Chương 17: Trip to the Shopping Mall 2
Nia had not yet shared with Rhianna the news of her work in the Adam Investment Company but she was going to in a while. When Nicholas approached her to work as a consultant for them Nia immediately accepted the offer. She needed both money and connections to safeguard her new family.
The Adams were friends, but not close enough to be willing to help her. She might have it by being an important contrivance to them. They were rich and powerful. She might need to use them in future. Nia wanted nothing more than a peaceful existence. Her adversaries were strong and they wanted to snatch what she had.
From the gate of the housing complex Rhianna called Nia and asked her to come down. After ten minutes the two of them were driving in Rhi's car to the destination which Rhianna refused to disclose.
"Come on Rhi, tell me where we are going. What's with these hush hush, this silly secrecy? After all it's one of the malls."
Irascibility crept into her tone despite her gentle manner. Nia knew that Rhianna loved her and was protective of her. Though the present Nia did not need anyone's protection, she would not tell that to Rhianna for fear of hurting that adorable woman. Nia suspected that Rhi was taking her to the new boutique opened by a rising designer, which had become the latest fashion destination for the socialites of the city.
Nia met Rhianna when she had joined the marketing and finance department of this prestigious business school where Rhianna taught in the HR department. Rhianna was an extrovert and an effervescent young woman who reached out to Nia, the only woman in the whole faculty who preferred the bare minimum interaction, for friendship. Nia immediately took a liking to this lively and lovely woman.
Rhianna parked her orange Hyundai creta in the underground parking slot of the City Planet plaza in the city center. This was a newly opened plaza, jointly owned by both Nicholas and Mark. The cousins had one more shopping Mall under the banner of City Planet Plaza in another busy part of the city and several others at the capitals of other North Eastern states.
Looking at the entrance of the plaza, Nia wondered about Rhianna's secretiveness about the destination. It was hard to understand what was there to be so secretive about this particular destination or a shopping expedition. Nia always termed Rhi's shopping as expedition as it meant entering endless number of clothes stores, boutiques, rummaging through clothes and accessories, trying hundreds of apparels. That was truly an expedition.
After the clothes would come the arduous journey to the other stores in search of perfect accessories like bags, shoes, jewelry. Nia dreaded accompanying Rhi to these nerve wrecking, bone breaking expeditions. Since Rhi's relationship with Nicholas, her suffering had lessened to some extent, as she would instigate Rhianna about the need for testing a man's love and patience.
"Let the man follow you to shopping, make him sit patiently while you try at least twenty dresses, let him give the opinion and lastly, have him carry your bags for you. It'll prove his love and if he really cares."
Inwardly Nia would facepalm herself, while questioning herself with wonder, 'Since when have I become this crafty? Perhaps the survival instincts in me has kicked in, forcing me to pose as fake love guru.' She would chuckle like a witch after successfully getting Rhianna off her back. But Nia felt guilty when Nicholas often complained to her,
"Tell me Nia, since when following the woman you love to shopping has become the criteria to measure love?"
Nia would open the eyes wide as an innocent child who had a difficulty in understanding the question asked. She would instantly switch roles, from crafty maleficent to a benevolent white witch. Then the innocent witch would reply to a clueless Nicholas in a helpless tone,
"I dunno bro, dn't ask me. I've never been in love."
At one time Rhianna heard them, much to the chagrin of Nicholas and immediately pounced verbally on her fiance. Like a real maleficent witch Nia only laughed at his plight.
'Can it be that she want to show me something? Maybe she has her dress for the party designed by this rising designer who is too busy to deliver an order at short notice.' Nia tried to comfort herself. If that was the case, which she earnestly hoped to be true, she could leave for the art cafe in time. A relieved smile appeared on her lips. She did not want to skip the discussion with Zubeen at any cost.
She walked with Rhianna in quite a good mood. Luck must have been laughing at her. She underestimated her friend, the shopaholic living in this woman like a blood sucking vampire, waiting for a chance to drink blood without stopping for a rest. Soon Nia cursed herself for being too weak to refuse Rhianna. She looked warily at the growing number of the shopping bags.
"Hi lovely ladies!" Someone's brazen words greeted their ears.
Reasons soon piled up to make her wish that it was a work day instead of a holiday. The luxury of relaxation on an otherwise working day was cruelly snatched away from her.
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