Between Hate and Love

Chapter 3

Khal’s voice had bafflement and ridicule when he asked me the question. He was right. I graduated as a biology major. I had my master’s degree while working in the US. Applying to his company seemed to be out of track.

Sa tingin ko, alam naman ni Khal ang rason kung bakit ako nandito. He was smart. But still, he wanted to ask me. He wanted it to come out of my mouth.

“Ms. Reyes,” Khal stated, getting my attention.

I just literally spaced out in front of him.

I clenched my fist and stared directly into his eyes. “I want to experience new things,” I said. I know I wasn’t being honest, but I couldn’t tell him, ‘I want to get you back,’ because that would be really inappropriate.

“I see,” he said, tapping his fingers on his desk.

I stared at him.

He was wearing eyeglasses, and I swear, it made him look hotter!

His lips were naturally pink, and his face looked more mature, but it suited him. He looked a bit stressed though, like he wasn’t sleeping perfectly. Probably not getting the eight hours of sleep that he always loved. I had the urge to ask him if he was sleeping right, and if he was eating properly, or drinking more than three liters of water per day.

But I pursed my lip.

Sino ba ako para tanungin ang mga ‘yon?

“Do you think you’re qualified for this task? Or do you even know the things that you’ll do once you get accepted here?”

I nodded. “Y-yes… I actually believe that I am more than qualified for this job. I know how things work. I tend to your needs, fix your schedule, do paperwork – which I am very much used to,” I answered simply.

Khal smirked.

“You see, we have contracts here. You’ll basically work for me for a year, and we’ll see if we’ll extend that. The contract will be discussed further once you get in,” he stated. I just kept nodding, understanding what he was saying.

I didn’t expect him to be this… formal. Like he did not know me. Parang walang nangyari sa’min noong isang linggo lang. Or maybe it really did not matter to him.

My tears were starting to well up, so I looked around the room.

It was perfectly clean. He didn’t have many furnishings inside, but he had everything he needed. There was a huge bookshelf loaded with different books, a receiving area in the office room where there were three solo couches, and a center table. He had a kitchen-like setup on the other side of the office where he had his own coffee machine and stocks of coffee, creamer, and sugar.

It finally made me smile.

He was really a fan of coffee since then.

When my eyes went back to him, he was staring at me. As our eyes locked, he cleared his throat and shook his head.

“Ms. Reyes, can you confidently assure us that you won't depart when faced with challenges? It's a common occurrence for individuals to desire something eagerly, only to relinquish it easily upon realizing the effort required to maintain it.”

I pursed my lips… He looked at me straight in the eyes while asking that question. It was as if he was staring into my soul. Ang bigat ng tanong na iyon at parang hindi lang sa trabaho ‘yung sinasabi niya.

“Uhm… I actually understand your concern. But I want to assure you that I am fully committed to overcoming any challenges that may arise. I believe in facing difficulties head-on and finding solutions rather than giving up easily…” my voice cracked. I couldn’t imagine myself saying that, after what I had done to him. But I continued speaking, because this time, my mind was clear and I was better than before… than before I left him. “ I am prepared to put in the effort and perseverance required to succeed.”

Khal smirked. He clapped… A slow clap. “Wow,” he said in a mocking tone. “For someone like you, I did not expect that answer.”

I did not have time to process what just happened because he immediately asked me to get him a cup of coffee.

My brows raised. “Huh?”

“You want this job badly, right? Go, move. Now.”

I was accepted?

I got up from the seat and immediately moved to make him a cup of coffee, but he stopped me. “No, no one should touch that. Get me coffee downstairs. We have a cafeteria. If you need anything, ask Rebecca.”

I nodded and got on the move. I immediately went to Rebecca and asked where the cafeteria was. She brought me there, and from there, I immediately went to where the coffee machine was.

After making the coffee, I brought it to his office.

I found Khal doing some paperwork. So I asked where I should put his coffee. He just raised his head and took the coffee from my hand. He sipped it and looked at me as he shook his head.

“You made it one-to-one?” he asked. I nodded because I thought he still wanted that. Whenever he would make coffee before, he would put in a teaspoonful of coffee and a teaspoonful of sugar in an almost filled cup of water. Sometimes, he would put a creamer, but usually, he wouldn’t.

“Yes… I thought you still make your coffee like that,” I honestly said.

“Make another one. One and a half teaspoonful of coffee, one teaspoonful of sugar, and a half teaspoon of creamer,” he said.

So, I obliged.

Before I could even leave, he said, “Forget what you know about me. I don’t know you and you don’t know me,” he said. And I guess, that was the most hurtful words that I’ve heard from him all throughout the day.

First, it was coffee. Then, his meal. Soon after, a barrage of paperwork awaited my attention, demanding endless photocopying. The workload seemed ceaseless, leaving me scarcely a moment to catch my breath. Each task completed only seemed to be swiftly replaced by two more demands from him.

But I endured. It was just my first day, and I was certain that this was just the beginning of it.

Well, at least, I was his personal assistant now.