SASHA CITY Airport
"Little Fray!"
Fraine was struggling to follow the voice. She looks around, but she doesn't recognize the faces of the people surrounding her. But this voice… It feels like she just heard it.
"Miss? Excuse me…"
Fraine gasps when suddenly she is woken up. She looked up and squinted her eyes to see clearly.
"What's going on?" She asked, confused, where she was.
"We've already arrived in Sasha City, Miss." A cabin crew politely answered Fraine.
"Oh!" In an instant, Fraine is fully sober now. She realized the passengers were now getting off the plane, but she was still sleeping and having a dream!
That's right. It was just a dream that Zayn called out to her.
"I'm sorry, I fell asleep. I didn't notice we'd landed already." Fraine apologized to the woman.
"No problem, Miss. You look exhausted from your business trip. It is understandable if our passengers were only sleeping the entire trip." The cabin crew smiled.
She already notices the moment Fraine steps inside the plane. It was she who assisted Fraine to her seat in the First-Class cabin and was supposed to offer her free meals and attend to her needs. But Fraine only slept the whole flight.
"I will help you get your luggage."
"Thank you." Fraine thanked the female cabin crew and followed her toward the door. She was grateful that her boss had already booked her a VIP plane ticket she could use whenever she wished to go back.
Actually, Fraine was still confused about why her boss treated her so well. Lately, President Galvez has been given extra attention and consideration toward her. Not only that, even the chairman of the Dale Enterprise is accommodating her well. She wondered what was happening to the companies.
Fraine was thinking of any reason the CEO of G Company treated her well; she spotted him in the VIP lounge, and it looked like the old man was waiting for her arrival since she informed him she was going back today.
"President Galvez, sir? Why are you here?" Although Fraine already had suspicion in her heart, she still wanted to make sure if what was on her mind was correct.
"Of course, to pick you up!"
Fraine looked at the old man in his late fifties with bewilderment in her eyes. President Galvez is a kind man to all of his employees and is very considerate toward her even if she had many days on leave because of her illness.
When he told her that someone would pick her up, she didn't expect that it would be the CEO himself.
"Sir, aren't you have many things to take care of at the office?" Fraine asked. She hinted to the old man that he could not do this, as she was only simply an employee!
"Don't worry, Miss Michaels. I was dealing with a client nearby, and since your plane was about to arrive, I decided to pick you up myself."
Fraine glanced at Serge, President Galvez's assistant, and the guy nodded at her.
"In fact, I was the one who mentioned you to the president, and Mr. Galvez understood my intention." Serge chimed in.
He saw that Fraine became uncomfortable, that her very own boss cared to pick her up at the airport. It was actually suspicious from the eyes of outsiders with this kind of special treatment.
"Give me your luggage, Miss Fraine. I will help you load them in the car."
"Thank you, Assistant Serge, President Galvez." Fraine has no choice since they were only giving her extra kindness. In the passing years, she battled alone with her illness, so it always moved her heart if someone tried to reach out to her.
"Don't mention it, Fraine. Let's go to the car and discuss your trip." President Galvez smiled at Fraine, motioning his hand as he stated this.
Fraine nodded and shrugged off the concern surging in her chest, and she followed the two men toward the parking lot.
When they reached the car, Fraine settled herself in the passenger seat, as it was the right thing to choose. There is no way she would sit with President Galvez in the backseat.
Meanwhile, the old man wanted to say something to Fraine. But on second thought, he kept it to himself.
Once the boss settled in the back seat, Serge drove the car out of the airport. On the way, Fraine handed over the contract to President Galvez. The latter scanned the documents and nodded in satisfaction.
"Thank you, Fraine." President Galvez looked at Fraine through the rearview mirror.
Fraine turned her head to the backseat and nodded at the old man. "It was my pleasure, sir."
President Galvez smiled warmly. Fraine is one of the best employees that he has. Although she isn't too friendly to her colleagues, Fraine does an excellent job in her department.
After an hour of dealing with the traffic, the car finally arrived at the apartment building Fraine rented. Despite having a single bedroom apartment, it was spacious enough for her to be alone to live here.
"Thank you for picking me up and dropping me home, President Galvez."
"Small thing, Miss Michaels. See you on Monday."
"Yes, sir. See you on Monday." Fraine bowed and watched the car disappear into the next street when it took a right turn. The company from where she lives takes thirty minutes by bus, but it only took a few minutes by train.
Since she was still on leave, Fraine took days off to rest and recuperate her health. She stocked up her storage with so many health drinks and ingredients she could use to make her meals.
Ever since her parents died and her sister Francesca Freya lived on a secluded island. She has had to learn how to take care of herself in the city, such as making healthy meals and avoiding fast foods, which are so unhealthy, especially for her, who had a rare case of illness.
During the weekend, Fraine immersed herself in watching YT tutorials about new dishes she could learn from other countries' cuisine. She tried to cook them, but she was not familiar, so she didn't like them much. Maybe next time, she will try to add other spices to taste better.
Monday…
The bustling city started the day per usual for white collars in a rush to get to their work on time. One of them is Fraine.
However, the typical day for Fraine seemed unusual that day when her colleagues gave her a strange look when she passed them. As she only sat down in her chair, she received a call from assistant Serge that the president wanted to see her.
Fraine went to the restroom to use the lavatory, but then, before she came out, she heard three girls chatting upon entering.
"I never thought she was that kind of woman."
"I am also shocked when I see them at the airport. No wonder the boss is giving her too much consideration when she always applied for a leave. She was actually the president's lover!"
"She was too quiet in the company, but she actually hid something disgusting!"
At first, Fraine paid no attention to their gossip. But as the conversation went on, she believed these girls were talking about her.
"Do you think she is pregnant now?"
"She always looked sick. Could it be that she had an abortion often, and the leave of absence is just an excuse?"
"She looked pale lately. Could it be possible that she is pregnant again and had an abortion the reason she was on vacation for a week?"
"That is possible! And the president even picked her up at the airport!"
Fraine shrunk her pupils and darkened her face upon hearing that. She could not believe that her colleagues were actually thinking ill of her!