by Mel Ryle
Thirty-One
As I sat across Alexandra, I admit that I wasn’t paying attention to most of the papers I was handling. Since this morning, I couldn’t help but be distracted by a certain someone who was stirring up my personal life right now. In addition, that someone had asked me to wait after work for something. What did he want from me now?
Halfway through sorting the papers, my eyes caught one of the titles in the paper, which was printed in huge, bold print in the topmost part. I eyed it for a second before grasping the information. I couldn’t help myself and asked.
“Excuse me, Ms. Maxwell. Are these resignation and transfer papers?”
Across me, Alexandra looked up from a paper she was reading before I unnecessarily voiced out my curiosity. She assessed me for a moment before she gave me a truthful reply. “Yes. It is.”
“You’re leaving the company? I thought you’re the one running it,” I continued, not really contented with the information she shared.
“The company is under my name. I don’t personally run it. William does,” she replied confidently as she gave me a small smile when she mentioned her brother’s name.
“But why do you have to leave? And if you’re leaving, that would mean I won’t have a job anymore…” I asked, my thoughts linking to my current professional situation. In the end, I was back at square one.
“Did you forget about the other job after the three month duration of being my secretary?” she asked with a chuckle.
I can’t help but give her a small smile in reply. “Oh. Right. The curator job,” I replied shyly, feeling stupid for forgetting the reason on why I accepted this job.
“I thought you forgot about it already…” she trailed off as she shook her head in amusement, “the art works are still being shipped here, so you’ll have at least a week of leave before starting your work at the gallery,” she continued, her voice taking on a more serious tone.
“Oh. That’s good to hear. When would that be?” I hesitantly asked, internally cringing for actually voicing out another question. Then, a thought crossed my mind. I’ll be jobless for a week.
“If you’re thinking about not getting paid for the leave, you don’t have to worry. You’ll still get paid and I still need you to help me clear out my office for that week,” she stated. “I only said it as a leave since you wouldn’t be doing any reporting anymore other than sending my things to my place.”
“Oh. Okay. Thank you so much for that assurance,” I said shyly, my voice raising an octave as my nerves got the better of me. I can’t believe she read me like how her brother did yesterday.
Am I that easy to read? Is there a signboard on my forehead that displays what I was thinking?
“I’ll be filing these today, so that will take at least a week before it can take effect. Your leave might start next week,” she informed me as she looked back down at the paper she was holding and continued to read.
I took this as a cue that the conversation had ended. Even though I knew she wouldn’t see me, I gave her a curt nod in reply. Though there were still things I wanted to ask her, I didn’t dare to press on that matter. I reckoned she didn’t want to talk about it from the way she didn’t tell me the reasons why she had to leave the company. Does that mean William is going to be the official owner starting next week?
I shrugged it off and quickly disregarded my thoughts. As the day slowly passed, the chance on asking Maggie about what happened this morning was gone. It was rather odd in some way that when I was about to approach her, Maggie suddenly stood up from her desk and excused herself to get some lunch and when she got back, she was already done eating and went straight back to work. I wanted to approach her again. But then Alexandra got back from her lunch out with some associates, so I didn’t get any answers.
The afternoon passed, and the sky turned dark and I was now uncertain on asking Maggie about it. I was on my last round in filing Alexandra’s things when her office door suddenly burst open.
“Oh, god! I thought you’d already gone home!” William exclaimed in relief, yet the way he was holding himself, he looked beat.
I stared at his tired face before talking. “Good evening, Mr. Maxwell. Is there something we can do for you? Ms. Maxwell and I are in a middle of work at moment,” I asked in a monotonous tone as I tried to look unaffected.
William quickly scanned the room, from Alexandra’s desk to her and down to me. “What are you working on?” he countered my question with a question as he looked at me.
I was about to reply but Alexandra beat me to it. “What do you want William?” she asked, finally looking up from the paper she was currently signing.
William turned his attention to her, which changed his demeanor entirely. The last time I saw William around his sister was at her engagement party. From my observation then, she had some control over him, which hadn’t changed the least.
“I have some plans with Andy today. Is she free to go now?” he asked in the same tone, his question catching me off guard at its frankness.
Alexandra scoffed while I stared at William in shock. After a moment, she turned to look at me with a small smile. “Are you done today, Andy?” she asked softly. Her demeanor changed entirely.
I nodded in reply, not entirely sure on how to respond to the situation. Alexandra took it as a proper reply before looking at William. “She can go now,” she said to him before glancing towards my direction. “You can go now, Andy,” she said with a lighter tone.
I stared at her, unsure for a second. Was she serious? When she finally gave me a reassuring smile, I stood up and quickly made my way towards William, who was still standing by the door.
“I’ll be going now, Ms. Maxwell. Thank you for today, and have a nice evening,” I greeted softly as I reached William’s side.
“Thank you too, Andy, and have a wonderful evening,” she replied in the same light tone.
Before I could give her a smile, William suddenly grabbed my wrist, gaining my full attention. “I’ll see you later,” William called sternly at his sister before he swiftly pulled me out of the office and closed the door behind him.
I was frustrated by his action and felt the need to knock some senses into him. As we reached the empty elevator, luck was with me when it opened after I pressed the call button. We both quietly entered the lift. I made it known that I was pissed at him as I stomped my foot on the way inside. Behind me, I felt William let out a huge, strained sigh.
From the way he was letting out his breath, I knew he was anticipating my outburst. I stood away from him, keeping my mouth shut for the first time. By now, I would have exploded in annoyance but I was trying to turn over a new leaf.
“Aren’t you going to scream or something?” he asked, finally breaking the uneasy silence that rang in the confined space.
“No,” I replied shortly, my voice almost as low as a whisper.
I could feel his eyes on my face while I stared at the metal door in front of us. Then, I felt his warm breath as he sighed again.
“Have you eaten dinner?” he asked after a few seconds of silence.
I raised my eyebrow at the sudden change of topic and turned my head towards him. “I just got out of work. I thought the answer to that question was a given,” I replied sarcastically, yet there was no hint of humor in my voice.
“Why are you angry with me? Don’t deny it, Andy. Your mood is written all over your face,” he asked, changing the subject again. It was like he was trying to avoid something.
“What do you want with me, William? I’m tired, so please go straight to the point,” I asked with refined disinterest and let out a heavy breath before turning back to staring at the metal door.
“How about I’ll take you to dinner tonight? To make up for now and for all the things I’ve done wrong since we met,” he replied, turning his whole body towards me as he leaned on the metal wall behind him.
I shifted in my stance as I turned my body half way in his direction. “Are you aski
ng me out on a date? Again?” I asked in disbelief.
“Well… You offered me at least three dates. I’m not going to waste time and let go of that offer,” he replied with a wolfish grin, an expression that I’ve never seen on him.
I hadn’t anticipated the reaction that my body seemed to have from his expression. I could feel warmth rising from deep within my belly. Maybe this was what they called butterflies in your stomach. Then another sensation ran through my body, from my neck up to my cheeks, making them both warm and cool at the same time.
William looked amused as he turned away from me while he covered his mouth like he was going to cough. From there, we had a short moment of awkward dead air as we avoided each other’s gaze. I didn’t understand why we were embarrassed.
“So, where are we eating out?” I asked softly.
This had snapped him out of his reverie. “That’s a secret,” he answered with a chuckle, his arrogance lurking again.
I was about to pester him to tell me the place when the metal door suddenly opened, showing the lobby. So I closed my mouth and stared at him for a second. When I didn’t move from where I stood, William gestured for me to go first.
“Good evening, Ms. Peterson,” Mark greeted as he opened the back door when we reached the car outside.
My head whipped in his direction, startled by his presence. I can’t believe I was so preoccupied with thoughts of the man who was standing behind me. As I quickly gathered my wits about me, I gave him a small smile and greeted back, “Good evening to you, too.”
I jumped in the black SUV that we used yesterday. By now, I was getting familiar and comfortable with the car I scooted to the far end of the seat, sticking myself near the other end of the door. I heard the soft slam of the door as William settled himself on his side of the seat.
“Comfortable?” he asked casually.
“Yes. Thank you,” I replied softy, not really sure how to respond to the new Mr. Mogul. I was somewhat nauseated by his change of attitude.
William looked up front as the driver got inside the car. “We’re eating out tonight. We are going to that place for dinner,” he ordered, his demeanor changing yet again.
“Don’t you get tired of having a split personality?” I bluntly asked, feeling confident to say anything at the moment.
“You think I have a split personality?” he countered, answering me with a question.
“Yes. You’re doing it right now,” I replied, gesturing him from head to toe.
Somehow, the way I might have replied seemed to be funny since he laughed. “What’s so funny?” I asked, feeling stupid that he found something funny that I didn’t understand.
“It’s nothing,” he replied after he got ahold of himself, though the smile in his lips never left.
Irritated with his lack of explanation, I kept quiet for the rest of the way and patiently waited until I knew where we were going. I vowed to myself that if things don’t go right, I was going to bail without thinking twice about it. But could I actually do that when the situation arose?
The car slowed down on a familiar street and I had a hunch where we were going. And I was right when the car stopped on that place. He is taking me back to the restaurant where it all began. Did he think that such a place would be romantic? If we had met in better circumstances, it would have been sweet. All I had remembered on that first meeting was my impression of him being awful. But after I got to know him better, I realized he wasn’t totally an arrogant bastard.
“We’re having dinner here? Really?” I asked dumbfounded as I glanced between him and the tinted window behind him, giving me a full view of the main entrance.
Before he could reply, the door opened beside him. Then, he turned towards the man who opened it. From the way his mouth tensed, I think he was pissed that he was interrupted.
William got out of the car swiftly and turned around as I followed behind him. He offered me his hand as I jumped down without any grace. Somewhere in my peripheral vision, I swore I saw a couple that got out of the restaurant eyeing both of us. Their eyes filled with awe and envy as they looked at William, while they looked at me with plain curiosity and jealousy, especially from the woman. I refrained from glancing at their direction as William looped my arm around his and slowly guided me towards the entrance. I didn’t want to embarrass myself even more.
When the door opened in front of us, Reyna, the person who tended the podium, looked up towards us in surprise. Her eyes zoned in towards William first for a full half-minute. I gathered enough confidence to acknowledge Reyna before she died of suffocation. I knew for sure she wasn’t breathing right now but William ignored her as he got his phone from his inner pocket. Slowly, his attention centered on his phone.
“Reyna. Hey!” I whispered her direction. “Is Mr. Maxwell’s booth still reserved?” I asked out of curiosity, though I knew that the booth would be forever empty unless he eats here.
“Oh! It’s you again…” she replied as her eyes grew wide in recognition. “I think the table is occupied,” she continued as she composed herself.
“What do you mean occupied?” I asked in confusion. I cursed her under my breath for forgetting my name again
“Well…” she started in reply, but trailed off as she was distracted by the person beside me.
“Why haven’t you escorted us to my usual seat? Do I have to tell you my name again?” William asked angrily. He didn’t even dare hide his annoyance. Judging by the tone of his voice, I think it has happened before.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Maxwell, it wasn’t my intention to forget…” Reyna started to apologize but kept quiet. She stood petrified because of William’s cold stare. I didn’t dare glance up at his face at that moment.
“Reyna, who is sitting in Mr. Maxwell’s booth?” I asked calmly, trying to lessen the tension
“Oh! Uhm… She’s… I mean… Mr. Hamilton is dining with us tonight. He is waiting for Ms. Maxwell,” she stuttered in reply.
Her words made William and I go silent for a moment. I glanced at William, waiting for him to tell me some course of action. But from the way his brow was set and his jaw clenched, the answer was written all over his face. We were not having dinner in this place tonight. I was about to suggest we eat some place when the door behind us opened, making us all turn to see who entered.
“William! Andy! Why are you two standing there?” Alexandra curiously asked. There wasn’t a tone of surprise in her voice. Did she know we were dining here?
“We were about to leave. We just ate and Andy wanted to chat with her friend here,” William replied casually as she gestured between Reyna and me.
“Oh! Did you see Michael inside? Has he already eaten?” she asked in the same tone and manner.
“We didn’t actually see him. We ate on the far side, away from my usual table,” he replied swiftly, making his fib sound true.
“Oh! So, where are you two going?” she glanced towards me for a second before she turned to her brother.
“I’m taking Andy back to her apartment. She’s tired now, so we’ll be going,” William answered urgently, his arm quickly grabbed hold of my elbow as he pulled me towards the door.
Before Alexandra or I could say anything, we were both out of the door. I was startled by his sudden outburst. I didn’t get why he was acting that way. Why is he avoiding his own sister?
Since we were going to have that drive back to my place, I was going to hound him with all the questions that had been piling up in my head. I didn’t really care if there was someone in the car with us. I needed all the opportunity that I could get. And since we weren’t going to have that dinner, this was the only time I could ask him.
I was about to start when he interrupted me as he talked to Mark. “Take us back home. I don’t feel hungry anymore.”
“Yes, sir.” Mark replied briefly.
My mouth thinned into a somber line as I kept quiet for a second to look at him. “And you don’t even bother asking me if I was
hungry?” I bluntly asked him in annoyance.
William quickly turned his head towards me, like he had forgotten that I got into the car with him. “I’m sorry. Is there anywhere you want to go eat?” he asked softly, his face apologetic.
I studied him for a second before replying. “I know a place near the apartment. Though the servings don’t cost as much as a nose job, the food is better than what they used to feed us in high school,” I cautiously remarked as I tried to lighten up his suddenly sour mood.
He chuckled at my reply, making the invisible dark cloud above him disappear. “Is your cafeteria food that bad?” he asked, still grinning.
“Oh. Bad is an understatement. I’m sure you can’t relate since you probably ate some five-star food with names I can’t pronounce,” I replied as I lightly said another witty joke.
“Don’t be fooled by who I am now. My family wasn’t this rich when I was young. I know what kind of food they were serving in the cafeteria in a public school,” he countered defensively, yet his tone had a he teasing edge to it.
“Good to know that you had lived my life once, Mr. Maxwell,” I commented back with a smile.
“Yeah. It’s very refreshing to know that for once in my life I lived with the normal, average people,” he agreed with a chortle.
“Oh. We both know you don’t have a family of just average people.”
He laughed harder at that comment, which made me chuckle in tune with him. As the conversation progressed in to a playful manner, I felt lighter every minute. We breezed through the night towards our new dinner location, which might not be a good idea in a few minutes.
Thirty-Two
When we reached our street, Mark slowed down as I told him the right location of the café we were going to eat at. It wasn’t really hard to give him directions since it was located right across my place.
“We are good for the night, Mark. Please have the car parked back in the parking lot and you can go.”
