Chapter 2 First Encounter

waking up to a beautiful morning was an underrated blessing to people, Juliana always thought, as she opened her eye and sat up on her bed. whatever invaded sunlight was a bother as it streamed through the partly curtains. It was barely past eight on this delightful Saturday morning. she got down from her queen-sized bed, walked up to the window, and hung up the curtains. She rested her body on it and closed her eyes, breathing in the fresh air. It rushed through her nostrils. She opened her eyes and looked up at the weather. It was so cool.

She stayed there for a few minutes before walking to the bathroom and did her morning duties. She spent almost an hour before getting ready. She creamed her body with different lotions to keep her body smooth, put on her favourite pink mini dress, and packed her hair up in ponytails. She wore her pink flip-flops and picked up her iPad from her bed. Juliana descended down the stairs, holding the railings for support. She walked straight to the sitting room and saw Elena sitting comfortably like the owner of the house, pressing her iPad and laughing hysterically. She walked straight to the counch Elena was sitting on and sat beside her, crossing her long legs on the center table and stretching her neck like a giraffe to see what she was up to on her phone. It seemed like she was chatting with someone. Juliana lived alone with her maids, who are nice and wonderful people. However, she couldn't expect them to sit down and chat or play with her. They were there to work and be paid. That's all she always said. She found the mansion boring without anyone to talk to, so months ago, she asked Elena to move in with her, and she did.

She rolled her eyes because Elena was still not looking at her. Elena kept chatting on her phone with a smile pattered on her face. That annoying little thing was intentionally ignoring her, Juliana thought, hoping she had forgotten she paid her bills. If this was how Elena wanted to play games, she was ready to play along. She would play along with the silent game. Juliana picked up her phone, which she dropped earlier beside her , unlocked it, and went straight to the games app. She clicked on Subway surfers. She was really good at this game. it had been almost thirty minutes, and Elena was not saying a word to her, which was really getting annoying. So, Juliana dropped her phone again beside her and looked up to Elena.

"Well, it seems like you are busy with your phone and pretending I'm not here. Don't forget I paid your bills. you might be my best friend, but you still need to attend to my needs. Juliana said rudely, keeping her face straight with no emotions written on it.

"I'm so sorry, Ana. I really don't mean to ignore you. I'm just carried away with my phone. you look ugly with that look on your face. Just try and smile a little." Elena replied

"Right now, I don't give a damn whether I'm ugly or not. I really need food badly. it like I slept off without eating anything last night. Juliana said, rubbing her flat stomach.

"That good; the maids just finished cooking bacon and chips. " Elena replied, smiling, but Juliana was about to disappoint her.

"Too bad I'm not in the mood to eat that. Right now, I'm craving pizzas. " Juliana said while Elena frowned.

"But what about the bacon? The maids put their time and effort into. she frowned, but Juliana never cared about the maids. She got what she wanted, and that all mattered.

"They can just throw it in the bin or stuff it down their throats; just hurry up and order the pizzas." Juliana shouted, slamming her right hand on the table.

"Okay, just calm down. I'll place the order now." Elena said, facing her phone and sending a message to the bakery store.

"Let's talk about business now. What's on the table for me? Any schedule this week?. Juliana asked.

" Yeah, you are having a concert with Emirates stadium on Saturday, a modelling shot with Calvin klein, and on Wednesday, an interview with glamours t.v." Elena read from her tab.

"About the interview, can you cancel that? I'm not in the mood to grant an interview right now. Juliana said, picking up the t.v remote.

"But we said yes a month ago when they reached out to us. What excuse should i give them now? Elena said, glaring at her with an annoying face. But Juliana was the city diva, and they would always go by her rules.

"Don't get me angry, El, I'm not in the mood anymore. Get that straight to your skull. And for what you're going to say, that's part of the job you're paid for." Juliana yelled at her, trying to keep her emotion under control. no matter how rude Juliana was to Elena, she always kept a smiling face on. she was the complete opposite of Juliana - caring, friendly, and always smiling. They had met in junior high school and connected easily. throughout their high school and college, Elena was the constant friend in Juliana's life. Despite making many friends, Elena always came back to Juliana because she knew Juliana needed her. Juliana was grateful for Elena's presence in her life, but she struggled to express her feelings.

"Okay, Ana, I'm gonna work on it. just relax your face a little; you look ugly when you're angry." Elena said as she started typing her phone again. Meanwhile, Juliana switched on the t.v and she flipped through channels until she found a music station. She settled on a channel and put the remote back on the table. The next music video that popped up was her first ever music video, which she debuted at the eighteen. It was for her hit song, "Billion dollars," which catapulted her to fame and earned her major deals, a record label, modelling contracts, and more. looking back at the peaks of her career, Juliana was thankful to her teams, who had supported her and trusted her.

*********

Bryan just delivered the first pizza of the day and back to the bakery store. As he headed to the restroom, Kyle rushed out of his office.

"Thank God you're back. We have another delivery. Jasper, the other guy working with you, won't make it. you have to do all the deliveries today. But don't worry, you'll get a bonus for it." Kyle said.

"So where's the package? Bryan asked.

"it has been packed on the company bike you'll be riding. I will send the address on your phone. just make sure you get there on time. She's a very prominent customer, and losing her would mean losing our job here." Kyle explained.

Bryan nodded, and Kyle took him to where the bike was parked. After sending the address to Bryan's phone, Kyle let him get on his way. Bryan wasted know time getting the bike, thinking it going to be a long day.