Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Chapter seven Arianna stood in front of the tallest building she had ever seen. It was boldly inscribed on the roof “Stark Enterprises and Technologies”. She could see the large portrait of her baby`s father hung beside the company name, he was wearing a broad smile on his face. “Hmm… He is quite cute,” Arianna muttered to herself subconsciously. After standing out there for a little while, she shook her head and took a step forward; she walked in through the glass door that opened before she could get there and went further to the receptionist desk. The young lady she met at the desk was a foreigner, she could not guess the country but she was certain that the receptionist was not a citizen. The woman looked up at her with a face devoid of emotions. Arianna smiled at her. “Good day,” she greeted without being cautious. She had left home around thirty minutes past eleven A.M so she had no idea if it was still morning or if they had moved on to afternoon. “Welcome to Stark Enterprises ma`am, how can I help you?” the pale looking lady asked bluntly. Arianna wondered if she did not know how to smile, a receptionist is supposed to welcome guests with a smiling face, rather than a grumpy one. If the receptionist is like this, then how more about the boss? “Um… I would like to see Mr. Stark Oliver Gomez,” she requested politely. The receptionist looked her from head downwards, her eyes stopped at Arianna`s belly bump and then she looked up again. “Ma`am, do you have an appointment with the CEO?” the receptionist queried, with her eyes fixed on Arianna. “No… but it’s important that I see him,” Arianna replied. She had worried earlier that this situation would come up, no one walks into a big company and requests to see the CEO but she was not going to give up so easily. “In that case, I am sorry ma`am but you can’t see the CEO. You need to get an appointment first, please forgive me.” The pale looking woman replied. “Please try to understand, this is really important. I have to see him immediately,” Arianna insisted.
“Madam, we have rules and regulations to follow here and I can’t break it or I would risk losing my job, please try to understand madam, only clients who have an appointment or invitation from the boss can see him.” Arianna knew that it would take more than that to convince this lady, so she decided to try a new method, and hopefully it would make the receptionist let her see Oliver. “Listen, I am begging you now as a woman to a woman. As you can see, I am heavy with a child and the baby in my womb belongs to no other person than your boss, he got me pregnant and since then he has been avoiding me. Men treat us like we are property they can use and dump and I refuse to accept that, if you deny me permission to see your boss today, then you are standing by this evil. I know you are scared of losing your job and I understand, but you don’t need to fear, bad things cannot happen to those who do good things. I promise you that you won’t get fired if you do this for me.” Arianna looked in the eye of the foreign lady, she could see that her words were having an effect on her, but she still needed to do more to convince her. “Madam, I do understand your point. As a woman, it also pains me that the other gender treats us this way, especially when it’s a billionaire like Mr. Oliver but I can’t do what you are asking. I am not supposed to reveal this, but actually you are not the first lady that had come here with such an accusation, there is little or no justice in this world and there is really nothing we can do about it rather than face the painful reality.” Arianna was surprised with the lady`s revelation. So the CEO had been using other girls just the same way he used her? Was this his regular habit? Now she was more than determined to make him pay for this, she wanted to yell at him and call him names! “No… that is wrong, we can change the world by taking these little steps, if you can be kind enough to let me see your boss, then we are already making a change, trust me when I say that you would not regret it at all.” Arianna kept pleading with the receptionist and at one point, the lady felt so sorry for her. She could not refuse anymore; she was ready to face the consequences even if it meant losing her job.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.
“Alright, I am only doing this for the sake of women’s rights and that of the unborn child. You are right; it’s high time we stood up against such injustice. Take the elevator on your right, first office on the fifth floor, that is the CEO’s office.” Arianna was very glad with the information; she quickly went into the elevator before the receptionist would change her mind. She came out on the fifth floor and knocked on the first door, it took a minute before she heard that voice usher her in. It had been six months and yet she still recognized that voice. Arianna opened the door and walked in, she was looking straight into the eyes of her baby`s father; the billionaire CEO of Stark Enterprises. He was dressed in a three thousand dollars Italian suit, with his long tie in the perfect place. Arianna observed his expression; he was staring at her like he did not know her. “Hello? Are you at the wrong place?” Oliver asked with scrutinizing eyes. “No… I am at the right place.” Arianna replied bluntly. She had a lot to say this man