"Ariel? Ariel-san," Hiroshi knocked on her office door twice but Ariel did not seem to notice since she was busy on her phone.
"Ariel, hello?" he opened the door.
"Hiroshi-san!" Ariel quickly put her phone down on her desk. "Sorry, I didn't hear you." She stood up and gave a bow.
Hiroshi walked over and noticed that familiar grid layout on her screen, "Busy with Instagram?"
As soon as he said that, Ariel quickly put her phone to sleep.
"Something interesting?"
"Just checking some things, erm, work stuff, you know?" she gave a furtive smile.
"You work too hard," teased Hiroshi.
"So, erm, what do you need from me?" Ariel changed the topic.
"As you know, it's now summer. I'm organising a 2-week camping trip to Yellowstone National Park. My sis, Hiromi will be joining. I wonder if you and Andy are up for it too?"
"Sounds fun, but I've got lots to do."
"You'll always have lots to do. You've not taken a single break since joining us so I insist you must take a break - that's an order from me."
"本当に? (Hontoni i.e. Really?)"
"はい、本当に! (Hai, hontoni! i.e. Yes, really!)," Hiroshi nodded.
"But, who's gonna watch over the restaurant?" Ariel began to worry.
"I'll arrange for Hong and Han to cover for you, so don't worry and give yourself a break, alright?" he chuckled with a shake of the head.
Ariel felt the rush of excitement taking over her anxiety, "Great! I'm really looking forward to it."
——-
Leon drew out his breath as his worried eyes scanned the Excel sheet his accountant emailed him.
His finances continued to bleed at an alarming rate.
Since the day Leon first earned his million dollars, he never once worried about money, and he could spend on anything to his heart's content, even spoiling his family with the luxuries they now enjoyed. But this time, the tide had changed.
Rent from his portfolio of properties was not enough to cover his ridiculous expenses - ridiculous because of his excessive splurges on women, parties and booze in the past, medical treatment, the ultra-expensive rehab, maintenance of his fleet of cars, his yacht, and the expensive parking of his private jet for each day it was not flown and that was seldom used. Even the expenses he spent on Ariel's hospitalisation and private investigation on her whereabouts took a considerable chunk off. Not to mention the debt that he owed to the bank for his skincare business and his housing mortgages.
Leon always prided in himself for being savvy in business, but now it dawned on him he was spending beyond his means. How in the world did it get to this point?
Since no brands were offering him endorsement deals and many live performance engagements had to be delayed or cancelled, all he got were offers to turn his private life into a circus for reality TV, sitcoms and to appear in even more talkshows. The latest sitcom where he made a cameo appearance required him to act as his own critic who made jokes on his scandal and performance meltdown. It paid some good money, but it was not enough to cover his bills.
Even after appearing on the Elia Dera show, downloads of his album improved a bit but without live performances where the real money lies, music downloads did not earn much revenue even though his latest music video garnered millions of views. The sale of his expensive skincare products did not improve much, even after giving out free packet samples to everyone in the audience at the talkshow and slashing prices on all his products during this summer promotion.
All in all, he felt like the butt of all jokes and the public continued to tease him. Leon was tired, very tired of the whole entertainment charade. He desired an escape once more, away from the public and from his creeping financial troubles.
"I need another break," said Leon.
"A break?! You already spent so much time at rehab! You've only done one talkshow, one music video and one sitcom, and you want another break?" Arnold retorted in disbelief.
"I'm paraded like a fool in public! Would you rather me go through another meltdown?"
"Fine," Arnold lifted his palms up in defeat. "But you'll sink deeper if you keep taking more breaks during this crucial time of picking yourself up."
"I'll make this one short - 2 weeks max, alright?" Leon assured him.
He called out for Vinny to arrange a holiday for him.
"Holiday? Where to?" Vinny readied her pen and notepad.
"Somewhere quiet and peaceful where I can recharge my energy."
"And with whom?"
"Just me. Pick me a good destination where it's paparazzi-free."
"That'll be tough but I can find you some luxury private stays in Italy, Malta, Switzerland or Bali or-"
"Forget those places," Leon waved off her idea, "I prefer somewhere simple and cosy, not outside the country. With outdoor activities. No fancy stuff."
"Mmm..." Vinny thought hard with her pen to her lower lip. "There's an eco-lodge in Yellowstone National Park where they have these tiny houses on wheels and a horse-riding area set in the beautiful nature where-"
"Tiny houses on wheels?" Leon interrupted with keen interest as it reminded him of Ron's cosy house. He did not mind another equestrian experience.
"It's quite small, not really fanciful and it lacks-"
"Sounds good, book me in right away!"