CEO'S GIRLFRIEND IS AN AGENT

LET THE MASQUERADE BEGIN

Georgina had never gone undercover before but Agent Espinosa was persistent. He invited Georgina for dinner in his condominium unit, which is just next to Georgina's, and persuaded her to do it.

“Come on, George. Don’t think of it like going undercover. “ Ricky wrapped the lettuce in the meat and put it in his mouth. He swallowed and continued, “You’ll work in the office. You’ve done it before. You don’t even need to change your name, act, put on a show, or anything.”

Ricky is Georgina’s 40-year-old Senior Agent. His skin is fair but has visible pores and acne scars. His arms also got marks and scars, some of which he got from his job. Agent Espinosa always boasts about his Spanish origin, noting his pointed nose, light brown eyes, and excessive body hair.

Georgina does not know why, but according to some people in their office, Ricky has been single for more than three years. They knew he had been dating someone before and was supposed to marry the woman, but somehow, they called the wedding off. He has not dated anyone since.

Georgina used to be scared of Ricky. He is six feet and two inches tall, he seldom smiles, and his modulated voice is deep and low. To add to that, he was scolding a junior agent when she first met him. However, when they started to work on an assignment together, Georgina’s perception of Ricky changed. He was strict with the junior at the time because life was at stake and he believed the junior agent acted carelessly. He rarely smiles because the weight of his job and his life experiences have taken a toll on him.

Ricky’s parents passed away in a car accident during his last year in college, leaving him and a younger sister who was only fourteen at the time. He has to work part-time to support their needs. Georgina knew too well how hard it is to lose both parents at a young age. Her mother was diagnosed with cervical cancer and died a few months after her university graduation. Two years later, his father died from a brain aneurysm. Georgina has no other siblings and has been living on her own since. She believed that’s one of the reasons why Ricky has a soft spot for her.

The sizzling sound of soda from the bottle being opened brought Georgina’s thoughts back to the present.

“But sir, we have other undercover agents who can do the job better than I do.” Georgina stuffed her mouth with meat. In between chewing, she said, “Calix hasn’t taken a job for a while.”

Ricky shook his head. He flipped the meat on the grill with tongs, then he shook his head. “Calixto is taking some time off. His wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. During her check-up, they found out she was also pregnant with their second child. “ He waved his chopsticks in the air. “He won’t be taking serious cases for a while.”

Georgina nodded her head. She acknowledges Agent Calix’s complex situation at home. “How about Gab?”

Ricky slammed his hand on the wooden table. “Haist! Agent Angeles, why do I feel like you are disrespecting me?”

Georgina looked at her superior, her chopsticks stuck in her mouth. “Sir…”

Ricky has never called Georgina by her surname outside of office hours. Although he is Georgina’s superior, they treat each other as friends outside work. Georgina tried to gauge the emotion displayed in her superior’s facial expression. Although he wasn’t laughing, there wasn't a crease between his brows. One corner of his lips was also upturned as if suppressing a smile. And while Ricky was looking directly at her, she could tell that his stare got past her shoulders.

“You’ve already passed their recruitment process. All you need to do is appear and work with the CEO.”

Georgina knew that Ricky was bluffing and feigning anger. Nevertheless, Georgina admitted defeat. She knew that the matter had already been decided by those sitting in the upper position anyway.

“Working as an EA is easy. Working while investigating him on the side isn’t.” She poured soda into her glass. “I feel like I would go and blow my cover on my first day.”

“You’re set to meet Kaye tomorrow.” He put some meat on Georgina’s plate.

Georgina furrowed her brows. Kaye is in charge of training agents who need to be disguised while going undercover.

“Why do I need to meet Kaye?” She said in between chewing a mouthful of kimchi. “I thought you said I do not have to act, put on a show, or anything.” Her words were hardly intelligible.

Ricky pointed his chapstick in Georgina’s way. “Because of that exactly.” He swallowed before he continued, “Are you even a woman? Have some finesse.”

Georgina picked up some meat with her chopsticks and put it on top of a huge lettuce leaf that she was holding. She added some kimchi, cucumbers, ssamjang, and cheese. Then she folded the lettuce in a wrap and took everything in her mouth. The kimchi sauce dripped from the corner of her mouth.

“Look at you.” Ricky frowned. He handed Georgina some tissues.

“I’m sorry. I am stress-eating.” She wiped the sauce from her mouth.

Ricky just nodded his head. He removed the remaining meat from the pan and turned off the tabletop stove. Then, Ricky motioned for Georgina to finish everything as he stood in his seat. He massaged his leg, which had gotten numb from sitting on the floor, then put his dirty dishes on the sink. Georgina filled her bowl with a half-cup of rice and finished eating the grilled pork.

“Still no words from Tinik?”

Tinik was the alias of the informant who called them about the decoy operation at the Manila port. He’s been missing for three days, and Georgina has no idea where he is. They did not find his phone. The last phone call was the information he gave them. While Georgina did not want to admit it, there was a possibility that Tinik was already dead. Georgina shook her head. She swallowed, but the food got stuck in her throat. She grabbed her glass and gulped in the soda.

“His last known location was at the Manila Port. We’ve not seen or heard from him since.” Georgina put the last slice of meat in her mouth, then put away her dish in the sink.

“Leave it there. I’ll take care of the dish later.” Ricky took out an iPad from his bag. “I sent you a file. Memorize it.”

“Yes, sir!” Georgina burped. “Oops!” She covered her mouth with her hands.

Ricky shook his head. “Now I am doubting if I should send you undercover too.”

Georgina laughed. She was about to bid goodbye when the door opened. Ricky’s younger sister, Astrid, entered the living room. Georgina is only two years older than Astrid, who works as a nurse at Philippine General Hospital.

“Ah, I can smell the grilled meat.” Astrid went straight to the dining table and was disappointed when she learned there were no leftovers. She pouted her lips and frowned at Georgina.

Astrid looks like a female version of her brother. She’s skinny and tall at 5’7” and has fair skin that almost looks pale because she often took the night shift. Astrid’s eyes were expressive and deep, despite the dark circles under them. She has long, brown, straight hair that runs to her waist and frames her oval-shaped face.

“I have some meat in the fridge at home.” George stuck his tongue out. She was confused why Astrid’s expression changed from disappointment to surprise.

Astrid complained about having to cook it. Her eyes lit up when her brother offered to grill it. Georgina headed to her unit next door and Astrid came with her to get the meat. When she left, Georgina was left alone in her unit.

She went to her cabinet to check her wardrobe. It had been a long while since she wore an office dress. She reached for the shoe boxes on top of her cabinet and contemplated whether she should wear high-heeled shoes or just the flat shoes she usually wears.

She tried the stilettos and walked around her room. Georgina lost her balance when she saw herself in the mirror. It had only been three hours since she walked out of the salon and she had already forgotten the curly, light brown, permanent hair extension.

Georgina tilted her head. “Ah, who are you? You don’t look like me.”

She changed her voice like those sophisticated characters she sees in TV series. She cringed and then laughed at herself. She wondered if she could pull it off and pretend to be someone she was not.