Chapter Three: He's the CEO?

“Happy Birthday, Mom!” I greeted my mom while she was cooking for our breakfast. She’s in the kitchen. I just woke up and prepared myself some coffee. My mom smiled at me and thanked me. I hugged her very tightly, this is my first gift to her, she deserves to be hugged by me.

While waiting for breakfast, I turned on the TV and watched my favorite cartoon, Adventure Time.

“Hey, Bliss. Would you do me some favor?” My mom said, I looked at her from the couch while she’s still in the kitchen. I lowered the television’s volume to hear what she’s going to say next.

“Can you go to the groceries for me? I have no time to go out. I have a lot of things to do.” She continued.

“Anything for you, mom!” I exclaimed. I have nothing to do anyway. She insisted that I should go to the grocery store after eating my breakfast. I’m excited about this event. Aside from running into the groceries for her, I will also help her cook later. 

I will bake my mom a cake. It’s her special request. I always bake them, mom and dad, a cake when it’s their birthday. So I’m excited when it comes to an event like this.

Did I mention that I have a passion for baking? I love cooking, baking to be exact.  And I’m planning to get a culinary degree for college. Well, not just a plan but that’s what I’m going to do anyway. My dream is to be a Pastry Chef. I also dream about going to France since they have the best bakeries and their pastries are the best. 

After I ate my breakfast, I took a shower and went to the grocery store with a list of things to buy that my mom gave me.

While I was enjoying the serenity of walking down the aisle of the grocery store. My mind wanders with curiosity about the CEO. I wonder what he looks like. I heard from dad last night that he’s very close with the CEO-- “You won’t realize that he’s the CEO from the way that he behaves.” That’s according to my dad last night. Plus he’s a bachelor. He doesn’t have a wife yet. Maybe he’s young, someone like Ace. 

I smiled when I thought of Ace. 

When I was done grocery shopping, I hurriedly went home and did my task for my mom’s birthday.

I baked a small 6x4 inch round cake. Today, I will be making a red velvet cake. It’s my mom’s favorite. Good thing that I remember that. Red velvet is really not my cup of tea but since it’s my mom’s favorite I will make it very special for the very special person in my life.

And I should make it really special because the owner of the company where my dad works will be here. I should not embarrass my father and also my family’s reputation.

After baking and designing the cake, I cleaned myself up and prepared for the little celebration for my mom. My mom prepared me a dress for this. I was hesitant to wear it at first because I’m not comfortable, but it’s just a Yellow Sunday dress, it has cute sleeves that can cover half of my arms and the length is just perfect for me.

My mom is also wearing the dress I gave her. It was the gift that I bought yesterday. It really fits her perfectly and she looks stunning just like how I imagined it would be. I gave myself a pat on the back because I made the right decision. I feel like I’m proud of myself. My mom looked delighted with how she looks.

I heard the car’s horn. It’s my dad.

My heart skipped a beat for a second. I’m nervous. We have never had this kind of visitor ever since. So my mom and I are both highly strung. We’re not quite familiar with accommodating visitors like the CEO.  

My dad entered from our garage door but he was alone.

“Where’s Mr. Buenaventura?” My mom asked. 

“He’s on his way. He said it would be rude if he didn’t bring anything. Let’s just wait for him.” My dad said while scratching his head.

“Oh, and other workmates are coming too. It was late notice, I’m sorry.” He said while looking nervously. But my mom just nodded and said okay. It looks like she knew this was coming. I think it’s not a big problem too since our food can accommodate a lot of people. She was ready for it.

My dad changed his attire to a semi-formal one, just like what we wear. My mom looks nervous. I hold her hand tightly. It’s just a simple dinner. Why do we act like our family will be investigated by the police?

I smiled at mom while we were sitting on our couch.

After a few minutes, we heard a car honk. My heart missed another beat again. This is it. The CEO will be here in a few seconds.

My dad went to our front door to welcome our guest. My mom followed and I stood up just near them. I put a smile on my face to look nice.

“Mr. Sanchez, these are my wife and daughter.” Dad introduced. Mr. Sanchez must be in his 40’s or 50’s. He’s tall and has an average body for his age. He shook my mom’s hand and patted me on the head. I was weirded out with that. He’s not the CEO for sure since he is not Mr. Buenaventura.

Another three men entered our house, all of them seemed like they were the same age as my dad. I greeted them politely and they all responded with a smile.

Another car beeped and I’m sure that must be Mr. Buenaventura. He parked right in front of our front door along with the cars from the other gentlemen here.

I was astonished when I saw who just went out of the car’s door. He smiled and waved at us like he’s excited to see us. He also waved the wine bottle that he brought.

“Guys, this is Mr. Buenaventura, the CEO of our company, my boss.” He said proudly while presenting his boss. Mr. Buenaventura chuckled.

My eyes widened with the person standing in front of me now. I can’t believe he’s the CEO. As my dad mentioned, he is a bachelor. That made sense. He’s just 23.  But I can’t believe that someone this young can be the owner of a company.

“That’s a very formal introduction, Mr. Dy. Anyway, Mrs. Dy, I wish you a happy birthday!” Ace smiled while he offered the wine to my mom. I guess that’s his gift.

“This is Bliss, my daughter.” Dad tapped my shoulders when he introduced me. Ace looked at me and there goes the weird feeling on my chest. I felt my heart skip a beat. Our eyes met.

“Hello, Bliss. Nice seeing you again.” He said to me while smiling with his eyes disappearing. He offered a handshake. I shook hands with him. It was a cheery and hearty handshake.  

“You’ve met before?” My dad asked. I gasped for a bit. My mouth opened as I’m finding the right words to say. I looked at my parents who were both waiting for my answer.

“Yup! We met on the elevator at the building last Wednesday. I recognized that she’s your daughter right away!” Ace replied like he was so proud of recognizing me. I bit my lip since I was still in shock about who he was. I looked at him while talking to my father.

“Why? Because of good genes, huh?” My dad joked around. My mom and Ace both laughed at what dad stated. I laughed as well, to ease the awkwardness I felt with his joke. I know my dad is funny but his jokes are embarrassing sometimes.

“Yup! You’re absolutely right.” Ace said. He smiled again and then looked at me. I felt my cheeks becoming red. 

“C’mon, let’s eat?” My mom offered while she pointed at our dining area.

I sighed in relief. That eye contact just lasted for a second but it felt like an eternity. I can feel my palms are sweating. It was so awkward.

--

While eating, I feel out of place with all they’re talking about. It’s all about business, their family, about the house, cars, and any usual things grown-ups talk about. I just devoured my lasagna. I love everything my mom made. I looked up to her when it comes to cooking. She’s the best cook ever.

After eating, my mom asked me to bring out the cake. I took a deep breath. I don’t know if this cake will be delicious. The pressure that Ace will get to taste the cake that I baked can be so stressful. We sang my mom a happy birthday and she blew out the candle.

“Bliss made this cake.” My mom said as she triumphed over what I just made.

“My daughter’s a great baker.” My dad added. I felt my cheeks blush. I looked in front of me and realized that Ace was looking at me. I immediately looked away, embarrassed. I’m not that used to the attention. I just smiled.. awkwardly.

“She will be taking Culinary Arts; she wants to be a pastry chef someday.” Dad continued. His workmates were looking at me proudly. Someone even clapped his hands.

My mom gave slices of cake to everyone including me. I am nervous about how it tastes. I observed everyone’s reaction, afraid that they might not like it.

“Yum! This is so delicious! Homemade cakes are the best!” Mr. Sanchez complimented. I felt my shoulders relaxed. It was tense the moment they got here. What a relief.

“What do you think, Mr. Buenaventura?” Mr. Sanchez asked. My shoulders were back to being tensed again.

“This will be my new favorite.” Ace blasted. I looked at him while he’s chewing. He still looks cute even when he is chewing. He looked at me like he’s really fond of my cake. He smiled and gave me a thumbs-up. I felt giddy with his reaction. I bit my lip so that I can’t smile widely

“To be honest, I don’t want her to pursue that degree. I never knew anyone with that course.” My dad said, talking to his workmates including Ace.

“But as a parent, her dream is more important than anything else. So I’ll support her no matter what.” I smiled with that thought. His workmates agreed and praised him for being a supportive father. My mother held his hand. 

“Follow your dream, nothing else is more fulfilling than that.” Ace said. I looked at him and for the first time, I saw him that serious while staring at me.

---

The guests were about to get home. We stood at the front of our house. My dad is busy talking while my mom is in the kitchen. Everyone was busy talking and I felt Ace was looking at me.

“Hey, your cake was good. Can you make me some, maybe on my birthday?” He said and I can’t tell if it’s a joke or not.

“Sure.” I just said politely. He smiled at me. His smile can be really contagious. It’s cheerful and genuine. While I was staring at him, I remembered the books that I left in his car.

“Hey! Uh. I think I left something in your car last time?” I asked him tensely. I was panicking to get out of his car last time. My stupid brain probably left it there.

“Oh really? Uhm, unfortunately, I didn’t bring the car I drove last time. Is it okay if I’ll give it to you soon? I can’t bring it to you tomorrow since I have a business trip. Will it be alright?” He said while his arms were resting on his waist. I stared at his red converse shoes and back to his formal attire. I smiled a little bit.

I was not surprised that he brought a different car. He’s the CEO of an automobile company, I’m sure he has tons of it.  

“There’s no problem.” I said, but then I remembered my books. There are a lot of problems. Please, Ace, don’t look at what's inside that paper bag.

Ace smiled at me.

“Thank you. You and your cake are awesome.” He praised me. I smiled at him again.

The guests all went home when it was past midnight. This day was such a memorable day. 

“Awesome.” What he said earlier echoed in my brain as I covered myself with a blanket. I screamed under my pillow from all the flutter I felt inside. I’m glad he appreciated my cake. 

“Maybe it’s true that a way through a man’s heart is through his stomach.” I said as I closed my eyes while still smiling. This is indeed a good night.