02: The Enchanted Meeting

VM Jewelry CEO Office

11:45 nn

“Althea, office please.” Verosha made an intercom call to her secretary who didn’t respond but a knock suddenly echoed through her office.

“Yes, rang, boss?” Althea entered her lady boss's office and politely asked.

“Any news about my Artistic Hotel Restaurant?” Verosha asked her secretary as soon as she entered while she relax on her chair and started drinking her coffee.

“Nothing new but the VIP elevator is on the list of maintenance service at three. Also, the manager of the hotel sent me a notification about a VIP recommendation for next week from City Motors.” Althea began reading her tablet and her handwritten notes that she’s been transferring when she was summoned.

“VIP Recommendation from them? To whom do they recommend us?” Verosha asked while thinking since it was rare for them to receive a VIP recommendation from anyone who knew them.

“According to the manager’s notification, it was from the ambassadors of Porche and McLaren. Both of them were famous idols.” Althea informed her lady boss.

“Name?” she wondered who are those idols that she was speaking about.

“Here and as well their identity and achievements.” Althea handed her tablet as she prepared short details about those idols.

“Okay, next week…how long the VIP elevator maintenance will last?” Verosha asked about the elevator maintenance timeline.

“From now…it will be two days. Monday at noon it will resume.” Her secretary glanced over her own calendar before answering her lady boss completely.

“Okay, make sure to the hotel elevator maintenance about meeting their assigned timeline. Make the arrangement for the VIP Recommendation on Tuesday or Wednesday. Send an email to me about that proposal before we could submit it to City Motors and those car companies.” Verosha quickly leave her command to her secretary who quickly noted it down on her pad.

“Anything else to report before I empty my cup?” she asked as she took a sip from her cup of coffee.

“VM Jewelry board director Mr. Castle asked for a spare time to talk about branching outside the city and internationally.” Althea nodded and reported.

“Branching out internationally? He even thought of it already when he couldn’t even make any proposal on branching out here first. How stupid.” Verosha arched her left eyebrow at what she just heard before shaking her head.

“Boss, no offense but I am wondering why he’s one of the board of directors of your company? I don’t trust him whenever he’s around. I don’t even want to dump into him at all cost.” Althea sighed and honestly informed her boss of her personal concern about that certain board of directors.

“Same goes here. But set the personal issue to work, Althea. We both need to suck it up.” Verosha sighed and agreed but was reminded to separate about work and personal matters 

“But you’re the boss.” She sounded like whining which made her lady boss slightly chuckle.

“I know but I can’t until there’s something stirred and pointed to him. That’ll be the only time we could move.” Verosha honestly told her the reason for not making any drastic move regarding on kicking him out of her company.

“I hope when I come back here, he’s no longer here.” Althea hoped.

“Don’t worry. I’ll protect my family and everyone who was loyal to me.” Her lady boss assured her as she finished her cup.

“Glad to hear, boss and we’re so lucky to call you our boss.” Her secretary smiled and thanked Verosha for being their boss.

“Appreciated but anything else to add to your report?” she smiled in appreciation and asked about work again.

“Hmm, nothing for now, and should I refill your cup since I also needed mine?” Althea smiled and asked if she needed to refill her cup.

“Please, do.” She nodded and let Althea take her cup with her.

“Okay. I’ll take my leave then.” Althea excused herself and went out of the office.

Verosha sighed heavily when she recalled what Mr. Castle was thinking. She would agree to the idea if he made legit and no loophole proposals that he kept sending to her emails.

“He couldn’t minimize the loopholes in his proposal, how does he think that they will agree on his offer?” Verosha thought to herself and shredded his denied proposal.

“Dirty way.” she added before she went back to work since she’ll leave at noon.

12 nn

Exact noon, Verosha picked up her belongings that she was going to bring with her and leave the office. Leaving a note to her secretary who was on her break time.

“Andy, take me to my hotel. I’d like to make rounds there.” Verosha called her driver as she entered the elevator going down then quickly drop the call.

As soon as she get off it, she was already greeted by some of her workers whom she greet back with an acknowledgment nod. Then the guards guided her toward her car which was already waiting outside of her company. When she finally got inside, she sighed in relief before grabbing the bottled water that Andy prepared for her.

“Tiring day, milady?” Andy asked while focusing on his drive.

“Don’t ask if you already knew the answer to that.” Verosha coldly responded after drinking cold water to replenish herself from drinking too much coffee half a day.

“Still you love working there.” He chuckled since he knew well his boss.

“Indeed that I do.” She said coldly while looking outside the window.

At the stoplight, he noticed something odd that was happening around the busy sidewalk. There was a young man who bumped into a walking rich and sophisticated old man. Verosha saw how fast the young man’s hand stole the old man’s wallet.

“What a stupid old geezer.” Verosha only mumbled to herself and the drive went on again.

Artistic Hotel Restaurant

It was just a few minutes more of their drive, they were already at her second company and Andy opened the door for her as soon as they stopped at the main entrance of the hotel. Before she could even walk inside she heard a heavy sigh and it made her glance. She saw a young man that somehow felt familiar to her but she couldn’t recall at all and then went back in her tracks.

After her late lunch, nothing much happened around the hotel, she was just checking around while she was being greeted here and there. Then her last stop was checking the security department. She wanted to see if anything was happening around her precious hotel and good thing nothing bad was happening.

“Just report to me if anything happen.” Verosha said to her security personnel.

“Yes, boss.” They all responded at the same time and respectfully bowed at her as she leave them to their work.

As soon as she left the hotel, Verosha stopped in her tracks and decided to check the local bar that Andy mentioned earlier. She go across the road and went to the local bar. When she was already there and about to open the door when it suddenly opened for her. Her forehead suddenly collide with the edge of it and the young man immediately went to her side when he saw what he had accidentally done.

“Sorry, I didn’t see you there.” the young man apologized after dropping the box on the ground and helped Verosha get up from almost losing her balance.

“Are you okay, milady?” Andy asked as soon as he witnessed what just happened to his boss.

“It’s okay, I live.” Verosha coldly retorted that making the young man chuckled slightly. It amused Verosha’s hearing all of the sudden and almost forgetting Andy’s presence beside her.

“Hm, okay, if you say so…” The young man nodded but he’s eyes carefully eyeing Verosha were also staring back with no expression at all.

There was something enchanted them as soon as their eyes met; dark hazel meets grey ones. But Andy caught their staring and released a fake cough. It echoed around them which made the young man blush slightly and cut Verosha’s daze.

“Have we met?” Verosha asked first as she hide her embarrassment in front of her driver.

“Just now. Why?” the young man answered before wondering.

“Your face just looks familiar.” she honestly told him what made her stare that long at him.

“Ahm, maybe I look handsome in my poor taste in clothing.” He joked and for some reason, it made Verosha smile. Andy witness that.

“Now that you mention it, you really had poor taste in fashion.” Verosha eyed the young man’s fashion from head to toe and agreed to what he just told her. He only wore black sneakers, black jeans, and a black V-neck shirt with a red bandana on his head making his hair look brushed up.

“Tell me about it.” He chuckled.

“I’m Vero.” Verosha introduced herself as she offered her hand to the young man.

“I’m Lium.” He did the same thing and shakes hands with her. As their hands made contact something began to click and made them feel warm but didn’t utter a word about it.

Lium might be looking like a simple hardworking young man at the local bar at the age of 29. But if made himself so presentable, he definitely could stand beside Verosha in being the good-looking young man. But Verosha didn’t look much at the way he looks until Andy speaks.

“Lium, meet my boss that I am talking to you about and milady, he’s the one I just told you who I offered my job for the time being.” Andy finally brought up a topic that both of them released their hands from holding for a bit of a second already.

“I see. See you around then, Lium.” Verosha said as she turned her heels away from the local bar.

“Yeah, see you later, dude.” Andy was grinning and holding his laughter. They leave Lium a bit confused about that sudden but enchanted meeting.