What If?

Chapter 16 - The Girl with Almond Eyes

"Oh, really? How long have you been working there?"

Before Glenn could even straighten up to stand, a voice he knew all too well faintly drifted over from the center seating area of the cafe. Glenn frowned, his head reflexively turning toward the source of the sound. His hawk-like eyes narrowed, closely tracking the silhouette of an elderly woman who had just stepped past the plant partition.

"Grandma?" Glenn muttered, his voice rising an octave.

He quickly nudged his assistant's arm. "Jer, is that Grandma or am I seeing things?"

Jerry sharpened his gaze as well, then nodded enthusiastically, his eyes widening. "Wait, yeah! That is your grandma, Boss!"

Glenn continued to watch his grandmother as she walked gracefully, guiding a long-haired young woman and a little child who was tightly holding onto the elderly woman's wrinkled hand.

Jerry, taking in the scene, nudged Glenn’s shoulder back with a mischievous smirk. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Glenn, but you don't have kids yet, right? So how come your grandma is already strolling around holding hands with a new grandkid?" Jerry teased playfully, trying to hold back a laugh.

"Why don't you use whatever excuse for a brain you have left and figure it out yourself," Glenn snapped, getting irritated because his head was already pounding and Jerry just had to crack jokes.

Seeing Grandma Mary getting closer to the cafe exit, Glenn bolted upright, completely ignoring his bag and jacket. He took long, swift strides to catch up with her.

"Hey! Hey! Wait up, Boss! Don't leave me behind!" Jerry called out, half-running to catch up.

"Grandma! Grandma Mary!" Glenn called out, quickening his pace a bit before gently tapping the elderly woman's shoulder from behind.

Mary reflexively turned around, as did the young woman and the little child beside her. But the exact moment their eyes met, it felt as if all the oxygen around Glenn had been sucked completely dry. Glenn’s feet locked to the floor. A strange sensation pressed tightly against his chest. He frowned, his eyes pinning themselves to the girl standing in front of his grandmother.

Wait. This girl...

"Oh? Glenn?! You're here, sweetheart?" Mary exclaimed, her face instantly lighting up with pure delight.

Glenn’s throat suddenly went bone-dry. "Y-yes, Grandma," he stammered a rare sight that had Jerry, standing right behind him, nearly popping his eyes out.

Glenn’s gaze remained locked onto the girl’s face, tracing the contours of her features that, for some reason, sent a strange flutter through his chest.

The girl, immediately pressed her hands together in front of her and bowed deeply and politely. "Sir."

Glenn blinked, trying to shake off his trance. "Aren't you the one from earlier at the—"

"Y-yes, Sir. I'm Launa. The new intern in your division," Launa cut him off quickly, her voice trembling slightly with awkwardness. A faint blush crept over her face under her new boss’s intense scrutiny.

"Wait!! Aren't you the one whose phone earlier...!" Jerry cut in loudly, pointing at Launa excitedly before Glenn could elbow him in the ribs to shut him up.

Launa turned and offered Jerry a slight bow with an awkward smile. "Yes, Sir."

"Oh? You two already know each other?" Mary asked, her eyes moving back and forth between her grandson and Launa with a knowing, inquisitive look.

"Yes," Glenn and Launa answered in unison, making the atmosphere between them instantly turn even more awkward.

Glenn looked away for a split second, but his eyes drifted back to Launa from the corner of his vision. For some reason, his heart suddenly beat twice as fast. A strange, uncanny sense of familiarity washed over him as he stared intently at this girl named Launa. A faint throb pulsed in his head. That innocent face... it truly felt familiar in his memory. Perhaps earlier this morning in the dimly lit archive room, or when he had bumped into her in the lobby, Glenn hadn't paid much attention because his mind was consumed with other matters. But now, under the bright lights of the cafe, everything was vividly clear. Her clear skin, her crystalline, almond-shaped eyes...

A faint, sudden flush crept up around his ears, which was luckily hidden beneath his hair.

"Ahahaha... see? Told you so. She's gorgeous," Jerry whispered out of nowhere, leaning his lips right next to Glenn's ear in a deeply annoying, mocking tone. Jerry knew all too well that his boss was having a major meltdown from being so flustered, turning completely tight-lipped like an i***t.

"Tch! Back off," Glenn hissed, roughly shoving Jerry's head away to hide his nervousness.

Feeling the atmosphere grow increasingly bizarre, Launa quickly clutched the strap of her bag and looked at the elderly woman. "Mrs. Mary, Sir... if it's alright, I should get going—"

"Oh, modern manners," Mary gently interrupted with a warm smile, patting Launa’s hand. "Just call me Grandma, dear. I’m much more comfortable with that."

Launa blinked in surprise, then nodded obediently. "Alright... Grandma. Sir... I should get going now."

"Oh! Don't leave just yet," Mary quickly cut in, catching Launa’s wrist. The elderly woman glanced at her grandson with a scheming smile. "You two work at the same office, don't you? Why don't you just ride with Glenn in his car?"

Thump.

Glenn’s mouth fell open slightly, completely caught off guard. His eyes widened as he stared at his grandmother, never expecting a sneak attack like this.

"Grandma, but—"

"N-no... that’s really not necessary, Grandma. I can manage on my own. You see, I have to take Laura home first," Launa politely declined, a look of sheer panic on her face. She was desperately trying to avoid being trapped in a car with that arrogant man.

"Oh, nonsense. Don't say no. Let Laura come home with me instead. Besides, your place happens to be on the way to my house, right? So, you should just head to the office with Glenn and Jerry. I’ll just wait for my assistant right out front; I already texted him earlier," Mary rambled on, leaving absolutely no room for argument.

Glenn grew even more baffled and bewildered. How on earth could his grandmother, who was notoriously picky, become this instantly warm and caring toward a brand-new intern?

"Grandma, how did you even—"

"Alright, that’s enough. I’ll explain it later at home," Mary cut him off completely, forcing Glenn to swallow his words.

Glenn let out a heavy sigh, trying to refocus his scattered thoughts. "Where is he anyway? Where's Hawky? Why isn't he with you? He knows you're not supposed to be left alone in public places like this. That guy is practically begging to be fired," Glenn grumbled, slipping back into his fierce boss mode to mask his awkwardness.

"Oh, you're being overly dramatic, Glenn. Hawky is just waiting for my blood test results at the clinic next door.

You know how easily I get bored, so I decided to stroll over here with Laura," Mary defended casually.

Glenn gave a reluctant nod, rubbing the back of his neck even though it didn’t itch. Yeah, he knew his grandmother’s antics all too well—the older she got, the more she acted like a restless teenager who couldn't stay put and loved to wander around.

"Fine. But you're feeling alright, right? No dizziness?" Glenn asked to make sure, a flicker of worry surfacing on his handsome face.

"I’m perfectly fine, sweetheart. All good," Mary answered sweetly. "Well then... Laura," the elderly woman called out to the little girl beside her.

Glenn stared straight at the little girl named Laura. Her facial features, her eyes, her smile... she was the absolute spitting image of Launa. It took no effort at all for Glenn to guess that they were sisters.

"You’ll come home with me, okay? That way, your big sister can go with Glenn," Mary coaxed.

Laura looked up innocently, then nodded enthusiastically. "Mm-hmm! Okay, Grandma!"

Seeing the innocent sparkle on the little girl's face and how obedient she was, the corner of Glenn’s lips involuntarily tugged upward into a faint, genuine smile a rare sight for him. The kid is actually pretty cute, Glenn thought. But a second later, he gave his head a subtle shake. Whatever, why am I even thinking about this?

"Launa," Mary called out again, looking at the older sister. "You go with Glenn, okay?"

"N-no, that's really not necessary, Grandma. I can go on my—"

"Just listen to what she says," Glenn cut in quickly, snapping up Launa's sentence with his deep, commanding voice. The words successfully made Launa shut her mouth tight.

Glenn glanced briefly at the watch on his wrist, then stared straight ahead—deliberately avoiding direct eye contact so she wouldn’t catch the nervous flutter in his eyes. "Lunch break ends and we're back on the clock in nine minutes," Glenn stated, his tone as cold as ice.

Launa looked down in defeat, squeezing her fingers which had suddenly gone ice-cold. "O-okay, Sir."

"Aheeeeemmmmmm!"

A super loud, drawn-out throat-clearing suddenly exploded from Jerry. Instantly, Glenn shot him a glare so lethal it felt like he was skinning his assistant alive.

Faced with that look, Jerry immediately put on an innocent face while massaging his neck. "Ouch, sorry, Boss. My throat suddenly hurts like hell, feels like a soybean got stuck in there," he making a wild excuse.

Mary just chuckled, amused by the interaction between the two young men. "Well then, I’ll be off first. Come along, Laura."

"Bye-bye, Launaaaaa!" Laura chirped, waving her little hand cheerfully.

Launa waved back, the anxious tension on her face relaxing just a bit. "Be careful, Laura. Walk slowly, and make sure you look after Grandma, okay?"

Glenn, standing right next to Launa, could only freeze in place, completely at a loss for words. His whole bad-boy aura was suddenly entirely paralyzed.

Once Mary and Laura’s steps completely vanished behind the exit door, the atmosphere between Glenn and Launa instantly shifted, turning incredibly thick and awkward. By pure accident, Glenn’s eyes locked right onto Launa’s almond ones. For the second time, his heart sent a massive flutter through his chest.

Panicked and utterly flustered, Glenn abruptly broke eye contact. He averted his gaze to the cafe ceiling while his fingers awkwardly rubbed his nose, even though it didn't itch at all.

Jerry, standing right behind them, could only hold in his laughter until his stomach cramped. He took a step forward, planting himself right between the two of them with a massive, mocking grin.

"So... why is everyone suddenly playing the quiet game? Are we actually going back to the office, or are we filming a silent movie here?" Jerry prodded intentionally, breaking the silence because he knew damn well that Glenn was currently having a major meltdown. For the first time in his entire life, Jerry was witnessing the great Glenn Ellsworth acting all clumsy and looking like a complete fool in front of a girl.

Glenn cleared his throat loudly, trying to salvage his shattered dignity. "Let's go," he snapped at Launa. His tone was cold, but his feet were already hurrying ahead of her.

Glenn walked in front, leading the way toward the cafe exit. However, the moment his hand reached the handle of the large glass door, his movements slowed. Instead of just barging out like he usually would with his arrogant attitude, Glenn held the door wide open with one hand, bracing his body to make space. He didn't look at Launa directly; instead, he glanced down at the floor, giving a subtle jerk of his chin for her to pass through first.

Seeing this, Launa froze for a split second, never expecting that the guy who had ruthlessly plowed into her in the lobby earlier could act like such a gentleman. Quickening her pace, Launa stepped through the door.

"Thank you, Sir."

"Mm," Glenn grunted through his teeth, still stubbornly staring in the other direction while his ears grew increasingly red.

Jerry, bringing up the rear, literally had to bite the inside of his lip so hard to keep his agonizing laughter from exploding right then and there. Once Launa was a few paces ahead of them toward the parking lot, Jerry brutally nudged Glenn’s arm.

"Aw, man! Look at our Young Master putting on an absolute masterclass in act of service today... sweet as cotton candy," Jerry mocked in a super annoying whisper.

Glenn clenched his jaw, shooting Jerry a bloodthirsty glare. "Shut your mouth before I kick you out of your assistant position," Glenn hissed sharply, which only made Jerry laugh even more triumphantly on the inside.

*****