Starting Fresh (Lorica Series #1)

Chapter 15

The next day, Tovi went to work and saw Cole and Sandy having coffee at the coffee table in their office.

"Good morning, Sir and Ma'am," she greeted them politely.

Sandy gave her a smile. "Good morning!"

Cole didn't glance at Tovi and remained his eyes on his coffee. "Good morning."

Tovi sat down on her chair and started her work. She took side glances at Cole who was also glancing at her in secret as Sandy tells him a story about her makeup getting ruined this morning. Cole wasn't interested in Sandy's stories and he kind of wished that he could just disappear in front of Sandy's sight.

"By the way, where did you go the other night? Did you really go straight home? You seemed like you're in a hurry that night," Sandy said as she sipped on her cup of coffee.

"Ramon called me. Job-related," Cole said. He took the magazines from the magazine rack and opened it to pretend reading it.

"Oh I see," she said then she stood up and picked her empty cup then lent it to Tovi. "Throw this, please."

Tovi stared at Sandy then she glanced over at the trash can which was just beside the couch where Sandy and Cole were sitting.

"The trash can is over there, Ma'am," Tovi said in a polite way as she gestured her hand to point at the trash can.

"I just told you to throw the damn empty cup on the trash can. Don't patronize me!"

Cole watched Tovi rolling her eyes. When she was about to pick up the empty can, Sandy withdrew it away from her.

"Did you just roll your eyes on me?" she said, her eyebrows arched.

Tovi sighed. "Look, I am not someone who you can just order me around because of your laziness. Just because you're dating my boss doesn't give you the right to order me around like this."

Sandy scoffed as her mouth hung open. "You're unbelievable!"

Tovi just shrugged her shoulders while giving her a stare then she sat down and faced the computer. Sandy gritted her teeth as she glared at Tovi. She picked Cole's cup of one fourth of coffee then poured it all over Tovi's files on the desk. Tovi gasped then stood up abruptly, avoiding the coffee spilling on her peach dress. But her eyes were fixed on the papers that she had to submit to Ramon, which now has a black liquid on it.

Cole stood up then grabbed the cup from Sandy's hand. "What were you thinking?"

Sandy's mouth hung as she looked at Cole. "She was bossing me! Didn't you hear her?"

"Those papers are important for my Dad. She's going to get fired," Cole said, anger on his voice.

Sandy crossed her arms across her chest and her chin raised. "Don't you think that's a good thing?"

Cole scoffed as Tovi picked the papers and was separating them to dry them.

"Why are you defending her?" she asked.

Cole was caught off guard. He didn't utter a word.

"Cole, you're no longer a free man and you're going to get married with me next month. That means, you are not allowed to have other women that you can flirt to in this office or anywhere you go! The deal was already taken care of. Get on the boat or you'll lose all your assets and you might end up like your older brother," she said then she walked out, her high-heeled shoes sounded as she stepped out of Cole's office.

Tovi's eyes glistened as she stared at the papers that she knew that she was going to lose her job forever. She just got here a week ago then she was just going to lose because of this?

Cole stared at her with his inner corners of eyebrows angled upward. But Tovi didn't give up. She knew that she could just retype everything and reprint it all. She just has to clear out or atleast fade the black liquid on the papers in order for her to read it again.

Cole was surprised when Tovi kept moving despite her eyes welled up with tears. She exhaled then she began lining up every paper on a clean table. She hung some of it on the magazine rack, removed the magazines and newspapers from it and placed it to an empty shelf.

"What are you doing?" Cole asked.

"Drying these papers so that I can still read them," Tovi answered.

"Then give it to my Dad?"

"No. I'll retype it all then print it again. I don't care if I have to buy the whole set of bond papers again with my salary."

Cole put his hand in his pocket then lent Tovi his credit card. "Use this."

Tovi scoffed at him. "I don't need your money. Plus, your fiancée may be back anytime and will catch you helping me. That will just make my situation worse and possibly, your father firing my ass."

Cole withdrew the credit card and put it back in his pocket. "Let me atleast help you."

Tovi caught her breaths while she was placing the bond papers on the clean carpet then she glanced at Cole. "I need a hair blower."

Cole nodded. "You got it." He headed towards the door then Tovi stood up.

"Hey!" Cole stopped by the glass door and glanced back at Tovi.

"Thanks," Tovi said then she gave him a smile.

Cole's lips slightly trembled as the sight of Tovi smiling sincerely at him made his heart flutter. Tovi on the other hand, felt the same way.

Cole left while Tovi sighed and looked down at her feet. She felt like Cole was feeling the same way as hers but she couldn't fall for him harder. But how could she if Cole keeps doing things like this to her?