically.
"Of what use is it when I brought it upon myself?" She asks again before dropping her phone to the bed and sinking into the bed Immediately after.
The beauticians would be here any moment from now and she needed to be fit to receive them. Standing up and performing some breathing exercise, she walked back into the bathroom and washed her face.
Looking at herself in the mirror, she stared back at the reddened eyes and face that stared back at her. "You can do this Mia. You signed up for this. You can do it."
Nodding at her words, she continued. "Do it for Lucio."
"Yes, I am doing this for Lucio." She repeated.
"You would need to get better, Lucio." She said again and each time, her eyes turned cold and she stared back like she had lost the ability to feel.
The memory of his words from the night she thought he had wanted to kiss her and his annoying face when he poured her food on the floor and ordered her to eat, haunted her mind.
"No more mistakes Mia." She nodded again, tears were beginning to build but she pushed them back and just then, there was a knock on her door.
"Coming." She had cleared her throat and cleaned her face before quickly searching through her wardrobe for something to put on and not announce to the beautician that she is a maid.
The knock came again and this time, Gary's voice accompanied it. "They are waiting in the general house, and receive them when you are ready."
"I wish I could." Mia responded but not loud enough for Gary to hear.
"Okay. Thank you!" She raised her voice louder enough for him to hear and just right there, she found one of her favorites.
Putting on a rugged pair of jeans trousers and a white t-shirt to match, she packed her hair into a ponytail before walking into Rey's house.
On opening the extravagant waiting room, Mia is shocked to see about ten staff all dressed in black with their equipment ready and waiting for her arrival.
"Oh, really? Is this meant to be a suprise or the princess knows about this?" She turns towards the direction of the voice to see the familiar back of the president of the store she was taken to.
"Alright then." Fredrick, who had ended the call, turned to meet Mia's eyes on him.
He had a smile which didn't reach his eyes but after catching a glimpse of her face, his smile falters.