Love at the Nth Time

The Brave Pushover

Chapter 22

It had been a week since I last visited Mr Tim's company. I came merely for business. Besides the idle time I spent with Seth, I had no other reason to show my face, since it's almost an hour from home to the place. More importantly, the sun hassled me, and I had to go to the restroom every time to redo my light make-up before stepping my foot at Seth's office, or else she'd nag me to do something about my fatigue looks or leave the company.

I knocked on her office door. It was locked, and no one was answering it. I messaged Seth about her whereabouts. Should I head straight to the conference room?

"Ah, you are Celine, right?" I averted my gaze at Chinnie. I faced her and nodded.

"Yeah, where is Seth?"

"She's in the exhibit." She spoke in Tagalog. Her accent was natural. I guessed she's half Filipino and speaking of the exhibit. I remembered last night, whilst busy on the online training, Seth mentioned it during our video call. It's merely a topic she cut in as our conversation was filled with her complaints about her management job in her dad's company.

"Can you tell her I stopped by?" She nodded and smiled a little, more like a force one or shy? That was why I couldn't leave yet. I thought she had something to tell me.

"Sure. May I ask you something?"

"What is it?" I smiled softly. Seth liked her. She seemed like a good girl, so who was I to behave in opposition towards whatever relationship they were in?

She touched her curly brownish hair, where the tip almost levelled her waist.

"I'm planning to cut my hair shorter, similar to yours. Do you think it is okay? I don't want others to think I'm copying your appearance."

"Pft. Haha, it is fine. There is a lot of short hair, the same as my hairstyle." She laughed awkwardly, and it made me awkward too. I looked the other way. I did not mind at all. Maybe, if she also copied the hair colour. "Oh, why are you planning to cut it? Your long hair suits you." Her eyes lowered.

"Uhm, Seth could easily get attracted to short-haired girls."

Eh?

"Ah! What I mean is, t-that's what she said," Chinnie stuttered. My eyebrows furrowed till my eyes rolled to the other side.

Huh? Since when had she been picky about hairstyles? Seth was only playing difficult, whatever hairstyle, as long as it met her standard, and it'd begin the game. A game, as I called it, admitting I wasn't innocent when it came to choosing to date more good-looking guys than the average. Though, Ryan ended my confidence to start over.

I stared at the white tiled floor of the hallway. "It looks like you have a crush on your boss, ha?" I smiled at her.

"W, what's your relationship, by the way? How did you meet each other?" I mentioned to her about the business we offered to her dad. It's odd, but she joined only because of a short interest, which died eventually.

"Are you two just friends?" I stared at her with confusion, recalling that Seth had introduced me to her as a friend. I nodded.

"Why?" She shook her head.

"It's nothing. I guess you're just that close. That's why Seth could give time, even with her tight schedule." My heart skipped a beat. If Chinnie did not notice, I wouldn't either.

I eyed way, thinking we became used to it somehow.

*On call… Seth

"Then Gina invited me over. I was still not feeling well at that time. My stomach is in bad condition. I bet she thought I was a snob." Seth's co-models at H&M were all their talks about the young model of FHM. Clueless what she looked like, and now, curiosity drove my hand to look Gina up on the internet.

"Ah. Did you poop?"

"What?" I laughed.

"You said your stomach was hurting. You may need to, you know." Seth laughed loudly. I smiled after hearing her beautiful laughter. Her voice was a little deep, and her purely British accent made her more charming.

"Crazy. Yeah, I did." We laughed.

Unmindful of the reasons we had time to update each other's life events, I'd instead choose not to think more about it as it'd get me anxious if we'd missed a single day of connection.

Message

Celine: Good morning! Hey, I'll visit your company later. Are you there?

She's not answering her phone. It's only ringing.

As I arrived at the company of Mr Tim, I saw Seth walking with Chinnie towards the entrance. I walked behind them as she opened the door for Chinnie, then she saw me.

"Hey, you came." She suddenly let go of the door handle, and her arm hung around me. I held onto her arm as she pulled me away and let Chinnie enter the building first. Seth smelled nice, yet it did not make up for how she dragged me.

"What?" Our eyes met. Close enough to feel her warmth.

"Boss and Secretary — a sexy thing, right?" I gasped, facing her.

"Are you crazy? I thought you didn't involve your love life with your work?" She faced away and loosened her grip around me.

"Yeah, but she won't be my secretary for long anyway." Don't tell me.

"Did something happen between you two?" Her eyes widened. She strangled me.

"Ahh! Ack, let m-me go!"

"Stupid! I won't lay a single finger on someone I'm working with!"

"W-why are you not responding to my texts?" She moved away from me. It's unusual, and it's normal when we ask about it.

"Oh, I forgot my phone in the unit. Don't have time to take it."

"Ah." I took my backpack behind me and handed her the certificate as one of the top earners in our business.

"You look like you're a student with that much stuff." She took it and stared at me.

"Yeah, I'll go overnight with sis to one of our business partners. I'll go straight there after this." She scanned me.

"Your get-up sucks." I glared at her.

"You don't care." My usual outfit was wearing a loose T-shirt, black jeans, and flat shoes.

"Seth, you need to be in the manager's lounge later." We gazed at Chinnie, standing at the door of the entrance building.

"Yeah, I will! I'm coming." Seth shoved the certificate at me. I scowled.

"It's your certificate."

"I don't need it."

"Just take it!" I thrust it at her, but she put it in my hand and ruffled my hair roughly, saying,

"Keep it. Bye!" She laughed and ran towards Chinnie. What a rude lesbian. My comb's at the very bottom of my backpack.

I sighed heavily and sauntered towards the roadway. The overnight jammed with other business partners where our purpose was mainly to discuss anything possible regards business. It's sickening as it's always the same over and over again. As if the enjoyment of watching a movie that carried a real-life lesson to teach people aimed for success forced me to entertain myself the same as the specific movie I'd enjoy. So to speak, the 24 hours a day of my time consumed by learning and training that successful people offered for the dreamers devoured me whole to the point of missing the other surface of the coin and its sides.

10:47 pm

*Calling… Seth

I watched the other people converse and their attention on their phones. I answered the call, "Why?"

"Mark your Sunday. I have a runway in Metrowalk at 8 pm."

"Wah, I have an important event to attend. I also have-"

"I don't care. Just come!" Feet rose and walked outside the room. I started to get irritated at how Seth treated me, another person who kept telling me what to do besides my sister.

"Since when did you become bossy?"

"Celine," her firm voice echoed in my ear, and it emptied my emotions.

"If you don't come, I'll pick you up wherever you are. It's not an ordinary day. Didn't I tell you all about it last week again and again?"

"Ah, yeah." Feet strode through the main door of the house and stood outside.

"See? You must come. I need someone to bring my stuff."

"What?! Where's your secretary??"

"She'll be my escort, dummy."

"Oh, Win hasn't come back yet?

"Yeah, he extended his leave. I bet he found a new boyfriend."

"Whoa, good for him," I replied and smiled as I remembered the never-ending whining of Win over the stockpile of work he needed to do. Yes, he's the personal secretary of Seth, who Mr Tim hired for the company's production, but he's also assisting Seth's personal and admin work on her career in Fashion.

"Right, don't you dare not to come. Got it?"

"What am I, your maid? Yeah, I'll go." Seth did not respond for a few seconds.

"Good. Bye-" said Seth, then dropped the call. Maybe she's busy. The runway event would be held by Mr Tim's production team. Sometimes, I wondered how wealthy their family was.