A mirror never lies; it is bitterly honest.
Water drips from the edge of her round face. She looks up and sees her reflection, her wet lips fluttering and her sore fingertips burning.
She pulled the towel and wiped her face, rubbing it hard.
She walked into her room, opened her laptop, and sat down in her hard plastic chair, which was uncomfortable and annoying. Her father had refused to let her take the office chair home, despite her requests.
"Who's this AS guy?" She hummed while opening the first mail.
'Miss Raven, may this mail find you in good health. I have signed a business deal with your father. You may remember me from the conference. Would it be possible for us to swap phone numbers? On August 5, there will be a small housewarming celebration. I would be delighted to invite you.'
She responded, "Whatever, *********00."
The next email was from Ayan.
She opened it.
A long paragraph filled the screen. He wrote about how her father and brother had wronged him. He warned her not to blame him if he joined a rival of Starshine.
Raven stared at the message.
"Go to hell," she muttered.
She closed it without replying.
So he knew.
He had been fired.
She opened a brand new page of Slides and began working. Her fingers shook uncontrollably from worry. She had to start over with her research and fill in the updates.
On page nine of a research paper, it was predicted thatrespondents would choose based on the characteristics of the advertisement, their stated preference for a certain celebrity, and their demographic characteristics. The picture and the statement were the most important parts of the ad. Respondents were more likely to choose a celebrity when they said, "His picture caught my eye" or "His statement made me want to learn more."
A cold drop of water fell from her left eye. She blinked and looked at the clock above her laptop.
It was four in the morning.
She went through the slides; they were almost done. But when she found the paper again, it made her spine itch.
She opened a new one and changed the idea. It was done in two hours. She stood up, stretched, and went downstairs to get a cup of hot coffee.
Her mother was frying omelets in the kitchen when she looked at her and asked, "Did you not sleep again?"
"No, I was working on the project for the promotion." She leaned over a little and sniffed the smell of soup cooking. "Isn't it too soon?"
"Your dad demanded." Mia answered.
"He is such a baby." Raven added, scrunching her nose.
"My mother-in-law has left this baby for me to raise." Mia flipped the crispy, brown bread and said, "I couldn't sleep either. "George was devouring my brain."
"What was he saying?"
"What can he say? He is the same—no worse than your dad is. He was complaining about your dad's behavior at work. Same old story." Mia said, cutting a lemon and squeezing it into a bottle of water.
Yeah, it's the same old story; I feel trapped in this house. My life is limited to these walls. Ever since I finished school, time stopped at one point, and I have never moved since." Raven said.
"I don't want to talk about this topic anymore." Mia's forehead creased as she burst out violently, yelling, "First, it was your dad, then your brother, and now you." Why can't I get a moment of peace in this house?"
"I repeatedly requested Anna to help me out in the kitchen; my lips dried, but she didn't move an inch." Mia complained, her eyes wide, teeth grinding.
"Chill! Mom!" Raven grabbed her coffee cup, stirring the milk, and she turned to leave.
"Yeah! Chill! Now you will tell me to chill. I am the one doing everything around this house. Before, you would help me with the chores, but then your father filled you with the nonsense of 'Aaa? You are a boss; you are a director in the company. Why would you work?' Listen to me, no good lady is as lazy as you are; you just need an excuse to leave me alone in this hell."
A heavy breath escaped Raven's lips; she walked out as the voice pierced her ears, a loud ringing numbing her ears. Her mother's yelling faded in the background.
Wearing her headphones, she played 'Like Crazy' and rolled over on her bed, covering half her body with a blanket, and blasted the air conditioner at 16; the light switched off, setting the mood for sleep.
After two minutes of silence, a message popped up and the screen of her phone lit up bright.
(Atish Shah this side.)
(Did you get the mail?)
(Then I will expect you at the party.)
'Yeah, as if I am an idiot too.'
She switched off her phone. Drifting into a deep, well-needed sleep.
...
The next morning, Raven woke up exhausted and yawned, feeling like she had a lot of work to do. When she walked into the office, she saw four middle-aged men sitting in the main cabin. She could only recognize one of them well. Ron An. One of her neighbors was a friend of her father's.
He had been coming to the store chain almost every day since it opened. He is a well-known researcher and a professor at a well-known university. He would come in the evening, but since it was Sunday, he would be at work all day.
Unpaid Supervisor.
"Hi, Uncle Ron." She smiled broadly in greeting.
"I suppose it's been a year or two since I last saw you." Without returning her greeting, he said.
"Six months." Raven spoke clumsily.
"Is that correct?" he answered.
"Who is she?" One of the bald uncles asked, his expression strict and irritated.
"Brother Han, you don't know? Ah… I see you never met her. She is William's eldest. She used to handle everything when the business was brand new," Ron introduced.
"Okay…where is your dad?" Uncle Han asked.
"I don't know." Raven replied and sat down on her chair, opened her laptop, and started typing something on her docs.
The men talked to each other while she worked, surrounded by these old geezers who discussed politics and business, complaining and wailing about the share market.
It was almost time for lunch; a staff member entered the cabin, placing fried chicken rice in front of the regular guest and Raven. Fidgeting at her seat, she cursed the staff in her heart, 'Can't he read the room? I told him to wait for me at the cafeteria.'
Awkward.
She waited, but then her stomach couldn't hold her; she started eating, and soon her eyes fell on Uncle Ron. He wasn't eating; out of courtesy, she asked, "Uncle, don't you like the food? Should I ask them to bring something else?"
"No," he replied strictly.
"How about lime soda?" She asked, replying to a text.
"No." He refused, "And you shouldn't drink that either."
"Ahem? What?" She turned her neck to hear him better.
"Also, this thing that you are eating. It is too oily for you. Look at your weight. I think you should join a gym." He said, looking at his phone.
Raven gulped hard, her eyes darting to each of the uncles sitting too close to her table. "I have been dieting all this time, you won't believe; it has been a long time since I had a full meal."
"Whatever." Uncle Ron dismissed her explanation.
She pressed her lips, tears glistening in her eyes, and she looked away, fixing her eyes on the screen.
After a while, an employee came and reported, "Mr Fan is here."
"Oh? Take him to the meeting room. I am coming." She got up and exited, saying, 'These men have no manners. Sitting around a girl, like that, can't they go to some hotel?'
….
"Mr Fan, the funds have been transferred. Are you satisfied now?" Raven glanced with a bright smile, flipping through the files.
Secretary Wan, one of Raven's trusted aides at the company, sat across from Mr. Fan and noted down the meeting minutes.
"Yes. Miss Raven, don't get me wrong. Every deal comes down to a transaction in our circle. That manager, Ayan, and your father had come to my office several times. Persuade me for the project, but when it came to the actual action, there was no response." Mr. Fan explained, "You know there are so many celebrities signed under my agency. Each one has to be dealt with meticulously. But your father thinks they are simple to handle."
"I understand." Raven lowered her head and nodded.
"I am glad to work with you. Unlike them, you understand business. I suggest you keep managing this company. I heard you are not regular." Mr. Fan asked; it was obvious, and negative news spread faster.
"Yeah, anyway, the PR packages will be delivered to your office. It would be enough for our weeklong campaign. But if you need anything else, just text me." Raven stood up and bowed her head.
"Sure." Mr. Fan shook hands with her and left.
"Sister Raven, Mr. Fan is right," Secretary Wan said.
"Indeed he is. Mr. Fan is right, I am dumb and easy to manipulate and a fool. After all, I am not as experienced as my dad." Raven shot a sharp gaze at him.
"He didn't mean this. He was praising you." Secretary Wan explained.
"Whatever he meant, I don't care." Raven sat down. "I don't know when I will be kicked out again. Let's have a meeting. I will go through all the issues today." She leaned back, closing her eyes.