"Oh God, I should've listened to Feng!", nothing could content her apart from taking an off day from the company today. Second day but Alice's fever was still the same. She did take the medicine Feng gave her last night when she reached home flushed than she was in the morning. She had an increased temperature not she was drunk to forget what happened in the office. They kissed. Well, that was more of their lips touching but enough for the girl to freak out after disappearing from the eyes of the crazy CEO who pushed her up on the terrace boundary. However, it did not go as it should have.
The touch was supposed to burn every cell in her body just how it happened when that man touched her without her consent. It should have sent her in another panic attack where she would thrash around, almost breathless. Instead, it gave her the feelings of...how would she put it? Longing? Yes, the instant she had her lips pressed on the Junho's, a faint scene of a masculine figure hugging the tiny waist of a girl flashed in her mind. The couple was tangled in the bedsheets, naked.
She was confused as hell, nonetheless, she brushed it away and decided to come to the company despite the persisting fever thinking that if she did not show up, the ludicrous CEO might think he got it over her or his employee being embarrassed over a little accident. Matter of fact, the kiss was viewed as a mistake by her. Junho pulled her and they landed on top of each other. That was it. But oh so much the girl was regretting now. She had been sitting on the computer screen, looking carefully into the list of Junho's today's schedule and cancelling up the meetings he had asked her to
"It ain't a big deal if you had to drop her off the other night. Not wanting me to mention that she only stayed because of you?", after today's meeting with the chairpersons of the company, Tao joined Junho in this room. When he brought out the blackout in the company two days ago, Junho's tongue slipped some details, revealing that he was in the company by the time with Alice. God knew how many times he had mentally slapped himself for telling Tao. It was not that his best friend had a hold over him, he just could be scary sometimes when Junho would act irrationally without having solid grounds and insist on the fact that Tao was only in disagreement with him.
"Yeah, I get it, Tao. Now, will you stop playing the not so-needed role of my mom for f*ck sake and take your small a*s out of my office?", Junho swung his head on the back of the swivel chair, a slight smile forming at the corner of his lips. Tao heaved a sigh of relief seeing the reflection of old Junho. He wanted his best friend back to the way he used to be before the breakup thing with Xiu. Though he could not pinpoint the exact reason behind his sudden change in mood, he was sure that this was just the beginning and he would go to all the lengths to have his best friend back.
"By the way, why hasn't the CEO of Talbot Corporation arrived yet? I thought the meeting would start sharp at noon. It's been thirty past twelve now", said Tao, glancing at his wristwatch. Upon hearing him, Junho checked the modified list that Alice had sent him after cancelling the meetings that he asked her for. Well, not all.
"Her non-serious attitude is getting over my nerves", grunted the CEO, poking his cheek in fury.
"Miss Alice, into my room, now", flinging his phone, which perfectly landed on the carpeted floor, he rounded his table to stand next to Tao.
"What happened?", letting his question wander in the uneasy, tight air of the room he desperately waited for Alice. The careless girl who was always trying to get on his nerves could never be his Alice. His mind must be playing tricks with him after Xiu left him. His Alice was the most caring, considerate person with an adorable heart.
"Which meetings I asked you to cancel for today?" When Alice entered the room, he walked towards her, his every word knitted with exploding anger went digging daggers into the weak body of the girl. While fighting the urge to either go back home or tolerate the bloody fever until the end of today, she cancelled the wrong meeting.
Now standing in front of the cold, impudent CEO, she wished she had just called it a day when her head started throbbing an hour ago. Pulling the phone out of her pocket, she checked the names of the companies that Junho had sent her to cancel the meetings with and matched them with her modified list. Her eyes shot wide like a saucer when she saw Talbot Corporation under the heading of Cancelled. Feng. That was what she needed at the moment. She knew that she messed up again, real big this time.
"I-I'm so-", came out trembled voice that was shortly cut by a sharp, loud one.
"That's what you've been saying since the moment you've joined this company!"
Nothing was new to her. She had not expected any good from the CEO but being yelled at when you were burning in fever could make anyone lose the rational state of mind.
"You don't even know what you did. The meeting you cancelled has cost my company millions of dollars!", Junho tried to keep his voice down as much as possible but his anger knew no limits.
"But why would you care? You love messing up with me, don't you?", he took a step towards Alice. The girl's whole figure started shivering not because of her boss yelling at her but the fever that was sucking the life out of her legs, making her head spin around.
"I'll go to them with an excuse."
Before Junho would get any closer to her, Tao decided to step in between them. As he stood between them, his hand touched the backside of Alice's hand.
"Miss Alice, you've fever", his eyes softened looking at Alice, unlike his best friend who was boring daggers into her soul.
"I'm okay, Ta---Mr Wang", drawing the line back was the least she could think of doing at the time.
"No, let me check", worried, Tao placed the palmer side of his hand over her forehead only to pull it back in slow motion.
"You've got high temperature", he switched his gaze from Alice to Junho who showed no emotions at all.
"I'm really okay, Mr Wang", tightening her grip around the phone, she answered. This was going to be a now or never situation for her. If she stepped back because of this mere fever, she would never get this thing out of her mind that she couldn't work even for a month.
After earning this job opportunity, she made up her mind that she would work her a*s off to stick to this place and prove herself. On the day of the interview, Tao's words were enough challenging for her that she hadn't the required experience for the job. That was why she was trying to match up with, earn the experience to stop hearing she did not have it.
"Mr Geon, I'll apologize to the CEO of Talbot Corporation and convince them for another meeting", feeling a little proud for not collapsing on the ground with the fever-stricken body, she looked at Junho with determination only to earn a mocking scoff from the CEO.
"Bring me the record of ID-985270 from the storage room", Junho really did a contumelious act out of anger. Asking for the record that could be accessed in seconds from their database, he asked his private assistant to rummage through God knew how many files were in their storage room. Nonetheless, Alice nodded quickly and left the office.
"Have you lost it there?", Tao looked at his friend in utmost shock. The Junho he knew could never be this merciless. He was a man of rules. Doing what he had just done did not make any of a shit sense to him.
"She needs to learn that working for Geon Corporation isn't a cakewalk", Tao sighed in disbelief.
"Have you got Bingwen prepared for the presentation for tomorrow's meeting?", acting like nothing happened a few moments ago, he asked walking back to his chair.
"I'll look into it myself, Mr Geon", Tap stormed out of the room without sparing his friend a glance.