Mireya
After my meeting with Kaian, I was greeted by two fitness women who both looked like supermodels. Like, super fit people. One was wearing workout clothes that show off her toned stomach and the other was wearing a dress that enhanced her curves.
"At least it won't be men telling me what to do with my body," I blurted as a way of greeting.
They laughed. "Don't worry, cupcake, we will just be guiding you, not order you around. Our job is to make sure you're healthy and fit to be able to do your jobs." The one wearing a dress said. "My name is Delaney, but you can call me Laney, and I'm going to be your dietitian,"
"I'm Stasi, your very own fitness coach,"
"We're friends of Eliana, actually, she told us about you already, at least everything she knows, so far." Laney added.
"Oh, yeah, Eliana's nice." I said.
Stasi smiled. "So, what we need from you today is just a little overview of your health, and some measurements to figure out a plan that we can execute as soon as possible. If there's one thing you absolutely have to know about Kaian is that he doesn't like time wasted. So the sooner we get started, the better,"
"Ok," I said, following them as they led me to the elevator. "Do you guys do this professionally?"
"Oh yeah, she's a med school graduate and I used to coach at a university," Stasi answered.
"Oh my gosh, wow. That's girl boss kinda stuff, I wanna be you guys if I grow up,"
"Stop it!" Laney laughed. "The pay here is much better though, so when Eliana hired us? No hesitation,"
"Yup, I make ten times more than I used to make at the university,"
"Ten times? Woah,"
"I know,"
These women were making me forget all about the horrible things that happened behind the whole thing. Ten times more?
We went into another office that looked a little like a doctor's clinic but better and more feminine. Somehow, it reminded me of Eliana. Maybe it was the fur carpet and the matching throw pillows on the couch. Or the bright neon sign on the wall that said "don't give a fuck about what they say" or even the large mirror against one corner of the room that had flowers bordering the entire thing.
It was pretty and a comforting room to be in.
"Have a seat, Mireya, I'm just going to take your blood pressure,"
"Ok," I sat down and watched as Laney did what she needed to do.
Stasi told me about the room and how it came to be. It turns out, Eliana, she and Laney had been friends since they graduated college so they've known each other for quite some time. Years have gone by and they remained friends, telling each other about everything that was happening in their separate lives, going to brunches, dinners, or parties together, and never losing contact.
So when the jobs of having a personal trainer and dietitian became available, Eliana called them first and foremost.
This was the office they acquire for their work and Eliana was more than happy to pay for it, so long as she helped decorate. Needless to say, they did an amazing job.
These two women have been working for the Volkov family for five years now and they have never complained about anything ever.
That statement alone made me feel a little more comfortable with the job I was gonna get myself into. And as much as I knew my job wasn't going to be the same as theirs, it still gave me a sense of courage.
"So I think we got everything we need, Stasi and I are going to call you first thing tomorrow to discuss your new fitness plan, okay? But from what I can see, there's nothing you really need to work on, just regulating your body for heavy lifting and stuff like that and you're good!"
"Being forced to eat vegetables has got to have helped with that,"
༻✦༺
In my twenty-six years of living, I have never lived by myself, so when I was presented with an apartment with a rent price that could be the main character of a horror movie, I felt out of place.
In those same twenty-six years, I have never found myself in a situation even remotely similar to this.
This apartment was way more significant than the one my entire family was living in and the quality is beyond measure. What was even better though, is that I'm not paying for it.
Not only was it magnanimously spacious, but I also was not expecting Kaian to give me all of this space to myself.
Wasn't it him that said generous was the last thing he could be? The jerk that he was, this seemed pretty generous to me.
It was a two-bedroom, two-bathroom rental space, that had a living room, a kitchen, and a lounge all separate from each other. Pristine white walls, fully furnished with high-end furniture. Everything was screaming classy but the apartment was overall so cozy and even though it's only been three days, I was starting to really like this place.
The highlight of this apartment is the infinitely large windows all throughout the space, letting in bright light and giving me a view that was mesmerizing every singel day. I could see the sunrise and set from my bedroom alone. It was amazing. I finished the film of one of my disposable cameras just taking pictures of my view.
I needed to go to a photo developer soon, the scrapbook I was working on right now is looking quite empty. However, this new chapter of my life deserved a new scrapbook. It's own one.
Maybe a photo developer won't be the only thing I needed to visit. I should go to a craft store too.
Focus. There is a thick binder in front of me that needs my full attention right now, scrapbooking should be the least of my worries.
I was going to dive back into my studying but my phone began to ring and seeing that it was my sister trying to facetime me, I picked it up right away.
"Hi 'te!" She greeted.
"Hi, Mel," I smiled. "Did you just go home?" I asked, seeing that she was still wearing her work uniform.
"Yeah, mama asked me to call you,"
"Anak! Kamusta?" She asked in our language. It was a shame I couldn't speak Tagalog, I was just grateful enough to understand it.
"I'm doing fine, mama, just doing some reading for work," I answered.
"Ah, busy ka pala, anak, later nalang ulit,"
"Ok, ma, sorry, I promise I'll call soon,"
"No worries, anak, ingat ka,"
"Thanks ma, you too," I said. "Bye, Mel,"
"Bye, 'te!"
During the first few days of living alone, my parents have been calling me every morning when I woke up and every night before I went to sleep. I have never felt so alone yet so at peace in my entire life.
Going back to the latest page of the binder I read, I looked over the names and descriptions and took note of what stood out to me and the things that seemed important, writing them as neatly as I could in one notebook, reserved for all things 'Working for Kaian' related.
I have gone through about twenty more names before I began to feel dizzy with information, so I put the binder back on the table and stretched my arms above my head, then fell back onto the soft, plush couch with a deep sigh.
I could sleep on this couch for days.
Though I didn't want to, I got up and went to the kitchen to eat dinner, not realizing that it was already getting dark and I haven't eaten since the morning. My dietitian, Laney, would not be happy to hear that, so let's just say she'll never know.
The whole personal trainer and dietitian thing was going so professionally to the point where I was getting up early in the morning to exercise every day and having a prepped meal that was actually making me feel full and healthy.
There wasn't anything I could complain about though, none of the costs for all of this was deducted from my pay. Maybe something I could complain about was waking up too early in the morning, but that's a small sacrifice.
Today's dinner was a sushi bake with salad. This is my favorite meal so far. It was so freaking good, I wanted to eat it every day.
I was in the middle of eating when my phone began to ring again. I thought it was my sister, but it was Kaian's secretary.
Not once since my meeting with Kaian did he ever talk to or see me again. Not that I wanted to, he was a bit mean. But my job was to work beside him, wasn't it? So how come I haven't done any of that?
"Hello?" I answered the call.
"Hi, Mireya," she greeted. "Mr. Volkov asked me to let you know that you have a meeting with him tomorrow morning after your workout, I've sent you an email with all of the details, please reply to confirm,"
"Okay, thank yo-"
She ended the call. Would I blame her? No. She was probably stressed out trying to keep up with Kaian's time frame.
I mean, who wouldn't be? It's only been three days and I was starting to get a little stressed. What more for someone who's been working for him for years?