I ran to our glass banister staircase as fast as I could. I was thankful that I decided to wear flat sandals. I was able to easily descend the two flights of stairs quickly. I scanned the room for Maria and saw her walking towards the main entrance.
"Maria!" I called out to her.
I was about to walk towards Maria when Bram reached me. He grabbed my left upper arm and pulled me towards him. But he was too late. I had already caught Maria's attention and she was walking towards us. I tried to pull my arm away from Bram but he would not let me go. Instead, he hugged me from the back and locked me in his arms.
"We don't need Jonas," Bram told Maria. We were both facing her, so I did not struggle to break free. I did not want to make a scene. So I gave Maria a fake smile, "Please tell him to get the MX-5 instead," Bram added, then he kissed the right side of my neck.
Maria nodded and said, "Right away, Sir."
I waited for Maria to turn her back to us, then I elbowed Bram but he was still not letting me go, "I will let you go if you calm down. I can explain my reasons," Bram whispered to my right ear.
I sighed and said, "Fine, I'm calm." But deep inside I was furious.
He slowly loosened his grip on me. When I was free, I glared at him and smacked him with my bag. I was unsuccessful because, with his quick reflexes, he was able to grasp my bag with his right hand. Then he gave this silly, irritating laugh.
"What's funny?" I snapped at him.
"Nothing," he answered quickly. He was suppressing laughter.
I hurriedly trailed behind Maria towards our main door. I glanced at my watch and it showed fifteen minutes past six o'clock. I felt the temperature when we reached the entrance. I did not know that it was this chilly at this time of day. I hugged myself as I felt the cold temperature on my legs. I wish I had brought a shawl or a cardigan.
"Are you cold?" Bram asked me. We were now standing by the door while we waited for Jonas to bring the MX-5.
"Yes," I answered politely. I was very mad at him, but I did not want to get sick and missed his induction.
He removed his gray coat and then he covered it on my shoulders. I shook my head. Why did I even decide to wear a short trapeze dress at this time of day? I put my arms inside the sleeves of Bram's coat and hugged myself again. When Jonas arrived, Bram opened the passenger door for me, then he closed it when I was safely inside.
When we arrived at the RGC building it was already forty-five minutes after seven. We took the same elevator yesterday and I handed the coat back to Bram.
"Thank you," I told him and looked at the floor indicator. I covered my mouth because I could not stop yawning. I saw Bram turn to me but I ignored him. When the elevator opened to Bram's floor, Archie was already there waiting for us.
"Could you get us some breakfast please?" Bram told Archie. He was trailing behind us as we walked to Bram's office.
"Right away, Sir," Archie responded, then he opened the glass door for Bram and me.
The curtains were drawn and the sunlight was streaming into the other side of Bram's room. I immediately walked towards it and admired the view from the outside. I always disliked the city because of air pollution. But this was a first for me. I had never seen this concrete jungle of Manila at this time of day. It was so beautiful.
"I didn't trust you at first," Bram said from the back.
I turned to him and we stared at each other. I nodded, "You have a lot of reasons not to trust me. That's reasonable."
"That's just the main reason why I don't want us to sleep in the same room. I don't know who you are." Bram continued. He was waiting for my reaction.
I looked down on the carpeted floor and bit my upper lip. I looked up again to meet his eyes. I sighed before I spoke, "What did Atty. Silas says regarding cutting the years of the contract down to two?"
Bram's lips parted. Maybe he was not expecting my question but this thing was starting to take its toll on my head. It was Bram's turn to look down at the carpet. His eyes were blinking rapidly. I waited for his answers but we heard a bell chime. I did not know that Bram's office had a doorbell?
We both turned our heads to the glass door. We could only see two heads outside. It was designed in a way that the lower part of the body of people outside was blurry. Bram walked towards the door and opened it. A man in a black suit was trailing behind Archie and they entered the room carrying a variety of breakfast food.
They placed the food on the glass table in front of the long sofa. The other guy went out without a word but Archie stood up and stared at Bram.
"Coffee, Sir?" Archie asked Bram.
"We'll manage, that would be all, thank you," Bram told Archie. Archie nodded and left the room quietly. Bram turned back to me again and we stared at each other.
I released a long breath, "Just let me know when the documents are ready and I'll sign them," I told Bram. I squeezed my bag and added, "Excuse me, I'm going to the restroom." I walked out of the room with big strides and ran to the restroom.
I quickly got into one of the restroom cubicles and locked the door. I leaned on the back of the door and closed my eyes. I was trying to calm myself. I knew it was not going to be easy when I agreed to Don Agustin's proposition. But I did not know that it would be this hard. I was startled when I heard a flush from the cubicle on my right side.
I opened the door and stared at myself in the restroom mirror. The woman from the other cubicle went out and washed her hands. I decided to put on my make-up. When I was satisfied with my light make-up, I left the restroom. I glanced at my watch and it was eight o'clock now.
My appointment with Robert was scheduled for nine this morning. I walked back towards Bram's office. When I opened the door, I saw a woman standing near the center table. She gave me a slight nod and I gave her a small smile. She was also wearing the same black ensemble as Archie and the other guy; only hers had a feminine cut.
Bram stood up from his swivel chair. His coat was already on the rack and he came near me. He put his left arm on my waist and said, "Baby, this is Chantal Reyes. She will be your bodyguard from now on."
My eyes widened in surprise. I turned to Bram with a questioning look. He just smiled at me and wiggled his eyebrows playfully. I turned back to Chantal again and gave her a toothy grin.