Novel & Cerita The Art Of Saying No

He wiped my face and kept talking as he did the clean-up work that he seemed to do so very well. “I used to overthink things. And… I’ve gotten hurt because of that, and also because of NOT doing that,” he smiled. I sniffed. He kept wiping. “If you don’t want to do something,” he said, completing his task, “say no.” “If they don’t stop, hit them.” “If they do stop, and cut you off because you know your limits, cut THEM off, because they don’t want to accept it.” He led me around, the counter to the stools, he helped me sit on the one he had used earlier, and he sat on mine.

my grandmother’s nickname for me when I was young. The studio was small. It was inside an old building in East Rondon. It got a lot of natural light. I hung my grandmother’s broken crystal necklace on the wall as the centerpiece. Every visitor who came would say, “This necklace is so special. Is it for sale?” I would smile and shake my head. “It’s not for sale. It’ll never be for sale.” Zara told me I was silly. “That necklace could be worth tens of thousands.” I said, “I wouldn’t sell it for any price.”

“Can we.” “No”

I say. “You don’t have to.” “That’s not the problem.” “What is?” I hesitate. Because the answer isn’t simple. “Refusing something forced is easy,” I say slowly. “But refusing something that isn’t—” “Requires a reason.” “Yes.” Silence. Then— “Do you have one?” he asks. I open my mouth. To say yes. To say something. Anything. And then I realize— I don’t. Not clearly. Not the way I did before.

I slowly stood up, met Oliver's gaze, and said mockingly, "You want to use my surgical method? Did I ever authorize that?" Oliver was caught off guard. Then, he looked at me with anguish. "Amelia! At a time like this, you're still concerned about that? Saving lives is what matters!" I shrugged casually, my tone firm. "A life is a life, but a patent is a patent. If you operate without my authorization, I'll sue you until you're ruined, and you'll never wear a white coat again." "Amelia!" Oliver's face paled with anger. Dad was trembling with rage and pointed at me, scolding me. "Amelia! You're being completely unreasonable! You're really going to let Sonia die over money and a patent?"

In the next second, her face drained of color, and her lips quivered. After a long moment, she muttered, "Are you resigning just because of this? I was busy at the time and didn't notice I had signed it. It doesn't count." I laughed. "Why not? I followed the procedures. Every step was valid, so why wouldn't it count?" "Because I said so!" Beatrice tried to weasel her way out like before. This time, I didn't let it bother me. I pulled out my phone and said, "Go tell the police that, then."

I’m practicing. A laugh threatened and didn’t quite reach the surface. I paid for two sodas and a slice of something that pretended to be cake, and we ate like people who planned to remember the taste instead of the moment. On the way out, Noah hesitated. “I said no because I didn’t want them to use me,” he said. “But… I don’t want you to use you either.” “I won’t,” I said. “And if I start to, you say my name like a bell.”

The same window. "I don't feel in demand." "What do you feel?" "Tired." Rivera nodded. "That's normal. Don't let it consume you." "How do I stop it?" "You set boundaries. You say no. You protect your time." "I don't know how to say no." "You'll learn." The offers came in emails. Letters. Phone calls. A gallery in Chicago wanted a solo show. A collector in Los Angeles wanted to commission a piece. A museum in Boston wanted to acquire one of my paintings for their permanent collection. A magazine in New York wanted to interview me.

How can I possibly say no to that? I should, though, say no. There are probably a million different reasons why it’d be better if I just stayed home and worked on finding a job. I have so much to prepare for, but how do I turn him down? I don’t know if I can, honestly. What kind of crazy person would I be if I said no to this man? Besides, isn’t it his job to say “no” to me? “That sounds so incredibly fun!” I say, honestly. “I agree, I’ve felt like I’ve needed to get away for a long time. This couldn’t have come at a better time. Thank you, Liam.”

I say. Neil’s response is short and firm, with no room for rebuttal. “No.”