I shot up from bed when my phone suddenly blasted like a fire alarm. What the hell—what time is it?! I grabbed my phone from the table beside my bed. Wait… this isn't my alarm.
A missed call from—
Oh shit. Francis?!
It's so early. It's literally 6:30 a.m. What's this man's problem now?
I was about to ignore it when he called again. With a groan, I answered it.
"What?!" I snapped.
"Good morning. Don't be late."
Then he just hung up.
I stared blankly at nothing for a solid five seconds.
What was that?
That idiot Francis—ruining my morning this early. God, I hate him. I ran my hands through my hair, annoyed and still half-asleep.
Then someone knocked at my door.
"Gianna? Are you awake?" It was my landlady, Mrs. Tessa.
"Yes, I'm up. Why?" I asked.
"Come down and eat. Someone sent food earlier. A lot of it. It's all for you," she said.
I frowned.
"For me? From who?"
She shrugged. "No idea. They didn't say… oh wait, there was a note. Hold on."
She dug into her pocket, found a small envelope, and handed it to me.
"Here. That's all they left. Anyway, take a bath and come down for breakfast," she said and left.
I stared at the small card. When I opened it, bold letters greeted me:
GOOD MORNING.
ENJOY YOUR BREAKFAST.
I instantly knew who it was from.
I grabbed my phone again and called my boss who clearly sniffed some kind of industrial glue this morning. What is he trying to pull now?! But he didn't pick up. He declined my calls. Twice.
I shut my eyes in irritation.
After giving up, I took a bath, changed, and went downstairs. Everyone was already at the table.
"Wow, Gianna. Your admirer is rich. Look at all this food," one of the other tenants teased.
I ignored her.
Admirer? Yeah right. In his dreams.
There were four dishes on the table. Enough to feed a small family.
Of course this was part of his plan. He must want something from me. That's the only reason he'd go this far.
But… damn. The food looked and smelled amazing. My stomach growled.
Fine. Whatever. Once in a lifetime. I'll just eat.
After breakfast, I headed to work. As soon as I stepped out of the elevator, I froze. Yesterday's incident flashed in my mind.
No. Stop it, Gianna. Don't think about it. He probably planned that whole thing. He always has something up his sleeve. Don't fall for it. Okay? Okay.
"You're insane. What are you doing?"
"Holy—!" I jumped when my cousin appeared behind me out of nowhere.
"Tsk, tsk, bad words," she teased.
I smacked her on the head.
"You just ruined my morning," I muttered and walked away.
She quickly followed.
"Someone's cranky. What happened to you?"
"Nothing. And why are you following me?" I snapped.
I stopped when I noticed who was walking toward us. For some reason I instantly turned my back.
God, why am I nervous again? Get it together, Gianna!
"Hey! Are you listening to—?" my cousin poked me, but I was too focused on Francis standing not far from us, staring at me with that piercing gaze.
Why is he looking at me like that?
"Uh—I'm going ahead!"
And I bolted.
I rushed into his office and closed the door. My chest was tight. Why am I panicking?! Yesterday just kept replaying in my mind.
No! Stop thinking about it!
I nearly fell backward when the door suddenly opened—because guess who was still standing behind it?
"Are you okay?" Francis asked as he stepped in.
He walked toward me, and I immediately stepped back.
"I—I'm fine," I said quickly.
He nodded and sat at his desk. I inhaled deeply, collected myself, and approached him.
"Do you want coffee, sir?" I asked, forcing my voice to stay steady.
He stared at me for several seconds.
"Sir?" I repeated.
"Yes. Coffee please," he finally said with a smile, checking his watch.
I nodded and made it for him. When I placed the cup on his desk, he took it and sipped—still staring at me.
"You look… okay," he said.
If you only knew. You menace.
"Of course, sir. Why wouldn't I be?" I replied.
He grimaced and set his cup down.
"I mean, after what happened yesterday—"
I cut him off.
"Let's not talk about that. I know you were just messing with me yesterday."
I nodded repeatedly. Don't bring it up again, damn it!
"No. I think you misunderstood me. I'm serious, Secretary Gianna," he said with a small smile.
Shut up.
Stop smiling.
You're annoying.
"I don't know what your plan is, sir, but you can't fool me. So if your goal is to ruin my day, maybe choose another day?" I snapped.
He grinned wider.
Stop smiling, damn you!
"I'm serious about what I said—"
I cut him again.
"Anyway! I have work to do. So! At 10:30 the wine supply from Cebu arrives. And as you ordered, I already told Ms. Gada to handle the stocks and—"
He interrupted me this time.
"Hey. Calm down," he said, then stood and walked toward me.
"Do me a favor. Relax, okay?"
He tried to reach for my shoulder, and I immediately stepped away.
"What is wrong with you?! Are you trying to piss me off?" I glared.
"No, I'm not," he replied calmly.
Liar. You totally are.
He stepped even closer, trapping me against the desk.
"What are you doing? Are you trying to scare me?"
He smirked.
"Why? Are you threatened?"
His tone sent shivers down my spine. The desk touched my back. Great. Nowhere to run.
I glared at him harder.
"Are you picking a fight with me, sir?"
"What if I say… yes?" he answered.
"You asshole—"
We both froze when something fell near the door.
A dropped folder.
We turned.
There stood Ms. Gada—eyes wide, absolutely horrified at what she just walked in on.
Oh.
My.
God.
No.
"What is happening here, Gianna?" she asked.
I shoved Francis away so fast I almost tripped.
"T-that's not what it looks like! This is not— this is NOT what you're thinking!" I blurted in absolute panic.