Chapter 26: Signature Of The Familiar Name
She immediately resigned and returned home to her grandfather when she heard the news. Her father died in a car accident when he was on his way to negotiate with a shareholder. His death pushed his mother to overdose a few days later.
It was ironic. Her parents were bound to each other in a marriage based on finance. Arianna wondered when they became so loyal to each other. She never saw real love between them when she was a child.
But now, when it came to this accident, they were behaving like Romeo and Juliet. If they were not for her parents, she probably would have gotten a good laugh out of the story.
The once glorious family business was now a lost cause. It was under scrutiny by the government and was in jeopardy. The stockholders and business partners quickly abandoned the corporation. The business of three decades was now coming to an end. It could collapse at any time.
When Arianna returned home, she found her grandfather was lost in worry and grief. She organized quiet funerals for her parents and kept them simple. To her surprise, there was a large turnout at their joint funeral. Neither of them brought friends over to the house often.
Arianna also had meetings with company officials to discuss finances and projections. She did not understand economics, but she quickly understood that some people wanted to destroy the company founded by her grandfather. Their method was completely legal and had no loopholes.
They made calculated attacks on Mr. Sanchez’s company. After it recovered from the previous assault, they would attack again, even harder.
But Arianna’s grandfather took pride in his fighting spirit. He valued the loyalty of his companions, subordinates, and customers. However, amidst the peak of this economic war, those he trusted had betrayed him in order to protect their benefits.
This attack on Mr. Sanchez’s business was not a quick shot but rather ongoing torture. Nevertheless, they enjoyed watching him struggle to save his life’s work.
Arianna feared the shame it would bring to her family. However, she was not afraid of poverty nor afraid of ridicule. Her only fear was her family members being hurt.
When the business was beyond saving, her grandfather had become emotionally distressed. She had to take over the closing deals in addition to caring for him herself.
Louis, Sharon, and Winnie did not abandon the family through the process. On the contrary, they supported Arianna and often helped her take care of negotiations that were out of her league.
After reviewing mountains of paperwork, she reached the last page of the acquisition chain. At the bottom was the signature of a familiar name, Travis Cooper.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!
She didn’t expect to find Travis Cooper again so easily.
Though Arianna was an obedient girl, loyal to her family, she never hesitated to cross a line or push someone’s buttons.
When she saw that Travis was behind the demise of her family’s business, she immediately decided that she would try to reach him. She was ready for war.
However, when she dialed the number provided by her private investigator, she was surprised to be chatting with Travis’s pleasant secretary, who put her right through Travis.
He talked casually to Arianna, sounding like the war had already been won. After all, he likely would have stayed anonymous if he thought her grandfather had a shot at fighting back.
Arianna examined herself in the mirror. Her youth faded in the summer when she was seventeen years old. Since then, she had never cared about makeup or clothing, unlike most women.
But for the first time in years, Arianna paid attention to her appearance. She was very new to the world of fashion and had a lot to learn. So naturally, she did not do the makeup and clothing selection herself – she needed professional help.
In fact, after so many years, she could only apply powder and lipstick. Arianna would end up looking like a circus clown if she tried something more complex.
She hired a high-end stylist/makeup artist to prepare her. Arianna told her that she wanted to look both lady-like and girl-next-door-like, an effortless, put-together beauty. She wanted to be able to stimulate a man’s sympathy, protection, and satisfaction.
Arianna felt like the demands were difficult to meet, and she did not have high expectations. However, she was very pleased with the end result.
The woman had her work cut out for her in terms of makeup. Arianna looked like she had not slept well in weeks. Her face was so pale that it was almost transparent. And in contrast, her eyes were dark and bloodshot, while her lips were chapped and raw.
The dress that was chosen for her was an elegant combination of pure white and navy blue and had more of a retro style. In Arianna’s mind, this was exactly the style in which Travis dressed.
Her mirror now reflected back the image of someone totally different. Arianna’s expression was solemn and dignified as she examined her new look. If she were a man, she would be proud to have her on his arm.
However, she was not Travis Cooper; and his mind was not one she could predict.
The stylist picked up her things and left Arianna’s home after wishing her good luck.
In order to avoid her grandfather or family servants finding out where she was going, Arianna called a taxi after Louis dropped her off at her usual café. He did not say anything about her new look, though he noticed it immediately.
The taxi took her to Travis’s company. Though she was calm on the outside, she was trembling on the inside as she waited outside of his office doors.
Travis’s secretary was very warm and friendly. She notified Arianna that she was ten minutes early and that Mr. Cooper always stuck to his schedule. He was with another business associate at the moment anyway.
She kindly offered Arianna a cup of tea, which Arianna accepted but did not drink. She did not know what to think of the company. She fiddled with the bead chain on her wrist like a religious disciple.
Every second tormented her as she sat there, but she also hoped that time would stop so she would never have to enter that room.
Arianna was expecting embarrassment and shame to greet her as soon as she was in the building, but so far, it was peaceful.