Axel's brother approached me. My stomach twisted–if he was really Axel's brother, that made him current President of my workplace, and I'm his employee who just broke his property,
"The bent seems quite visible, how much is it?" I asked him while showing him the bent, and he observed it seriously, until his eyebrows slightly frowned.
"I don't know, because it was a gift." He said nonchalantly,
Will I get fired?
He stretched out his hand to me. Is he asking for my money? But I don't bring any cash, maybe If I apologized sincerely he would let me pay in installments instead.
I took his stretched out hand with my right hand while bowing to him, "I'm really sorry, I know I have to pay you the compensation, but right now I don't bring any cash."
He pulled his hand from my grip, "I meant the miniature, give it here." His deep voice was really charismatic, I obeyed him immediately without realizing.
I gave it to him slowly, "It's okay, accidents could happen." He put the miniature back in its place.
If he said that, that means I won't get fired right?
"Can I pay it in installments?"
"No, you can't." Cora you're super dead here, "You don't have to pay for this." he added,
"But–"
"Grandfather must have been waiting for you."
"Oh Right, Grandfather." I almost left him, but I turned back to him, "Once again, I'm deeply sorry." I gave him a deep bow while covering my chest and left the room superfast. I could feel my heart pounding super fast until it could explode, not because of love of course, but of fear.
Tens of guests with their expensive clothing were passing by the main hall. I tried to blend in, and follow them to the dining hall but then a black hair young woman in her early twenties came up to me, smiling warmly. She's really pretty with her slit blue dress.
"Are you Cora Davis?" asked her friendly,
"Yes miss." I answered politely,
"I'm Lana Kusuma, I'm here to escort you so you don't break anything else," she joked. But… How did she know about the accident?
"How can–"
"Follow me." She grabbed my hand, and I followed her.
"What is your relationship with grandfather?" asked her as we walked, for now I assumed that it's grandfather who sent her to me.
"I'm working as the secretary of Axel Kusuma,"
"Seeing how you are coming here as a guest, you mustn't be a regular secretary, right?" she asked, giving me a curious look.
"Well, I'm also supposed to mentor him too, so I guess you could say that," I replied.
"So you are Axel's side?" asked her to me,
"What do you mean?"
"Okay, let me tell you about this company and family. There are two sides, Ethan's side and Axel's side."
"Ethan?" I have ever heard the name from somewhere but I forgot
"You didn't know the name of the president?" She looked a bit surprised. Right! So his name is Ethan, "That's weird." mumbled Lana to herself,
"Almost everyone in the Kusuma Big Family was on Ethan's side, only a couple of them were on Axel's side."
I frowned, "But I don't understand why people picked sides? And why Axel and his brother have to be on different sides?"
"They competed to become the only heir of the Suma Group," explained Lana.
"For what? Hasn't Axel's big brother already become the president?"
"It's kinda funny to hear someone called Ethan as Axel's big brother." Lana laughed softly,
"Ethan is the illegitimate son of uncle Tony, I heard that Ethan is his son with his first love in university or something." Lana spilled the tea heavy on these, I don't know if I could actually know this or not.
"That's why Axel's mother fought so hard, so Axel will be the only successor, because she hated him so much."
"How about you? Whose side are you?" I asked Lana, seems like both of us really matched each other's energy, she seems fun to be with.
"I'm not picking any sides, I'm neutral."
"Really?" I pouted my lips jokingly,
"I think it's childish, and I don't like complicated things. And you know the best part when I'm not picking any sides? Both of them act really nice to me."
"They always like my two genies, always giving everything I wanted." said Lana and we shared a laugh together. I like her.
We were talking while walking to the dining room, without realizing that we actually had arrived. The dining room was stunning, crystal chandeliers casting a soft, warm light over every long, polished table set with fancy plates and gold-rimmed glasses. About twenty long tables lined up perfectly, Heavy green curtains framed the tall windows, and the table was decorated with beautiful flower arrangements and candles that made the whole room feel warm and inviting.
The waiter and waitress were standing by every inch of the table, prepared to serve the guests.
We walked to a nearby table, and Lana scanned the room. "There he is! Axel!"
Before I could say anything, she called out to him, waving. My heart raced as Axel spotted us. I was supposed to be a surprise for him, but now there was nowhere to hide. He waved to Lana, smiling, but when his eyes landed on me, his expression shifted, his pupils widening as he stared.
"Hi, Axel." Said me awkwardly but managed to give him a smile.
"Cora…"
He looked me over, his eyes tracing every detail, stopping at my face. His dirty blonde hair was a perfect mix of neat and a little messy. The top was pushed back, but one side curled forward in a soft wave, like a comma framing his face. Axel wore a tailored dark brown suit with a dress white shirt and dark brown stripe tie. He looked captivating, like he just stepped out of a magazine.
For a moment, we just stood there, staring at each other in silence. "What are you guys doing? Let's sit." Said Lana, breaking the spell.
Axel blinked, clearing his throat and gave her a quick nod. "Right, let's sit."
We moved to the table, I sat beside Axel and Lana was sitting across from us. I could feel the heat of Axel's gaze on me every now and then. My heart wouldn't stop racing, and I wondered if he could hear it pounding. Lana started talking about her day, filling the air with easy chatter, but I could feel Axel's attention drift to me, like he was trying to figure something out.
"You… you look stunning." Said Axel to me softly, "what? Is the Axel Kusuma stuttering?" Cut Lana in shock,
"Never in a million years I would imagine seeing Axel praising a woman nervously."
"Who said I'm nervous?"
"Don't mind her, but you are really stunning, Cora." said Axel, I could feel his sincerity.
"Thank you. Your Grandfather who sent me this dress."
"Did Grandfather invite you?"
"Yes, actually he meant to surprise you. But I've been caught."
"You did surprise me." said Axel smiling, tonight he looked incredible. I felt butterflies everytime we talked.
"Lana." From the back heard a deep voice calling for Lana, Excitedly Lana stood up and hugged the voice owner, It's Ethan and some men following him. Different from earlier, now Ethan has worn his black suit without any tie.
From my side, I could see Axel's jaw hardened. He looked uncomfortable, different just like what he usually was.
"Good to see you joined us," said Ethan to Axel, and Axel just silenced not answering back.
"Thank you for me a accompanied miss Davis, Lana." said Ethan to Lana
"Pardon?" I asked because my name got mentioned.
"Nice to meet you again, Miss Davis and please be more careful tonight." said Ethan smiling warmly to me, much different and he left our table to greet other guests on other tables.
"Look who actually come here." said one of the man,
"Shut up, don't make him mad Justin." warned Lana,
"Looks like someone has a new toy," said a woman with a red dress scanning me from head to toe. Hearing them, Axel fist clenched hard, he seems trying to suppress his anger.
"Can I play with her too?" said someone else with black hair and they were laughing while walking leaving our table.
Without warning, Axel slammed his hand on the table, hard enough to make the dishes rattle. The noise was loud, turning every head in our direction. His face was tense, his eyes fierce as he glared at Ethan's group. His sudden movement silenced their laughter, the smirks disappearing as they took in his reaction. Even Ethan paused, caught off guard by Axel's immediate, burst of anger.
I grabbed his arm, and tapped it slowly. "Ignore them Axel, don't give them what they want." I said with a deep tone as I tried to calm him down, his chest was going up and down, his face redden full of emotions.
"Sorry, I dropped my fork." Said Lana to make everyone not look at us anymore.
"I thought he was on business trips, If I knew he was here I wouldn't come." said Axel after he calmed down but he still looked tense.
The dinner finally began, the courses were served, I tried my best to enjoy the food, letting the familiar flavors distract me from the tension lingering between us earlier. But Axel remained distant, his gaze fixed on the table as he barely touched his meal.
Then, Grandfather rose from his seat, making the room's attention fully focus on his steady voice. He began his speech, thanking everyone for coming, his words filled with warmth and pride. But as he wrapped up, he looked in our direction, a knowing smile on his face.
"And I'm especially grateful," Grandfather announced, "because one of my grandsons has brought his beautiful and smart future spouse to this dinner."
My heart skipped a beat as whispers filled the room, and every eye turned toward our table. Grandfather's faze lingered on Axel and me, "Axel Kusuma and Cora Davis, everyone." I felt my face heat up. The murmurs grew louder, excitement felt in the crowd.
Axel suddenly stood up, his face looked more serious than ever. " She's not my girlfriend," his voice filled the whole dining room, making the crowd go silent in a second. "Cora is just my secretary, nothing more." he said coldly and sharply.
Too sharp until I felt my heart get pierced by his words, My chest felt tight. His words were like a punch I hadn't expected. The room was frozen, and all I could do was sit there, feeling every pair of eyes on me. I haven't even confessed my feelings, yet I was rejected so much until my heart hurts.
"You shouldn't come here, Cora." whispered Axel before he left the dining hall.