The clinging sound produced as a result of metal clashing into metal filled the entire house, driving everyone crazy.The inhabitants of the three bedroom apartment already knew what that was. Matter of fact, they were accustomed to it. They call it the wake-up bell.As they strolled out of their rooms, down the stairs, heading to the living room, they already knew what to expect and, as expected, Zee was standing there, with her back to the TV set. She had a saucer pan and a cooking spoon in either hands, ready to give her usual morning talk show. Although, still in her nighties. She smiled welcoming the girls as they began to claim their seats. She could see they were still feeling sleepy because they were continually rubbing their eyes.''Good morning ladies, so sorry for cutting short your pleasurable rests and dragging you from your islands of intriguing dreams." she apologized, a warm smile playing at the side of her lips.''Can you please just go straight to the point already?
They walked into the hall, which by now was filled with Elites and people of The High -Class Society. You'd wonder how the girls gained access to such a party. Well...Evans Edwin had made the ball accessible to all.''Nice man, huh?'' Irene had said when Zee had asked how they'd gain access into the place that would be crowded with the High and Mighty of the country.''And I pray Zee gets her biggest wish granted tonight.'' Mia had said.As they walked into the most talked about place of this exquisite hotel, 'the Grand Floor', the girls were left in a state of awe.''Oh my God!!'' Zee exclaimed when she thought she had recovered a little from the effect the place had on her.''This is more beautiful than pictures say." she said, still astonished at the magnitude of the place and the wealth it exuded. The grand palatial style hall was lit up with expensive chandeliers made out of pure gold, dangling from the roof high above. The walls were made of gold, the floor made of expensive mar
A majestic Darien Quin stood by the window in his office, staring out into the cityscape. This was one thing he always did. The reasons were unknown but, it just kind of connected him to the city, or, because the city at night was one of the most beautiful sites to behold. The almost noiseless creak of the door made him frown. How he hated being disturbed.''Were you ever taught courtesy in school?'' His authoritative, quiet voice inquired.''I did, and that is the reason I have come to ask you to please, honor Edwin's invitation. He brought this party to your hotel because he wants you to be there." The intruder said.''And I already informed him that I wouldn't be there in it.'' Darien Quin said with no interest.''At least just go downstairs and congratulate him. You both weren't enemies the last time I checked.'' The man insisted.''Did he ask you to do that? Lure me into having a change of mind?''''That would be a waste of a request. Besides, he knows better than to do that. He
''Oh you're such a fine man." She sang his praise with an expression that told him that this girl was trying to seduce him.Darien's response to that was a grimace. His brows dragged together in surprise. Since he became a man, no one has ever called him fine to his face and this girl was doing just so. Just when he thought he had gotten enough surprises, she did something else that didn't just surprise, but froze him. She caressed his face. Darien's body went rigid at the feel of her hand on taut muscles.''Oh no! no, no, no!'' Zee exclaimed. ''Don't do that, don't frown." She murmured,''Fine men don't frown." She said with a smile, rubbing Darien's brows gently. When they returned to the way they had been earlier, she smiled at him.''There you go, beautiful." She murmured with an intoxicated voice, and one of her brightest smiles that soon faded, giving way to a series of hick-hocks.Darien's eyes turned to one of questioning as he watched her closely. The hick-hock intensified,
Mia and Irene sat on opposite sides of Zee's bed watching the drama Queen who had fallen asleep back in the car as soon as they had left the hotel. Mia glanced at Irene and got a look of worry in return, followed by a loud sigh of frustration.''This girl is going to fucking get us all killed. Why did she have to take her first ever alcohol tonight? of all nights.''''I just hope she doesn't pay for that catastrophe she caused.'' Irene murmured sadly, her hands palming her face.DELA QUINSFLOOR NO.6The man in the black tuxedo returned. Darien stood by the window in his office, looking out into the city.''What's your finding?'' His authoritative voice sounded rather calm."She's not a reporter." He answered.MORNINGWhen Zee woke up, Mia and Irene narrated to her the whole incident following the events of the night before and, as expected, the girl went mad with fear.''I did that?'' She asked, reeling with shock. ''Oh heavens! What should I do? That man is definitely gonna put me b
''This, Ms. Ling is the ground floor of the building and we call it the interface level. But, it isn't so important.'' Mr. Hau saidZee's eyes popped out of their sockets at his last sentence. 'It isn't so important, and it is furnished with such an amount of wealth. Does this man even know what he is talking about?' She asked her surprised self. and, as if he could hear her thoughts, he said...''Compared to the other floors, this is the least''. He explained. Zee had to look around this floor again to grab a vivid picture of the interface level before stepping into the elevator which was ajar, awaiting her. She needed to have a clear image of it in mind so she could compare them with the other levels when they got there. She needed to see for herself what this pretty man was talking about.The elevator clung open and Zee, who had been patiently waiting, and curiously anticipating to behold those next floors her tourist said was wealth glorified, compared to the interface phase, fell
''I got the job.'' Zee announced with so much excitement.''Yeyy!! Yippy!!'' Irene and Mia exclaimed in celebration.Three weeks had passed since Zee got the job as a marketer in 'ELHIZ'. It was a great relief to her and her friends that she finally got herself a job and that, too, in a renowned company. So, she put in so much effort into doing her job of marketing the company's products. Although she wasn't so experienced at it, she was getting better by the day.Zee left for work on time as usual. And as normal, her day in 'ELHIZ' was going just fine until Hau Lin said to introduce her to the GM and C.E.O of the company.''C.E.O?'' she blurted before she could control herself.HAU LIN halted, and then turned to the girl behind him and upon seeing her face, and that expression, his expression turned questioning. Although, subconsciously, he had a smirk lingering on his face.''Did I startle you, Ms. Ling.'' Hau Lin inquired.Zee's eyes traveled immediately to the man's face and upon
Darien frowned when he noticed her acting all naive. He knew why she was like this, she had embarrassed him once. Seeing her this shy, in a way, calmed his throbbing heart, so he strolled back to the wall and leaned on it. His eyes never left her.Zee stood there like a statue, thinking of the right thing to do or say to this man.' You should probably apologize. Besides, you had embarrassed him that night.' her mind spoke to her, reminding her that she had promised herself to apologize to him. Although she had never thought she would see him again, and that too at her place of work? and as her boss? How did she not know this man owned this place?' she scolded herself.''Boss!'' she called, taking a step forward. She couldn't somehow get accustomed to the truth that this man was the real boss. She saw the man raise a questioning brow.''I think I owe you an apology. About that night at the party...'' She reminded him. Her face was so innocent, but it still affected Darien as he went n
It was only a moment after take-off when Zee fell asleep. It was her first time flying and she was as scared as a poor little kitten she didn't want to make it obvious, especially not with Darien sitting just a few inches away in the opposite direction. Therefore, she mentally lulled herself to sleep.Darien who had after the collision with his assistant put all of his attention into a fashion magazine he had picked up from his seat, suddenly glanced at the little woman in front of him, and in an instant, his lower lip dropped perfectly in surprise. She was sleeping already, in less than two hours? He watched her delicate body closely, his heart melting each time she heaved a long sigh. She was so fragile and so beautiful like a delicate flower he needed to protect.Protect? As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he gnashed his teeth, muttering a curse at himself. He wasn't feeling this way again, was he now? It was the exact same way he had felt a few years ago over a certain some
A Lexus sedan was parked in Zee's apartment and a blonde man stood just in front of the car. Once he sighted Zee approaching the car, carrying two traveling bags, he offered his help at once."Hello, Ms! Let me help you with those" Saying that, he took the bags from Zee.Zee simply smiled gratefully and followed behind him as he walked over to the car. Once he opened the door for her, he proceeded in loading the truck. And in no time, the car was hitting the road at a leisurely pace. The drive was calm and with the aid of the soothing music playing in the background, Zee for a moment was relieved of the bother of travelling with Darien. She had been worrying about that all week since the preparations for their travel commenced. Darien was a difficult person and she could only pray she wouldn't be spending the majority of her time by his side, even though she knew it was impossible.....If only she had an idea of what the man had in store for her.Well thankfully, her friends, understa
Zee stared with uncertainty at the underwear in the section that Tang ming brought her."Shouldn't we be shopping for corporate wears it's a business trip we're going on, not a picnic." Zee reminded, earning a laugh from Tang Ming. It seems she had absolutely no idea of the plans Darien had in stock for her."It's summer in California and while over there, you might get tempted to dive into the pool, or even get wet on the beach. So when that craving comes in, you'd be needing this." Tang Min said."In that case, I'm sure I won't be tempted to do any of that," Zee said dryly.Seeing that she couldn't convince Zee, Tang Ming racked her brain quickly for another idea."What if you're to finalize a deal with Mr Quin at the beachside, do you wear a business suit?" She asked, and that was all it took to convince Zee."Fine! I'll pick this one." Zee pointed at a diver's suit.Tang Ming refused outrightly."That's too masculine. You're female, you should go for something that exudes feminity
"She's not my girlfriend, she's just my assistant, nothing more." ...Why did he sound so irritated saying it? Couldn't he have used a rather friendly tone? Did he have to sound like it was some sort of abomination to be paired with her?.... Embarrassed by his tone, Zee could only feel shame as she kept her head bowed. She felt the urge to get up and get out. She didn't belong there, amongst these people. The appetite to eat disappeared along with her heart... But why did it hurt, that tone? Like the pain of being rejected by a lover.....He had simply told his family the truth. She was nothing more than an employee to him, right? So why did it hurt?Biting so hard on the walls of her lower lip, she held back the urge to.......Wait! what is this stupid feeling going on in her tiny heart?She sat straight and gently pushed the plate of barely touched food away. In the process, her eyes met with Mrs. Quin's. Zee tried smiling at the older woman, but the dangerous look her night-
Watching her laugh at the silly jokes being told her by his two silly cousins, Darien couldn't help getting irritated. How could she smile and laugh so hard around strangers, but act all uptight with him each time? He was certain he had never seen a real smile on her face before tonight.'Have I been too strict with her?' he inquired of himself with a trace of guilt.'No! You're just being her boss. She's way too silly and makes a lot of mistakes, therefore, she deserves to be strict with. To justify his actions and just to feel less guilt, Darian told himself. But, deep down, he knew the truth. He glanced at her again, and seeing that beautiful smile on her face, it irritated him that she was giving it to others.'what the heck is this feeling of irritation?'"Zee.' Darien's authoritative voice filled the dining, drawing everyone's attention. "Come here." He ordered, and just like that, Zee hurriedly stood up, all embarrassed, and went to him.How had she forgotten that he was her
The minute they stepped foot into the house, Darien's expression turned intimidatingly cold. Whereas Zee couldn't help but be awed by the magnificence and the amount of wealth on display. From top to bottom, everything screamed wealth. There was still that feeling of deja Vu, but she silenced it."Oh, my dearest grandson! You finally came to see Grandma." An aging voice pulled Zee back to Earth. Her eyes traveled to the palatial style grand stairs where a frail elderly woman stood slightly hunched. With grey hairs and a wrinkled face which although had already aged, told of a beautiful youth. One could most correctly guess her age. Behind her stood a graceful, dark-haired milf and an elderly man who had a striking resemblance to Darien. 'Are those his parents?" Zee couldn't help but ask herself..."Good evening Grandma." Darien bowed slightly at the elderly woman approaching him."Good evening my dear. How is my favorite Grandson doing?" Grandmother Quin inquired as she cupped Darien
The rest of the day went on with work.Finally, It was a few hours past closing time, yet Zee was just beginning to clear up her desk. It had really been a busy day, she looked forward to a refreshing hot bath and long hours of rest. She stretched herself and breathed in freely for the first time in many hours. It felt great to finally be away from the authoritative eyes of a boss...... Was she really away from his eyes?She finished packing up her stuff, locked her door, and turned to leave but flinched instead with fear at the presence of a person."Mr Quin?" What was he doing standing there?"Let's go." He said, and before she could ask any questions, he was already close to the elevator. ... Advantages of having long legs ...Zee hurried after him.Arriving on the first floor, the entire office looked and felt deserted, one could literally hear their heartbeats."Goodnight Mr Quin," Zee said with a discharging tone, but who was she to discharge her boss?"Get in the car," Darien
"I'm not going to accompany you this time around. I'll be very busy attending to my personal affairs. Besides, you now have an Assistant whose responsibility it is to accompany you to things like this. Am I right Ms. Ling?" Hau Lin asked, turning to Zee."Uhmm.. Yes, Mr. Lin," Zee answered. "Hau Lin!!" Darien tried to speak, but Hau Lin interrupted."I'm trying to get myself a girlfriend. You know, winning someone's heart isn't easy, especially when this person in question is quite stubborn." Hau Lin said. "I came to let you in on this. And also... Grandma would like to see you, and please do not turn her down this time around." Hau Lin strolled out afterward with a smile of victory. This was just the right opportunity to set his plans going. He was getting tired of seeing the boring, grumpy Darien. He wanted that happy cousin he used to know ten years back. This wasn't for the rewards, at least, not mainly."Start making preparations for our travel, you're coming along." Darien sou
"Go use the restroom," Darien told Zee the moment the elevator dinged open in their layer. Zee who was still confused didn't understand why she needed to use the restroom, but, recalling how everyone had acted weird upon her arrival, she immediately obliged, and dashed into the female restroom."Ben, hurry down to the pharmacy, get some sanitary pads and painkillers." Darien put a call across to his driver as soon as he entered his office. Ben nodded and rushed out, thankfully, he knew about these things since he had a wife. Darien thought about the scene earlier. It S seemed his little PA was quite careless. She didn't even know when it was her time of the month. Zain used to forget hers as well. He sighed, why did they have to be so similar? Thinking of the dead, Darien could only pinch the skin in between his brows. He claimed his workspace, and then put a call across to Hau Lin's office."I want ten percent income deducted from the salaries of all the staff on the ground floor o