I walked into the building still wondering why Zach didn't release something about our separation. Why he didn't let the public know about our separation. Because if he didn't release an article, no one would say anything and I am afraid that the public would still think of him as a married man and somebody I know might run across me and think that we were still together. I don't know what or how to tell them.
I really don't understand why. I wanted to ask him if he really didn't post or release anything, or if he did and it got deleted, I wanted to ask him why. But I also didn't want to come to him first because I regretted it the first time.
And because I don't have the courage to ask him myself, I guess I better just let it be and hope that I wouldn't run across anyone.
And nobody knows about the death of my baby. What if somebody I know looks for the baby? How am I going to tell them? It'd be better if I tell it to everyone at once than telling them one by one. I don't know how people would react if I tell them that Zach and I are no longer together and that I lost the baby.
I don't know.
I sigh as I print the documents that Leslie asked me to check. She sent it earlier and she wanted me to review it and I just finished it now. I printed the papers and waited for them to finish. I checked my phone as I wait and when it was finally finished, I put it in a folder and headed into Leslie's office. I knocked on the door first but no one answered so I knocked again but no one answered again.
"Just open it, she's inside," said Lydia who had noticed that I was knocking and no one was answering. If she was inside, then why isn't she answering?
I opened the door and went inside only to see that no one is in the room. I thought Lydia was wrong. I thought Lydia just didn't see her coming out of her office. I was about to head out when I noticed someone standing on the balcony when the curtains moved because of the wind coming from the outside. I noticed that she was standing on the balcony.
I walked and went to her. I knocked on the glass before opening it. She turned to me surprised with a cigarette in her mouth. She immediately took it away from her mouth and stood straight after seeing me.
"Hey," I said. "You didn't notice me knocking on the door so I came here," I said and held out the documents she asked me for earlier.
"Yeah," she said and took it from me.
"You smoke?" I asked her.
"When I'm stressed," she said as she run her fingers on the pages of the documents as if she checks them just like that.
"Stressed?" I asked. I don't know if I am being too nosy right now but I want to know what it was all about. She was a nice person with a very nice and bright personality. I expected her to hole like this in one room when she's stressed and refuses to talk to anyone. That is what nice people do when they were stressed.
"I don't know if I should tell you about it," she said and mumbled something that I didn't get to hear clearly.
"What is it?" I asked, "I like hearing stories, you know," I said and put my elbow on the railings and leaned on it.
"Well, I could tell you bits of it," she said. She put the folder on a small table on the balcony and put her elbows on the railings just like mine. "I got this offer," she started talking.
I already knew about the offer. It's an offer that made her go berserk the other day and I don't know why. I stayed quiet and let her talk. "It's a really big offer from a really big company," she said, "But I didn't like the person who was offering the deal,"
"Why? Do you have a grudge from the past or something?' I asked her. I wonder if it was her lover who was trying to reach out to her and she didn't want to be connected with him again.
"Yeah," she answered confidently. "This person is my most hated person at school," she said. Since she mentioned that the person was from school, I think this grudge has been kept for a very long time now.
"May I know why?" I asked her as I look at her and she has that bitch expression on her face.
"I liked this one girl before, she was my friend," she said. I didn't change my expression though I was surprised to hear her coming out to me like this. I didn't want to upset her by acting surprised. I am afraid that she might get upset if I show any emotions.
I've been with people like this since I was in college. And for me, there is nothing wrong with it. Realizing Leslie is one of those nice people, I am surprised but never disappointed.
"This girl liked him a lot," she said, I am glad that she seems comfortable talking to me about things from her past. It is making me feel like I am a nice person. "She's put letters in his locker, she follows him everywhere, she'd go to every basketball league at school if he was in it, everything a crazy in love teenager would do to someone they liked."
I stayed quiet and let her finish her story before commenting.
"But this guy is arrogant as fvck." she cursed, "He'd ignore everything my friend does to him and often makes her think that she was annoying and it makes me feel so mad because I have seen how crazy she was with him," I feel her because she liked the girl and it must've hurt her seeing her hurt because of the guy. "I can't even say anything to her about my feelings even though I liked her a lot but the guy just keep on ignoring her,"
I know what it feels like because I've witnessed so many who felt the same thing.
"It was his birthday when my friend did extravagant things for him to notice and thank her. She prepared flowers, she put balloons in the classroom and she prepared gifts. She basically just surprised him with all she got. She prepared them early and did it all by herself," she said. I can feel the anger she was feeling whenever I look at her right now. "And you know what the guy said?" she said and looked at me. "Annoying," she said copying the way the guy must've said it, and started laughing as if it was hilarious.
That must've hurt especially for the girl.
"I didn't get to stop myself and asked him why he was ignoring what she did. He could've just thanked her for it but he said it was annoying instead," she said, " I grabbed the guy by the neck and she saw that I was trying to fight him and she thought I was actually hurting him so she got mad at me and stayed away from me,"
"T-that's--" I paused a looked at the way she was so mad about it.
She was hurt. I can imagine her hurting as a teenager when it happened and I felt very sorry,
"And now, he was trying to buy my company after what he did in the past?" she said, "And he adds more money to the deal whenever I decline making me feel a slap on my face that he makes more money than me?" she said threw curses to the air. "Fvck you!" she said and clenched her fist as if she was trying to stop herself from going berserk again. "I know why you're doing this," she said and mumbled something that I wasn't able to hear again.
"So, what do you think about it?" I asked her.
"It was too big to decline, that guy must've had a lot of money," she said. She took something from her pocket and I found out it was a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. "I didn't want it but it seems like it's the best for the group," she said as she put a stick on her mouth and lit it up with a lighter.
"You're going to accept it?" I asked.
"Yeah," she answered as she puff the smoke out of her mouth.
"What about your feelings?" I asked her,
"It was in the past but my anger didn't disappear," she said, "But I need to think widely if I want progress for the team,"
I nodded. I don't want to tell her anything because I am afraid that I might be meddling in her decisions. I came here to listen. I didn't want to get involved. If that's what she thinks is the best, we should go for it.
"That girl is coming back to the country in a few weeks," she said.
"She left?" I asked her,
'Yeah, she'll be back after 8 years," she said, "We'll just see if she'd like the same guy or not,"
"Who knows? She might be married right now," I said and looked up at the sky thinking about how the girl must be doing after 9 years.
"She didn't," she answered.
"How about your feelings?" she asked me.
"They were long gone but the anger towards the guy is still lingering inside me," she said and we both chuckled. Why do I feel there was something wrong with it?
I came out of her office shortly after and continued doing my work.
I didn't see Zach for a few days after that and I was thankful that I didn't see him though I had something I wanted to ask.
After a week, Leslie called everyone to gather up because she wanted to say something. I had an idea that it was about the deal and I was excited to know how she dealt with it. Knowing that she was gathering everyone like this, she must've accepted it.
"Everyone, I have an announcement to make," she said as she sit on her office table inside the office where everyone was gathered and standing in front of her. "We got a huge 5-year contract," she said and raised her hand holding a piece of paper that must be the contract. "From Alfonso Group," she continued and I stiffened as everybody starts clapping their hands because of joy.
Alfonso?
"Are we really going to work with Zach Alfonso?" Carol asked with joy visible in her tone.
"Yeah," Leslie answered and put her hand down. "We are going to be part of their marketing department. We will be in charge of their media marketing strategies like advertisements and stuff," she explained shortly as if she didn't really want to explain it that far. "It was a huge deal and we are still allowed to accept jobs for other companies but," she passed and looked at everyone, "We are still part of the Alfonso group,"
I was deafened by the loud cheering of everyone who got very excited about being part of Zach's company. So the person she was referring to a few days ago was Zach?
What was he thinking? Why does it have to be the GP team that I was in?
Does this mean that I am basically just working for him?
But still, even though I officially work for him today, we won't be seeing each other that much because the GP team is on another floor and will be out of his reach. Being in the same building as him is already frustrating to me. I cannot let myself get closer to him as it is now.
Now that it has come to this, should I just leave the team?
Why does it have to be the GP team? they can hire a lot more popular team anywhere why does it have to be my team?
Is this a coincidence? Why does it feel like it's not? Did he realize that I was trying to keep myself away from him and now he was trying to pull me closer? For what? To tease me and make me feel frustrated?
What was he thinking? Damn it,
"And, one more," Leslie tried to catch everybody's attention and stopped them from celebrating for a little bit. "Our team's office will be moved closer to Alfonso group's marketing department," she said and it made me more nervous.
"Does that mean we will be on the same floor as their marketing department?" Terrence asked Leslie who nodded right away.
I'm slowly getting closer to him damn it!
Everybody was celebrating while I was there fighting my own emotions. I was very nervous and I started regretting going to the GP team. Being 10 floors away from each other is already hard for me, what more if I have to move a few floors closer?
Imagining how many interactions might happen between him and me is already scary.
His employees might even know me. When they hear my name, they'd remember their CEO's wife right away. My cover is going to get destroyed. they are going to recognize me!
What am I going to do about it?
As I was panicking, I saw Leslie looking at me from the table. I smiled as if everything was fine. And she smiled back.
If I had known that this was going to happen, I should've stopped her from accepting it a few days ago. Why didn't I ask her what company it is?