Hope: Simple Love

Chapter Five

"Good morning, Miss Loyola."

"Good morning, ma'am."

My co-workers from the Accounting Department greeted me with their smiles, yawns, and zombie faces. I didn't know why they all look like that but yesterday was Sunday, there's no work for weekends so, looking at them that tired, makes me wonder if we were both working at the same department. I smiled at each one of them as I passed by on their cubicles while holding a tumbler full of coffee.

I walked directly to my office and greeted by my secretary, Aliah. Her desk was just outside of my door office. She immediately stand up when she saw me. I smiled at her and she smiled at me back.

"Good morning, Miss Ada. The Financial President give you a new schedule for today."

I raised my eyebrows at her. She grabbed her iPad and immediately stand to my side. She opened the glass door for me.

"Thank you and good morning, too. Isn't the President out of the country for two weeks?"

I glanced at her while walking to my desk. She nodded her head and look at her iPad. I took off my white trench coat and hang it to the rack at the corner of my wide office. I am now wearing a white blouse with puffs shoulders and white ribbon on chest that I partnered with my brown bandage pencil skirt. I looked at my secretary who is wearing a women's gray slack and white short sleeves polo with black buttons. I shake my head and walk to my desk.

It was made of thick glasses with black colored. The glass name plates at the front of my desk was an eye catching. I used a cleared glass for it and gold cursive letters for my names and position. The office was almost as big as my condo's master bedroom. It has two three-seater black couch and one-seater at the middle with a transparent glass table at the center. There's a comfort room where you can also take a bath. There's a small pantry where I can get my own coffee and a two door fridge where all my foods and snacks were stored. There's lamp on four corners of the room and a small simple chandelier in the center of my office. The walls are made of thick glasses where I can see my co-workers outside but I bet they can't see what I am doing inside. There's also some plants and abstract paintings on walls to add some colors to the office.

"Yes, ma'am. But he ordered Miss Jane, his secretary, to forward the file on your email the new project proposals that the department of marketing made since last month. He wants your review remarks on it and approval on their budgets."

I sit on my swivel chair and leaned down to take the lock of my black wedge heels shoes. I shakes my head at Aliah.

"The Financing Department should be working on that. Why are they passing that work on me?"

I kicked my heels under the table and get a comfortable slipper before tying my hair up and wear my anti-radiation glasses.

"Unfortunately, miss, the Head of the Financing Department was on a vacation leave for two weeks."

In short, my whole week was hell. I reviewed five proposals with their budgeted capital that was made by my co-workers, the reason why they look like zombies. I also made some financial reports and the financial statements of every investors, and board of directors. The customers statement of accounts are made by my subordinates and I just reviewed them all for any corrections and clarifications.

I stayed at my office for two consecutive nights. I asked my brother, Markaire, to pack some clothes to me and he brought it to my office.

"Why is your office lights all on?" I heard the sound of the lights being turned off.

I hurriedly shake my head when I saw the corners of my office became dark and only the lamp on my table is on.

"Turn it on! All of it, please.."

Even though he was looking at me with a weird eyes, he still followed my orders and open the lights. I sighed when I saw the lights filling my office.

Even Lynangel and Aliah gets curious on how I like my room with lights now. They did asked me why I changed but I just shrugged it off like nothing. I can't afford to bring myself saying stuffs like I'm not sane anymore.

When the second night he brought my clothes, he said something that makes my headaches aches more.

"Mother said that you should come home this Friday night. She will cook your favorite food, so she's excited to see you after months."

I sighed and continue on typing on my computer. I saw him move from my peripheral vision. He sat down on the couch and picked out his phone on his pocket. I stopped typing and lean my back on the swivel chair. I looked at him and sigh again.

"I told you to not tell anything to mother."

"I didn't. She just happened to have a big telepathic power to tell what's going on. Besides, you rarely answer her texts and calls. She always rants about that," he said it and looks at me to frown.

I roll my eyes and stand up to go to my pantry to get some coffee. It was almost nine in the evening and I still not done with my work.

"She just want you to stay there for the weekends and spend the day like before."

I just shake my head and sip on my coffee. He stayed for an hour after he ordered some food for my dinner. I woke up in the next morning because of my secretary. I went to the bath and changed into the clothes Markaire brought yesterday night. I was brushing my teeth when my mind suddenly remembers Alpheaus' face.

I stopped brushing my teeth and lean on the sink. Take out my phone that's on the rack and open it to just look at his phone number. I stared at it for a few moments and almost jump when someone knocked on the bathroom's door.

"Miss?" Aliah's voice echoed in the bathroom.

I finished brushing my teeth. I took a face towel and wipe my face.

"Yes?"

I opened the door and looked at my secretary who's face is now in a distorted state. I tilted my head when my line of sight passed on her shoulders and see a man sitting on my couch. His back was what I'm looking right now. His hair was a bit longer on his neck and his shoulders was quite wide. He was sitting with his one arm widely spread on the backrest. I saw his head slowly turning on my way.

"I'm sorry, miss. We're not informed that he will-"

I walked passed on my secretary and handed her my towel. I straighten my red polo short sleeves using my hands. I straighten my shoulders and put a small smile on my bare lips before walking on the single couch.

"I thought you're in a vacation," I sit on the couch and crossed my legs as I looked at this man, "Mr. Kaiser."

Luke Kaiser, the head of the Financing Department, grin at me arrogantly. I looked at his face down to his widely open legs. I looked at me secretary who just went out of the bathroom. I called her name to get her attention.

"Aliah," she turned her body to me as she closed the door, "Please get ready my breakfast and the snacks for my unwanted visitor."

I glanced at Luke and smile a bit. My secretary nodded her head and immediately went out of my office. When silence filled the room, I looked at Luke in his eyes.

"What business do you have with me?" I sighed and lazily sit on the couch.

Luke groan in a teasingly way which makes me frown at him. He puts down his hands on his lap and lean his body to my direction while looking at my face.

If I have known him for three years, I will feel really nervous at the way he stares. I raised my eyebrows and looked at him. I saw how his messy hair styled with some curls on the ends, covering his not-so wide forehead. His nose was long and tall making his cheeks to protrude and his small angled clean jaw. His small lips curving into a smile and pair of black narrowed eyes, make him looks suspicious.

"Wow, didn't know that your confidence was almost here," he leveled his hand just above his forehead, "talking to me with a bare face. Wow. You're quite amazing huh?"

I watched him do some funny faces as if he was really amazed by something unnecessary. I unfolded my legs and looked at him seriously while smiling abit.

"If you'd wait for two hours, then, I'll make sure to put an extravagant make up for you."

He looks at me as if I just blurted a ridiculous words. He laughed awkwardly and loud that it echoes to my lighted office. I looked outside the glass walls and see some of my co-workers on their respective cubicles. I looked at the wall clock just in line with me.

"It's just a joke, Ada. You really-"

"Please, let's not make a joke to each other. We are not close enough to joke," I tilted my head to him and pursed my lips into a line.

He coughed a bit and just sit on the couch until my secretary went in. I watched Alliah put a pair of club sandwhich and a cup of brown coffee on my side. The aroma of the coffee filled the room. I hear my stomach make a quiet sound inside my belly. She put a glass of water on Luke. Luke looked at it with a funny face. I murmured my thanks to Aliah and dismissed her.

"You still haven't changed huh? I remember you're always giving this," he tap the glass with his knuckles and chuckles like a madman, "to person you don't like."

"If you know that much, why don't you leave this office of mine and give me a peaceful breakfast?"

I put the club sandwhich and took a bite before putting it back to its plate. Then, I gently picked my cup of coffee and smelled it. It suddenly calm my nerves.

"I know you will said that. Well, I have a meeting soon so I will get my point."

I sipped on my coffee while looking at him over my cup. He took a brown envelope that was sitting besides him. My eyebrows twitched. I didn't notice that envelope earlier. I put down my coffee first and nods at him.

He took a thick of papers and put it down on the glass center table. He then turned the papers and slide it to my directions. I looked at it and read the front page.

"The Silverline Project."

"Yes, that's the project you rejected on Monday."

I glanced at Luke then picked up the papers. I lick my index paper and turned the pages after reading some familiar clauses.

"You said that you won't approved the budget for this project. All the departments already approved this project, and only you, who rejected this. Why?"

I raised my eyebrows and put down the papers. I sip on my coffee again before looking at him.

"You don't read my remarks, don't you?" I shake my head in disappointment and continue drinking my coffee.

"I read it, okay? I read it," he glares at me before leaning his body and point at the papers infront of me, "You said that the budget was unreasonable and the assumpted profit was lower than the risk of this project. But in fact, the profit was higher than 20% than the risk-"

"Mr. Kaiser," I called his name to cut off his sentence, "I'll explain it to you since a piece of sticky notes that listed my reasons doesn't satisfy your brain."

He nods his head as if he was really curious on what I will said. I pointed the paper the same way as he did earlier.

"This project has two contractual companies. The first company, ABC Corporation, has announced its Financial of Statements last month, saying that it lost 2% of its profit, while the second company, DEF Partnerships, stated its latest Statement of Account with .5% loss on the owner's profits."

He nodded his head while listening to my explanations.

"I already know that before prospecting them to sign the contract. Its already-"

"But don't you consider the facts that for the last seven months, ABC Corp. already losts four major investors, and DEF Partnerships already experiencing a 23% of loss since the beginning of the year."

He clicked his tongue in annoyance. I shake my head on him and bite on my sandwhich.

"You really thorough, huh?" he said it in a sarcastic way, "This project will hit big. The partnered companies' liabilities are still below the average."

"So, what's your point now?"

"Approved this project."

I laughed at him for his ridiculously words.