Love For The First Time

PROLOG "I heard Mr. Eric already has a wife and child. We're both heartbroken," Ariel suddenly said. "Really? Who said that?" Lily asked curiously. I felt the same, but I chose to stay silent and listen. "That's what I heard." "I'm curious, if he's really married, what is his wife like? Mr. Eric is cold and stern. How is he towards his wife?" Diana, who also seemed curious, asked. Lily, Ariel, Diana, and another person, Maya, the CEO's secretary, were always enthusiastic when talking about our boss. I was, of course, surprised to hear my colleagues gossiping about my ex. Almost every day, they talked about our boss, who was known for being cold and arrogant. Is it true that Eric is married? A sudden pain struck my chest. Why does it hurt this much? While I was still trying to figure out the reason for his cold attitude towards me, I was faced with another reality. But it could just be gossip, right? "Maybe he's different towards his wife! Wow, I'm sure his wife must be really beautiful. Maybe like a model or an actress," Lily said. "Of course. There's no way Mr. Eric would be with someone plain-looking like us. Right, An?" My friend Susan asked for my opinion. "Yes." I nodded, not wanting to elaborate. In the past, I didn't worry about the gap between Eric and me. There was nothing striking. It's just that he was obviously wealthier than me. And now, I feel I'm very different from him. Eric is now the CEO of a company, while I'm just an ordinary employee who seems insignificant in his eyes, not to mention his handsome face as a grown man. His strong jawline, sharp nose, and thick eyebrows reveal a mature and assertive man. This, of course, makes any woman attracted to his charm. I still hoped that what my colleagues were talking about was just gossip. Until a bitter reality struck me. My friends stopped gossiping when the subject they were just talking about appeared. And... he was carrying a small child. "Is this Papa's office? Cool... there are many aunties here, it's lively unlike at home, which is quiet." My heart tightened when I heard the child's voice calling Eric "dad." *** Seven years ago... Today, Eric took me out for the whole day because tomorrow he will continue his studies abroad. Quite far, in America. "Are we really breaking up?" asked Eric, my boyfriend and first love. He looked at me with wistful eyes. We were in his car after spending the whole day, from morning until night, going out, watching movies, eating, and many other things. "Yes," I replied without turning. I stared straight ahead—towards the quiet road. Eric turned my shoulder so I could face him. "But, why do we have to break up, dear? We can try. Who knows? It might work." I shook my head gently. "No, Ric. It's not possible. I don't want our studies to be disrupted. You know the time difference between there and here is huge, right? When it's my rest time, you'll just be starting your activities there." I just want to be realistic. Long-distance relationships rarely succeed. I don't want our relationship, strained by distance and time, to complicate everything. I don't want to disrupt our studies or add to our stress. We're both still young, and there are many things we want to pursue. We can't let love get in the way of our dreams, especially Eric's dream since middle school to study there. I shouldn't be selfish and stop him from pursuing his dream. I took Eric's wrist and gave him a sweet smile. "Trust me, this is for the best. For our future." Eric sighed and let go of my hand. "Alright. But you have to promise me something first." "Promise what?" "Promise that when we meet again after I graduate, we'll reunite. How about that?" I let out a soft laugh. "We don't know what will happen in the future, Ric. What if you meet another girl there?" "That won't happen! I'll just focus on studying, so I can graduate quickly and meet you again." "What if I end up having a boyfriend here?" In my heart, I truly had no intention of finding a replacement for Eric here. I would also focus on my studies. "I doubt it. You're the type of girl who's loyal." "So sure?" Eric tutted. "How about this: we'll get back together if neither of us has a partner. Agreed?" "Umm... what should I say?" I pretended to think, but, of course, I wanted to. "You have to agree!" "So pushy." "Let it be." I giggled and extended my hand to him. "Okay, I agree." "That's more like it!" Eric's expression turned serious. He took my hand and looked deeply into my eyes. "I'm sure we'll be together again someday." Eric leaned in and kissed me, savoring the moment. Eric gave me my first kiss! "Sorry," he said after releasing our lips. "As a farewell, because tomorrow I can't kiss you in front of many people at the airport." My cheeks flushed. Eric tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear, then pulled me into his embrace. "I love you so much, Anita." I gave a bittersweet smile in his embrace. Needless to say, I had the same deep feelings as Eric. It was hard to let go of my first love, who brightened my high school days. I sighed, imagining Eric leaving me tomorrow, not knowing when he'd return. But I promised myself I would faithfully wait for him here. Ah, if only I could study abroad too, I would definitely choose the same university as Eric, but still in the field I'm interested in. But for now, I can only afford to study here. I made way for my younger sister, Nina, who is two years younger than me, and already has a desire to study medicine when she graduates later. And that requires a lot of money. I don't want to add to Dad's burden by studying abroad, which would certainly require a significant amount of money. *** "I really can't accept the fact that Mr. Arman is being replaced by a new CEO," I said to one of my colleagues in the same division. I work at an e-commerce company named "The Orange Group." The company ranks among the top 10 largest e-commerce platforms and most visited websites in the U.S., and in recent months it has ranked 7th. My position in this company is as a senior business development officer, having worked here for more than 3 years since graduating from college. Receiving a decent salary here, along with a comfortable work environment and a good boss, doesn't make me interested in looking for a job elsewhere. Previously, I had a CEO who was very kind and loyal to the employees. Mr. Arman, a 50-year-old gentleman, suddenly announced his resignation as CEO and would be replaced by his nephew. Of course, I and several other employees were saddened to lose such a leader. The new CEO might not be as kind as Mr. Arman. But, they are still related by family. Hopefully, his attitude won't be much different from his uncle's. I hope so, hopefully... "I feel the same way, I can't accept it either," my friend replied. "I'm worried he might not be as generous with bonuses." It's undeniable that marketing folks like us really enjoy discussing bonuses. It's normal because this company gets clients largely due to our efforts, and the team in the marketing and development division. Especially me and my three colleagues, who work hard to establish cooperation with various parties. Some say marketing is the spearhead of a company. "Yeah, hopefully," I said, full of hope. "Hey, but, I heard Mr. Arman's nephew is handsome, An." I rolled my eyes. My coworker, Ariel, gets very excited when it comes to discussing handsome men. "We can enjoy the view while working every day," Ariel continued. "Just you, not me." Ariel sneered. "You're so boring. It's no fun talking about handsome guys with you. I wonder if you even like guys?" I glared sharply. "Watch your mouth!" "It's just that you don't seem excited when we talk about guys. How long have you been single? You'll be rusty soon," Ariel teased. "I'm still 24 years old and cute like this. I'm even a year younger than you." "Alright, baby face." Ariel got up from the chair next to me, which Lily usually occupies; my colleague who is monitoring an event outside the office today. "Look, An, towards the entrance! No wonder it's so lively over there." Ariel sat back down and nudged my arm with her eyes directed at the main door. I mean the main door on the 15th floor. There are two rooms facing each other on the 15th floor, just like on the other floors of the Maison Building. And the company where I work has officially acquired 2 floors, without renting from the building management. The marketing and development division is on the left side of the 15th floor. There are 3 rooms here, namely, the CEO's room, HRD, and the marketing division, which is an open space without partitions. While on the right side of this floor, there is the finance and accounting section, the meeting room, and the IT department. And on the 14th floor, there is the operational and logistics section as well as customer service. "What's going on?" I asked, not very interested. "I think our new CEO is coming, An. Wow... he's really handsome!" There was no special welcome for our new CEO. Mr Arman said his nephew wanted us to continue working as usual and didn't need any special reception. "Take a look, An!" Ariel was very enthusiastic, unlike me. "He's walking over here, about to enter his office." I turned my head just to stop Ariel from noisily shaking my arm in excitement. My eyes widened as I saw a man in a suit walking toward us—heading to his office, and he would pass by our desks. Someone I hadn't seen in years. My ex-boyfriend and first love, Eric. I couldn't help it; my heart swelled instantly. The corners of my lips lifted into a smile. At the same time, Eric also glanced at me, looking surprised. I gave him a sweet smile. But who would have thought he'd just walk past me without returning my smile? My smile faded instantly. "If the CEO looks like this, I'd happily stay in the office longer," Ariel said with a grin. "What do you think, An? Our new CEO is really something, isn't he?" I just grunted in response. I couldn't focus on Ariel's chatter anymore; my mind was on Eric, whom I hadn't expected to become our new CEO. I couldn't deny I was happy about it. But I was confused by Eric's indifferent attitude. I shook my head and tried to think positively. Maybe Eric didn't want others to know about our past relationship. After all, he's new here and must be maintaining his image. Maybe... I will talk to Eric later. I have many questions to ask him, especially why he stopped responding to my messages, calls, and emails after his second year in America.