The CEO's Hoodie

Chapter 4

Arabella's POV

As more days go by, work gets more and more enervating but I'm not complaining. I knew exactly what I was signing up for and I knew from the very beginning that it would take a while to adjust. Even though I'm neither grumbling nor whining, dad can see through my facade, the dullness of my eyes and the under-eye circles which I never had before being more than obvious indications of my fatigueness. I don't let this put me down though. I try to never miss ballet class, even though somedays it's inevitable due to the heavy workload or because I'm yearning for a much-needed nap instead.

Through the darkness of my living-room, I can see the outline of the sealed, yellow-colored folder, with black inked letters in the middle, "Torres Enterprises" that sits on top of my coffee table. Even though I was already supposed to open and read it, work had other plans for me. In two days time, me and dad are meeting with the new partners and this folder contains all sorts of details regarding the ownership of the company.

Having arrived home at 8 pm, I've been in my cozy living-room for an hour now, the fire-place being the only source of light, the TV providing a mere muffling sound in the background. I let myself half-sit, half-lay on the sofa, while my body is covered up in a thick layer of a warm, white blanket and I enjoy this restful and quiet moment. With a cup of tea in my hands, I close my aching eyes and curl myself into a ball, the sounds of heavy rain relaxing me even more.

Thinking back to my conversation with my assistant Suzana, we were discussing about the annual Christmas Party and how it was crucial to finalize the preparations. Every year all stuff members working in the establishment in New York, as well as friends, family and business partners are invited alongside their plus ones.

It's a magnificent event, raising money for a charitable organization. This is the first year that dad won't take any part in organizing the event, which makes me even more anxious, since I don't want to let him or my guests down. This is why I have already booked the perfect location and have already talked with the designers who will soon get down to business. I still need to have a chat with the catering and go hunt down a dress though, since whether I like it or not, appearances do matter quite a lot when you are hosting an event - apparently.

Quickly glancing at my phone, a text notification appears on my screen.

"Hey Ar, we missed you tonight. Shay said you were caught up with work and that you wouldn't make it after all. Have you gone home yet?"

Alec is a good friend of Natalia's boyfriend Marcus, who sometimes hangs out with us. Both Natalia and Shay keep bugging me that we should start dating and even though he's quite charming and a gentleman, I find him too quiet and shy for my liking. We do get along well, but I feel like I need someone more spontaneous and outgoing in my life. Should I give this a chance though? He seems too shy to make a move, perhaps I could make it.

"Hey! I needed to take care of some things so it was impossible to make it. Came home about an hour ago and I'm chilling now. Are you having fun?"

"Yeah! We went to this great Italian restaurant. You should let me treat you there sometime."

"Sure. Maybe we can grab a coffee tomorrow?"

"I'd love that. How about I come pick you up from work at your lunch break?"

"Sure, my break starts at 13:00."