The Arrogant Mrs. CEO

CHAPTER 6

The next morning, Cindy woke up feeling happy and full of life; it was a bright Saturday morning. She sat up in bed, stepped down, put on her slippers, and stretched a few times.

Cindy yawned, as stretching every morning was part of her daily routine; she exercised to keep her body, shape, and mind fit.

Cindy was a lawyer. She was smart and, though she didn’t stress about always wanting to win her clients’ cases, she usually won. Most people she had helped to win their cases recommended her services to others in need of her help. Even though she charged heavily for it, she consistently ensured that justice prevailed.

Cindy had everything she wanted: a good job, a house, and a family. Though she would have loved to have more siblings, her parents weren’t poor and provided all she needed; she never lacked.

Cindy thought about Jeremy Lukeman for a moment and shook her head; she hadn’t yet met him. Although she knew his father was a politician, she wondered what kind of man Jeremy would be, as she hadn’t bothered to search for him online.

Cindy stood up from the tiled floor and walked to her bathroom to brush her teeth, freshen up, and leave the house.

She stepped out and walked to her wardrobe to take out the white suit she had bought the previous day, as she was attending Lora's birthday party at noon.

After Cindy finished dressing, she received a phone call and picked it up.

"Hello?" Cindy said, and Lora responded, "Hi, girlfriend! It’s me, Lora Adams. Are you coming today? When do you plan to visit?"

Cindy replied, "Sure, I will. Send me the address again."

"Fine, I will, but don’t forget to bring me a special birthday present when you come," Lora reminded her.

"Of course I won't forget," Cindy said, "Bye! I’m coming over, birthday girl; have fun!" The phone call with Lora ended, and Cindy sighed. She took out her purse and put her phone away, wanting to go shopping for another gift for Lora.

Cindy walked up to her mirror and applied pink lip gloss as she did a simple makeup touch-up on her face. She was naturally fair-complexioned and cute, and she didn’t like putting a lot of makeup on.

"Done."

Cindy smiled at her reflection in the mirror, her heart feeling excited, especially since her hair didn’t need any combing; she had already woven it before.

Finally, Cindy walked out of her room and went downstairs to find her mother. She saw her mother sitting on the living room couch and noted the time—it was 8 a.m.

"Good morning, Mom," Cindy greeted as she approached her.

Mrs. Bola smiled at her and replied, "Going somewhere? You're looking so beautiful in your executive white suit."

"Thanks, Mom. My friend I spoke to you about, Lora Adams, is having her birthday party today at her mother's house, and she invited me over," Cindy said.

"Oh, that's nice of her. How about her father?" Mrs. Bola questioned, while Cindy shrugged.

"I don't know, Mom. You know I don’t like poking my nose into irrelevant questions that might make someone uncomfortable," Cindy replied.

"That's fine. Send my regards to her. If you had told me on time, Esther and I could have accompanied you there, since we have nothing to do at home."

"Mom!" Cindy exclaimed in shock and shook her head.

"What's wrong with what I just said? Or am I too old to attend a birthday party too?" Mrs. Bola asked. Cindy gulped and smiled.

"I don't know, Mom. Let me have my breakfast first. I still need to go to the shopping mall to get another gift for Lora, maybe some jewelry since I forgot yesterday."

"That's alright. Esther has already made our tea."

"Okay, Mom," Cindy replied and walked over to the dining table to sit. Soon, Esther stepped out from the kitchen.

“Good morning, Cindy,” she greeted.

“Morning.” Cindy replied curtly, relieved that Esther didn’t try to call her aunt.

Mrs. Bola only shook her head and smiled as she took her usual seat at the dining table. Soon they resumed their breakfast.

After breakfast with her mother and cousin, Cindy went back upstairs to her room. She took the jewelry box containing the diamond-encrusted necklace and grabbed the white polythene bag, which still had the necklace inside. She left their mansion, intending to give it to Lora.

Cindy got into her car, drove out, and decided to visit the shopping mall first, as it was still 10 a.m. She parked in the mall parking lot, hoping to see her handsome crush again as she looked around.

"Where do I find him now? Or is it too early?" Cindy murmured, stepping out of her car and locking the door. She didn’t see many people shopping, unlike the previous day; the street looked calm and clear.

After standing for a moment, Cindy hesitated, got back into her car, and decided to head to Lora’s mother’s home first, not wanting to arrive late.

*****

Arriving at Lora's mother's mansion, Cindy saw a few friends had already gathered. She drove into the garage and parked. Lora rushed up to meet her and welcome her.

"Welcome, girlfriend!" Lora squealed excitedly as she hugged Cindy.

"Happy birthday to you, Lora!" Cindy said, returning the hug with a smile.

"Thank you!" Lora replied as Cindy took in their house and they both walked inside.

Mrs. Becky Adams recognized Cindy as her daughter’s best friend; Cindy often visited their former home and was a good friend to Lora.

Mrs. Becky wondered how Cindy and Lora became friends, as Lora was completely different from Cindy. From her observations, Cindy was more aloof while Lora was talkative and friendly.

“Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to you!” A group of friends gathered in Lora’s living room, sang a birthday song for her while presenting their gifts and encouraging Lora to make a wish.

The friends sang together at the simple birthday party, and soon the cake cutting began.

Cindy's mind wasn’t on the celebrant or the birthday song. She felt unhappy because she hadn’t seen the handsome man she had searched for at the shopping mall.

She managed to fake a smile throughout Lora's birthday celebration, not wanting to seem jealous or unhappy for Lora.

After spending a few more hours in Lora's home and watching her friends dance happily, Cindy finally stood up to take her leave after giving Lora her gift. She wanted to return to the shopping area to see if she could find the yellow man again.

"Lora, I am leaving," Cindy waved to Lora, who was still hugging more friends arriving with gifts. Lora replied, "Wait, Cindy! Don't go yet!"

Cindy frowned but decided to wait in the living room as Lora continued to accept gifts and thank her friends and classmates from her mother’s polytechnic.

Eventually, Cindy stepped outside to look around, and Lora quickly excused herself from her friends and rushed over to Cindy, who stood by her car.

"I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, girlfriend. Here's my gift as thanks for coming," Lora handed Cindy a packaged present.

Cindy took it and asked, "What’s in it?"

Lora blushed and said, "Don’t worry; when you get home and open it yourself, you'll find out."

"C'mon, Lora," Cindy narrowed her eyes at her in suspicion before finally replying, "Okay then. Goodbye."

Cindy pulled away from Lora after hugging her, walked back to her car, and headed out.

“Lora, you still have friends waiting for you inside,” Mrs. Becky called out, signaling for Lora to return.

As Lora stepped away, Cindy drove off carefully from their mansion and sighed. She relaxed a bit thinking of returning to the shopping mall to look for her heartthrob, but didn’t want to seem desperate.

"What if I don’t get to see the man again? What do I say to him if I do see him?" Cindy thought, honking her car horn as she drove to a corner beside Lora's street to park and think about what she would do next.