Village of Roses

Chapter Ten [V.o.R]

"Nightmares of losing everything boost my adrenaline." – Big Sean
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   Pulling into the salon parking lot Ryder turned then loud music; Dreezy's Don't Know Me, down. "Don't tell me I'm too high, I'm charging what I'm worth, These niggas wanna eat, But they don't wanna work, I built this shit by myself, I don't need nobody help," the loud lyrics caught no attention from the passing cars. It was late in the afternoon, around five, but Ryder believed in pop up visits. Especially since her brand was heavily endorsed by many local celebrities. She had no interest in losing business due to lack of professionalism in the workplace, so she made sure all her employees followed and led by example.

It was a hot summer day, so Ryder wasn't very dressed. The light washed jean shorts she wore carried rippling effects across the front exposing her pockets, while her long sleeve shirt was made of a mesh material that exposed her solid maroon bralette. Being the owner of such a successful shop didn't change the fact that Ryder was the dress down queen. Her hair was thrown into a free messy bun atop of her head and her feet were covered in a pair of maroon velvet 12's.

The walk from her flashy car was quick but the heat made it feel like she was melted by the time she reached for her door and entered the very busy shop. Eyes met hers and everything died down as people watched the boss walk up to the register. Simply sending  the daily report to her office computer, Ryder made eye contact with no one as she went to handle business first.

"Damn, she straight to business, huh?" Ryder could a customer whisper to one of her hairstylist as she walked past. The volume in the shop was slowly returning as Ryder reached her office door.

Inside the office was very spacious, the bright lime green walls a huge contrast to the white and silver walls of the official salon. The floors were a simple light brown wood pattern, and her desk was a black stainless steel, decorated with an update to date Apple computer accessorized with a matching printer next to it. The color of her walls kept a feeling of calmness over Ryder when at times the stressful life of running a business weighed down on her.

After a half an hour Ryder was satisfied all her reports were up kept and everything in her database was correct with the manual information she had Avent keep track of while she was off. It proved to Ryder that Avent was a reliable asset to Lady k's . Making her way up front after locking her office back  Ryder went and sat at the empty receptionist desk, Mimi had went home so appointments for the rest of the day would have to be made online or at the stylist booth.

The atmosphere was lite and relaxed as everyone talked about weekly events happening near them. "Mhmm, Teisha boyfriend got caught touching on her little sister, but see if that was me, I woulda beat my sister and his ass. At 20 you know the difference between right and wrong, Luther should've known that lil girl was gone start talking after he stopped paying her to be quiet tho." One of the older women, who booked with Layla frequently, spoke while sitting under a hairdryer.

A group of ladies greedily agreed to the older woman's words as they took turns gossiping. Yet as soon as another woman got ready to speak up, the door chimed letting everyone know that someone else had entered. Looking up Ryder rolled her eyes at the big brooding man and his evil accomplices.

Smirking a little at his accomplishment, Harlem sent a wink to Ryder. He'd only been waiting for her to come back to the shop for a few days before she finally appeared.

"Dang Ms. BossLady you can't speak now? Last time we encountered one another words were very hostile?" Harlem teasingly asked.

Darnell and Yorkynan both minded the business of their phones as Harlem spoke. York really didn't understand why they couldn't find any other girl to set up King and get things moving into action. Harlem was acting like he had a crush on the girl in York's opinion, but of course he said nothing of this assumption. Harlem was too stuck, far up London's ass, to think of him dating or even talking to another female.