𝑭𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒂 𝑺𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒐 - 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒖𝒏
𝐼 𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑣𝑜𝑖𝑐𝑒, 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠
𝐼 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒'𝑠 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑖𝑚 𝑓𝑜𝑟
𝐼'𝑙𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑛
Zara ran away from me, not before I noticed the moisture gathering in her eyes. There was no grace in her walk today, no fierceness in her voice. I let her go, for now. So I can understand why she is crying. Maybe she is feeling bad for Garcia since her whole demeanour changed after hearing it. I frown watching her disappear into the corner. Do people like her still exist? So far she has been nothing but a graceful girl who speaks her mind, gels well with little kids and can't stand anything wrong around her. Could it be just an act.?
Max jumped from his seat when I entered the office. He had set up nicely for someone who had just arrived half an hour ago. The internet here was faster than my million dollar penthouse. I have made my own set-up in one of the empty spaces for making some Zoom calls. I worked in the office for some time. I didn't have any meetings today in person. Or so I had convinced myself into thinking so I could lurk in here.
During the lunch break, the whole aroma smelt sugary, my nose scrunched in disgust. This is why the kids are always high. Sugar and kids are like cocaine and alcohol together.
I found myself walking towards the teacher's lounge. They looked fucking ecstatic enjoying the new coffee machine, microwave and vending machine, the things Zara had complained about. And better lunch at the cafeteria. She had written emails for that over and over, religiously even when they were not getting any response. Even when she had been only volunteering here.
The latest one was about the coffee machine that was broken by a certain Mr Powell. Zara had ratted him out but also mentioned that it only works when it was punched and one time Mr Powell had hit it too hard.
Her e-mails were amusing to read. I had pulled an all-nighter to read them. Sitting on the balcony of my penthouse at the top floor of the highest tower in the city, she was my breath of fresh around the concrete jungle. She writes her emails like there is no option to edit them and you can only cover for what you have written before by sugarcoating it.
My eyes rake over the teachers to find Zara. There was only one man who had caught me looking at them. He walked towards me, his eyes held a challenge. I assess his looks maroon sweater and dark brown pants he filled out nicely, with a tie peeking out of the V of his sweater. His hair was parted on the side. With his glasses, he looked like a fucking nerd. But he had a rather good built to be one.
"And you are?" He asked, cocking a brow at me. Figliodi puttana!
A girl with dirty blonde hair brushed past him, stopping a foot ahead of him.
"Hello, I'm Helen Carter. Are you a new teacher here?" she chirps, offering her hand I don't take. Her green eyes were filled with lust. She smelled of desperation. Not my type.
"No." I answered dryly, leveling my gaze with the nerd again. Helen dropped her hand. "I'm the new trustee, actually. Gian Armani." I paused, waiting for them to react, give me a look like they are scared shitless. They didn't, and it was fucking insulting. I had thought whole California suspected what I was behind the tailored suit, of what my family did.
"A new man has been appointed as the acting principal in Mrs. Garcia's place. I thought I should introduce you to him. Is everyone on the staff present?" I asked, raking my eyes over them. All of them had stopped in the middle of chewing their food, gaping at me with awe and curiosity. But none of the assholes mentioned Zara's absence or said a word about Garcia leaving.
The girl, Helen, spoke after sometimes, "Zara. She is in the garden." A unison of bored groan and eyes rolled at her mention. My anger spiked. And I wanted to bash their skulls. Helen frowned at them over her shoulder, but the nerd remained stoic.
"Tell all the staff to stay after the final bell." I announce storming out of there. Max can introduce himself.
I found Zara outside sitting alone on the marble bench, eating her food like she is dining at the four seasons. Her hair was flowing away from her face lightly against the wind. Her arms were sprinkled with soft goosebumps against the wind. I stand there like a creep, drinking in her beauty.
"May I?" I ask, sitting before she could even answer. For a brink, she frowned, then she passed me a sandwich. I took a bite, it was filled with chicken and all the veggies you could stuff in them and only a little mayonnaise. Just the way I like it.
She lightly cleared her throat. I give her a side-eyed look, still chewing on the sandwich.
"So how long were you been planning to fire Mrs Garcia?" she asked nonchalantly, but her body language had been screaming entirely different. She was stiff as a board. The stuffing of her sandwich had fallen out from her tight grip.
"I acquired the place last week. I was checking the accounts, turns out she was embezzling money. So we had to let her go." Also turns out I have no fucking control around this girl. Lying through my teeth is one of the tiny sins I commit, among other things. But something tugged on my heart, seeing her vex over the fact that Garcia could have been fired because of her. It would have been better for me, but I couldn't stand the sign of worry flashing on her beautiful face.
"So it was her fault." She whispered, her hazel eyes filled with happiness. I could crush it, tell her it was her ratty behaviour. She gives in everyone's mistakes on a silver platter. If the school board was real, we would be having a third new set of staff. From janitors to principals. And a couple of parents would lose their child's custody too. But I just fucking couldn't. I give her a slight nod. Her lips curved in a smile as relief washed over her face.
After a beat, she asks. "So you will come here often." She jutted her chin again. She thinks it does the job like she is holding the power. She is wrong, she just looks cuter to me.
I ate the last bite, then dust my hand, taking my time. I crossed my arms on the table and looked at her. Her tongue peeked out to lick her lips slightly. I reached out to remove the breadcrumbs from the corner of her lips, which wasn't there in the first place. Her eyes followed my hand with a hint of delight and curiosity over my next move. I crook my index finger and pretend to wipe it off. Feeling her soft skin under my callous finger.
Her cheeks bloomed red, striking to her yellow dress, which shined golden under the sunlight. She looked like an angel. The one who had been touched by the devil. I linger my hand for a few moments, not ready to leave her softness.
When I pulled back, her hand flew to her mouth, subtly checking if she had any other breadcrumbs that could embarrass her more. She put her lunch box inside her bag, I noticed another bag of food inside there. She stood up gingerly, her lips parted to take a deep breath before she quietly said...
"If you are planning to visit more, Mr Armani. Then you must watch your language around the kids." My brows skyrocketed at her demand, laced with her innocent voice. She ran back inside from me, that's the second time today. Her heels slightly dug into the ground, but she didn't lose her balance.
This is similar to what Remo says to me about his 'kids'. I don't have the wish to hurt either of them. I snicker, breathing in Zara's lingering aroma in the air. I watch my surroundings at the great location. Maybe the owner died without an heir, but he must have had a distant relative. Anyone would kill for to score this place.
*****
I closed five big deals till the time the final bell rang. Max had been breathing calmly now. Remo had called 11 times after I told him that I killed Max in cold blood when he called Max to check on him. I stood up to leave, and Max flinched. I slap the back of his head.
"Don't forget." I tell him, scanning the notepad he had used to write his speech to introduce himself to the staff.
In the corridors, I found Zara leaving. Nobody had bothered to tell her that she was supposed to stay in. I follow her. Remo had told me she lives less than a mile away from here, along with her full details I didn't bother to look at.
I stalked her like a roadside creep. From the plain sidewalks to the rocky pavements, her posture remained perfect. Not once she looked over her shoulder. When she took a turn, I saw AirPods plugged in her ear. Idiot. She is easy prey. Anybody could just snatch her in the broad daylight. She wouldn't even get a chance to scream.
I balled my fists when she walked toward the alley she had disappeared into the last time I saw her. I began to stride at my normal pace, cutting the safe distance I had to put between us.
This is my territory. Rich fuckers who live here don't buy stuff in the alley. None of my men is supposed to be selling anything here.
I found Zara leaning down her upper body, propping her hands on her knees. Greeting someone with a bright fucking smile on her face. She gave a packet she had in her bag to someone who was behind the dumpster, hidden from my view. Fuck, Zara. What is your game?
*****
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