Chapter 12

GRACE'S POV 

A few minutes into the drive to work, Ethan pulled over in front of a breakfast shop. 

“What's going on?” I asked, confused.

He smiled. “Sorry, I just want to quickly grab a coffee and something small to eat. I haven't had breakfast.” 

I nodded slowly. “Oh.” 

“Don't worry, you won't be late. I already asked my cousin who works here to keep them for me. I just have to pay and grab.” He added, and slid out of the car, slamming the door shut and walking into the building. 

I sighed and pulled out my phone. I wanted to check on Susan, and find out if she had gone to work yet. Knowing her, the possibility was lesser as she still had to pick out her outfit for the day. Susan prided in her outfits and would take ages if it meant she looked her absolute best. 

Was that it? That she dressed way better than I did? Is that how Michael got attracted to her and looked at me less? How would I even know anyway?

I tapped on her contact and typed out a text to her. 

“Hey! Are you at work yet?” 

Immediately, her reply came through and I could already sense her exasperation through the phone. 

“SOS! I can't find what to wear! That lunatic is definitely going to complain about my tardiness.”

I smiled, shaking my head at her reply. Typical Susan. 

“Be like me, Susan. Throw on a black on black outfit and you're good to go.” 

“Ew! I'd rather wear trash”, came her dramatic reply. 

I cocked my head to the side and sent in a reply. “You mean a trash bag? Trendy.” 

“No, literal trash.” I couldn't help but cackle at her text, because yes, she would absolutely rock it instead of black on black. 

“Trendy.” 

Before her reply could come through, the door to the driver's seat opened and Ethan slid in, struggling to hold two cups and a snack. 

“Help?” He whispered, looking up at me.

I chuckled and grabbed a cup from his hand. He sighed in relief and settled in properly, shutting the door. 

“Thank you.” He said to me, placing both items in the cup holder. 

“Didn't you say you were going to get a coffee? Why do you have two, instead of one?” I raised an eyebrow in curiosity. 

He smiled at me and replied, “I thought it would be rude if I got something for myself, and not you. Therefore, viola! Coffee for Grace, too. I would've gotten you, at least, a donut or something, but I didn't know if you already ate breakfast.” 

His sheepish smile was so cute, I couldn't stop myself from smiling right back. 

“Thank you, really. I did have breakfast, but caffeine should work if I'm going to survive another day in that office.” I replied, raising my coffee in the air. 

Ethan chuckled and took a sip of his coffee. “Right? I'm surprised people haven't already resigned from their jobs considering Mr Falana is as ruthless as he is.” He pulled out and started the drive to work. 

I paused in thought. “You guys think he's ruthless?”

Ethan paused too, tapping his finger on the steering wheel. “Well, yes. He is. Don't you think so?” He glanced at me briefly.

I shrugged softly. “I mean, he is. But I've always thought he’s doing what's best for the company, you know. As the CEO, you can't always be completely lenient with your workers, you have to be able to command their respect. It's how you build a company and a family.” I drank a bit of my coffee and continued.

“I mean, if you let someone like Missy Vanguard run a company, what do you think will happen? A lot of people, including me and you, most especially Lana, will walk all over her. Like, ‘Oh, it's just Missy. She won't do anything.’ As much as she should be able to, she doesn't command power and probably doesn't know how to utilize it. Mr Falana knows he has power, and he uses it for the good of the company. If you've kept track, there's rarely any selfish action performed by Mr Falana. If it does the company no good, it's not to be considered. But if it benefits the company, we do everything we can to get it right. Leadership, firm and trustworthy. Company, excellent.” I let out a breath after I stopped rambling. 

I sighed and turned to Ethan who looked like he was in deep thoughts. “I'm sorry, I ramble about things I think should be right.” I said to him. 

There was silence for a few seconds and I started to think I said too much and he was tired. Except, a smile slit his lips.

“Wow, Grace. That was an amazing speech.” He said, throwing a look and a nod my way. 

I chuckled awkwardly. “Just groundwork.” 

He laughed. “It was more than groundwork. I can tell you know a lot about business, how?” 

I didn't want to talk about it at all. It would mean talking about my mother and that was a topic I avoided by all means. 

“I don't want to talk about it.” I told him, truthfully. 

He nodded rapidly. “Sure, of course. It's fine. There are topics I don't like dwelling on, too. And we're here.” 

I looked outside to see that we had pulled up in front of the company building. 

“Well, thank you for the ride. And the coffee, not forgetting the coffee.” I said to him, grabbing my bag and opening the door. 

“It's cool. Just kindness, right?” He replied. 

As we stepped out of the car and made our way to the entrance, I casually looked around and froze on the spot. 

Nothing in this present life had prepared me for the sight of him. My heart pounded against my chest, my breakfast felt like they wanted to take a trip to the flower pot beside me. 

Because right across the road stood who I immediately recognised as Michael.