Chapter 3 The fallout

After dinner, Lillian is still waiting for Rani to arrive. Rani finally arrives, and Miss Kathy tells her that Lillian is in her room and could probably be asleep. Rani goes to Lillian's room and is overjoyed that Lillian stayed awake for her. " I'm so sorry, Lili, for keeping you awake. I know that you sleep early. I had some issues at the boutique and I had to stay to take care of it." Lillian smiles and taps the vacant space on the bed, inviting Rani to sit and spill all the gist. Lillian notices that Rani has been hiding her left land behind her since she entered her room.

"Did you hurt your hand, let me see it, Rani '', Lillian asks ,her face full of concern. "Ta da!" Rani squeals happily as she shows Lillian the diamond ring on her hand. Lillian's eyes widen in shock.

"You know Mason, right? My boyfriend? He proposed to me!" Rani blurts sheepishly. "And you said yes!" Lillian asks with a frown forming on her face. Lillian doesn't like Mason, and she has told Rani several times that he is weird. He doesn't act like someone who is in love whenever he is with Rani. "Lili, come on, I told you to put your doubts away; Mason is a nice guy, and he loves me. If he didn't love me, would he have proposed to me?" Lillian couldn't understand why Rani had to be so blind. Can't she see the kind of person Mason is? "Seriously, Rani, I don't think you should marry Mason." Lillian continues to talk, but Rani cuts her off, "I'm tired of you always trying to make him seem bad. He is a good guy." Lillian wanted to reply, but Rani cut in again. "Lili, this is my life; it's what I want. I love him, and he loves me too. You really want to tell me what is right for me. Come on, Lili, you're in no position to tell me that! You always say men disgust you and brag about how mean you are to them. Have you ever been in a serious relationship in your life? No! What about friendships? I can't think of one! It's always all about work. You never go on dates. You hardly ever go out, always secluding yourself, and you feel that me not marrying Mason is the right thing. Absolutely not!" Rani shouts, her chest rising and falling. She then walks out of Lillian's room, heads downstairs, and zooms off in her car. Miss Cathy hears some of the things Rani said and goes to check up on Lilian.

Meanwhile, Lillian is still in a daze. She couldn't believe Rani would lash out at her like that. As Rani's words echo in her head, she gets teary-eyed because she knows it's the truth. She hears footsteps approaching and knows it's Miss Kathy, who probably heard what Rani said and wants to check up on her. Lilian rushes to lock the door; she just wants to be alone. Miss Kathy tries to open the door but realizes that Lillian locked it. She decides to leave Lilian alone. Maybe some time alone could help her calm down. Tears run freely like a dam in her eyes was opened as Lillian lies down and allows Rani's words to stab her. She sobs for hours, and her pillow is soaked with tears. Her head hurts so badly because of how long she had been crying. Lilian decides to stop crying and moves to sit on the floor as she feels uncomfortable lying on the bed. She sits with her knees folded and rests her chin on them. She falls asleep although she didn't think she would.

As Lillian slowly opens her eyes, she is met with a wave of discomfort and confusion. She is lying on the floor, her body contorted in an awkward position, her head throbbing with a dull ache. She groggily sits up, rubbing her temples, trying to recall how she ended up on the cold, hard ground. Memories of the previous night's breakdown came flooding back. The stress, the anxiety, the feeling of being overwhelmed by the weight of her responsibilities as CEO. Rani's words had made it impossible for her to control her emotions. Lillian's face twisted in a mix of shame, frustration, and disappointment. She had always prided herself on her strength, her resilience, her ability to handle anything that came her way. But now, as she gazed at her reflection in the nearby window, she saw a vulnerable, exhausted woman staring back at her. She slowly rose to her feet, her body protesting the movement. Her eyes feel heavy, her skin pale, her muscles tense. She takes a deep breath, trying to shake off the lingering fogginess in her mind. As she made her way to the bathroom, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her curly hair was disheveled, her eyes sunken, her skin sallow. She looked like a shadow of her former self. "Ugh, who is this scary creature staring back at me? I mean, I know I cried enough tears to fill a small ocean, but did my face have to absorb them all like a sponge?" she exclaims as she touches her face with her delicate fingers in disbelief. "I look like I've been stung by a swarm of bees, a chipmunk storing nuts for winter!" she frowns as she inspects her face more. Lillian is not used to seeing this version of herself at all. She can't even remember the last time she had an emotional breakdown. She is an expert at hiding and burying all negative emotions. No wonder the release of all those pent-up emotions was like a pressure cooker blowing its lid. "That was a masterpiece, a symphony of sobs, a crescendo of catharsis. But, you know what? I'm owning this puffy face! I'm rocking this post-cry glow, like it's a badge of honor. Because, let's be real, it takes a strong woman to ugly cry like that and then face the world, or at least the bathroom mirror, with confidence. So, puffy face, you're welcome to stay for a little while longer. I'll just add some extra concealer, and we'll call it a day. Because, when you're a strong woman, even a puffy face can't bring you down!" Lillian tells herself with a confident voice. She takes a warm shower and quickly gets dressed in her usual fashion of pantsuit and stiletto heels and straightens her curly hair to be styled into a sleek bun. She goes downstairs and sees Miss Kathy arranging breakfast on the dining table. Immediately Miss Kathy sees Lilian, her facial expression changes to a concerned one. "How was your night, Miss Lillian?" She asks in a very low tone. Lillian knew Miss Kathy heard what Rani said and also that she cried. "I am fine. I really am. But I would be better if I didn't look like I had cried out every liquid in my body, which I did." Lillian laughs nervously. "I really can't go to work looking like this. Lillian says with a gloomy look on her face. Miss Kathy urges her to eat breakfast while she searches for a remedy. Miss Kathy prepares an ice pack and some lemon water. After Lilian is done eating breakfast, she applies the ice pack on her face for a few minutes and drinks some of the lemon water. Lilian asks Miss Kathy about the condition of her face, and she assures Lillian that it is much better. Lillian decides not to put on makeup she had earlier decided to. She usually doesn't put on any makeup even though she owns a lot, which was given to her by Rani. "Hope you're going to talk to Rani and reconcile with her." Miss Kathy asks with raised eyebrows. Lillian exhales loudly and replies, "We'll sort it; we always do." Miss Kathy doesn't want Lillian and Rani to keep fighting because Lillian doesn't have many people in her life. She knows how much Lillian cares for Rani and how Lillian might not recover if the fight continues. "I know what you're thinking, Miss Kathy; please don't worry. Rani and I have been through so many fights, and we will get over this one, I promise." Lillian assures Miss Kathy with a smile. Miss Kathy smiles in return, getting rid of the concerned look on her face. Lillian soon leaves for work.

She goes about the normal work routine while trying not to overthink the fight she had with Rani. She really doesn't want this fight to last long at all. "You have a visitor, ma'am. It's Mackenzie, the CEO of Easel and Co. I told her that you're busy, but she keeps insisting on seeing you", Bella says while entering Lillian's office, interrupting her thoughts. Bella has a frustrated look on her face, silently pleading for Lillian to attend to Mackenzie. "Okay, let her in," Lilian replies. She watches Mackenzie enter with her escort group like she's some sort of celebrity. "Tell your minions to excuse us," Lillian says in an irritated tone. Mackenzie rolls her eyes and signals them to wait outside. "To what do I owe the visit, Mackenzie?" Lillian asks in a more irritated voice, looking up from her work on the monitor. She is not surprised to see Mackenzie dressed loosely as usual. She is wearing a short red minidress showcasing her smooth, long legs. The dress highlights Mackenzie's curvy body, which is a marvel of modern science, a testament to the power of plastic surgery. A furry coat hanging from her shoulders and lots of accessories. "Wow, look who's sitting on the big chair," Mackenzie says, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she sits on the couch in Lillian's office. "I'm impressed; I didn't know that they allowed amateurs to oversee companies like this." Mackenzie snorted. "You think you're so clever, don't you? But let me tell you, Lillian, you're just a daddy's little girl. You're just a pampered princess who's had everything handed to her on a silver platter. The director will be making the worst mistake if he ever chooses you. Anyway, you don't stand a chance against the other CEO's," Mackenzie says with a smirk. Lillian leans back in her chair, a mysterious glint in her eye. "Oh Mackenzie, you're so predictable. I've got a whole folder full of your insults, and I've been using them as motivation to succeed. You're basically my own personal cheerleader. You think you can hurt me with that tired old trope? News flash: My father may have opened doors for me, but I'm the one who's done the hard work to succeed. But enough about me. How is your company doing? Still struggling to stay afloat"? Mackenzie's smirk falters, and she storms out of the office, leaving Lillian to chuckle to herself. "That was fun. I do love the game of verbal sparring". Lillian begins to fan herself with her hands and says while scrunching her nose, "I'm sure Mackenzie bathed in her perfume before coming to my office. I feel so bad for the guards that have to go through this every day. Oh God, I'm literally going to suffocate." Lillian was glad that Mackenzie had left and was sure she wouldn't bother her for some time. Time went by quickly, and Lillian spent the rest of the day at work thinking about how she would reconcile with Rani. She decided to call Rani to tell her that she would pay her a visit so that they could sort things out. Rani wasn't picking up, and this made Lillian start panicking. She was scared that Rani didn't want to talk to her anymore. She calls Bella into her office and informs her that she will be leaving immediately.