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2205 Words
It's been almost a month since Nicole started working at that big company as the executive assistant to CEO Shawn Alexander Montefalco. However, she and her boss still didn’t get along. For Nicole, the CEO remained as grumpy and ill-tempered as ever. But so far, everything was manageable—she was putting up with it because, no matter where she went, she had no choice.
Even though Alexander often annoyed her, like right now—past one o’clock and he still wouldn’t let her take a lunch break because, according to him, she hadn’t finished reviewing the mountain of documents he had dumped on her desk that morning.
“Sir, maybe I could take a quick lunch break? I’ll get right back to reviewing these papers as soon as I’m done.”
Nicole asked her grumpy boss politely. She was really starving. Not only was it already late, but she also hadn’t had breakfast at home since she overslept and had to deal with her aunt Norma’s high blood pressure episode.
As usual, her boss just shot her another nasty glare before going back to whatever he was doing.
Nicole rolled her eyes but had no choice but to return to work. Annoyed and hungry, she grabbed some folders with an exaggerated motion, taking out her frustration on them instead. Complaining wouldn’t help—if she did, her boss might get possessed by an evil spirit again, and she’d never get to eat.
Grrruuuuukkkk.
Nicole shut her eyes tightly when she heard her stomach growl loudly.
“Shh, don’t worry, you’ll get food soon. Just keep quiet for now.”
She whispered to her stomach, as if trying to calm it down.
“Hahaha!”
Nicole frowned and turned toward the large table where her boss, Alexander, was sitting. He was still looking down at a small model airplane, which seemed to be made of metal. Even from a distance, she could tell it was beautifully designed.
He was holding it while laughing loudly. He must have sensed her staring at him with furrowed brows because he turned to look at her. Her desk was positioned inside his office, right beside his table, near the kitchen door.
His laughter grew even louder.
“Haha, sorry. You look like some crazy woman talking to yourself.”
He finally spoke.
“Hunger can really drive you crazy, Sir Alex. I guess you’ve never experienced that, huh? You’re so lucky. Anyway, I wasn’t talking to myself—I was talking to my stomach. It’s starving. Look, it’s even crying now.”
Nicole said seriously, which made her boss laugh even harder. She just let him be and returned her focus to the papers in front of her.
“Why are you always hungry, Lorenzo? Tell me, are you that poor that you can’t even afford to eat at home?”
His voice was serious, making Nicole turn to look at him. She smiled sadly and stared into his eyes.
“Yes, sir. I’m that poor—I can’t even afford to eat three meals a day. That’s why I’m here, enduring this job as your EA even though I really want to use my degree as an engineer. I need this job to buy food. Sorry, but I’m not comfortable talking about my personal life. Excuse me.”
Nicole couldn’t hide her sadness. It was just a simple question, but it sounded like an insult to her.
Alexander didn’t say anything else, and she silently stood up from her swivel chair to go to the restroom.
She wasn’t gone long. When she returned, she was surprised to see a fancy-looking jar sitting on her desk, next to a bottle of milk that looked just as expensive. She often saw her boss drinking that kind of milk.
Frowning, she stepped closer to inspect the jar, which was transparent, allowing her to see inside. She glanced at her boss’s seat, but he wasn’t there.
Instead of eating, she set the food aside, even though she was already drooling over it. For all she knew, Alexander was just messing with her. What if she ate it, and he suddenly charged her for it?
Nicole didn’t know how long she stared at the jar and the expensive-looking milk. She even jumped in surprise when someone spoke behind her.
“You won’t get full just by staring at it. Eat, Lorenzo.”
Her boss’s commanding voice came from behind her, making her turn to look at him.
“Is… is this for me, sir? Who gave this to me?”
She asked, confused. Alexander rolled his eyes.
“That’s my lunch. Obviously, it came from me. We’re the only ones here. Just eat.”
He said grumpily. Nicole couldn’t help but smile.
“What about you, sir?”
“I’ll just have this—I’m on a diet anyway.”
He replied simply, raising a small Tupperware container that, from Nicole’s guess, contained salad.
“Just eat, will you? You ask too many questions.”
Nicole had been working at that big company for almost a month as the executive assistant of CEO Shawn Alexander Montefalco. However, she and her boss still didn’t get along. For Nicole, the CEO was still as grumpy and ill-tempered as ever. But so far, things were manageable. She was still able to put up with it because, wherever she went, she had no choice anyway.
Even though Alexander often irritated her, just like now—past one o’clock, and he still wouldn’t allow her to eat lunch because, according to him, she hadn't finished reviewing the mountain of documents he had dumped on her desk that morning.
“Ahh, sir, may I please have lunch first? I’ll get back to reviewing the documents as soon as I’m done.”
Nicole politely asked her grumpy boss. She was really hungry, especially since she hadn’t had breakfast earlier due to waking up late and dealing with her aunt Norma’s high blood pressure episode.
As expected, her boss simply shot her a cold glare, just as he had been doing the whole morning, then went back to whatever he was working on.
Nicole rolled her eyes but had no choice but to return to her work. Frustrated and starving, she couldn’t help but grab a few folders with a huff, flipping through them aggressively to vent her irritation.
There was nothing she could do. If she complained, her boss might get possessed by an evil spirit again, and then she’d never get to eat.
“Grrruuuuukkkk.”
Nicole shut her eyes tightly upon hearing the loud grumble of her stomach.
“Shh, don’t worry. You’ll get to eat soon. Just stay quiet for now,” she whispered to her belly, which was practically throwing a tantrum from hunger.
“Hahaha!”
Frowning, Nicole turned toward the large desk where her boss, Alexander, was sitting. He was still hunched over, examining a small airplane model that seemed to be made of metal. Even from a distance, she could tell it was intricately designed.
Alexander was holding the model while laughing loudly. He must have sensed her staring at him with a furrowed brow because he turned to look at her. Her desk was inside his office, positioned next to his table near the kitchen door.
His laughter grew even louder.
“Haha, sorry, you look like some crazy woman talking to yourself,” he finally said.
“Hunger really is enough to drive someone crazy, sir Alex. You’ve probably never experienced it, huh? Must be nice to be you. Anyway, I wasn’t talking to myself—I was talking to my stomach. It’s starving. Look, it’s even crying.”
Nicole replied seriously, making her boss laugh even more. She decided to just let him laugh and focused back on the documents in front of her.
“Why are you always hungry, Lorenzo? Tell me, are you that poor that you can’t even afford to eat properly at home?”
His voice suddenly turned serious, making Nicole look up at him. She gave him a sad smile and gazed into his eyes.
“Yes, sir, I am that poor—I can’t even afford to eat three times a day. That’s why I’m here, working as your EA. Even though I want to use my degree in engineering, I need a job to buy food. I’m sorry, but I’m not comfortable talking about my life. Excuse me.”
Nicole couldn’t help but feel a little hurt. It was a simple question from her boss, but it sounded like an insult to her. Alexander didn’t say anything else, and neither did she. Silently, she stood up from her swivel chair and went to the restroom.
She was only gone for a short while. When she returned, she was surprised to see a large glass jar on her desk, next to an expensive-looking bottle of milk. She often saw her boss drinking that kind of milk.
Frowning, she approached the jar and peeked through its transparent surface. It had food inside. She turned to look at her boss, but he was nowhere to be seen.
Instead of immediately eating, Nicole set the food aside, even though her mouth was already watering. What if Alexander was just playing a trick on her? What if she ate it and he suddenly charged her for it?
Nicole wasn’t sure how long she had been staring at the jar and the bottle of milk when a voice from behind startled her.
“You won’t get full just by staring at it. Eat, Lorenzo.”
It was her boss, speaking in a commanding tone. She quickly turned to face him.
“T-this is for me, sir? Where did it come from?” she asked hesitantly, making him roll his eyes.
“That’s my lunch. Obviously, it’s from me. We’re the only ones here. Just eat.”
He said gruffly. Nicole smiled.
“But what about you, sir?”
“I’ll just have this—I’m on a diet anyway.”
He replied briefly, raising a small Tupperware container that Nicole guessed contained salad.
“Just eat, will you? You ask too many questions.”
Her boss said with a frown before walking toward the small living room inside his office, where he usually ate lunch.
Nicole grinned and eagerly stood up to eat with her boss.
“I’ll join you for lunch, sir!” she said cheerfully as she excitedly opened the container.
Her eyes sparkled when she saw sushi and various other Japanese dishes inside. She had never tasted such food in her entire life. With so much in the container, she knew she wouldn’t be able to finish it all.
“Don’t tell me you’ve never had a bento before?”
Her boss asked with a frown. Nicole simply smiled and nodded.
“Where do you live? I mean, do you still have a family?”
He asked again. Nicole hesitated and stared at her boss for a moment.
“I don’t mean to pry. You’re my EA, and only my dad hired you. I know nothing about you except that you’re annoying.”
He shrugged. Nicole nodded and forced a smile.
“I live with my aunt. I’m an orphan.”
She answered briefly. As much as possible, she didn’t want to talk about her life or family with anyone. Only Leah knew how badly her relatives treated her.
“And how do they treat you?”
Her boss asked again. Nicole forced another smile and didn’t answer. Instead, she just ate faster.
“By the way, Lorenzo, at 2:30 PM, I need you to come with me. I want you to shop for new clothes—we’re going out of town for business.”
“Shopping? But sir, I don’t have money for shopping yet.”
Nicole said awkwardly. Her boss rolled his eyes.
“It’s on me. I’ll be with you anyway. I don’t trust your sense of fashion.”
He replied bluntly. Nicole just kept quiet.
By almost 3 PM, they were already at the mall. She learned from her boss that they were leaving for Palawan tomorrow at lunch for a business trip. However, she didn’t know how long they’d be staying there. She felt too shy to ask.
As soon as they entered the mall, they went straight to an expensive-looking boutique. Nicole swallowed hard when she saw the luxurious clothing inside. She had never been in a place like this before. She was used to shopping at thrift stores.
Quietly, she followed her boss, who had his usual poker face. Her brows furrowed when a beautiful woman approached him and kissed him on the cheek. Nicole stood at a distance, unable to hear their conversation, but she noticed that they kept glancing at her.
A few moments later, her boss walked toward her, followed by the woman.
“Lorenzo, this is Yannah, the owner of this boutique. Yannah, this is my EA, Nicole Lorenzo.”
Her boss introduced them. Yannah smiled excitedly and grabbed Nicole’s arm.
“Oh, I already have so many makeover ideas for you!”
Yannah said enthusiastically, and before Nicole knew it, her transformation had begun.
- Writer
