Even though she knew she didn't have the money or time to engage in mindless fantasies, she couldn't help it.
Ann kept turning over the pages of the magazine, searching for pages she could read and gather information about the latest whereabouts of CEO Wang Tae-Joon.
Of course, she needed enough information on him. That was as close as her fantasies could be to reality.
She had just read he was currently somewhere in Country B on a business trip, and he was also visiting the internally displaced person camps there for his yearly charity project.
She closed her eyes; she was in Country B, wearing a beautiful flowing green gown that made her sparkling gray eyes come alive, walking arm in arm with CEO Tae-Joon, laughing happily as he told her the magnitude of his love for her.
She smiled as he cupped her face in his hands and brought his lips close to hers. She pouted her lips with closed eyes, waiting for his lips to meet hers.
She felt the full force of the cold water on her face, and she abruptly opened her eyes.
"Stupid girl, you think you can just sit here all day daydreaming and collecting money from me?" Mrs. Shu, her boss, screamed at her with her face flushed with anger.
She hurriedly stood up, "Sorry, ma'am, I was just..."
"Shut up your mouth. I know what you were doing. Is this the first time? Haven't I told you to keep your stupid dreams until you close from work?" Mrs. Shu interrupted her.
"Little wonder you're so poor. You don't know the value of time yet. Do you think if he dreamt as much as you did, he'd be the rich man you're dreaming about? You better do the dishes before I fire you for real this time," Mrs. Shu said as she picked up the magazine and walked away angrily.
She couldn't fire Ann, no matter how badly she wanted to. Ann's mother had been her very good friend before the unfortunate accident that took her life and that of her husband.
Ann needed to earn her keep, and even though she knew Ann was hardworking, she didn't want Ann to keep engaging in her jobless fantasies and end up like her mother.
Ann, on the other hand, couldn't get why Mrs. Shu was being mean. There was nothing wrong with engaging in a little daydream, which always helped brighten her day.
The first time she had met CEO Tae-Joon was by accident, she had been in a hurry to deliver some flowers a client ordered, and her bike had been knocked down by his car accidentally. He had treated her so tenderly and had made sure she was ok and had even told her she had the most amazing and sparkling gray eyes he had ever seen. The mere thought of that still made her blush.
She smiled to herself as she washed the dishes. She had no doubt she'd meet him again. They were meant for each other. It was only a matter of time.
*****
"How dare you? You clumsy fool!" Grace screamed as she slapped the waiter for spilling wine on the tablecloth.
"I'm sorry, ma'am. It wasn't intentional," The waiter pleaded with head bowed.
"Go and call me your manager, you disgusting fool!" Grace yelled, ignoring the look of protest coming from the other diners.
"Don't you think you're overreacting? He poured the wine on the table, not on you. It was a normal mistake," Zoe said, looking very embarrassed at the attention her older sister was bringing their way.
"Shut up, Zoe. You need to learn. You can't allow people to get away with little mistakes; else they'll make bigger ones," Grace said, scolding her sister.
"Good evening Miss Jiang. You called for me," The manager said, looking from Grace to Zoe.
"Yes, I did. Do you now hire fools? Who is this idiot that can't even fill a glass of wine properly? Do I have to stop dining here before you know what to do?" Grace asked, lifting an eyebrow.
"I'm very sorry, ma'am. I'll take care of it immediately," The manager said, signaling the waiter to go with him.
"Sis, that's not fair. You're going to make the poor man lose his job for a simple mistake," Zoe said sadly.
"Don't worry, baby, he will learn. I just did him a favor. Enjoy your meal," Grace said with a smile.
****
"Please prepare the flight. Our job here is done, and I need to travel back to Country A as soon as possible. My grandfather just summoned me," Tae-Joon said to his Personal Assistant immediately after he dropped the call with his grandfather.
His personality was always a wonder to people. Different people had different things to say about him. Different tabloids carried different news. He was always curious to read whatever version of him was published daily. There was always a story.
His grandfather had sounded rather too serious on the phone, and he was really curious as to the reason for the summon. Was there news about him that he was yet to read? He wondered.
"Did I miss any story?" He asked his personal assistant.
"None that I know of, sir. Perhaps your grandfather is cooking up one," He answered with a smile. He could tell his boss was worried about his grandfather's summon.
"I really hope whatever he is cooking up this time doesn't upset my stomach," Tae-Joon said with a tight smile as they approached the airport.
His phobia of planes was one only those closest to him knew of. If there were other means of traveling these long distances without flying, he'd joyfully use them.
****
"That was quite fast," Chairman Wang, Tae-Joon's grandfather, said with a cheerful smile immediately after he saw Tae-Joon enter the house. He always loved having his grandson around.
"I had no choice. You sure do know how to summon me," Tae-Joon said as he took his seat.
"I'm really curious as to why you summoned me," He said, pouring them both a cup of tea.
"You're getting married," Chairman Wang said. He dropped his bombshell and waited to see his grandson's reaction. He never liked beating around the bush.
Tae-Joon sat still. If his grandfather was expecting an outrageous reaction from him, he wouldn't oblige him. He had long decided not to be involved with any female since the only female he had really wanted to marry betrayed him.
His grandfather knew very well about this, and he also knew his grandfather wasn't one to be called unreasonable. He never made idle decisions.
"To who?" He asked.
"Jiang Grace," Chairman Wang replied.