Carl thought of what Noah said which was taking a girl out on a date even though there are no strings attached. He could've asked any girl but he decided to ask Cassandra because she was the first person he saw when that thought came to his mind.
Carl felt that it was time for him to come out of his comfort zone and start going out on dates. Maybe that way, he might be able to forget Anne completely just as Noah has advised.
It's been a long time since Carl has gone out on a date and going out on a date with his secretary wouldn't be so bad. He thought so.
Moreover, Cassandra was still in shock. What did she just hear from Carl's lips? Maybe she was fantasizing again about the scenario of when Carl was asking her out because she has always dreamt of that moment.
"huh?" Cassandra said with raised brows, wanting Carl to repeat what he had just said.
"I said would you wanna go out on a dinner date with me?" Carl said again.
Casandra's jaw dropped with shock as she realized that she wasn't dreaming. Carl was asking her on a date for real but why all of a sudden? And why does Mr. McAlester want to go out with her of all the people? That thought was on her head because he has always been hard on her no matter how she tries to please him at work.
She didn't want to get too excited because what if he was only kidding? Or he was just playing with her?
"Sir, why? Why are you asking me this all of a sudden?" Cassandra asked Carl and looked down to avoid his piercing dark green eyes.
"You can say no if you're not interested," Carl said nonchalantly. He didn't want to waste his time and her time too. He was just looking for a straight answer.
"Yes sir, I'd like to go out on a date with you," she said, nodding her head with a shy smile.
"Alright then, I'll pick you up by 7 pm," He said and sat down on his swivel chair.
Cassandra left Carl's office and as soon as the door closes, she yelped with excitement. She was filled with so much joy that she had the urge to scream at the top of her voice. She was smiling happily, touching her chest to feel her heart that was beating very fast.
Although, she had so many assumptions in her head that Carl was finally interested in her because he just asked her out on a date.
Cassandra was already looking forward to the dinner date and she couldn't wait for tonight to put on her best clothes to impress Carl.
...…
In the staffroom where other employees were busy working, Dexter was seen pressing his laptop with so much seriousness on his face. He was busy investigating the guy who was stalking his sister.
For Anne to be on the safe side, she decided to report to her brother about the guy who kept following her. She wasn't satisfied with her threats to scare the stalker away so she asked Dexter to dig up on who the stalker actually was.
Dexter has assured Anne not to get worried and he also promised her that he was going to find out who that stalker was and if he was a bad guy with bad intentions, he'll involve the police.
Dexter connected the CCTV camera that was opposite Anne's house to his computer and he watched the video of Anne confronting a guy in a yellow t-shirt just like Anne explained. He paused the video and zoomed closely at the guy to have a closer look at him.
After examining the guy's face, Dexter chuckled softly to himself. He recognized the man to be Mr. Daniels, a private investigator who works for Carl. Dexter was relieved and he was certain that the man meant no harm to Anne. He knew it was Carl who must've hired him to watch over Anne for a good reason, perhaps to protect her.
'But why would he hire a PI to watch over her? I thought he no longer gives a damn about her' Dexter thought to himself.
'He should stop hiring his PI to watch over my sister… Anne isn't alone she has me,' He said inwardly and just then, he saw Audrey who was walking inside the staffroom.
Audrey had just finished an interview at the studio and now she wants to edit her script for the next interview. Meanwhile, Dexter was just staring at her without saying a word.
Ever since their intense and emotional conversation that happened the other day, things have been awkward between the both of them. Dexter has been trying his best to engage Audrey in a conversation but she keeps giving straight answers. Sadly, they're not just how they used to be.
"How was the interview?" Dexter asked Audrey hesitatingly feeling skeptical that she was going to reply to him.
"good," she answered without even glancing at Dexter.
"Ugh! Audrey, how long are we going to be like this? …I miss my best friend," he said softly and Audrey tilted her head to meet Dexter's eyes.
"Don't say that, we're only best friends at work!" she said sternly.
"Audrey, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything, most especially, hurting you emotionally" Dexter apologized for the thousandth time. He felt guilty about the kiss he shared with Audrey because he didn't know it was more than just a kiss to her.
"Why are you apologizing? It's not your fault that I was into you. In fact, I'm the one who should be blamed because I mistook your kindness for affection." she sighed.
"But at least, I now know my role in your life so I don't have to overplay my part anymore," Audrey said.
"why are you saying that? You never overplayed your part. I told you, you mean a lot to me," Dexter said but Audrey kept mute like Dexter was preaching lies.
"All I'm asking is for us to be good friends again. I want things to go back to the way they was… can we start all over?" he pleaded.
"No," Audrey shook her head. "I want us to only talk if it's work-related. I really need this space between the both of us. And I need to focus more on my job..."
"…but"
"Dexter please!" she interrupted. "Allow me to do what I think is best for my mental health"
Dexter sighed and nodded his head with a sad expression. "it's okay, I understand" he muttered.
As much as he wanted Audrey and him to get back together, he had to respect her decision. Perhaps one day, she might forgive him and they can be good friends again, he hoped so.
However, Audrey was only acting coldly towards Dexter because sadly, she's still in love with him and she needs a bit of space from him so she can move on. She's still hurt and she needs her time to heal.
*******
The time was some minutes past 6 o clock in the evening and Carl was almost ready for his date with Cassandra. Right now, he was in his room staring at his beautiful reflection in the long wide mirror.
He was in a navy blue tuxedo that perfectly matched the white corporate long-sleeve shirt he was wearing inside. As usual, he wasn't wearing a tie yet he looked hot and sexy as his toned chest muscles could be vaguely seen since three buttons were left loose. He looked so alluring and fine like bread freshly baked from the oven.
Carl was brushing his hair when he heard a gentle knock on the door and then his mother, Ms. Sarah walked in.
"Wow, Carl you look so breathtaking." Ms. Sarah complimented her son as soon as she saw him with a sweet smile on her face. She was admiring how good Carl looked in the navy blue tuxedo.
"Are you going out for a business meeting by this time?" She asked.
"No, not at all. I'm going out on a date" Carl answered.
"Seriously?" Ms. Sarah exclaimed happily.
"mmhmm," he responded.
"Oh my! That is such good news. I'm sure it's been ages since you've gone out on a date. You have no idea how happy I am," she smiled.
Ms. Sarah has always been scared that Carl would end up being a single man for life ever since his relationship with his ex-girlfriend, Aurora failed. And that was why she has always wanted Carl to get married quickly.
"So, who is she? Who's the lucky girl?" she asked and suddenly, the sweet smile that was on her face turned into a cold frown. She remembered that the last time she was in New York City, five months ago, Carl was head over heels for Anne. The woman who she despises so much.
"Wait! Don't tell me you're going out on a date with that cheap baker!" Ms. Sarah said sternly, pointing at him.
"If you had paid more attention to me, you would've figured it out that Anne and I are no longer together…" Carl said and his mother had a huge sigh of relief that Anne was no longer in the picture.
"And for your information, Anastasia isn't a cheap baker!" He said firmly.
"Well, I don't care. I'm just relieved that you've finally come to your senses that that girl isn't on your level and you left her for that. I have never been more prouder my son" Ms. Sarah smiled.
Carl scoffed.
"Then I'm guessing you'll be disappointed in me if I told you it was her who rejected me," he said.
"What?" Ms. Sarah was shocked.
'That good for nothing slut!' she said in her head with a clenched jaw. She was angry with herself that it was Anne who rejected Carl and not the other way around.
'who does she think she is?' she thought to herself with furrowed brows because she knows that Carl is just too perfect for any woman to turn down. Besides, he is every lady's dream.
It made her hate Anne more because she assumed that she was a girl with so much pride for rejecting Carl but anyways, she was at least happy that her son and Anne are no longer together.