Chapter 5 – The Birthday Party

Cassandra’s apartment hosted an all-white dinner party... Loretta came at 8 p.m. after the banquet was supposed to start at 7 p.m.

Loretta was dressed in a silky white dinner gown with a side slit. She was breathtakingly lovely. It was almost as if the event was centered on her. As soon as she walked in, everyone turned to stare at the person who had just walked in. There was only one person at the party whose attention and admiration she commanded even more - Roy.

Roy noticed her as soon as she walked into the room. It was almost as if he expected her to show up.

He approached her as she was speaking with a group of people, presumably colleagues.

“Hello, gorgeous,” Roy whispered, his voice seductive and his face lit up with a smile Loretta had never seen before.

“Hey!” she said unexpectedly, having not expected to see him.

“Take a look at your face... Surprised, huh? Hahaha.” With a wide grin on his face, he inquired, as if he had just won the jackpot.

“I am. What a delightful find... What are you doing here?” She gave a kind smile.

He did nothing but smile and shook his head.

“Are you familiar with the celebrant?” Loretta inquired enquiringly.

“I am, indeed, dear...”  He confirmed, “She’s my best friend’s girl.”

“Oh, I see,” Loretta remarked, her brows furrowed.

“Yeah, and wow!  You look fabulous in that dress, girl!” Roy complimented her on her appearance.

“Thank you,” she said as she spun around, exposing all sides of her stunning gown.

He said, “You’re always welcome.”

“Are you here alone or with someone?” He inquired.

“Oh no, Nah... I came by myself,” she said, nodding and adding, “Cassandra is a colleague.”

“You work at Shizells as well?” Inquisitive, he inquired.

She enthusiastically said, “Yes, I do.”

“Wow, that’s fantastic.”

She grinned and replied, “Thank you.”

“Since we’re both alone here, would you mind being my company for the evening?” “He enquired sweetly but seductively, winking his eyes at her.

“Alright,” she said with a smile and a nod.

“Thank you,” he said, smiling as he created an anchor with his left hand and walked with her to a comfy seat.

He grabbed two glasses of Champaign from the waitress as she reached their table just before taking his seat.

“So, what are your responsibilities at Shizells?” he inquired.

She said, “I work as an Assistant Human Resources Executive.”

He complimented her, saying, “Oh, that’s lovely.”

“Have you been with the organization for a long time?”

With a big smile, she said, “Uhm, it’s been a little over 4 years and counting.”

“Wow, that’s a lot of work.” You are certainly deserving of the position. He said, “Those years haven’t been for naught.”

“Yeah, I’ve had a great time with the company so far, and I’m continuing to have fun. “How about you?”  She came up with the question.

“Well, I’m a contractor, and I own my own business,” he explained, as she continued to quiz him.

“Interesting…

How is it going for you, owning your own company?” She said while drinking her wine and nodding.

“Yeah, well, I’m always so busy that I barely have time for myself, which is why you found me in that helpless situation the other day,” he explained, and they both burst out laughing.

“Who is it that does it for you?” She inquired.

“That would be my younger sister... When she comes to visit, she takes care of all I require. Besides, I don’t eat much at home.”

“Okay… Now I understand. Isn’t she the one who runs your house for you?” Loretta remarked.

“Yeah.”

Cassandra appeared out of nowhere, sitting between Roy and Loretta.

“Hey, guys... You two know each other?” Cassandra asked with a smile.

Roy smiled and said, “Actually, yeah, we do.”

“Wow, that’s fantastic. It saves me the trouble of having to introduce you both to each other, right?” Cassandra swiftly answered, and the group laughed heartily.

“Yeah, I just found out that you both work for the same company,” Roy added.

“Yes. Loretta is one of the loveliest people I’ve ever worked with, and she continues to be one of my favorites,” Cassandra smiled as she softly caressed Loretta’s chin, saying, “Her heart is as beautiful as she appears.”

“Aww, Cassidy... honey, you’re so sweet,” Loretta spoke out, a little shyly.

“Come on, girl, I just told him the truth. Anyways, I’m going to leave you two now. Are you ready to have a good time?” Cassandra walked away with a smile.

The birthday celebration concluded on a nice note, with numerous gifts being handed to the celebrant, Cassandra, and everyone leaving shortly after she came up and delivered a thank you speech, much to everyone’s joy.

AFTER A WEEK...

Following the birthday dinner, Roy and Loretta had grown so close that they communicated almost every day.

***

“To tell you the truth, nothing is going on between us. “Where did all of this come from?” Lauren revealed everything to Matt.

“You think I’m a moron?” Matt demanded aggressively, his face red with rage.

“Come on, babe, it was only a one-time affair before I met you, come on!” Lauren continued, “This was before you and I ever met in the first place.”

“But aren’t you still in touch with him on social media?” He inquired.

“No, I wouldn’t. As a matter of fact, the only time we ever spoke to each other was when I uploaded a picture of you and me together last week,” she continued, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Alright...” Matt murmured, attempting to relax as much as possible.

“Believe me, Babe, it was a one-time incident, and it was due to the fact that I was tipsy intoxicated. It never happened again after that, trust me,” she continued.

“Okay, okay, fine, I’ve heard you,” He exited the room after saying.

Lauren had no idea how he had seen her conversation with AB. The truth is that nothing is going on between them anymore, despite the fact that they had something going on back then and she had feelings for him as well, but that was before she met Matt.

***

The ongoing project with KR ENTERPRISE had come to an end, and a general board meeting was scheduled for today.

The ongoing project with KR ENTERPRISE had come to an end, and a general board meeting was scheduled for today.

All of the top executives would be in attendance, including KR Enterprise’s CEO.

Miss Loretta Wayne, the Shizells Group of Companies’ Assistant Human Resource Executive, will be in charge of the overall progress report, project method, and implementation narrative.

Mr. Diego beckoned on her, and she swiftly arose. Kendrick couldn’t help but smile and began cheering for her. Just before she began her presentation, the rest of the board members joined in to applaud her.

Loretta delivered on her job effectively and everyone was happy that the project had come to an end.

Mr. Kendrick also spoke before the meeting was called to a close.

After exchanging celebratory handshakes and embraces, everyone proceeded to exit the board room one by one, leaving only Mr. Diego, Mr. Kendrick, and Miss Loretta.

Mr. Kendrick shook Mr. Diego’s hand and remarked, “Congratulations on a fantastic job done.”

“I appreciate it, Mr. Kendrick,” he said enthusiastically, “It was indeed a couple of weeks of productive labor.”

Mr. Kendrick added, “If you don’t mind, we could all have lunch together.”

Mr. Diego was taken aback because he, like everyone else, knew Mr. Kendrick to be one of those difficult, uptight, and unpredictable characters.

Mr. Diego explained, “Honestly, I would love to, but I have another meeting and it’s almost time for it.”

“Alright, then. Please, don’t be late,” Kendrick added with a smile as he walked out the board room door.

Mr. Diego smiled and continued, “But, sir, if you don’t mind, you can go ahead with my assistant because she was a vital strength of the project.”

Mr. Kendrick replied, “Alright, that’s good with me.”

“Alright, that’s it. Have a great day,” Mr. Diego said and hurriedly headed for his office.

***

“You do realize you don’t have to do this... do you?” Kendrick said, his brow furrowed as he looked at her.

Loretta teased and rolled her eyes at him, saying, “I know you’re doing this because you want to spend time with me.”

“I’m glad that worked,” he added, his voice childlike.

Loretta couldn’t understand why the all-mighty, wealthy, and powerful Mr. Kendrick Robert, whom everyone except her feared, was behaving like a baby right in front of her.

“How are you doing?” He inquired.

“I’m OK. I’m fatigued, to tell you the truth. You know, I could use a good massage right now,” she said.

He replied, concerned, “You definitely need to take some time off to relax.”

“Mr. Kendrick Robert. I’m not a CEO in the same way that you are. Every day, I have a boss to report to,” she remarked, smiling and smirking.

“Alright, I understand. You must, however, proceed cautiously. You’ve been working on this project for around two months. It’s only reasonable to take a break for the next few days,” he advised.

Loretta merely smiled and shook her head, not saying anything.

They both went out for lunch not far from the Shizells’ company complex after that, and then went their separate ways - Kendrick drove away, and Loretta returned to her workplace.

***

Loretta was getting ready to go when her phone rang, indicating that she had received a message. Her boss had directed her to take an official leave.

She was astonished and didn’t know what to make of it, so she hurried into her boss’ office.

“Sir,”

“Miss Wayne, how may I assist you?” he said as if he had no idea why she had come to meet him.

“I just got your mail,”

“Yes, Miss Wayne the company has chosen to give you a 5-day vacation to clear your head.” Mr. Diego didn’t mince words when he said, “You’ve done well and you deserve it.”

“Thank you very much, sir. I had not anticipated it at all... “I was...”

“Thank you so much. Miss Wayne, enjoy your stay at home,” he said abruptly. She smiled and left his office.

She expressed her gratitude to her supervisor by saying, “Thank you, sir.”

She was stunned because this had never been done to a junior executive before.

She called Lauren’s phone and told her everything. She was overjoyed about it.

Loretta noticed she didn’t sound great when she called, but she said she was OK. It was unmistakable to her when something wasn’t quite right with her best buddy, and she was right.

Loretta didn’t want to press her, so she simply dropped the subject and they moved on. She knew she could call her if she needed to talk.

Loretta had just returned from the bathroom when her phone buzzed with a new text message that said, “Do enjoy your leave sweetie.”

She was well aware of it. This leave seemed to have something to do with Kendrick, she thought.

She simply smiled and replied to the text with the phrase “You shouldn’t have done that” and an emoji that showed she was smiling.

Kendrick (Flashback)

“Hello…”

“Good morning, Mr. Kendrick.”

“How are things going for you, Mr. Alonso?”

“Fine, thank you… and, Congratulations on your just concluded project,” Mr. Alonso said.

“I appreciate it. Kendrick remarked, “I’m impressed at the excellent effort your company put in to ensure the success of this project.”

“Thank you, Sir,”

“I’d like you to give the young lady, Miss Wayne, some time to breathe. She performed a fantastic job.”

“It wouldn’t be a problem in the least. I’ll get them to do so. Thank you very much.”

“Mr. Alonso, you’re welcome.”