What If?

Chapter 26 - Don’t Touch What’s Mine

Launa stepped into the downstairs pantry. "Excuse me, I’m here to pick up a black coffee with no sugar for Mr. Glenn. Please make it with his usual specifications."

Martha looked up and offered a warm smile while turning on the coffee machine. "Jerry usually picks it up. Oh, so there's a change of hands now? I heard you’re Glenn's new assistant. He sure knows how to pick a pretty one."

Launa could only let out an awkward laugh, completely at a loss for how to respond.

As she stood there waiting, a sudden, heavy shove intentionally slammed into Launa’s shoulder from behind. Her body stumbled forward, knocking into the mug of hot coffee Martha had just set down. The scalding liquid spilled completely, drenching her thighs and her soft pink skirt.

"Ah!" Launa gasped in pain. The skin on her legs instantly turned red and felt like it was on fire.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! I totally didn't mean to!" A shrill, manufactured voice instantly shattered the pantry’s quietness, drawing everyone's eyes right to them.

Martha instantly rushed out from behind the counter, holding a stack of thick paper towels and kneeling down to wipe Launa’s legs. "Martha, it’s okay, let me do it," Launa squeaked in panic, looking down at her soaked skirt, which now bore a prominent, deep brown stain.

"Oh dear, I’m so incredibly sorry, girl. I honestly didn't see someone so short standing in front of me," the woman said again, her tone dripping with condescension.

Launa looked up, her breath catching in her throat. This beautiful woman, clad in high-end designer brands from head to toe, was the exact same person who had been clingily hanging onto Glenn in his office just two days ago.

Noticing that people were starting to whisper, Gwen’s expression instantly shifted into one of faux concern. She squatted down, pretending to help wipe the spill. But the moment their faces were close, Gwen whispered a chilling, toxic threat right into Launa’s ear.

"That's why you should use your eyes when you walk. Besides, cheap coffee stains suit someone like you perfectly," Gwen hissed sharply. "This is a little warning from me for throwing yourself at my Glenn. Know your place, you're just internship trash. Don't dream too high."

Launa froze, completely stiff. Before she could even snap back, Gwen had already stood up with practiced elegance.

"Anyway, I’m so sorry once again, Intern. Next time, don't make a habit of blocking people's way," Gwen said loudly, making sure her voice carried across the entire pantry, before strutting away with that annoying, arrogant flair of hers.

"Launa, are you okay? Your legs are so red," Martha asked anxiously, quickly grabbing a burn ointment from the drawer. "Come on, sit down, let me help you put this on."

"It’s okay, I can do it myself," Launa declined gently. With trembling hands, she slowly applied the ointment to her stinging skin.

Martha let out a long sigh. "You need to be careful around that Gwen girl. She’s a movie actress who’s being heavily pushed to marry Glenn by Mr. Simon. She loves to tail Glenn all the way to the office, even though Mr. Glenn can't stand her."

Launa merely listened, having no intention of overreacting. No wonder Gwen had looked at her with pure hostility from the very first moment their eyes met in Glenn’s office back then.

"Well, that’s just the risk of working, Launa. When people are jealous of your position, they will always find malicious ways to mess with you," Martha continued sympathetically.

"It’s okay, Martha. Maybe she really didn't mean to," Launa replied softly.

She stood up, ignoring the stinging pain in her legs and the hideous stain on her skirt. Launa stared straight ahead at the empty pantry exit.

It’s only the first day and it's already this exhausting... how much longer will all this drama and hatred last?

*****

"Here is your coffee, sir," Launa said as she stepped into the transparent glass office, holding a cup of coffee in her hand.

Glenn’s eyes remained focused on the files on his desk. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, sir," Launa replied.

Instead of sitting straight down at her desk, Launa busied herself tidying up Glenn's things, which were still a bit messy from the move. Glenn, who had initially been pretending to read his files, gradually lost his focus. His eyes covertly tracked Launa’s every move.

"I don't pay you for this kind of work. That's the janitor's job," Glenn stated flatly, trying to hide his attentiveness.

Launa glanced over and offered a faint smile. "It’s fine, sir. I just don't like seeing things cluttered."

As Launa shifted positions, Glenn’s gaze suddenly locked onto her work skirt. His brows knitted sharply. "What happened to your skirt?"

Launa reflexively looked down at her skirt, pausing in hesitation before replying softly, "Oh... I spilled some coffee on it, sir."

Glenn instantly slid his chair back. His eyes caught the skin on Launa's legs, which had turned a deep, angry red. "What the hell happened to your legs?!" he asked sharply, though a hidden note of panic laced his voice.

"It’s nothing, sir—"

"What do you mean, it's nothing?!" Glenn cut her off in frustration. "I already told you to let the staff downstairs know so they could bring the coffee up. Why did you end up carrying it yourself?!"

"I didn't even make it, sir," Launa defended herself.

Glenn clicked his tongue in irritation. He snatched his phone off the desk in one swift motion. Watching him, Launa was instantly gripped by panic. "Mr. Glenn, what are you doing?"

"I'm calling the pantry, obviously! What else? They're completely incompetent for spilling coffee on my assistant," Glenn snapped, letting his anger boil over.

Launa immediately stepped closer to Glenn’s desk. "Don't! Please don't call them, sir! It wasn't the staff's fault."

Glenn paused his fingers over the screen, then looked up at Launa with a thoroughly interrogative glare. "Then whose was it?"

Launa fell silent for a moment. She knew that if she didn't explain herself right now, the stubborn guy in front of her would definitely storm downstairs in a blind rage. "I... someone accidentally bumped into me from behind while I was waiting for the coffee." Launa intentionally withheld Gwen’s name, wanting to avoid blowing the whole thing out of proportion.

"Did that person walk with their eyes closed?! Damn it," Glenn cursed sharply, completely furious that his assistant had been hurt. "Come on, we're going to the hospital."

"There's no need, sir. It's just a little red."

"What if it gets infected, Launa?" Glenn pressed, refusing to back down.

"It’s fine, sir. Martha already helped me apply some ointment earlier." Launa let out a sigh, trying to calm her boss down.

Glenn scrutinized Launa’s stained appearance from head to toe. "Did you bring a change of skirt?"

Launa shook her head slowly. "No, sir."

Without a second thought, Glenn instantly hit the speed dial on his phone, which immediately connected to Jerry via loudspeaker. Launa’s eyes widened in shock, completely baffled by her boss’s super impulsive train of thought.

"Jerry, go to the mall right now. Buy a new skirt," Glenn commanded instantly without so much as a greeting.

"Huh? A skirt? For who, Boss? Since when did you switch hobbies to wearing skirts?" Jerry’s voice echoed from the other end of the line, sounding completely dazed while holding back a laugh.

"For Launa, obviously! Why on earth would it be for me, you i***t?!" Glenn snapped, losing his temper.

"Wait, what happened to Launa? Why are you suddenly buying her a skirt? She was only gone downstairs for a minute, and you're already buying her clothes?" Jerry rattled on, getting even more curious.

Glenn clicked his tongue in annoyance, glancing at Launa, whose face had already turned beet red from embarrassment. "Why do you have to be so damn nosy! She spilled coffee on her skirt downstairs. Just get moving, now!"

"Ohhh, a coffee spill... or don't tell me you're the one who—"

"What's your waist size?" Glenn cut in sharply, completely ignoring Jerry’s teasing and turning a piercing gaze straight toward Launa.

Launa immediately shook her head vigorously. "I'm good, sir! There's really no need. This will come out later once it's cleaned anyway."

Glenn let out a cynical scoff, briefly pulling the phone away from his mouth. "I am not walking around with someone who looks like a total mess. I'd end up dying of embarrassment. Just say it, you're not allowed to say no to me!" Glenn threatened forcefully, though it was nothing more than an alibi to protect his pride.

Launa let out a defeated sigh. "Size twenty-four, sir..." she squeaked softly.

Glenn froze for a split second, then reflexively burst into a lighthearted chuckle upon hearing that innocent response. "Twenty-four? Holy crap, that's tiny. What do you even eat?"

Launa's face flushed even deeper, looking like a boiled lobster from being teased. "Well... that's just a normal girl's waist size, sir!" Launa snapped back in annoyance.

"Is it really?" Glenn blinked awkwardly, suddenly feeling self-conscious as he realized he knew absolutely nothing about women's body measurements. He cleared his throat softly, then spoke back into the phone to Jerry, who had been listening the entire time with a massive grin. "Jerry, you caught that, right? Get a high-end brand while you're at it. Make it soft pink, or whatever color matches the shirt she’s wearing right now."

Hearing the words 'a high-end brand,' Launa hurriedly cut in, "Sir, there's no need for something expensive! You can find plenty of them at a regular thrift store or local market."

Glenn instantly shot an incredibly exasperated glare at Launa. "It's my call! It's my money, so why are you trying to boss me around?!" he snapped, then immediately hung up the phone on his own accord before Jerry could get another word in.

Launa could only let out a long sigh, completely at a loss when faced with her boss’s bizarre, rebellious streak.

Seeing Launa’s defeated sigh, Glenn secretly bit his lower lip, doing everything in his power to suppress a smile that was about to escape because of how adorable she was.

"Alright, go sit over there," Glenn ordered, switching right back to his nonchalant mode as he pointed at Launa’s desk. "Stop making a fuss. Just wait for Jerry to get back with your skirt."

*****