Second Chance Soulmate: Engaged (Marked By Fate Series #1)

30: Low-Key

“Chavez said you need me here again, Sir Count?”

Discarding the file in his front, Count had to pinch the bridge of his nose to shake off the overwhelming feeling of succumbing to work, before he looked up to greet Maxien and tell the girl to get in and close the door.

“Yes. Will you please close that?”

Frowning, Maxien knew better than to disobey. She invaded the CEO's office after pushing the door back. She then walked inside and stopped in front of his furnished table, raising her brows in question, “For the nth time, I am here again. Really? Not to be ‘that’ person and a disrespectful employee to you, Mr. CEO—”

“Ah, yeah, I know I am disturbing you,” answered the defeated CEO, pushing himself slightly down in shame to be humbled by his own underling. “Am I supposed to say sorry?”

“I am glad you are aware, then!” She keened sarcastically, “Ah, kidding aside, Count, Boss. Why the hell do you keep on looking for me? I am literally a few tens of floors before the penthouse and this is such a hassle. But then, when I finally get here and sitting in the couch, you will just stay silent all the time and stare at my face like I have a disturbing mark, or something, as if you are laughing internally— wait, do I have any—”

“Nope,” Count immediately retaliated.

“If there is not any, then seriously, though, what is wrong with you today? Do you need something and perhaps you are just shy to tell?”

Ah, she seemed insistent.

But if he... told Maxien about the real deal, why he was suddenly so wary, why he wanted to see the girl's face every now and then to make sure she was still real and whole...

If he told her about the mail he received, the threats it included, and the possible harm and danger to Maxien's life because of being involved with March-Tech's most hated persona...

Count doubted that Maxien would even be all right after the revelation. She might panic? Maybe. She might run away? Probably. She might disappear? Under the stress and fatigue brought by paranoia, she most likely will.

“None, really,” Count shrugged.

Maybe it would be better off like this. Obliviousness from issues meant peace. On the other side of the equation, learning too much would mean more harm. If everything could stay unbeknownst to Maxien, then it would probably be the best choice Count could decide to.

“Perhaps do you just want to see my face?” As if a sudden struck if courage and confidence has suddenly hit her, Count did not expect the playful tone and teasing manner Maxien has suddenly unleashed. “You know, Count, if you want to, you could have asked. I could have let you take a picture because that will stay still forever and you can look at it as much as you want. Or we can move to this floor so the access will be much easier for you—”

“That reasoning of yours is kind of out of place and assuming, but I must admit that the last suggestion might be a good one, anyway,” said Count while nodding in agreement, “Should you take all your things from that floor, then, so you can move here with Hunter and me as soon as you can—”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait,” Maxien had to stop him and wave two hands in her front to dismiss the ongoing conversation because of a little making fun of the CEO, “Count, I am just joking.”

“Well, that is just you, but I am not. I have no time to joke and play around, you know.”

“Huh?”

“I have said it already, Max. I have a}approved your ‘request’, not because I really want to see your face every now and then, but because I am allowing you to do so as you please, whatever makes you happy. You can move in here and take an office for your own. The next rooms— the others, each and one of them, except mine and Hunter's, are all empty, anyway.”

“You mean, I will have to move here from our office? Completely? But... I am a part of the research and design team, and you know it, I am even a vital one at that. If I have to move, then it will still be a hussle for all of us. Why is it just me?”

“Because you and Hunter are the only people I want around? In addition, you thought of this yourself, so from now on, you will start staying at the room next to Hunter's.”

“Why, anyway? Aside from technically being your friend, why? And will that not be... unfair for everyone else in the building? Count, this is an obvious and blatant display of favoritism—"

“No, I think it is just fair, to be frank. I have noticed a lot of growth at the team when you arrived, each and one of them, including the projects and proposals especially made by you. You are an amazing worker, Alforque, all the bias aside. You can tell them that you are about to get promoted and you will be good to go—”

“No, I do not think that will go smoothly. Everyone knows how I am friends with you. This will turn out as a scandal regarding networking and connections. March-Tech will be in doom if you do this for me, unless I actually have something big to exploit, then I am not accepting this offer.”

“Come on, Max. I am not invalidating their hard works— never will I do such fraudulent thing to pull someone I like up. Their time will come if they continue to work hard and honestly, I guarantee you. There are just people who are especially made for the field, who has proved themselves earlier than the others for being deserving of it—”

“Count, no. That will not make me any more convinced that you are just acting like this because I am your friend and we are close. They will not believe such, too. You will just lose credibility and trust, believe me.”

“Then, what else can we do? If you do not want to be here alone to avoid unnecessary conflicts, then..."

“Oh, oh, I might know a thing!” The idea seemed... funny to her mind, but when it started to make sense as she continued, she thought, that might actually work, despite not knowing still why Count was too pushy to have her loud ass in the same d*mn floor... “Since this whole floor is empty, anyway, as you have said. Then, maybe I m can bring all of the research and design department with me in this floor? To support that initially weird idea, but the way, our floor... err... is not really in a good condition like everyone else's who can get enough break to put things together. You know, we are mostly neglected by the other department and we are one of the busiest, too, to even make improvements in our own workplace.”

“Hmm?” That was it! That was f*cking it! Count nodded eagerly and smiled victoriously, “It is settled, then. All of you will relocate in here.”

~

Well, was he not f*cked?

Aside from having a very sensitive sense of hearing, that one single shift and squeak of the sofa could distract him from his focus, he has also hated the presence of too many people in the workplace. That was why he chose isolation, away from the noisy world, alone in the penthouse with Hunter. But then, one attempt to keep a girl under his surveillance had him stumbling to raise the standard he had set to himself.

Ah, what else could be his option, though? The main goal was keep Maxien near inside the company. And then, some of his personal guards would follow her in secret to make sure she could go home safely. If Maxien would stay a few floors away, he could not guarantee his safety, despite March-Tech being a fully guarded place— when it comes to their enemy coming from the very interior, too, this would be his best possible resolve.

What the hell was he doing? He asked himself for the nth time that day. He wanted to literally palm his face roughly upon going along the rash of the situation and actually thinking of such a ridiculous plan.

“Lucien, my man. Did you see re commotion outside? Why are the research and design team suddenly pulling all their equipments until here— oh, f*ck?” Hunter's jaw slacked at the realization. Wait, wait a d*mn minute. Did Cough really... “Count Lucien, please do not tell me that you deadass told them to have a room in this floor— man, what are you up to?”

“Technically, no, I did not,” the CEO shook his head in disprove. Well, was he lying, though? It really was not him, “It is Maxien who suggested this.”

“Then, why would you say yes?”

“Hunter, she would not agree to go here alone and accept a promotion, unless she can bring the rest of her teammates. That being said, I allowed her to bring everybody just to keep her close.”

“You are out of your mind, Lucien. Oh, God. Are you really doing all this for a girl?”

“To be fair, Hunter, this is not simply because I want Maxien near, here, or just a few steps away to see,” Count hissed in defense, for he knew what Hunter was exactly thinking about right then. He could admit that it was one of the reasons he could think about for the sake of satisfying his indulgence, though, but it was not its entirety. “I have something else to tell you before you call me names and such.”

“Go on, maybe I will understand and even praise you for doing so,” Hunter frowned and settled on the CEO'a front, waiting for a further explanation to willingly try to weigh the matters in hand and make sense of Count's decisions.

“Earlier this day, I am sorry for not telling you as soon as we met this morning. But, I somehow opened my mails— took letters and all that I could. When I opened one, though, imagine my horror when I saw... me and Maxien, a picture of her wrist and mine taken from afar, and then a letter that threatens the girl's safety. The enemy is from here, I am so sure. So, for me, for us, to ensure she does not get harmed, I need her to get the closest possible. a few floors from here will not do, will still our her to risk.”

“I will show you each letter later. Send it to the investigator and gather any evidence as you can. If there are clues, make sure to take every note. This can not go on like this forever. And now, they are about to get yet another person involved.”

From that point in time when Hunter agreed to him and promised just too that he would do his best to work behind Count in watching Maxien, Count has decided to finalize his plan to actually watch over the girl and calculate each of his moves for Maxien's extensive protection.

All of the preparation inside and out of March-Tech, the conditioning and shifts he has done in the girl's schedules so Maxien would always need to report to him, while preventing any interaction between the two of them in an open wide, outside his room, outside the floor, and the company. In order to make an illusion and delude people into thinking that they were not really that close to begin with to the point that any of them would sacrifice their life for the other's sake, Count has worked his urges to smile at her in public.

And so, there they went when it began.

The building's penthouse that was initially only designated we his and Hunter's own world, with previously empty and unused rooms slowly getting filled of dust, has now become now loud and happy, has turned to a palooza from looking like the most haunted part of the company.

The little noises screeching and nearly making his ears bleed and hurt were hell, though— especially at first. He kept on getting distracted, he kept on getting annoyed and nearly yelling at them, if only he did not try his very best to contain himself inside his own office.

Gladly, as each hour and day passed by in a blue, the next moment he knew, he was gradually doing just fine living with it.

When the next day finally came, it was not a huge surprise to the CEO when he arrived, only to find out that the whole team has actually finished fixing their new workplace in only one day.

With the way those people are good excited and thrilled upon knowing, that they almost crushed Count in a group hug when they met at the hallway. With the way they all collectively agreed right then to stay for a few more hours in March-Tech in order to finish the preparations for the next day, so it would go smoothly and readily.

And then, the next day, for the first time in the forever Count could barely recall, aside from Maxien, people has taken courage to actually ride the same elevator as him. The team smiled at him from afar and waved hello, respectfully gestured for the CEO to wait for them untilt hey were in. Gleefully, they chatted in front of him and even tried to include him in the conversation with continuous questions he guessed were examples in getting to know queries.

They were great people...

That morning, Maxien was probably late— has woken up late or has gotten in the midst of a traffic jam, Count could not tell. So, when he arrived and not captured a sight of the running girl with a cup of coffee in her hands, he thought he would be alone in the ride towards the penthouse. But then, all throughout, he did not really end up by himself and until he stepped off the platform.

Heck, before he could even step inside his own office, he was once again greeted with loud cheers and grateful shouts from Maxien's colleagues.

It was a brand new experience to Could, and hech, did it feel so f*cking good and he could not seem to find the right word to explain how satisfied and glad he was.

~

“Sir Count, hey, coffee?” Maxien arrived in no time, just a few minutes from when Count managed to sit down his swivel chair with a small but genuien smile in his face.

It has been more than one week already since they went there.

The CEO then happily accepted the cup Maxien was offering, then gestured the girl to take a seat, in which she did without complaint.

“All of us wants to thank you. I have already explained your reason why we were suddenly told to use this floor, with a little lie, of course. Our floor has the weakest ventilation and we always grasp for air, or sweat, to be honest, so this new place is so cool! We are grateful.”

“Is the whole team satisfied?”

“Yes. And we will start to work even harder than we do before, too, to prove you that we are worth it to be allowed in the very own space you are selfish about,” chuckled Maxien, “they are... uh, how do I say this. Planning a dinner to celebrate this. The reason why I came alone to tell, I am not disclosing with you. But they... want me to invite you? If you would like to?”

“Oh? Then, who am I to say no? Of course! Me and Hunter will be there.”