ARIEL
"Good Morning." my dad greets when I enter the dining room, sitting at the head of the table as always.
"You're in a good mood." I comment, a skeptical edge gripping my voice.
"Well someone was grilling me about my foul mood at dinner yesterday." He side glances mom who scoffs.
"I was merely pointing out how my pasta wasn't the issue." She pins him with her steel like eyes. They're a light gray.
"Ofcourse dear." My dad shakes his head. "So, how is my daughter this morning?" He adresses me now.
"I'm okay." My smile from my parent's banter faulters at the sympathetic look in both their eyes. "Im fine," I insist. "Nothing I can't handle." I force my best smile.
Two weeks ago
"Ariel, Mr. Lakes wants to see you in his office." I look up at my boss's receptionist, my face scrunching up in confusion.
I work in HR, I have never been asked to go the main boss's office in my entire year of working here.
"He wants to see me? Do you know why?" I ask Natasha who shrugs, her curious blue eyes lingering on the far back where a couple people are whispering amongst themselves. "Okay." I stand, straightening out my blouse and pencil skirt before I start walking.
"You go ahead, Ill be up in a minute." She calls behind me, scurrying off to join whatever the conversation is happening back there.
I nervously walk to the elevators, taking it to two floors above mine, then getting off on the highest floor in the building. This floor is very quiet and secluded, no one except Mr. Lakes and his assistant and receptionist have offices up here.
I walk to his door, knocking once then waiting, noticing his assistant is also absent.
"Come in." A male voice calls, so I open the door, then close it behind me. "Ah, Ms. Russo." He says, his eyes assessing and unkind. The 40 something year old man is not easy on the eyes to say the least.
"Mr. Lakes, how can I help?" I ask, wanting to get this over with quickly.
Unless Im getting fired. But he doesn't need to do that himself.
"Mm, I like that you are so eager to help." He says, his gaze lecherous. My stomach twists at his creepy remark. "I would like to extend an invitation, to you." He starts. My eyebrows crease in confusion.
"An invitation?" I ask.
"Yes, to a private club opening tonight, it is very exclusive and I need a uh," he pauses, a smirk evident on his face. "An escort." He finishes.
I taste bile at the back of throat at his implication. The glint of his wedding band making me more nauseous by the second.
"With all due respect, sir." I grit out through my anger. "I don't think that would be appropriate. We are not supposed to fraternize in the office." I remind him, my skin crawling at every unnecessary second I have to spend under his gaze.
His face twists into something ugly.
"It was not a request Ms. Russo, I am telling you as your boss. You will be accompanying me, and you will do as I say." His voice turns screechy, in an attempt I think, to make himself sound intimidating.
My blood boils at his astonishing nerve.
"I do not think you understand sir. I will not be ordered around, even if you are my employer. You should take your wife." The last comment slips before I can stop myself.
He snarls, standing up to his 5'11 height, stomping around his desk making me take an instinctive step back.
"Who the fuck do you think you are? You're a lowly employee you do as I say," He stalks forward till my legs touch the couch on the far end of his office. "And I want to take this," his eyes leer at my body. "for a spin."
I almost throw up in his face. But his hand on my leg makes my fight or flight kick in and I knee him in his disgusting groin, slipping out from under him before he falls onto the couch. I run out, my lungs feeling suffocated as I urgently press the elevator button.
"You will not get away with this!" he shouts but I am already on my way down.
____
I blink a few times, trying to erase the memory from my brain.
Since then, Henry Lakes tried to spread the rumor that I came onto him, and when he refused to sleep with me, I ran out and told everyone that he tried to molest me.
Its been two weeks of media hell, hearing all kinds of rumors about myself and Henry Lakes alike. But it is not fair. He is a slimy, entitled freak and I should be getting absolutely none of that blame.
Thankfully, some former employees and even current employees have since come forward to tell their stories, similar to mine and my dad is suing him.
Well I'm suing him but my dad has handled everything and kept it away from me.
"Honey you haven't left the house in a week." My mom says, sympathetic eyes catching mine. I slump.
"I've been catching up on my reading. And baking. Being employed doesn't give you time for hobbies." I shrug, avoiding there prying eyes. They mean well and they have helped me so much since the fact. But I just feel like staying in my room.
Emilio and Stella Russo are the best parents a girl could ask for. They're kind, understanding, compassionate and caring. My dad's fully Italian, his heritage runs very strong in him. My mom is from Long Island, and the reason my dad moved away from his entire family and settled here, in Huntington Beach, California.
I was born and raised here, it's my favorite place on earth. Well, that I have seen. I've only been to a few places, we vacationed in Italy every summer till I was 14 but then my parents got busy, they each had their businesses to build and between work and trying to give me as much time as possible, our vacations bacame more Florida or Hawaii than anywhere in Europe.
I still loved every second because both my parents had a way of making any place fun and special. Dad still went to visit his family but my mom didn't like to.
I went to college out of state at Princeton, because its where both my parents went and where they met. My class was filled with type A overachievers and popular kids who somehow managed to study and have the social life of Blair from gossip girl.
I had no such talents. I have always been a home body, and as much as my parents hoped it would, college didn't change that by much. I preferred staying in the dorms more than going out and obscenely partying till I couldn't sit up in class the next monday.
I knew my parents wished I was more like them. But I wasn't. And they never outwardly said anything and sometimes I'd pretend I couldn't see their pitying glances.
They did however insist I stay at home even after I graduated Princeton a year and a half ago. They said it wouldn't make sense since I got a job in town to move into my own place. They wanted me to save money incase I ever wanted to live in another city.
"Mom Im fine, really. I just want to soak up all the me time before I get another job. Its just what I like to do with my time. You know that." I shrug, eating the cereal on I put in my bowl.
"Okay, but if you want, theres going to be a dinner tomorrow night, you're welcome to join us." She hums, eating her own breakfast.
I pick at my food. Sigh.
