CALLEA'S eyebrows were drawn together as she walked down the living room. She had been trying to recover from the days she had to entertain Deive's grandfather and her own family and she wanted to catch up with work. Surprisingly, she got along just fine with Don Jorje. He liked old jazz and her piano pieces. He was also into history so they had a lot to discuss. He asked her to visit him in Manila.
She thought she could have a peaceful time for herself since Deive went to the field to help out Torque with harvesting vegetables. He needed to impress her cousin. And since Lee is a financial analyst, he would ask for his help on business as well.
She didn't expect any visitors coming for her. Then she saw who was sitting on the sofa. It was her publisher, Mattheu Segundo. She noticed a black box on the middle of the mahogany center table. She had a bad feeling about this.
He came towards her as she reached the landing. "Finally! I thought you have no plans to see me. How's my most bankable graphic novelist?" he asked and kissed the back of her hand.
Her boss was a handsome and dashing man. A dreamboat for most women. He was a member of Stallion Island Riding and Leisure Club like her cousins where only the rich and young men in the country could join as members like her Torque and Lee. That was why they entrusted her works to him. She knew that she would be taken care of and her identity would be a secret.
"I am good. Thanks for the visit. So what brought you here, boss?"
Callea never visited the office. They just send the check to her bank account and her accountant handle all her accounts. Contacts were sent to her through a courier. She had just submitted her latest book last month. She beat her deadline. Her next deadline was still months away. The renewal of her contract was still a couple of years away. If her publisher would grace her with his presence himself, it must be freakin' important. She was wishing that he was there to increase her talent fee.
"I just visited you. I brought cake and some books on Japanese horror. Vintage ones." There was the sparkle in her boss' eyes as he opened the box. Her heart leaped when I saw the yellowish cover with Japanese ink and an illustrator of a Japanese girl in kimono with blazings eyes, standing in the middle of a bamboo forest. It was something she had never seen before that made her salivate. It was a forbidden book, according to some. And her boss acquired it for her. "This is for me? This is too much, boss. You know that I am happy that you publish my stories and people appreciate it."
It was too precious as a gift. There was no malice between her and the boss. After all, he only sees her as a cash cow. She was scared of what he would ask in return. It was always business with her boss. There was no such thing as free lunch.
Then came Marina with a green tea crepe cake. She wet her lips. Darn! Her boss knew her weakness and how to put her guard down. They ate while they discussed the comic conference in Tokyo that he attended and how spring came earlier than expected and they nearly missed the sakura blossom.
It was a dream of Callea to visit Japan. She was planning to go there with her friend until her demise.
"I have a favor to ask, Callea." Mattheu's voice sent her back to the present.
"What is it, boss?"
He greased her with a vintage Japanese horror book and a matcha crepe cake. She was ready to listen. Her boss was a wolf. Pretending to be grandma until he shows his fangs. And she knew that she couldn't say no.
"I want you to attend our book signing."