THE HIGH GODDESS

Nine

       "Please hold the door for me" 

Ahrein held it, knowing it was her. She was a few minutes late on her first day. What a great employee they'd hired. He was going to enjoy berating her but most of all he couldn't wait to see her reaction when she found out he owned the company. Rena had given him a copy of the contract she'd signed and he had almost laughed out loud. She thought including a penalty would stop them from breaking the contract when in reality they had no intention of doing that. Even if they did do it, what was a measly ten million dollars to them? They weren't just a local but global company. They supplied make-up all over the world. Every small make-up company out there was either their subsidiary or partner. 

K cosmetics was the biggest, oldest company that had been founded more than a hundred years ago. Mortals believed it when he said the founder was his great grandfather but in reality it was just him. Their simple minds sometimes prevented them from seeing the real truth which was okay with him. He hadn't meant to build such a big enterprise but he'd seen some of the humans suffering and decided to do something about it. The company had provided jobs for the less fortunate. Education or social standing hadn't mattered. As long as someone needed a job and were willing to work hard, they were hired.

Of course that created a problem with the already established families who thought he was arrogant for disregarding certain society rules. They'd sent people to pry into his past and find out if he had any weaknesses they could exploit. Because he hadn't underestimated just how determined humans could be when they wanted something, he'd been able to catch them on time and wipe their memories. Anyone who'd gotten close to him had been either hired or manipulated into leaving the country. There were a few who fought him, or at least tried to. They were never heard of again. Some disappeared and others were forgotten. Since he couldn't kill anyone, he sent them up to be used as servants. Deities could never have enough servants. 

"You again?" Reina stopped a few feet away from the door. Her hair flowed down her shoulders and Ahrein was surprised by it's length. She wasn't one of those women who liked to try out different hairstyles. It was clear she liked it long, black and sleek. Nothing fancy. 

"Are you going to get in or should take my hand off the door?" She was running late so she really shouldn't care who was in the elevator with her but he'd come to realize this woman did the opposite of what was expected of her. Maybe one day he would find that particular trait charming but not at the moment. 

"I'm sorry for wasting your time. I'll take the next one" 

He didn't have to be a genius to know she'd refuse to enter. So by the time she finished speaking, his hand was on her elbow, dragging her into the lift. As tiny as she was, she sure could make a lot of noise. Her words came off as screams especially since it was in the morning and there was no one in the lobby. The receptionist craned her head to see what was happening. He gave her a look that said mind your own business and punched the button for his floor. Once the doors slid shut, he turned to her, "What is your problem woman?" 

"My problem? I should be asking you that. Why did you drag me here when I clearly said I would take the next lift?" 

"You were being unreasonable. Why take the next one when there is so much space in this one?" 

"Duh, to avoid you. Isn't it obvious? And why are you here?" She asked then gasped. 

"What did your mediocre brain come up with this time?" 

"Are you stalking me? Like for real?" 

For the first time in his long life, Ahrein almost rolled his eyes. Could she be any more dramatic? "Do I look that idle to you?" 

"Says the guy who spent... What... How long were you standing outside my house? Twenty minutes? An hour?" 

"That was because I was trying to break..." 

"Into our house?" She cut him off "See? I wasn't wrong about you. Why would you do that? I swear if I see you anywhere near me again I'm getting a restraining order" 

"I'd like to see you do that" 

"You don't believe I can actually do it?" 

He believed she was the most foolish, cute, adorable human he'd ever met "No. I don't believe you would get a restraining order against your boss" 

"Of course I would get a.... Did you just say boss?" 

"Are you deaf?" 

"As a matter of fact I am. There is no way I heard anything you've said in the last five minutes" the doors opened and she ran out so fast, only to stop a few feet away "What is this place? This isn't Rena's floor" 

With his hands in his pocket, Ahrein walked towards her "Welcome to K cosmetics. I'm going to make this as cliche as it can be and tell you that from today onwards you're going to be my secretary" she laughed sarcastically, he ignored her "You'll get to be the model of our products depending on how good you do your job" 

"You are out of your mind if you think I'll work for you" 

"Do you by any chance have ten million dollars lying around somewhere?" He watched as she realization dawned on her "You're the one who added that clause to the contract in the first place. I believe people either call this stupidity or... Yeah. There's no other word for it" 

"Did you just call me stupid?" She asked that in a way that almost made him take a step back. Almost. Ahrein realized that provoking her was the only choice he had so he kept going. 

"Are you offended? And if you are then what are you planning to do about it?" 

"I will strip you of your powers and have you demoted to the lowest ranks you insolent brat" she blinked a few times "You think you can trick me and get away with it? Okay. We'll see who wins this. Raye says I can be stubborn and annoying sometimes. So.... What is your name anyway?" 

"Ahrein" he told her not realizing he was smiling. 

"Ahrein, what kind of name is that? Forget it. I will show you how wrong you are. By the time I'm done with you, you'll wish you never crossed paths with me" 

"I can't wait for that day. I have a feeling you're going to change my life" 

"Yeah, for the worst you psycho" she walked away murmuring "I can't believe I dreamt about him. He's such a...." 

"Do you even know where you're going?" 

"f**k you" 

This time he did laugh. She was different. His employees feared him and he didn't like making friends with the other gods because they ended up just wanting a favor from him. Reina on the other hand had no fear. She didn't care about him being her boss. If she had something to say, she didn't hesitate. He hadn't lied about her changing his life. It was her first day of work and she'd already made him laugh. 

And threatened him. Even though she didn't realize it, she had threatened to demote him. That had been Gerena speaking. He wondered what it would take to make her come out. More insults? Or something else? 

----------------- 

A few minutes ago

"What do you want with her?" He wasn't angry but then again he didn't have any emotions. He wasn't built that way. While he could laugh and even pretend to cry, there were no real emotions behind those actions. 

"I want her to wake up and punish those who wronged her. Don't you think having the High Goddess live as a human is humiliating? We claim to be a superior race but we can't even protect our ruler. What does that make us?" 

"What happens to Gerena is none of your concern. She will get her revenge when the time comes. Until then, I want you to stay away from her" 

"And who do you think you are to tell me what I should and shouldn't do?" 

"Bring her back here again and I'll show who I am" he took a few steps then remembered something "Instead of worrying about Gerena, why don't you handle Henlena first. She is after all the one you should be worried about" 

"How much do you know about me?" 

"A lot. I know a lot of things about you Ahrein so don't try me" with that Raye left, going back to earth where he used a great amount of power to erase Reina's memory. Sometimes her human body was advantageous. But it wasn't going to last long. Already her soul was trying to break free. All of a sudden she would come out and say something then forget about it. He couldn't imagine how disastrous it would be if her sould were to break the spell around it. 

Where could the elders have hidden her body? 

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So not a dream but reality. What's your take?