Part 7

Kansas

Monday came around again. But for some reason, this Monday wasn't like the usual Mondays filled with sour faces and a bit of grumbling from the employees feeling bored with the routine. This Monday seemed more chaotic. Claire, walking in from the front door, already noticed how the office boys and cleaning services team were bustling around with their tools in hand. And not only that, even the security guards seemed busy cleaning their guard posts.

Claire ignored them and continued walking towards her office. And it turned out, it was just as chaotic in there. Claire placed her bag in the designated drawer under her desk and glanced at Bella with confusion. "What's going on?" she whispered to her friend. Her eyes scanned the room, observing her colleagues busy sprucing themselves up.

Bella looked back at Claire with an incredulous look. "You don't know?" Bella asked Claire, who responded with a raised eyebrow. She looked back at Bella with a puzzled expression. "The owner of Coskun is rumored to be visiting our branch today. Isn't that strange? Usually, he delegates all our branch affairs to Sir Altezza, but why is he coming here himself?" Bella expressed her wonder.

Claire snorted and shook her head with an indifferent expression. "So if the owner of the company comes to his own company, do you all have to behave out of the ordinary like this?" she asked sarcastically as she turned on her PC. "When I went to the headquarters, people there weren't acting this excited when they saw the owner of the company." Claire replied with the same indifferent tone, earning herself a playful punch on the arm from her good friend.

"Don't be foolish. Of course, they and we are different. Those at the headquarters meet the owner of the company every day, while us? This is the first time, and of course, we have to show our best side to him."

"Don't let our office be judged as dirty and unkempt. This is a special and rare visit. Just think, in the two years you've been working here, have you ever met our company's owner? Has he ever come here?" Bella asked, to which Claire shook her head.

"Besides, why should I even meet the company owner? There's no benefit for me in meeting him. For me, as long as the salary keeps coming in every month, that's all that matters. Getting to know the owner doesn't guarantee a double increase in my salary," she replied casually, earning a scowl from Bella.

But Bella was right. In her two years of employment, Claire had indeed never seen the company owner directly. Whether their boss was super busy, shy, or simply indifferent to their branch's affairs, Claire wasn't sure. What they knew and considered as the top leader of their company was currently only Sir Altezza Quirino.

And besides, since when did company owners have to personally meet low-level employees? Their affairs were clearly represented by the top executives in each branch.

Claire glanced at her friends again and could only shake her head. They were clearly not trying to hide their enthusiasm. Whispering about their fantasies regarding the owner's appearance, even delving into intimate details and not hesitating to discuss the owner's current status as a widower.

They seemed to be trying to catch the attention of the company owner. It couldn't be denied that the Cinderella syndrome was now rampant in Coskun Company.

Not wanting to catch that virus, Claire chose to stand up. She grabbed her mug and walked towards the pantry.

Ken, one of the office boys who had joined in the same year as Claire, was cleaning the kitchen. The teenager greeted her warmly. "Making coffee, Miss?" Claire answered the younger man's question with a nod.

Claire placed her cup on the automatic coffee machine and selected the type of coffee she wanted before turning on the machine.

"Today seems busier than usual, doesn't it?" Ken commented, trying to start a conversation.

"Yeah, overly busy," Claire replied casually.

"Yesterday when I read the announcement in the group chat, I suddenly felt nervous," the young man continued.

"What made you nervous?" Claire asked, watching the coffee fill her cup. "Were you told to be on standby at the office at what time?"

"At 6 in the morning. Miss Emma herself gave us instructions. She said there shouldn't be a speck of dust sticking anywhere and no equipment should be in the wrong place," Ken said, imitating Miss Jojo, the head of the office boy team at the office. Claire lifted the corner of her mouth and smiled. "Is it true that the owner of this company is terribly strict?"

Claire glanced at Ken from behind her coffee cup and shrugged. "I don't know. I don't know him. I haven't even met him," Claire answered honestly. "I'm just like you guys, the only one I know is Sir Altezza."

Ken looked back at Claire with a furrowed brow. "But haven't you often been to the headquarters?" he asked, puzzled. "How could you never have seen him?" he asked again, still with an expression and tone of disbelief.

Claire shrugged again. "I went to the headquarters just to be a driver because Mrs. Shelly didn't want to be driven by male drivers. And since when do drivers attend meetings with the bosses?" Claire replied flatly. "After arriving at the headquarters, I spent my time drinking coffee and eating good food."

"Are you done gossiping?" The reprimand came from the front door. Both Claire and Ken were equally surprised by it. They both turned simultaneously and smiled sheepishly. "Luckily, I didn't hear you badmouthing me, Claire. If I did, I'd make sure to cut your salary next month," the middle-aged woman scolded, her tone stern but contradicted by the mischievous smile on her face.

Shelly's attitude was actually quite surprising to Ken because as far as the young man knew, the woman in front of him was known to be stern and abrasive. But it seemed that wasn't the case in front of Claire.

"Don't be like that. If my salary gets cut, I won't be able to buy N*****x subscriptions," Claire whined.

"Aren't you afraid of getting your salary cut because you won't be able to buy skincare?" Shelly asked, furrowing her brow.

Claire smiled. "I don't need skincare. My face and my skin are naturally good." Claire's casual reply made Ken chuckle.

Shelly could only shake her head as she walked into the pantry.

"Is there a special event today that even the company owner came? Is there a very important meeting?" Claire dared to ask.

Shelly shook her head, grabbing a glass from the pantry table and putting in a tea bag before pouring hot water from the dispenser into it.

"I'm not sure either. That's the business of our branch manager and both Sir Quirinos. Maybe they want to inspect the project directly in the field. It's usually like that, right?" Shelly looked back at Claire after pouring white sugar into her glass and now stirring it leisurely. The scent of jasmine faintly wafted through the air.

"But why does the atmosphere feel different this time?" Claire asked again. "Ken himself said he was asked to clean this floor thoroughly by Emma. Is there actually going to be an internal audit?"

Shelly shrugged again as she took a sip of her sweet tea. "Maybe so," she replied casually. "But again, that's the bosses' business. We just need to focus on our work." Her eyes then glanced at Claire, one eyebrow raised. "You didn't do any touch-up?" she asked, giving her a scrutinizing look.

"I've told you before, I'm naturally beautiful so I don't need to do anything to my face," she replied mischievously. "Besides, do we really need heavy makeup?" she asked, touching her cheek.

Shelly chuckled at the girl's response and question. "Who knows, maybe you want to register yourself."

"Register for what?" Claire asked, furrowing her brow.

"Don't you know that our company owner is single?" Shelly said with a mischievous smile.

"Oh, so that's a fact? How old is our company owner? Is he still young?" she asked, curious.

"He's not exactly young. But he's single, a widower. He has a daughter around the same age as my daughter, if I remember correctly," Shelly replied. "Who knows if those rumors are true. Maybe he's coming here to find a wife and a mother for his daughter," Shelly winked at Claire.

Claire grimaced and followed Shelly out of the pantry.

"Everything is according to the laws of nature. There won't be a prince who wants to be with a commoner. Even Cinderella came from a merchant's family, not a servant's," Claire replied flatly. "And are there not enough bachelors out there?" she continued.

"Who knows, maybe you prefer a more mature and experienced man," Shelly replied again.

"I think it's better for me to be with someone who's also a beginner. So we can both learn about relationships," Claire replied.

They both walked side by side down the hallway towards their respective rooms. But when they were about to turn, Shelly stopped in her tracks, forcing Claire to stop as well.

It turns out, the figure that was the subject of their earlier conversation had just stepped out of the elevator, walking alongside a group of people in smart and clearly expensive suits. However, among the group, the only ones Claire could recognize were Sir Altezza Quirino and their company's branch manager. The two men walked flanking a taller figure between them.

Claire furrowed her brow for a moment. She felt like she recognized the face of the man standing in the middle, but she couldn't remember exactly where she had seen him before. Then her eyes widened instantly as memories from the headquarters flooded back into her mind.

Claire finally remembered where she had seen the man. He was the same man who had entered the elevator with a provocatively dressed woman. At that time, Claire had assumed that the man was a contractor for Coskun Company. Even on the second encounter in the meeting room, Claire still didn't consider the possibility that the man was one of the company's shareholders. And now, she was shocked to realize that the man—whom she had judged as sleazy—was the owner of the company himself.

Oh God, Claire had been rude to the wrong person.

Claire continued to gaze at the tall, imposing figure, with a cold face framed by thick, arched eyebrows, sharp eyes adorned with long eyelashes. His straight, pointed nose and his face adorned with a beard and mustache that almost covered his reddish lips.

Claire could only remain silent, her forehead furrowing momentarily as the entourage passed her by and their superiors glanced in her direction. Those eyes, for some reason, Claire felt like she knew them. Not in their cold, sharp gaze, but in a more melancholic and friendly version. And as the entourage disappeared around the next corner, Claire's eyes suddenly widened.

'Oh God!' Claire's mind screamed instantly. Awareness seemed to seep into her head.

If Sir Altezza is the cousin of the company owner, and his nephew's friend is Sir Altezza's nephew, then the owner himself could indeed be the father of his nephew's friend.

So, Flavia is the son of that man? Claire guessed, furrowing her brow again.

Shelly, who was still standing beside her, now nudged Claire's arm with her elbow. "What's wrong? Are you enchanted by our company owner? Have you changed your mind about being with an inexperienced man?" Shelly teased with a smile on her face.

Claire looked at Shelly with her eyebrows still furrowed, then shook her head slightly. Clearly, what was on Claire's mind and Shelly's were very different.

Claire walked back to her cubicle while her boss returned to her office. She didn't even notice the commotion that arose again as her colleagues whispered to each other about their owner who had just passed through their room. And the commotion only stopped when the owner passed through their room again with his entourage.

As lunchtime approached, the whispers that had been silent while everyone was busy working started again. This time, the topic of their conversation was 'Where will the owner have lunch?' And Claire could only shake her head at her colleagues' obsession. Were they intending to become stalkers who would follow their boss wherever he went?

Once again, Claire shook her head.

Finally, twelve o'clock arrived. Claire was reaching into her bag for her wallet when her desk phone rang. "From Miss Williams," Bella said, handing the phone to Claire.

"Yes, ma'am?" Claire asked immediately.

"Can you come to my office for a moment?" Shelly's gentle command, which Claire promptly complied with. She put her wallet back into her drawer before walking to her boss's office.

"There's an issue with the project that the bosses visited earlier," Shelly spoke up immediately. "Workplace accident, the owner promised compensation. Please cash this check and request a letter of agreement from the legal team. I've contacted them, and they said the document can be picked up after lunch." Claire reached for a flat piece of paper in front of her and nodded.

"Do you want to be taken to the bank or something?" Shelly asked.

"I'll go by myself," Claire replied, to which Shelly nodded.

"Call the bank first so you won't be delayed," Shelly suggested. Claire nodded again and left the room.

Claire saw Bella still sitting calmly in her cubicle. She put down her notepad again, carefully inserted the check into her wallet, and then invited Bella to go out together. As she was about to enter the elevator, they crossed paths with the Quirinos.

"Hi, we meet again here," Altezza greeted with his sweet smile, which made Claire glance at the man standing next to Altezza, who now seemed to be staring at her sharply.