Zen comes back from the rest room only to be surprised that the CEO was already talking with someone else. The man was in his suit with height almost as tall as Mr. Claude.
"Zen, what took you so long?" The man who has his back turned against him, turned around to see him.
Zen's eyes grew bigger. He looks handsome too. Not as handsome as Mr. CEO, but any person could tell from a single glance that this person's look is eye-catching.
Before Zen could even reply, Sevastian continued to talk. "Mr. Tan, this is Mr. Alfonso. Mr. Alfonso, he is Secretary Tan."
'Oh.'
'He didn't introduce me as his secretary.'
Secretary Tan flashes a smile that seemingly is in relief. "Hello, Mr. Alfonso. You're the first one to catch Mr. Claude's eyes that he even personally made you his secretary. I'm just glad that someone may finally be able to take care of him."
He then shakes Zen's hand a bit too roughly due to his excitement.
Mr. Alfonso timidly says in confusion, "But aren't you also his—" *secretary*.
"Now then, enough chitchatting. Secretary Tan, I've still got loads of work to do so better teach Mr. Alfonso, here, all the ropes he needed to learn."
Mr. Tan fixes his thick rimmed glasses as his work mode turned on. "No worries, Mr. Claude. I've got it all covered."
The CEO's phone alarms so he take his call first. Meanwhile, Mr. Tan scans Zen's body from up to down.
"Uhm.." Before Mr. Alfonso could even respond from the uncomfortable stare Secretary Tan has given him, Mr. Tan already said a statement in a matter of fact tone.
"First off, we need to fix that suit of yours."
Zen looks at himself. Right, he was wearing his dad's old suit that was a tad bit bigger than him. Even with his recent raise, he still couldn't afford to save up money to buy himself a good pair of suits because all the money he's been saving goes straight to his father's medical bills so he occasionally wears his dad's even though it clearly doesn't fit him. After all, the poor can't be choosy.
He flushes in embarrassment.
'I must have looked stupid.' He grimly thought as he tugs the bottom of the coat.
"Mr. CEO, we'll be going now."
The CEO who was still talking on his phone, waves his hand at them enunciating that he approves of it leaving no choice for Zen but to follow behind Mr. Tan as they leave the premises.
It didn't take long when they arrived at a high end mall. Zen gulps.
He's been here with his family back when they could still afford luxury. Now, he couldn't even bring himself setting afoot in a location that shouts, 'expensive' all over the place.
Who would have thought that he'd come back here due to his secretarial job.
They went inside to a shop famous to its best quality made tailored suits.
"Pick your choice, Mr. Alfonso."
Zen bites his bottom lip as he is shy to say it but he musters his courage and tells otherwise, "Secretary Tan, can I buy it next time instead? I promise I'll save up money."
Mr. Tan creases his forehead before chuckling and proceeding to fix his glasses from the little laugh he did. "Mr. Alfonso, you don't need to worry about money at all." He takes out something from his suit pocket and flashes it to him proudly.
It was a black card.
A black card is a no spending limit credit card that's ultimately reserved for the ultra-rich people.
Zen's jaw drops in shock. It's his first time seeing one. This even made him more uncomfortable. For goodness sake, he just met this man and he's already treating him.
As if reading Zen's mind, Mr. Tan clears the misunderstanding, "This is not mine. It's Mr. Claude's. I'm just following his orders."
"Ah, I see." Zen simply says not knowing what else to say.
Feeling the awkwardness, Mr. Tan decided to crack a joke, "Besides, even if I work as a secretary for a lifetime, there's no way I could have afford this."
Mr. Alfonso laughs a little and finds this opportunity to spill the question he has been meaning to ask. "About that, are you really his—"
"Welcome back, Mr. Tan. How may I help you?" The sales lady humbly greets.
"I'm looking for chic suits preferably in colors like brown." The sales lady's brows meet for a second. As what she had known from Mr. Tan being their regular customer, this man never order suits with that color.
To be precise, he hates brown suits. He once said that it reminds him of the chocolate icecream that someone has purposely spilled his attire. Whenevet he rants about that person, his eyes would be filled with fury.
"Eh? A-Alright, Mr. Tan. Would you like to be measured again?"
Secretary Tan scrunches his nose in grimace, "Oh no, not me! Him. Goodness, you know how much I loathe that color."
That's when the employee finally notices Zen's presence.
Keeping his almost worn out attire aside, the man with wavy brown hair looks angelic even though he has a timid vibe. No one would have noticed him if he kept quiet but once he talks, surely everyone will fall for him. Or so that's the vibe, the sales lady has been getting from him.
"Understood. Let's go to the VIP room, Mr...?"
"Alfonso."
And yet she was right, this Alfonso guy is like that meek nerdy boy from next class that could actually pass as an idol with his ear-loving refreshing voice.
She grabs a tape measure from a table and starts to measure him up. Although his measurements were far below a masculine man and only a bit above slender female, she remained nonchalant as she seemed.
The lady then asked Mr. Tan for the preference of cloth material for the fine gentleman but Mr. Tan after thinking of something, responded in an amused tone, "The best of the best."
Her one eyebrow arches upwards. Just who could this beautiful man be for Mr. Tan to request 'the best of the best' cloth material for suits that even he hasn't said for himself.
What is his connection with him?
The sales lady's questions will be answered soon enough.