03 Reunion

During the mid-year holiday season, hotels in Bali were, as usual, flooded with tourists. Grace held an HR assistant position that she had secured after years of hard work, which kept her very busy. Although she wasn't directly involved in guest interactions, her workload increased significantly due to the hotel's growth and the need for new, qualified employees.

Grace's skills had attracted the HR Director's attention ever since her first year on the job. Before becoming his assistant, she was frequently invited to join Mario in meetings with the General Manager.

According to the schedule, a brief meeting was scheduled for today at 10:00 to introduce the new General Manager and discuss the transition. The aim was to teach managers and their assistants, so Grace went to pick up Mario at his office.

"There’s something different about you today. You look stunning," Mario remarked when he saw his assistant. “Is there a special occasion?”

Wearing a light blue blouse and a black knee-length skirt was typical for Grace, so she didn’t think her appearance was any different from usual. However, Nita's comment about her boss having feelings for her clarified the reason behind his compliment.

"Oh, no. Nothing specific. But thank you," Grace replied, smiling slightly. She tried to show appreciation even though she wasn’t particularly fond of receiving praise.

Mario extended his right arm as a gesture to begin walking. Grace gracefully walked beside him toward the meeting room. Along the way, they encountered several other managers and their assistants, exchanging greetings with each other.

While a specific gender did not dominate the manager positions, all of their assistants were women. Each one of them consistently showcased high performance and adorned themselves with branded items from head to toe. Grace, on the other hand, was the only one who paid little attention to her appearance, which led to some negative talk behind her back.

“Grace, can’t you upgrade your look? You look completely out of Mario’s league standing next to him.”

“How could Mario choose someone like her as an assistant?”

“She must have put a spell on Mario!”

Despite the gossip, it had become a part of Grace's daily life—she had grown numb to it. After all, she was aware that their levels of intelligence were far below her own.

"Why isn't the AC cold enough in here?" a short-haired woman, who was the finance manager, remarked as she entered the room. “Can someone please report this to the maintenance division? Where's the Chief Engineer?”

No one seemed to care; their faces displayed reluctance to take any action. This attitude made Grace feel frustrated.

Fortunately, Mario was different. He genuinely cared about these little things, especially when it involved the well-being of employees. Although she knew that her responsibilities as an assistant would expand over time.

"Grace, can you please help me with this?" Mario asked.

Without complaint, Grace got up from her chair and walked out of the room. She stood just outside the door to make a phone call to the Chief Engineer, a middle-aged man who typically acted normally during managerial meetings. She informed him of what had happened and ultimately received a solution to the problem.

When Grace returned to the room, she shared the outcome of her brief call with Mario. As an assistant, she had no authority to speak with the managers, primarily because she was looked down upon.

“Ladies and gentlemen, let’s move to the next room,” Mario relayed Grace’s message.

They expressed their annoyance with grunts, but ultimately had no choice but to move due to the discomfort in the current room.

Mario exchanged glances with Grace, accompanied by a small smile and a casual shrug. "We both know how they are," he remarked.

Grace nodded slowly before following Mario into the next room.

Everyone took a seat wherever they found it convenient, avoiding spots close to where the General Manager would be sitting. They preferred to focus on their phones. As a result, Grace and Mario ended up sitting at the very end of the table, near the GM's chair.

"Good morning," said the slightly chubby man in a black suit as he walked briskly into the room, followed by a younger man who appeared to be his assistant.

Each person stood in their place, setting aside their phones. The managers and their assistants were doing their best to appear considerate and respectful, aiming to impress the General Manager.

Grace couldn't look directly at the two men since her back was to the entrance. However, when all the women at the table turned their gaze toward the far end in astonishment, Grace instinctively followed their eyes.

She could hardly believe what she was seeing. The man before her looked so familiar that her mouth betrayed her. “Evan?” she whispered, but her voice carried enough for several nearby people to hear, including Mario, who turned to look at her in surprise.

Evan's expression was flat, the perfect word to describe it. Unlike Grace, who wore her surprise openly, Evan showed no reaction at all. He spared her only a glance before shifting his focus straight ahead.

Why is he so aloof? Is he really Evan, or just a look-alike? Grace pondered these questions, hoping with all her heart that he was still her best friend.

"Please, have a seat," Roger, the former General Manager, said as he settled next to his successor. “As you all know, I have taken over this hotel following the passing of my father, the previous owner, two months ago. Consequently, the position of General Manager will now be filled by my friend. Please welcome Mr. Evan Williams.”

Just as I thought! It really is Evan. Grace felt a wave of relief, glad to see her guess confirmed.

Evan stood up briefly to acknowledge everyone with a slight salute before sitting back down without saying much.

"From now on, all matters you typically report to me will be handled by Mr. Williams," Roger continued, making eye contact with each manager in the room. "I won’t take up any more of your time. I'll leave the rest in his capable hands." He got up from his chair and lightly tapped Evan on the shoulder.

Evan nodded curtly as the new company owner left the room.

“Mr. Evan, what would you like to drink? The office boy can bring it for you,” the finance manager said, acting as though she would handle it herself.

Evan raised his hand slightly in a gesture of refusal. "No, thank you. I’ll get straight to the point so we can get back to work without lingering here,” he said, displaying his firmness from the outset.

Everyone was paying close attention, despite most grumbling silently in their hearts. They were likely complaining about his attitude, especially since the new general manager was younger than many of the other managers.

“Since Mr. Roger's executive secretary is his wife, the position of secretary to the GM is now vacant. I need this position filled immediately. Please recommend someone you think is the best candidate from each department. They will have to pass a test that I will create myself. Those who qualify will be considered for the position,” explained Evan.

As the HR Director, Mario replied deftly, “Noted, sir. We will make an announcement regarding this shortly.”

"Thank you. Please also state that all candidates must attach their CVs and send them directly to the GM's email, as usual," Evan said as he stood up. "Let’s call it a day. Please get back to work." Without waiting for further comments, he left the room.

Grace couldn’t let Evan walk away without speaking to him. She excused herself to Mario and left the room. Although hesitant, Mario couldn’t stop her from going.

Without further ado, she ran after the new General Manager, Evan. “Evan!” she called out in a hushed voice. She did her best to catch up with him. “Evan, please wait for me!”

After walking a short distance, Evan suddenly stopped, causing Grace to bump into him from behind.

“Ouch!” Grace rubbed her head and complained, “Why did you stop so abruptly?”

“Excuse me, Ms. Grace, but I need to cut this conversation short. If you’re not going to discuss work, please return to your place and don’t bother me,” Evan replied sharply, immediately putting a halt to Grace. “And please call me Mr. Williams. You’re just the assistant manager, and I’m the General Manager here.”

Grace frowned in disbelief, surprised by her friend's attitude. There was no way Evan didn’t recognize her. Her appearance had hardly changed, and her simple makeup certainly couldn’t alter her face as drastically as plastic surgery would.

"There’s no way you can’t remember who I am, Evan," Grace said confidently, looking up at the man who was taller than he had been a few years ago.

Evan didn’t respond to her remark. "Excuse me," he said before turning away coldly.

"Seriously? What's wrong with him? Amnesia? A concussion? It sounds like something out of a cheap opera," Grace mumbled to herself. "But he mentioned my name, which definitely means he knows who I am." She stared at Evan's back until he was out of sight.

"Grace!" Mario's voice called out from a distance, bringing her back to reality. "Let's head back. We have important work from Mr. Evan, right?"

Grace nodded and then walked back with Mario. However, she couldn't shake off the troubling change in Evan’s attitude that weighed heavily on her mind.

How can I find out what's wrong with him? He can't have suddenly become this cold toward me. This isn't like Evan at all. What can I do?

For the second time, Grace bumped headfirst into someone's back. This time, it was her boss’s.

"Oops! My apologies, Sir," Grace said tersely, lacking genuine remorse.

Mario raised an eyebrow, puzzled by his assistant's unusual demeanor, but he decided against asking. "Grace, please make an announcement regarding Mr. Evan's request in the global department forum. It needs to be published as soon as possible." That was all he managed to say.

As if a lightbulb had gone off above her head, accompanied by a 'ding!' sound effect, Grace's eyes widened. "Ah! That's right!" she exclaimed. However, her excitement wasn't in response to Mario's orders; instead, it was related to a plan she was formulating regarding Evan. "See you later, sir!" she called out.

Observing his assistant's quirky behavior, Mario shook his head with a smile before heading into his office.

Meanwhile, Grace swiftly moved to her desk and immediately typed up the requested announcement for the forum. About ten minutes later, the announcement was successfully uploaded.

Determined to apply for the executive secretary position to the General Manager, Grace sent her CV and other required information to the designated email address. She was excited about the opportunity and felt confident that Evan would choose her.

However, what happened next was utterly unexpected. She received an email reply from the General Manager that left her feeling frustrated.

________

Dear Miss Grace Melody, 

I regret to inform you that I am unable to accept your application. This position is not open to assistant managers. 

Regards, 

Evan William.

________

“Ah!” Grace exclaimed with a groan, causing her colleagues to stare at her in surprise. “Sorry,” she added, sitting back down.

Suddenly, Nita sat down next to Grace. “Are you feeling sick?” she asked.

Grace pulled her ID card from her purse and handed it to Nita. “Can you compare my face in this photo with the one you see now? Is it so different that you wouldn’t recognize me?” she replied, ignoring Nita’s earlier question.

After taking turns looking at Grace's old photo ID and comparing it to her current face, Nita suddenly burst into laughter.

"Eh? Do you have a problem? What's so funny?" Grace asked, patting Nita's arm, feeling annoyed.

"You look really geeky in this photo," Nita teased, mimicking her friend's flat expression from the ID card.

Grace tilted her head slightly. "So, you're saying that the current me looks very different from the one in the ID card?" she concluded.

Nita nodded and smiled. "You look like you've had plastic surgery," she said, then burst into laughter.

"Come on, that's a bit much. There has to be some resemblance, right?" Her friend's jokes did not fool Grace. She knew that the only difference between her old ID photo and her current appearance was the light makeup she was wearing.

Nita let out a sigh as she noticed the serious expression on Grace’s face. “Yes, you haven’t changed much. I might need some time at first to recognize that it’s really you,” she said. “Why did you ask that, anyway?”

“You won’t believe what I have to say.”

“Try me.”

“He finally returned.”

“He… who? Who are you talking about?”

Grace pulled out the photo of Evan that she always carried with her and showed it to Nita. “This guy,” she said.

Suddenly,  Nita's eyes pressed forward, showing her disbelief. “Are you serious?”

Grace nodded weakly, her lips forming a slight pout. "Yes, but there is something strange about him. His nature has changed. He is not the same as he used to be," she explained. "I need to look into this matter."

Nita chuckled in surprise. "Whoa, your situation with him sounds like a wild plot twist! He’s been gone forever, and now he’s back, acting all different. It’s like he took a long vacation and came back with a whole new personality! I have to admit, I’m kind of skeptical about this whole thing—what’s he playing at?" she said. "So what are you planning to do about it?"

A small smile tugged at the corner of Grace's lips. "You'll see. I will definitely turn him back into the old Evan," she said.

[ABY]