“We hereby announce that Mr. Williams has officially been assigned a minimum of six months to lead our new hotel branch in Vietnam. Most likely more. Hence, the position of GM will be temporarily replaced by Mr. Suganda. Hope everyone can work well together for the betterment of this hotel. The meeting is over." That was the announcement made by Roger, the hotel owner about a week after Evan returned. When everyone present at this important meeting left the place as if nothing had happened, it was different for Evan and Grace, who were disappointed. Each of them pondered over the sudden and unexpected decision. "So this is what you wanted to tell me last night?" Grace started the conversation when there was no one else in the meeting room but them. She made the sound of her voice calm and relaxed despite the turmoil in her heart. Evan nodded weakly with a heavy sigh. "Why in the world when things are settled and peaceful, must there be such an unpleasant situation?" he complained, t
“Why am I missing him already?” Grace mumbled to herself, staring at the laptop screen in her bedroom. Already getting used to being together and once again being separated still gave her unpleasant feelings, even though Grace and Evan's friendship had been mended. They stayed in touch as if no day without communication. At least they would send a short message. Evan sent pictures, showing every side of Vietnam he visited. On the other hand, Grace told him about her new daily work routine as the head of the translation subdivision, and the progress of Indah's pastry shop. Nina, Anthony's little sister, had been working as a cashier for the past three months at the pastry shop. Indah's workload was reduced and her health improved. As usual, Anthony helped deliver some pastry orders when it came to quite distant places. Without Evan being around, Anthony got more chances to spend more time with Grace. He made use of every opportunity well, still trying to win her heart.“Grace. What
For the past two weeks, Anthony's deepest feelings had been troubling Grace. So far every kindness he had shown her and Indah had made a significant impression. There was even a time when she considered Anthony a good husband-to-be.Nevertheless, the trauma Grace had of men caused by her dad made her withdraw quickly. Like a flower having no time to bloom and yet suddenly dying due to winter.Surprisingly enough, Anthony didn't give up yet, even though he hadn't gotten any answer from Grace since that time. In Evan's absence, he used as much time as possible to show that he deserved a chance.Hence, Indah became more and more aware of what Anthony intended to do. She didn't mind his help at all. However, seeing the repercussions for her daughter, she felt the need to intervene."Do you think I have to talk to Anthony?" Indah asked when Grace was enjoying the porridge she made for breakfast.Grace shook her head. "No need, Mom. We are both adults. You don't have to get involved in this
"Who is that woman?" After holding back her curiosity until she returned home, Grace finally tried to find out about the beautiful woman she saw in the video call with Evan.Evan was not someone who would upload photos to social media, but his account had remained active since their friendship was restored. Hence Grace looked at his I*******m and F******k accounts, thinking she could get some information.Her hunch turned out to be right. There is an account that tagged Evan's account on I*******m. Veronica Anh, that's her profile name. That woman had nearly ten thousand followers who most likely followed her because of her beauty."You look so serious. What are you looking at?”"A woman approached Ev—nothing." Too focused, Grace almost answered Anthony's question, whose arrival she didn't notice. She lowered her phone and looked at him. “Why are you here this late, Ant? It's almost nine o'clock."Anthony held up a plastic bag filled with starch balls. “Earlier, Bli Wira passed in fron
"Vino, there is a change of plan. I can’t return to Vietnam as planned. So, please handle some stuff as long as I'm not there. Please keep this matter down before I speak to Mr. Roger.” Evan immediately contacted his secretary as soon as he arrived at the hospital. He clearly didn't want to go back to Vietnam in this situation.Without asking further, understanding that there was something serious through Evan's delivery tone, Vino immediately agreed. After all, he already understood why his boss wanted to return to Bali all of a sudden. His experience of working almost a year with Evan had made him accustomed to the GM's expectations when thrilling surprises came his way.At that moment, the hospital was quiet, but Evan and Grace's minds were both filled with worries about Indah's condition. It'd been half an hour since the medical team had treated Indah and the doctor hadn't come out once to say anything.Ever since they were on the way to the hospital, Evan felt very guilty for bein
"Hush, hush, Grace. You've been crying long enough." Indah stroked her daughter's head shortly after she woke up. Her heart felt warm but also sad at the same time knowing how worried Grace had to be. “Aren't you always the toughest girl? Why are you now crying like a baby?”With all the considerations and opinions of Indah herself, she made a decision to implant the heart device. From beginning to end all Grace did was pray. Evan who continued to be by her side did the same thing. However, as Indah’s daughter, Grace had been more worried than before, until the whole process was finally over.“I’m just feeling so grateful, Mom. It's okay to cry once in a while, right?" Grace answered between sobs.Evan who was standing at the end of the bed smiled. "It's great to see you back in good health," he commented. "We've been so worried in the last three days, Mom, to be honest.""Thank you, Evan, for taking care of Grace." Indah waved at Evan to come closer. She opened her other hand and then
Grace had to admit that being in a relationship wasn't as scary as she thought it would be. In fact, that made her days more exciting. Especially since Evan always made time to meet her twice a month. It was as if the world belonged to both of them.Nevertheless, two friends who become lovers undeniably always had their own moments of quarrel. The first one was successfully resolved after reaching an agreement. Grace and Indah finally stayed in their own house but Evan gave her his car for daily use. After all, it would help prevent unnecessary maintenance costs due to unused car engines.The second big quarrel was when Evan was offered a great position at the Philippines branch hotel. His excellent performance made Roger confident that he could multiply the already huge profits in that exotic country. Personally, he didn't want to be in a long-distance relationship for too long. On the contrary, Grace saw it as a good opportunity and asked him to reconsider it.“I can only accept the
The special assignment given to Grace required her to make a short trip to Lombok. The Spanish investor couple welcomed her warmly, like their own daughter; the woman, especially, always clung to her hand from the moment they met until they arrived at the beautiful resort in the south of Lombok.It was a private three-bedroom villa where Grace, the Dominguez, and the hotel owner, Roger, and his wife stayed. As previously informed, the other two rooms with a king bed each were occupied by the husbands and wives, and Grace was alone in the room with twin beds. The aim was to make it easier for them to negotiate, but at the same time get to know each other in a soothing place. A typical warm Spaniard, as Grace often read from cultural articles.There was not much to do once they were in the villa. Apart from chatting and having lunch together, Mr. and Mrs. Dominguez chose to relax on the balcony of their room. Meanwhile, Roger was sleeping in the bedroom, and Melissa, his wife, was making