Keeping His Dirty Little Secret

Chapter 5

Scared, I only lasted a few seconds looking in his angry sea green eyes. I wiped my tears away, and I turned my back on him. I'm sure that he saw my tears because his facial expression changed; it became soft, and his eyes suddenly look concerned. Realization hit him, but it was too late 'cause I walked away and decided to take the stairs instead.

"Genevieve, wait."

I heard his footsteps following me, and that made me walk faster. I even started to run as I rush on my way downstairs. I wanted to be away from him even for just a while. I didn't expect that and it was enough for my defenses to crumble down; to give up and to lay my armour down.

I've never been shouted at by anyone due to uncontrollable anger. Not even my aunt, not even Feliza, and not even the men from my past. I feel so vulnerable; I feel so terrified. My heart is pounding so hard that it hurts. I can feel it aching, and it made my eyes leak tears without me even knowing. Nothing else is in my mind right now but to run away and get the hell out of this place.

But when I felt a hint of tiredness, I stopped for a while and decided to sit down on the stairs. I feel like I'm drained, and my legs are starting to quiver.

I sighed, "I'm okay, I'm fine." I started to comfort myself. To convince myself that I'm just too overwhelmed, and that I can't control my bursting emotions.

This is what I do whenever I cry. Whenever that I feel like the whole world is messing with me, and it's making me carry its burden that it can't shoulder on its own. It's a habit of mine that I mastered as I grew up. It's a habit of mine that's very helpful especially if you're on your own, and also because you know that you can't always lean to the people that promised to always be by your side.

'Cause the truth is, everybody can swear; everybody can give you their word. But all you really have is yourself. You have you. You got your own back. You face life's challenges that the universe throws at you. And that's okay. That's fine. That's how it goes.

I define it as self love, as part of growing up.

After taking a few deep breaths, I decided to stand up and to continue taking the stairs on my way down. It took me a lot of time before I finally exited the building. And when I did, I saw that the press is still waiting for Mr. Easton down here. If I'm not mistaken, it has been two hours and they're still in full hopes to get even just a single statement from that man.

I continued walking, and I hailed a bus on my way back to work. I still need to go to work despite of what happened. I believe that it's not a heavy and not a valid reason to ditch work. And besides, I'm feeling better now. I only needed a few moments to gather every part of me that sir Conrad shredded.

As I arrive, I took the elevator and I noticed that some of my co-workers are everywhere. I took a glimpse at my wrist watch and realized that it's break time. I felt relived 'cause it means that I have a little time to comfort myself more. I'm planning on staying in my cubicle and reading the new book that I bought yesterday. I have been dying to read it. After a year of yearning to buy the physical book, I finally have one in my possession.

That made me smile a little.

I missed reading fictional books.

On my way to my cubicle, my mood switches into sour in all of a sudden.

I laid my eyes on Yvette and her girlfriends. They have coffee cups on each of their hands, and they were laughing. They look like they're having such a good time. But when I passed by them, I heard a few negative remarks from them that are about me.

"Oh, there she is. The gold digger." Yvette whispers to her friends. It was a whisper but it was loud enough for my ears to hear. And I know that she did it on purpose. It's something that she likes to do on a regular basis. I'm not the only one who's experiencing this right now. I'm just the new prey this time until Ms. Sheen Geller comes back.

And oh, she's friends with Ms. Geller.

I almost gagged when her fake friends quickly gave their own comments too. Following Yvette's, and trying their best to make it sound like their remarks have a huge impact on me.

It's petty, I know.

"So, it's true? She's sticking her paws to Mr. Easton?"

"Yikes! She's playing dirty."

"She's such a bitch."

I started getting this type of treatment from them since yesterday. And they probably started talking shits behind my back the moment that they found that I'm Mr. Easton's new secretary.

Well, only for two months though.

They're very stupid for giving me this burden without even knowing the whole story. Plus, the fact that Yvette is friends with Sheen makes it worse. Sheen probably didn't want to let Yvette know about her being on leave. Sheen is on leave because she's about to give birth this month. And the father of her baby? Oh, it's Yvette's ex-boyfriend.

Nothing wrong but not ideal either, right?

Specially for Yvette that doesn't want anyone owning the things that she used to own. And I once heard Sheen in the coffee corner with her other friends. Calling Yvette 'stupid' for believing her act as a true friend. When all along, she's just faking everything while she's on the move to steal Yvette's boyfriend from her.

Very filthy, right?

I just shook my head as I roll my eyes and continued walking. But I before I could even take a few more steps to get away from them, I heard sir Conrad's voice.

"So that's how you treat a co-worker, huh?"

His voice sounds deep as usual. But hearing it right now, it somehow still has this effect on me because of what he did earlier. It feels like he's stirring my insides and it's absolutely a torture to endure it.

"I thought you were benevolent and professional, Ms. Reagan?"

My lips parted when sir Conrad called Yvette by her surname. No words came out from Yvette. Same goes to her so-called friends that stayed quiet.

That made me smirk. My back is on them, so I can't see their faces. But I'm more than certain that the other employees are starting to enclose them from where they're standing. Listening and observing the humiliation that Yvette deserves.

"Get out of my face before I could even fire all of you." Simple, yet terrifying enough to anyone that values their job. "Everyone, back to work!" Mr. Easton exclaimed, and it was loud enough for everyone to quickly go back to their cubicle to continue working.

And as for me, I immediately took a step forward to escape from his sights. But unfortunately, before I could even get away, he called my name and my heart skipped a beat.

"Ms. Cloepfil," I felt him getting near from where I'm standing and it's making me want to just to explode.

Why does he have this effect on me?

I looked at Mr. Easton when he appeared in front of me. And I tried my best to keep a straight face and be formal just like how he wants his employees to be.

I cleared my throat, "Yes, sir?"

No emotion is visible when it comes to this man being serious. But when you look into his sea green eyes, you can somehow feel that he's trying to resist the emotion from coming out and from exposing his feelings to anyone that he's facing.

"Get me a black coffee, and bring it to my office. I'll be waiting." He looks away as he started walking towards his office.

I sighed.

Okay, a black coffee it is.

I found myself walking to the direction where the coffee corner is. And when I got there, I quickly made a black coffee for it is what his majesty ordered. In the coffee corner, a coffee machine can be found and there's also a coffeemaker. Everyone was grateful for this coffee corner when Blaise proposed it to Mr. Easton. And since that day, some workers started being on overtime often.

With the coffee cup held by my hand, I carefully walked towards Mr. Easton's office. And when I entered his office, I found him standing behind his swivel chair. Facing the glass window with his right hand in his pocket.

"Sir, here's your black coffee."

Mr. Easton turned to me in an instant.

And I was taken aback when he showed me a small smile. But I quickly looked away to avoid his stares. I placed his coffee cup on top of his marble table as I dodged the feeling of his eyes on me as if it was something that I was born to do. I wanted to get out immediately. I'm still not in the right mood to face him and absorb his complicated attitudes again.

"Genevieve, I'm sorry about earlier." His voice sounded apologetic, and it was convincing enough for me to look at him; to look in his eyes.

I managed to form a small smile while looking at him. "It's okay, sir." I shrugged my shoulders. "I lost my control too earlier, and my emotions burst before you. I'm sorry for that as well, sir."

He, then took a sit on his swivel chair. He motioned his hand on the leather chair in front of his table. "Please, take a seat."

I hesitated, "But I need to go back to my cubicle—"

"Even for just a little while, please?"

I inwardly slapped my subconscious when it instantly gave up and sat on the chair in front of Conrad. I watched him take the coffee cup with his hand as he took a sip. My eyes feasted on his handsome face that I always praise in my head. Even when he's drinking coffee, he still looks ravishing.

I shook my head.

"Do I look like the devil being a ravishing rogue?"

Confused, my forehead wrinkled.

"Sir?"

He chuckled, "Nothing. I said, I was such an asshole for shouting at you earlier." I just looked at my hands placed above my lap as I listen to all of the words that he's been saying. "I immediately feel awful the moment that I saw you crying. And the fact that I accused you of flirting with Záviš, makes it worse." I played with my nails as he continued talking. "I have no excuse, no valid reason to say. I really am an asshole, and I'm honestly regretting it. Everything that made you feel that way."

My mouth opened, but no words came out. I can't even think of the right words to say. I don't even know if I should say something either.

What should I do?

I look at him instead, and I saw that his eyes were looking at me. He catches my gaze with his and I fully understand why I'm so caught up when it comes to his sea green eyes.

It's his greatest defense. His greatest weapon. For his eyes are something that not everyone had probably seen before. Something that has the ability to communicate with you even with only one glance.

"I hope you can forgive me, Eve."

Eve.

My eyes squint as they look deeper into his eyes. The want to escape this place in an instant just vanished as he took my entire attention. My system is now interested to everything that he's about to say next.

"Eve? What do you mean by Eve?" I asked with curiosity inhabiting every fiber of my being.

There's only one person that gave me that nickname.

Kairo.

"A nickname? A short version of your name? Your name is Genevieve, and it's kind of long. I wanted to shorten it, so yeah. It's Eve for me. It suits you though."

Deja Vu!

I gulped, "And do you think I like it?"

Mr. Easton was able to make me feel shivers and they danced down to my spine. I don't understand it. What's happening to me?

He licked his lower lip and say, "Of course, you do."

'Now, can I kiss you again?'

Shit. s**t. s**t.

Am I still fine? Am I still sane? Is this man in front of me is real? Or is he just an illusion that my mind made up? Just an image that I successfully captured in my head? Why is this happening in all of a sudden?

Seconds past by, and I remained looking at sir Conrad's face. He's also looking at me, but this time, I want to feel his stares and I want to see his eyes travel on every corner of my face. I want to feel him examine me, to feel him once he figures out his effect on me.

Now, I'm more confused. Damn it.

My facial expression hasn't changed even a little. I'm still looking at him with my squinting eyes, and my curiosity that will definitely swallow my whole being if no one will dare to make it vanish out of me.

Curiosity kills the cat, they say.

And I believe that. I believe that very well.

"You know what, you're making me feel like there's something you want to ask me."

I laughed, it was a pretentious one.

"Oh, no. It's not like that, sir. I have nothing in mind at all. Not even a question that's meant for you."

Liar! My subconscious screamed, and I immediately crushed the desire to ask Mr. Easton. There's no way that I'm going to ask him about something that he definitely knows nothing about. That's just so stupid, and that's going to make our situation worse. And it will cause me a tormenting feeling; a complete torture.

"Are you somehow familiar to someone named Kairo?"

"Are you somehow knowledgeable concerning Kairo's whereabouts?"

"Are you somehow related to Kairo?"

"Or maybe you are Kairo? Are you?"

I shook my head. It's making me lose my mind. This is not right. I think the best thing to do right now, is to leave this place. To get about this place, and pretend like nothing happened.

"Okay then. If that's the case, you shall now go to your cubicle. But," He stood up and he walked to one of the shelves in the left corner of his office. "Before you leave, I want to give you this." He, then, pulls a medium-sized rectangular box in between of the books placed into the shelf. And then returned to his seat, facing me.

"I heard that it was your 27th birthday four days ago. And as a gift, especially as a peace offering because of what I did earlier, I want you to have this. I hope you remember something."

He handed me the red box, and I accepted it without hesitations. I am convinced and lured by the sound of his voice. Which I know is something not good for he might be trying to trick me in to something. But is he that bad now to commit such act?

I looked at him, "Thank you, Mr. Easton." I smiled a little, and I was glad that it was genuine. It felt light and honest. I liked that feeling for a moment there.

How is he making me feel this way? How can he be someone that I'm scared of, and then suddenly, someone that I'm genuinely smiling at?

What kind of sorcery is this?

"You're very welcome. You can leave now."

I nodded, and I stood up to exit his office. I hurried to my cubicle to continue working. I suddenly feel excited because of what I have in my hand. And when I arrived in my cubicle, I was surprised when I laid my eyes on Feliza.

"Feliza!" I approached her, all smiles.

Weird.

"Young lady, where have you been? I've been waiting for an hour now." She frowned, and I immediately apologized at her. "Oh, sorry. I was in Mr. Easton's office. And he gave me this as a gift for my 27th birthday four days ago."

Feliza's eyes lit up. "What is it? What is it?" She's more excited than me to find out what's inside. And so, I gave her the medium-sized rectangular box. She accepted it with all of her heart as she examines it.

"It's an expensive perfume! What the actual f**k, Genevieve?! This is the one that I've been wanting to buy from the brand."

"Do you want it?" I asked her like a child with both of my eyebrows raised. It was not a spurious offer. Instead, genuine.

"What?" Her forehead wrinkled while looking at me. "Are you bluffing? No way, José. This is yours! Your boss gave it to you." I rolled my eyes when she shrieked in a whisper manner. She's going to start teasing me now.

"Girl, there's no way that this is just a gift." She smiled at me meaningfully before returning the box to me. "Please, open it. I can't hide my excitement. I know it's visible, and I don't have any plans to discard it."

I laughed at Feliza as I opened the box to see the bottle from the inside. I took it out and I made her hold it in the meantime.

"What does it smells like? I'm curious." I said while we're both looking at the bottle. Feliza sprayed some on her wrist, and she rubbed it with her index finger. Her eyes once again lit up as she brings her wrist to her nose to inhale it. "AAAAA!!! It smells to good." I took her wrist for my turn to smell it. And when I did, I took the bottle from her hand as I read each label.

There's one that says, "with a hint of vanilla."

Curiosity and confusion once again reigned my entire system as Conrad's voice echoed inside my head.

"I hope you remember something."