The shock and annoyance was visible on Leila's face until she saw who it was. She sighs and drops to an indifferent mood.
"Is there a solid reason why you decided to remove my door?"
Eleanor squints her eyes in annoyance. It felt like a thousand light bulbs will explode in her, but she tried suppressing it but failed miserably.
"Why were they fired?!"
Eleanor's voice was loud enough for even those around the office could hear, but she did not care.
"You mean the men you hired and want to put under my pay cheque?"
Leila questioned as calmly as she could
"I could always pay them"
"Then go do so"
"You are trying to divert the main topic here"
"I might have missed it"
Eleanor is trying her best to not pounce on Leila this moment. She sighs and takes a seat in front of the desk. Leila watches her every move.
"I hired those men to help you with your bags"
Leila smacks her tongue. "And who said I needed help? I am more than capable of carrying my bag. I don't need help and never will"
"But you'll need a boyfriend, a fiancé or something"
"Aunt I've told you time without number that I don't need men in my life"
"You do!" Eleanor yells, banging her fist on the table, rising
"Or do you want to continually sleep with older men that will only go to the media to spread the good news like children?"
Eleanor stares at Leila, expecting her to say something. Something that will make her less of a slut in the eyes of many.
Leila is known as the she-devil in City Zee. Their reasons are always between the loop of she is too beautiful not to be one, or because she never plays around. What she wants she gets and not even influential people or the government goes against her.
It was like she didn't care what the world thinks, because she can always burn it down at her will. The scandal going on between her and old and young influential men has never been spoken of or cleared by her, not even to Eleanor.
Her reasons are discreet and not even the air knows about it.
"I've handled the feed for today as instructed" were the words that Eleanor heard,
Did she…
"STOP PLAYING WITH ME!" Eleanor yelled, banging the desk again
"Aunt, I've said what I can"
"You literally live alone, no maids, no man, no nothing"
Leila smiles, but it does not get to her eyes. "I don't need maids so long as my house gets cleaned every day"
"They are robots," Eleanor said, moving her face closer to Leila's face for emphasis
Ignoring Eleanor's words, she proceeds, "I have something, my company is more than enough for me"
"And you think you'll have it forever?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"You can't be in charge of this company until you die. You need someone to-"
"Aunt, you need rest. I need to work, don't remove the door on your way out"
Leila takes her gaze to her documents, ignoring Eleanor, now boiling more than when she stepped in. Eleanor angrily turns around and storms out of the office.
Hours later, it's lunch break,
The offices are slightly empty. The restaurants and cafeteria are filled with employees gossiping about the activities of the day and others enjoying their meals.
Leila remains in her office working on the wristwatch, which seems to be taking a while. A knock on the door makes her speak after hours of silence. "In" she stated out of tiredness,
Sharon steps in with a mug in hand filled almost to the bream. "Ma, you need to rest. It's lunchtime and hours won't be lost"
She suggested placing the mug on the desk close to Leila
Leila sighs, glances at Sharon then at the mug on the desk. "It's tea, I know you don't like coffee" Sharon informed with a smile,
Leila nods but dismisses her. "Thanks, you can go"
Sharon was a waitress at a local restaurant when she met Leila. Leila was a regular customer only on Sundays. No one knew she was Leila the she-devil because she always had on a hoodie and sunglasses.
An ambush came for her, but they didn't get her. The restaurant got destroyed and as a way of apologizing, she requested they come for an interview and would be given a job according to their abilities.
Some were placed in her restaurant and some in LY Tech, which included Sharon. Occasionally Sharon knew Leila was going through a lot. She got famous and wealthy at a young age all on her own, and she felt it must be hard for her to trust people.
She tries a couple of times to show Leila that she is ready to hear her problems and help her through them, but each effort turns to dust as Leila always pushes her away, making her want to believe the saying of the city.
'The She-devil never associates as they might expose her secrets'
But then again, there are times they meet and talk to each other normally but briefly, giving Sharon the moral to try more. It always goes terribly, making her feel like a fool.
Though she does not take note of the times it happens, then if she does know the times and becomes close to Leila, can she stand the truth? Can she handle the reality of the unknown?
Can she stand when the storm of fear consumes her entire being? She plans to understand Leila, but Leila does not understand herself. How can she do so? She can never know because it will all happen too fast,
Leila is different and maybe a little too different for the world. Is she human? Or is she something less or more? Is she sane or not?
The world cannot answer this question unless they want to deal with something bigger than them.