Chapter 9_ Payback!

Maranello's Enterprise;

The following morning in the workplace, Arya was engrossed in her duties while Kane sat across from her, scrolling through his phone. He chuckled while Arya ignored him.

"Hey, Tigress, check this out. I took some photos of you and sent them to my friends for a competition..." Kane remarked nonchalantly.

"What?!" Arya exclaimed.

"And guess what? You got a 9.9 out of 10! Not bad, tigress... not bad at all," Kane said with a smirk.

"Take another picture of me without my consent and I will sue you!" Arya snapped at him.

"Oh, come on, Sunshine. Don't be so dramatic, I just wanted to show off my latest catch," Kane commented.

"I don't care, stay away from provoking me, Kane. Don't test my patience," Arya warned, her delicate face contorted with anger and her chest heaving.

"Do you really want to face my team of lawyers in court?" Kane said with a shrug and before Arya could react, the office door swung open, revealing Franko Maranello.

Arya, caught off guard by his unexpected appearance, quickly concealed any displeasure on her face and greeted him politely, "Sir, you're here... is there anything we can do for you?"

"Actually, I was looking for you, Arya. I want you to attend tonight's corporate event," Franko announced, causing Arya to frown.

"I see..." she remarked.

"I know you don't prefer these kinds of events, but as a senior staff member, it's mandatory. The sooner you get accustomed to it... the better," Franko explained.

"Of course, sir. If it's that important, I will be there," Arya acknowledged with a nod.

"Good. You will receive further details via email," Franko stated before promptly leaving the room without even acknowledging his son. Kane didn't look up from his computer at his father's departure, leaving Arya curious about the tense dynamic between the two.

During her lunch break, Arya decided to step out of the company in search of food. However, her plans were interrupted when she stumbled upon Kane's red, flashy car in the parking lot.

Memories of their second encounter rushed back to her mind - the time when Kane accidentally sprayed her with water with his car. Recalling the consistent pranks he had pulled on her, Arya couldn't resist the urge to seek revenge in that moment. She looked around to make sure nobody was watching, then smirked at the thought of catching Kane off guard while he was dining at an expensive restaurant nearby.

Chloe was right, Arya thought to herself. If this is a game he wants to play, I'll be happy to play along. With that in mind, she made her way to a pet store and purchased some bird feed. In a matter of minutes, she was back at the company building, gleefully emptying the feed all over Kane's car. Arya stepped back, giggling as a flock of pigeons came swooping down on the car, feasting on the scattered feed. In the midst of their feeding frenzy, the pigeons also ended up leaving behind a white, disgusting mess all over the car.

Arya couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction as she headed back to her office, eager to see Kane's reaction. Before long, the door to her office was slammed open and Kane stormed in, his vein popping and anger visible on his face.

"What the hell did you do to my car?!" Kane growled.

"What do you mean?" Arya played innocent.

"My car! It's covered in bird poop!" Kane exclaimed through gritted teeth.

Arya gasped in false shock. "Oh no, that's terrible."

Kane glared at her, convinced that she was the culprit. "I know it was you," he stated firmly, taking a menacing step closer to Arya.

Despite feeling slightly intimidated, Arya didn't back down. "Me? I was so busy working that I didn't even have time for lunch," she pouted, feeling wronged by the accusation.

"What if I don't believe you?" Kane challenged, squinting his eyes at her.

"Do as you will, I do not possess the luxury of time for foolish jests." Arya retorted.

"So it was you, then?" Kane inquired.

"Who knows? Why must I be accused? Perhaps the pigeons simply took a liking to your car. It is quite shiny. Or, it was shiny..." Arya remarked with a sugary smirk.

"I am certain it was you." Kane declared with confidence.

"But alas, you have no evidence...how unfortunate." Arya teased, having made sure to avoid being caught on the CCTV while pranking the prankster.

"I swear to God, you will pay for this, Arya." Kane threatened.

"As I have said, I am innocent. Besides, you have been a nuisance since the day we met, so this is hardly a big deal." Arya commented, her sly smile betraying her enjoyment of Kane's frustration thus far.

"You'll see..." Kane shot back, storming out of the office. Arya's laughter echoed in the room, satisfied that she had successfully provoked the king of pranks.

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Arya's Residence

Later that evening, Arya left the office early to prepare for tonight's event. She lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling when her phone chimed with a notification. She picked it up and saw an email from Franko's account, containing the details of tonight's event. Arya's eyes widened as she read the words out loud. "Tonight's corporate event will be a casual foam party. Dress code is swimwear for women and men."

‘This is odd.’ Arya thought as she blinked, double-checking that the email was indeed from Franko's account. She sighed, remembering why she had always avoided corporate events.

Arya proceeded to her wardrobe, selecting a modest swimsuit that she had and adorning herself with it before twirling in front of her mirror. ‘Hmm... not bad,’ she thought to herself, admiring her figure. Just as she was reveling in her own appearance, the door suddenly swung open and Alex entered without knocking.

"Hey, Arya, I wanted to - what are you doing?" Alex asked, clearly taken aback by the outfit she had donned.

"Alex! What the heck?" Arya exclaimed in shock.

"Sorry... I didn't know you were... busy." Alex explained sheepishly.

"And that is precisely why civilized society teaches us to knock before entering a room. I don't have the funds to send you to a shrink if you walk in on me naked," Arya retorted.

"Alright, sorry... I didn't mean to see anything. But seriously, what's with the swimsuit?" Alex queried with genuine curiosity.

"It's for work," Arya replied simply.

"For work? Do you work at a water park now or something?" Alex teased with a grin, to which Arya rolled her eyes in response.

"No, same job. It's just a silly event... can I have some privacy, please?" Arya asked in a softer tone.

"Yeah, yeah... I just wanted your opinion on something, but I can see you're a little busy right now..." Alex trailed off, turning to leave.

"I'm sorry, Alex... it's just that - "

"Yeah, I understand, Arya. Don't worry, we can talk later, when you're back from your party thing," Alex cut in.

"Are you sure?" Arya asked, sounding a bit doubtful.

"Yes, don't worry about it," Alex reassured her with a wave of his hand before swiftly exiting the room. Arya quickly covered her body with a large jacket, grabbed her bag, and made her way back to Maranello's enterprise on the top floor where the event was being held. As she arrived at the entrance of the conference room, she removed her jacket to reveal her swimsuit and confidently entered the room.