His Kept Woman

The world was a canvas of inky black, punctuated only by the faintest sliver of pre-dawn light seeping through the gap in Loui's curtains. Silence, heavy and suffocating, reigned in her small apartment, a silence shattered brutally by the insistent shriek of her phone. "Loui!!!"

The voice on the other end was a frantic, high-pitched counterpoint to the quietude. Loui, her throat raw with sleep, mumbled a protest, "Ano ba, Jenna? It's too early to be this loud."

Jenna's response was a torrent of urgent words, a verbal assault that ripped through the remaining vestiges of Loui's slumber. "Ano ka ba, Loui? Wake up! You'll be late for work!!"

"It's still 4 AM. What late? It's still dark outside—" Loui's drowsy attempt at reason was cut short.

"Anong 4 AM?! It's 7:35! The CEO will be here any minute! If I were you, I'd forget the shower and just run!" Jenna's words were a jolt, a shot of adrenaline straight to Loui's heart.

Loui's eyes flew open, the realization hitting her with the force of a physical blow. She snatched at the clock on her bedside table, the glowing numbers confirming Jenna's terrifying announcement: 7:35 AM. "Damn! I didn't hear my alarm!" The words were a breathless whisper, swallowed by the sudden, chaotic rush of adrenaline that propelled her from the bed. She was a blur of motion, a whirlwind of limbs and tangled dark hair, already halfway to the bathroom, the phone still pressed to her ear. "Don't hang up," she gasped, the sound of running water a frantic counterpoint to Jenna's continued, urgent pronouncements, "Keep me updated. I don't want to arrive after the CEO."

With her hair still slightly damp and her clothes a little rumpled, Loui left her apartment. The crisp morning air hit her face as she stepped onto the sidewalk. She broke into a jog as she spotted the familiar glass tower of her office building in the distance.

"Fck! Fck!" The words were a ragged breath, barely audible above the pounding of her own heart. Sweat slicked her palms as she sprinted towards the glass doors of the office building, the polished surface reflecting her frantic face. The security guard, a man whose smile seemed permanently etched onto his features, greeted her with a cheerful, "Good morning, Miss Costa!" She managed a strained smile in return, a fleeting grimace before she thrust her ID card into the scanner, the mechanical whir a jarring counterpoint to the frantic rhythm of her escape.

She burst into the hallway, a whirlwind of tailored suit and tangled blonde hair. The elevator doors slid open, a momentary haven in the steel and glass labyrinth. She plunged inside, her breath catching in her throat. Then, a chilling reflection in the polished steel – a figure, dark and indistinct, mirrored in the elevator's depths.

She whirled around, her heart leaping into her throat, the cheerful greeting dying on her lips. "G-g-good morning," she stammered, her voice trembling, the final syllable lost in a strangled gasp. The reflection remained, a silent, menacing presence, its features obscured by the shadows and the tremor in her vision.

The elevator ascended, and he finally spoke, his voice a gentle, melodious "How are you, Loi?" a question that stirred a wave of unexpected emotion within her as she met his longing gazed that mirrored the tenderness in his tone.

Before she could respond the elevator swung open at the floor of which where she was designated, with a disappointed look she smiled at him and bowed her head as she step out. "I'm fine, Mr. Beaumont" She turn her back from him and walked towards her table.

As she sat down and organized her table someone approached her with a smile on their face, "So nakita mo na si Mr. CEO?" Jenna asked suddenly which made jump in shock

"Ikaw ha, nakita ko yun kanina" Jenna giggles as she teased her friend "It's a form of respect, jenna and obvi naman na he's the CEO."

"From the company name itself, Beau Corporation" she paused as she acted like she's posting a poster on the air "And Mr. Beaumont is the only heir of the Beau Corp." She continued.

"Okay sabi mo eh" usisa naman ng kaibigan nito. Jenna turned to leave but she remembered something, "Ay oo nga pala, before i forgot pinapasabi nga pala ng director na during your first day at work pumunta ka sa office ni Mr. Beaumont para magpakilala—"

"Yan pala ang dapat kong sabihin bakit ako napunta sayo" She said and smiled giddly knowing her friend loui and mr. beaumont had a mutual denial feelings for each other in the past.