A Third Chance In Love

CHAPTER 11 - Odd Moment

Odd, but she could not understand his actions towards her. He was like a volcano, sometimes active and, most of the time, dormant. At the most unexpected moment, he would suddenly play active after being dormant for quite some time. He was always cold and distant to her at the onset that she started working for him. To say the least, he treated her like a lowly staff, a slave to be exaggerated. “Why on earth, he suddenly became warm and hmmm, maybe a little sweet?” Aloida thought while preparing her promised pasta for him. She shook her head, not wanting to overthink about his actions.

After she finished cooking her fettuccine pasta, she served it hot and with a few pieces of garlic bread on the side. She also squeezed an orange juice for both of them.

“Time for you to eat, Boss,” she said aloud as she called at him. She even smiled as she motioned to the dining table. The dining area was just steps away from the living room.

He looked at her and then stood up. His towering height almost reached the ceiling of that part where the loft in her apartment was located. Her apartment was like a loft-type condominium unit. It has a cute and nice interior with a loft-typed room.

“Hmm, seemed like you can really cook, Aloida,” he said, after he sat on the chair in the dining area, snipping the aroma of the pasta that she cooked.

“Well, I learned mostly from my Mom and a few dishes from watching online. I have this favorite chef, who constantly uploaded new recipes,” she replied with a thrifty smile. She felt somewhat proud of herself when it came to cooking. Agustus praised her cooking skills before, although she admitted she did not feel an ounce of happiness every time she heard him praising her. But with her boss, a simple praise and appreciation made her heart lift with joy. She internally rejoiced and remembered that fettuccine was one of Alexus’ favorite dishes that she usually cooked him when he was still her fiancé.

Unknown to Aloida, Mr. Montaro was secretly observing her. Her swift smile and the sudden brightness that enveloped her face after he praised her cooking skills caught his attention, which made him look at her keenly.

“Boss, you suddenly fell silent. Is there something wrong? Don’t you like to eat the food I cooked?” Aloida asked when she noticed that he became silent and his facial expression became deep and serious.

He chuckled and looked at her. “Oh, no worries, Ms. Jeansen, I am starving now and no matter the taste of this food that you cooked, I will certainly take a bite.” He then took his fork and started to eat his pasta.

Aloida watched him with anticipation as he started to feed himself with the fettuccine. He would sometimes take a few bites of the garlic bread.

“Are you just going to watch me, Ms. Jeansen? You can also eat instead of merely staring at me while I am eating. You are looking at me like a fascinated child. Am I too handsome?” all of a sudden he said while staring back at her with a raised eyebrow.

Aloida’s face grew red as she heard what he said. Did her face clearly show what was inside her heart? Embarrassed, she shook her head and tried to come up with a good reason. “I was just curious if you would like the taste of the fettuccine that I cooked. I remember seeing fettuccine as one of your favorite dishes on the list of your likes, which I was told to study on the first day that I came to the office.

“Hmm, to be honest, Ms. Aloida, I do. I like the taste of this fettucini. Aside from the cookies, can you bring me food from time to time. I will cover the costs. I wanted to eat home-cooked goods from time to time,” he replied with a hint of smile on his lips. He was looking at her, with his eyes showing that earnest request in his heart.

Aloida stiffened, and her heart beat like crazy. “Why is it that he sounds like Alexus?” she thought, a bit perplexed. Alexus liked her home cooked meals so much that he even asked her before to bring him a packed lunch to his office. Alexus worked as a computer programmer before for a company which he said was owned by a friend.

Still baffled, Aloida nodded at him. “Sure, Boss. No problem. It will not be an additional burden for me, anyway.”

He chuckled after hearing her reply. “Seemed like you were actually telling me that I am burdening you with that request of mine.”

Her eyes grew wide. He seemed to misunderstand her. “No, no, Boss. I meant it. It will not be a burden,” she hastily said while motioning with her hands that complying with his request was just fine with her.

“Then, it is settled. I will be looking forward to those packed lunches that you are going to bring me from time to time, Ms. Jeansen. Oh, by the way, in your resume, it was stated that you have a daughter. Where is she?” he asked after his eyes scanned around.

“She is on vacation with my parents,” she replied, surprised. She did not expect her boss to remember about her daughter and to actually look for her now.

“Does she look like you, Ms. Jeansen or that of your ex-husband?” He was staring at her intently this time. He even put down his fork and became attentive to what she would say.

Aloida stammered as she replied. She could not understand why he would ask for such. “I… I guessed she look like me.” Indeed, Aalyna, her daughter, was a mini version of her.

“I see. That’s better. I bet she is beautiful too,” he said with a smile on his lips that she could not fathom if sincere or joking.

She fell silent, feeling the heat crawling all over her face. “Was he admiring me or simply flattering me?” she thought while trying to control the sudden rush of joy in her heart.

“Something wrong with what I said, Ms. Jeansen? You looked like having a discomfort after hearing me say that you are beautiful. Don’t you know that your face was one of the reasons why I hired you? I wanted, of course, to see a pretty face entering my office every day,” he added, which made the redness on Aloida’s face worsen.