Seven Years Later...
After seven years abroad, Arya decides to return, as her mother no longer wishes to travel to Europe, and Arya herself does not want to come to New York to avoid encountering Noam and enduring unnecessary and unpleasant situations.
"What do you mean, a mother of twins? How did I not know about this?" Lea asks, taken aback.
"You were away when it all happened, and only I, my mother, and Noam knew about it," Arya explains to one of her best friends whom she had just run into by chance at a cafe.
"You should have at least gotten in touch with me; you vanished for seven years," she says, frowning.
"Sorry, but I needed to stay away from everything. You wouldn’t understand even if I explained the whole situation—I know how stubborn you are," she says, a touch of sadness in her voice.
"And do you still have feelings for Noam?" Arya is surprised by the sudden question.
"No, I don't have feelings for him anymore. I’m not the same Arya from seven years ago; I’ve grown up a lot. Our lives are no longer in sync; it’s been many years," she says, and her friend seems somewhat relieved by the response.
"He still has feelings for you, and if he finds out you’re back, he will come after you," she says, observing Arya closely.
"He will be wasting his time. I want nothing to do with him. My focus is simply to work and take care of my children in the best possible way, and I hope you don't tell him about my return." As she speaks of her children, a smile unknowingly crosses her face.
"You can relax. I won't say anything to him. And are you still looking for a job?" Lea inquires.
"No, I secured a job as the assistant to the president of Pagano Group," she says, proud of herself.
"Wow, how did you land such an important position? Do you realize how challenging it is to work there, especially as his assistant?" She expresses her amazement.
"I have a degree in business administration, and my former boss gave me an excellent recommendation," Arya responds with laughter.
After an enjoyable afternoon with her friend, Arya returns to the home she had purchased and finishes organizing her belongings, which have just arrived. She takes a shower, gets dressed, then goes to her mother’s to pick up her children.
"Mom, where are Kai and Mia?" she asks her mother as soon as she walks in.
"They’re in your old room, watching TV," her mother replies from the kitchen.
She goes to the room and pauses at the door, watching her children lying quietly, absorbed in a cartoon.
"Anyone seeing them like this would believe they're such angels," she whispers to herself, chuckling.
The days fly by, and her first day at Pagano Group finally arrives. She gets up, prepares breakfast for her children, gets them ready, then takes a shower and goes to her closet. She dresses in a simple yet perfect black sheath dress, complemented by black pumps and a matching bag. She puts the kids in the car, drops them off at school, and then heads to work.
Upon arriving at the company, she introduces herself at reception and meets Lua, an almost similarly aged and extremely polite woman who guides her to the 10th floor, where the presidential offices are located. The receptionist introduces her to Mrs. May, the assistant who is retiring.
"Welcome, my dear," May warmly greets her with a hug.
"Thank you. I have so much to learn from you," Arya says politely, smiling.
"Just call me May, please," May responds with a gracious smile.
"May, where are the KS construction documents?" A deep and furious voice bellows from the room across from May's office.
"That boy has no manners at all, he doesn’t know how to pick up the phone and ask; he only knows how to shout," May says, a bit annoyed yet laughs it off.
"You'd better get used to it; it's like this every day, and when he's in a bad mood, it's even worse."
"He's not in a bad mood?" Arya asks, surprised.
"No, today he's fine; he even said good morning to me," May replies with a laugh.
"Right, let's take these papers over before he turns into a monster, and we don't want that, do we?"
Grabbing the folders, they leave the small office and head toward the presidential suite. Entering, they’re immediately met with his brusqueness.
"May, why did it take you so long to bring some papers?" he hollers.
"This is your new assistant; better not scare her like you did the others, or you'll end up alone with no one wanting to deal with an uneducated ogre," May retorts, laughing.
"Okay, May, sorry Miss…" he falters, not knowing her name.
"Lewis, Arya Lewis, Mr. Pagano," she says, slightly embarrassed and still intimidated.
"Miss Lewis, learn all you can from May, except for her terrible temper, please," he says sternly.
"Stop it, kid, you’re going to cry once I'm gone," May teases.
"May, please control yourself; I'm still your boss, and this is a workplace," he rebukes sharply.
"I've seen you in diapers, and besides, what are you going to do, fire me? Go ahead," May says, still laughing.
"Miss Lewis, I hope your conduct is professional, that you know your place in this company, and that you understand the respect for hierarchy," he says seriously, and she simply nods her head in agreement before they exit his office.
She leaves pondering his resemblance to someone familiar but can't quite place who it is. After some time getting acquainted with his itinerary, she pauses.
"Kai and Mia, he reminds me of my children—how bizarre," she muses, laughing at the likeness.
"Did you say something, dear?" May inquires.
"Sorry, I was just thinking out loud. It's a bad habit of mine," Arya replies, trying to cover up.
"I have that habit, too, don't worry about it," May says, returning to her tasks.
"He's quite a handsome man, no exaggeration by Lea," she murmurs softly to herself, making sure she’s not overheard again.
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