'Fire your secretary.'
'He's a threat to this business—your empire.'
Denzel crouched down only to blurt out, "Hey, aren't you doing this on purpose?"
The sudden question made Shawn form this face of bewilderment, which bothered Denzel for reasons he also did not know. It made him wonder, how could such a bewildered man make him confused.
"W-What? Why would I purposefully hurt myself?" Shawn was right. Why would he? Denzel thought that he was going crazy over something that was so useless. He just needed to fire her, he thought as he questioned his ability to do so.
He finally said words that were mere blurs. It was nonsense. He did not bother to help him, for it might make him second-guess himself, so he walked calmly towards his study, and with a heavy body, he sat on his seat, not to work but to think until a vivid memory came to his mid—a vivid memory of the kiss.
"A kiss, huh?" he muttered silently.
—
The next day, Denzel woke up much earlier than usual. Today was the day he did not want to anticipate—firing Shawn and giving him more money as compensation. On his way out, he stumbled upon Shawn, who seemed impatient and was ready to force out all of those emotions to him.
Ah, he'll remind him of his actions last night; for Denzel, it was better to walk away. He took one step, and then another until Shawn shouted very… intriguing words that made him stop and turn his head. Denzel saw it in Shawn's face—the determination and the willingness to work for him. It made him swallow, and his heart beat faster.
"You should know that I only work for you, and that I'd do anything to help you,"
Anything?
"And that you don't know what I had sacrificed to help you."
What he had sacrificed?
Shawn walked out of Denzel's sight. His words just suddenly hit Denzel deep, hesitating if he should continue with Alexandra's plan. He remembered the envelope he got from her—maybe that could be the answer to all his questions.
—
The ride to work was quiet as usual. It was nothing new to Denzel, though every time it would get noisier and noisier because of Shawn's reports and announcements. The office was the same too, though Denzel did notice Shawn's unusual actions.
Normally, he would walk in a fairly straight line, but today he seemed wobbly. If he was sick, then would have been better if he asked a day-off. Shawn entered the office and plopped down a cup of hot coffee on Denzel's desk, returning to his seat afterwards.
Though for a brief second, he noticed that Shawn nearly tripped. He wanted to say something, but his mouth couldn't form any words. In the end, he just went back to his own world with his paperwork and signatures.
A few hours had passed when suddenly, Shawn left his desk and the office without any words. "Sh*t," Denzel muttered. He couldn't bring himself to fire his secretary. It was impossible.
The door suddenly opened, and Denzel thought that this was the perfect time to bring up such matters. He looked up and was fairly disappointed yet surprised.
"Let's talk."