Chapter Three – Who’s The Real A. F.?
1122 Words
Marina’s POV
“Yes. How do you know me?” He flashed another dazzling grin at me, trying to charm my pants off. Only he didn’t know it wouldn’t work on me!
“You’re the one who created those red tulip arrangements. Right?” I nodded, wondering what was so special about them! I could create more innovative ones than those!
“They created quite a stir here. So what can I do for you, Marina?” Again the brilliant smile. He knew his eyes shone like emeralds whenever he did that!
“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about the demolition notice you had handed over to my assistant, Camila.” He frowned, pulling his chair out and sitting down.
“Please, have a seat. I’m not the right person to talk to about the notice.” I sat down opposite him, but his words had me confused. Then who would I have to meet?
“Weren’t you the one who signed it? I noticed your initials.”
“No, that isn’t my signature. Anyway, you have a huge amount of rent pending. You need to clear it first before vacating!” He checked his laptop screen before turning his attention to me.
“Yes. My granny used to manage the shop. I just took over. I need a little more time to pay off, please. One month’s notice isn’t enough for me!” he frowned, scratching his stubble as he stared at his laptop screen.
“That won’t be possible, Marina. We’ll have to demolish the old building by next month. The construction work will start immediately. We’re building a shopping mall to house everything under one roof for the people of Bellefonte. It’ll be one of a kind!” My eyes widened with hope at the information. If only I could afford to rent a little shop in the mall!
“Oh! Will it be very expensive? Can I get a tiny retail space in your mall? What will the charges be?” I looked at him hopefully, but he shook his head.
“Doubtful! You haven’t cleared five months’ rent, Marina!” I sighed, but immediately an idea popped into my head. What if I sold my diamond earrings and pendant set? I could easily pay off the outstanding rent.
“If I pay off the rent this month, will you rent out a small retail space to me in your mall?”
“It’s not my decision, Marina. Anyway, you will need to vacate! The mall will take three years to be ready!” He looked ill at ease, but I wasn’t giving up this opportunity.
“Three years? Then can you give me time to shift? It’s not possible to shift an old business in the blink of an eye. My granny moved into this building almost thirty years ago, even before I was born! We have to change everything if we change our location.” I felt close to tears even thinking about the mammoth task that lay ahead of us. Where would I find a better location at the same rent? For the last thirty years, we had built up a huge client base. A change of address would take months of hard work to reflect the change everywhere.
“I understand Marina. As I’ve told you before, the decision isn’t in my hands. I’m just a messenger here. My task was to inform you and I have.” I frowned in confusion. If he was just the messenger, why were his initials on the notice? I couldn’t understand his contradictory statements.
“Oh, but I saw your initials on the notice. Aren’t you the new owner of Lyons Properties?” I took out the notice and showed him the proof. He shook his head with a goofy grin on his face.
“That’s my boss, not me. Yes, he has bought Lyons Properties last night.” My jaws dropped with shock. How could someone buy a company overnight? Was his boss crazy? He laughed at my expression as if it was the most hilarious thing on earth.
“It’s shocking, right? Well, you’ll be in for more shocks!” I rolled my eyes, not understand his statement. One thing I realized was he loved talking in riddles to confuse me.
“So, where can I meet your boss?” I massaged my temples with stress. It was easy to approach this guy, but I was apprehensive about meeting his boss. I imagined a middle-aged, rich, pot-bellied man who would never consider my case.
“You can’t meet him.” My mouth hung open at his statement.
“What? Why? I want to meet him. Can’t you fix me an appointment with him?” The stubborn assistant shook his head vigorously.
“Then how can I discuss my problems with him?” I was now desperate to meet his boss.
“It’s not open to discussion, Marina.”
“At least give me his number. I’ll plead with him, please.” He again shook his head, determined not to divulge a thing.
“Sir hates disobedience. He told me specifically not to bend to the whims of the tenants.” I got up, flailing my arms in frustration.
“Fine then. Since I can’t vacate so soon, you can demolish us with your building.” I walked away towards the door. There was no point in pleading with the stubborn guy.
“Wait, Marina. Give me your phone number. I’ll talk to my boss and contact you,” he said, feeling bad for me maybe. I went back to his desk and picked up a pen to scribble my phone number on a scrap of paper.
“Thanks.” I walked away, feeling upset with the way things turned out.
At the shop, Camila and a few workers were away on delivery, and I sat in a dazed state. My mind was on my conversation with AF. I realized I hadn’t asked him about his boss. If he had signed the notice, what was his name?
My phone buzzed with an incoming call from an unknown number. Was it Arian Freling? I accepted immediately.
“Hello! Marina Flores speaking!”
“Come over to the Feyrer Mansion, 106, Cemetery Road, Hemlock Village near Clarion River at 6 tonight.” I gulped at the deep male voice that sent goosebumps all over my skin. Who’s voice was this? It wasn’t Arian Freling’s!
“Who are you?”
“Adonis Feyrer!” He disconnected the call, and I gaped at my phone. Was he the real A. F.? Was Adonis Feyrer the new owner of Lyons Properties? Why did he call me to his house?
- Writer
