CHAPTER FIVE

While progressively lagging behind him, she seized the case from him.

"Where's the driver?" She asked, looking for the driver that drove them the previous day.

"I'm the driver," he said with a straight face. When she didn't say anything anymore, he got in the car. She proceeded to the back seat.

"Come sit in the front right here; it'll seem like I'm driving my boss around when that's not the case," he stated.

She had already opened the door to the back seat, but she had to heed his words. As expected from him, she shouldn't have thought that he would be any different even though it was already after her work hours; he's a born dictator.

'You must have been a stubborn child,' She whispered before entering the car.

"Much better," he uttered and started driving. Elena didn't expect that he would come to the same place as yesterday. What is he up to? Having another guest? She looked around as he was trying to park the car.

"You can come out now," he dipped his hand in his pocket. Elena started having doubts; it felt like the whole eatery was about to turn into an auction house where she would be bidding upon and sold off.

"Any problem?" He spoke as soon as he noticed her uneasiness.

"It's nothing; I thought I felt a little cold," she lied.

"Ummm. You're probably just hungry. Follow me, and we'll get you something to fill you up," Ezekiel realized how he sounded after saying it, and he felt awkward.

"Something to fill me up?" She thought to herself.

"That sounds familiar," she mistakenly let the words slip out her mouth.

"What was that?" Ezekiel asked as they sat down at the same table as yesterday.

"I heard something from a murmur over there and thought it sounded familiar," she lied again. Ezekiel smiled evilly. "You sure are having a lot of thoughts, little lady. Care to share?" He asked her.

Elena was a little embarrassed and surprised. She knew it was weird to come here again without giving her any information, but who would have known it would become like this!

"You're remaining silent? I concluded that casual chat would be an excellent way to get to know my secretary," he said as the waiter approached them.

She was more astonished and humiliated as he continued to speak. It almost seemed he was attempting to approach her since he didn't anticipate such a man to engage in small talk. She considered asking him why they were there because she thought it odd that her boss was attempting to strike up a conversation with her in a casual manner as if they were gist partners. Is this how he acts outside of work?

She had a flood of various emotions and became perplexed.

Even though Ezekiel was a dictatorial manager, she saw him as a competent man for running his entire company himself. Although he is far not a pushover and has stunning good looks, many women would undoubtedly be seeking him. Before realizing she had been lost in her thoughts, Elena took a deep breath.

"Here you go, sir, ma'am," the waiter said reassuringly. Ezekiel smiled at the waiter before returning his burning gaze to Elena.

"You seemed lost in thoughts when he came to get orders, so I had my usual and ordered you something simple," Ezekiel stated.

Elena glanced at Ezekiel's order. He had a plain Americano in his front, but why were ribs on the table? She looked at the ribs wickedly that it would run only if it had legs.

"My choice isn't bad, then? I always make the right choice. That's why you should listen to me," Ezekiel spoke even before she said anything.

"Well, ribs are not a bad choice," her face lightened. Ezekiel smiled in contentment. "Of course it isn't," he commended himself.

With her cutlery in hand, Elena carefully started to eat. Once more, what was the name of this location? Her eyes sparkled as she wondered how the ribs could melt in her mouth as she simultaneously chewed on them. Simply put, the ribs at this establishment are the best; a plain Americano can also taste different. It's not surprising that you need a pass to eat here. Elena hadn't been so happy about dinner in a while that she couldn't hide it.

"I know the ribs are great, right? I made them myself, haha," He joked. Elena was almost forced to let it out, but she reduced the laughter to a bright smile. The atmosphere was starting to feel different.

"Good one," she added.

"So now that you're not tense, mind sharing what was on your mind?" He asked her with his eyes closed and the suction through his lips that slowly drained out the drink.  

"Haha, I was just lost in the past," she lied again.

"Hmm, tell me about it, or we'll be bored for the next hour," Ezekiel urged. 

What to tell him? The moment she thought about the divorce, she moaned.

"It's exactly why you look so unnerved. I want to listen to you; now tell me," he smirked confidently, knowing he had struck something in her.

"It's kind of uncomfortable to talk about," she pouts, looking sideways. 

"Start from a sentence, a sentence to summarize the whole thing," he said.

'Such wits,' She thought. It made it seem more straightforward and easier to talk about, but why was he less of himself? It felt messy to her, but he sounded so sincere.

"I got divorced, well, not divorced since we weren't yet married. I caught him cheating, so," she briefed without any expression.

"So you ended the relationship immediately? How decisive! No wonder you could negotiate the meeting in my place," he smirked lightly.

"Not at all; he couldn't bear to face me further, so he called it off and broke up before I could do it first," she growled.

"You're mad he was the one who broke up?"

"Of course, he didn't even explain what he did," she said, signaling to the waiter when she was feeling more comfortable after venting her grievance for a long while. She pointed to exotic alcohol that she couldn't even pronounce.

Ezekiel just watched her with patience as her emotions slowly became more evident. He felt her frustrations and pain. How could a lady this gracious and pretty be treated in such an unbecoming manner? That guy should have at least owned up to his shit. Though Elena now spoke more comfortably, she was still careful with her attitude and maintained some logic in her speech. She didn't want her emotions to go wild.

"That guy is trash! He ran away from everything just like that. That must be why you wanted a Job that'll support your expenses in the long run; I see," He reasoned as he spoke. Elena was a bit surprised. He got all that just from what she said and thoroughly analyzed the whole situation. Is that what it takes to be a successful, big-shot CEO? An unprecedented blush appeared on her face.

"You should take that thing even more slowly. It can give you internal heat if rushed," he referred to the alcohol she sipped.

"Yes, yes," she replied, suddenly feeling free as if the whole world didn't matter; she started smiling like it was the only thing she knew how to do. Not wanting any discomfort, she let go of the bond used to hold her hair in place, making her hair scattered all around her neck.

She didn't realize she was already feeling tipsy immediately as she originally wanted the alcohol to make her feel less embarrassed when talking about her past.