"Oh, that. Actually... I've wanted to tell you for a long time that I like you, but I was hesitant to approach you because I saw you with Arshaka. Do you two really have a special relationship?"
Elena fell silent, unsure how to answer. Maybe she was the only one who saw it that way, while Arshaka himself didn't.
"Actually, our parents arranged our engagement, but Arshaka's daughter doesn't seem to like me. I don't know why. I've been kind to her, and I was even willing to become her caregiver whenever Arshaka went out of town, especially since there happened to be no caregiver available. She's temperamental, so a lot of caregivers can't stand working for her."
"You're incredibly sincere, but do you know how Arshaka feels about you?"
"I don't know. It seems like he feels nothing more for me than that, especially compared to how he feels about Emeli. I've loved Arshaka since we were children. Yes, even before that child was born, but Arshaka may never have considered our family's presence or sacrifices. Sorry, I guess I needed to vent." Elena laughed dryly.
"It's okay. You can use me as your sounding board."
"Thank you, but if you can, just call me Elena instead of 'you.' It sounds so stiff," Elena said, and Delano nodded.
"Then call me 'you' or Delano. Don't call me Sir!"
"Okay."
"What do you mean by your family's sacrifices?"
"Sixty percent of Arshaka's company shares belong to my parents. Our parents entered into a partnership years ago, with the condition that Arshaka agree to marry me. I was foolish enough to love Arshaka so much since childhood, even though he... Ah, forget it. He never gave my feelings a second thought. At the time, Arshaka's father's company—Jeremy's—was on the verge of collapse."
"Wow, so he actually depends on your family, right?"
"Yes, you could say that."
"And Arshaka treats you like you're insignificant in his life? What an ungrateful man. Why don't you just withdraw your shares from his company and teach him a lesson for stringing someone else's daughter along?"
Hearing Delano's words, Elena fell silent. She thought about what he had said and realized he was right. In the end, she made a decision.
"Your idea actually sounds pretty good. I'll tell my parents later. I'm tired of waiting for Arshaka all the time, too. Maybe he would never marry me even if we waited until the end of the world."
"If there's something certain available, why wait for something unclear?"
Delano snapped his fingers, and a servant approached with a bouquet of flowers in hand.
"Would... would you like to be my girlfriend?" Delano asked as he extended the flowers toward Elena.
"This soon, I—" Elena looked hesitant.
"Take the flowers first. You can give me your answer later. I'll give you a week to think about it."
Elena nodded and accepted the bouquet. She wondered what would be wrong with choosing Delano if Arshaka ignored her parents' threat. After all, Delano was no less handsome than Arshaka, and most importantly, the man seemed romantic.
Delano said goodbye after giving Elena his phone number.
When she got home, Elena complained about Arshaka, who never discussed their wedding plans. She had been waiting for him for far more than just a year or two.
Elena's parents immediately called Jeremy, and the man asked for more time so he could persuade Arshaka.
This time, however, Elena's parents were truly disappointed that Arshaka still refused to marry their daughter. They immediately withdrew their shares, leaving the company unstable until it finally went bankrupt.
"Sir, the new project we're developing has been forced to stop halfway. Our finances are extremely tight, and on top of that, this month's employee salaries haven't been paid. Should we roll them over to next month?"
The finance manager's question in the middle of the meeting made Arshaka rub his temples. The headache he felt now was because Elena's parents had truly meant what they said, and strangely enough, Sir Jeremy was supporting them. Arshaka hadn't expected them to mix personal matters with business.
"Stop for now. We'll just keep running what we already have. We need to pay the employees' salaries if at all possible because they have families depending on them." Though deeply unsettled, Arshaka was forced to make a decision.
Everyone at the meeting nodded, their faces etched with sorrow. They were at risk of losing their jobs if the company remained in this condition.
"I'll try to find another investor. Pray that I succeed, but if I don't, I may be the one to leave this company and let Sir Jonathan take over. The important thing is to protect the employees' welfare."
Everyone at the meeting stared at Arshaka in disbelief. How could their boss be willing to sacrifice himself for his employees when he was under so much pressure? Shouldn't he be thinking more about his own family's future? They all knew Emeli needed a considerable amount of money for her treatment. Arshaka's attitude made them sympathize with him.
"I hope Sir Arshaka can find another investor who will restore this company to the way it was, or even help it advance further. I don't think we could stand having someone like Sir Jonathan as our boss. He's so cruel. If that happens, we'll probably choose to leave the company," the other executives replied. They were all too familiar with Jonathan's behavior.
"I'll do everything I can. This meeting is adjourned!"
They nodded and eventually left the conference room for their respective offices. They acted as usual, as though there were nothing to worry about, so the lower-level employees didn't realize the company was going through hard times, although in reality, they had already felt it without being told.
"I'll help you," Toni said, patting Arshaka on the shoulder.
"Thank you." Arshaka, who had been staring blankly ahead, turned and looked warmly at Toni. Toni was the assistant who had helped him so much over the years, especially whenever Emeli collapsed.
"Toni, I have to go. I need to move as quickly as possible. If anything comes up at the company, handle it for now!"
"Yes, Sir."
Arshaka rose to his feet and left the conference room, leaving Toni deep in thought.
Arshaka went downstairs and walked quickly toward his parked car. He drove at high speed through the streets. His destination was the company owned by his friend, who had been collaborating with his company all this time. Arshaka was sure his friend Harun would be willing to help. He placed great hope in him.
However, Arshaka had to swallow his disappointment when Harun's answer fell far short of his expectations. Harun refused, giving what Arshaka considered an unclear reason.
The man left Harun's company and moved on to another one, but unfortunately, he failed again to secure a new investor. Exhausted, Arshaka finally decided to go home.
Arshaka's somber expression changed the moment he saw Emeli waiting at the front door with a radiant smile.
"You're not asleep yet, sweetheart?" Arshaka greeted her with a sweet smile. He didn't want to show his sadness in front of his only daughter. Emeli always had to see him happy so the child's mind could remain at ease.
"I was waiting for you, Dad. Aunt Kayla cooked for us," the child said, her face shining.
Arshaka smiled once more and nodded. "Wait here. Dad's going to take a shower first!"
To be continued.