My Vengeful CEO
11

[Aya Millenis' Vision]

With only five minutes to go before the workday is over, I have spent the whole day with the foot of my stomach tingling. The whole day in the mix of sadness and anxiety. The image of my little girl still makes me very sad, and what is distracting me from this sadness at the moment is the apprehension about how it will be from now on with Iuri. I can't believe it, after all these years, seven long years, I will finally have a talk with him, I will ask for forgiveness for everything I did and I will try to explain why I acted that way, try to explain that I am now a totally different person.

With all these years, after being saved by Leandro, I regret so much that I didn't give Iuri a chance back in the days when he loved me. Would we still be together today? Now it is too late to regret the spilled milk, maybe he is even dating already, the years have only favored him.

I take a deep breath, look at the mirror built into the braco tiled wall and retouch my lipstick. I line up my black blazer on top of my white social blouse, make my hair into a bun and look once again at the clock on my wrist, one minute, that's all the time I have left. Time to get out of the ladies' room.

I reach my desk and grab my briefcase, I have it packed, I turn off the computer. The door behind me opens, and the sound catches my attention. Iuri looks impeccable, any woman would let the saliva drip from her mouth all over him. I wonder if there is anything left of the Iuri of before in him. He looks at me and I hold my breath for a few seconds, what a penetrating look. I feel guilty, I can't look into his eyes, as a reflex, I lower my head feeling my muscles tense. - Good evening, Miss Millenis - I will never get used to the deepness of that voice. How beautiful.

- G-good evening, Mr. Stevens," I answer with my head down.

- I'm going to the restaurant on 23rd street, if you don't show up by six o'clock, I'll leave," he says and starts walking.

I lift my head and can only see his back, moving further and further away. I had been so looking forward to this conversation, but now I just want to get under the covers and stay there forever. My mouth goes dry, my heart beats fast and only a few minutes after he has disappeared into the elevator, I use all my strength and pluck up courage and start walking, waiting a few seconds for the elevator door to open. I reach the parking lot and take my keys from the side pocket of my blazer, unlock them and get in, start the car and in less than five minutes I am already parking in front of the restaurant.

I know this restaurant, I have been here three times in my failed attempts to get a husband. Although I have never gone to bed with one, there have been a few kisses. I regret it, I only wasted my time with them, and in the end, the kisses were not that good.

The cold wind hits my face, my legs are shaky, my fingers are trembling and the palm of my hand is in a cold sweat, I breathe. "-This is no time to be fearful, come on Aya!" - I encourage myself and take the first step, I climb the few steps and enter the establishment, as usual it is crowded, the food here is really very good. At first I see Iuri with his back to me, my heart flutters. I can't waste any more time, I force myself to walk and avoid the other tables on the way until I reach the table where he is, as his back is turned I can see that he is on his cell phone and is exchanging messages with someone through whatsapp. Who could it be?

-Good evening - I announce my presence, thanking God for having managed to speak firmly.

-Good, I thought you weren't going to come," he says putting his cell phone away and I sit down on the chair, face to face with him.

The waiter appears with his little notebook in hand, and with a friendly smile asks the question:

- What would you gentlemen like?

- The house special, please - Iuri asks without looking at the young man.

- Okay, and the young lady?

- A special too," smiles the waiter, who notes down the orders and leaves.

- Here I am, what did you want to talk to me about? - he asks with a raised eyebrow.

I pull the air through my nostrils with force, feeling as if a frost coming straight from the north pole has settled in my insides. "- Courage Aya, let's go!" - my conscience once again encouraging me; I can't back out now. I sigh and look into his eyes, intense, they are very intense, I feel the back of my neck tingle just at that look.

- I... Well... the words escaped me, it seems that my tongue got tangled up.

- What's wrong with you, Miss Millenis?

- You don't have to call me that...- I whisper with my head down, a lump grows in my throat, I swallow dryly. I don't understand why I was sad that he called me by my last name.

He sighs, impatient, I imagine. Surely he has many other things to do and I am here taking up his time without even speaking in a meaningful sentence.

- Okay, I'll just call you Aya," he speaks calmly. I just make quick movements indicating a positive head response.

- I was very unfair to you a few years ago, I told you many things that...

- I know that every word you said was true, and in fact, since I was a child I was teased about my appearance," he pauses and I hold my breath, not knowing that he had been bullied since childhood, "I was really ugly, and you just made it clear to me that all I had was money," I raise my head and deny frantically, "Why do you want to talk about it again?

- That's not true! You... you...

- What isn't true, Aya?

- Well - my heart has decided to become a tap-dancer, it hurts even a little bit, what words to use? Look... - I take another deep breath, I need to calm down - Since I was a little girl, I always had to follow my parents' orders, they always threw in my face that if I had something it was thanks to them and that it was my duty to obey them. I... I have been in love with Leandro since I was twelve years old.

- I am not interested in your passion for Leandro," he interrupted me, his voice sounding cold and angry?

- Let me explain myself - I ask, looking into his eyes.

- Um, go on.

- Well, when he asked me to be his date, we started going out, hanging out and I thought we were heading for a solid relationship, where everything seemed like a fairy tale and so, when my parents tried to impose that I should go out with you it was like a bucket of cold water, in my immature mind, Leandro was the prince and you were the ogre who wanted to destroy me and...

- Ogre? Wow, at least I played an important role," he says ironically with a smile on the corner of his mouth.

- Understand what I am saying. Back then I was immature and didn't know how to make the right judgment about things and I...

- And now you know how to make the right judgment?

- Yes, I am no longer a teenager fantasizing about a fairy-tale life.

- Why did you ask my father to buy the orphanage?

How did the conversation end up at the orphanage? I just wanted to apologize for things in our past, that's all. Deep breath, hold your heart, you are too young to have a heart attack.

- To be honest, there was a child there who is very important to me.

- And why is she there? - he asks with a raised eyebrow.

- Because I still can't keep her.

The memories overwhelm me, my little girl's bewildered smile... I just hope she is managing to be happy.

- And what is missing?

- A husband - I whisper, I don't know if he heard - Anyway, I didn't come here to talk about that.

- What did you come for then?

- To apologize for everything I said to you. To explain that I only told you those things because I needed to blame someone else, and ended up blaming you, I told you things that I knew would hurt you because I was hurt and I was only thinking about myself and thinking that all that was your fault for not paying attention to you? I want to ask you to forgive me for all of that," I say without breathing and I feel as if a weight has been removed from inside me.

- You are sorry, is that what you wanted to hear? - I nod my head no, that's not how I wanted to hear it. I was never angry with you for that in the past, I understood your side and at that time I only wanted you to be well. - I know, your mother told me what you asked your parents. And this is all the more reason for me to ask...

- That is a good reason for you not to disappoint as an employee in the company, if you feel gratitude to them.

- But I always do my best...

- So go on, and I don't want to talk about the past anymore.

I feel defeated, I didn't expect the conversation to go this way. Although he says that he never felt angry with me at that time, the tone in his voice says something else, he is angry with me. Could it be because of how I broke into the President's office? But I didn't even know he would be there. In these two days you can see how focused he is on his work.

- Here are your orders - the waiter leaves our plates. Iuri starts to eat, but just looking at the food makes me feel sad. I wanted to leave this restaurant lighter, but it seems that I have done even more wrong things.

- Aren't you going to eat?

- No... - I slowly get up - I'm going home, thank you for giving me your time.

- All right, don't forget our trip this weekend, I don't like delays.

- I won't be late.

And so I get up from the table and leave the restaurant behind. I need a hot bath, this conversation has only earned me cold baths.