Chapter 5

Shaina couldn’t stay calm the whole morning. Good thing Lukas went out for lunch break, so she was able to breathe for a while. But the moment the office door opened again, her heart started racing fast once more.

What the heck! Why am I even nervous? Who cares if he read what I typed? Can’t it just be a typo? she scolded herself in her mind.

No matter what she did, the scene from earlier kept replaying in her head. Even if she told herself not to feel embarrassed, her brain didn’t listen.

“He smells so good.” Ugh! If only she had a time machine, she’d go back and smack herself.

She gasped when Lukas suddenly looked her way with a frown. Oh no! Did I just say that out loud?

As if she didn’t have enough problems, now she was afraid to even talk to herself. What if every thought that should stay in her head ended up slipping out?

And here they were, stuck in the same office. Sometimes, she couldn’t help but glance at Lukas. His desk was spotless, the office itself looked like it came straight from an architectural magazine—dark wood, minimalist, masculine. The perfect background for a Greek god at work.

Greek god, my face, she rolled her eyes. He acts like he’s king of the world when giving orders. And when he stares, it’s like I did something wrong in life. And that smile earlier? Just a trick. He has no heart.

As if bad luck heard her, Lukas spoke, his cold tone sending chills down her arms.

“Miss Dela Cruz.”

She jumped and sat up straight. “Yes, Sir.”

Without looking at her, he kept his eyes on the laptop. “My schedule. What’s my meeting this Thursday, three in the afternoon?”

She winced and quickly grabbed the planner. Things were still messy because she hadn’t finished fixing the stuff left behind by the old secretary. Papers and notes were scattered everywhere.

Wow, a test right away? If I knew the secretary job was like an exam, I would’ve reviewed last night! She took a deep breath and scanned the notes. Luckily, the former secretary had written neatly.

“Thursday, 3 PM—meeting with the marketing team, sir.” she answered, then silence filled the room again. She thought it was over, so she closed the planner and set it on the desk, but then he spoke again.

“And Friday, nine in the morning?”

Oh wow. I thought that was it. Can’t he just ask everything in one go? Is this recitation style, Sir Vergara?

She cleared her throat and reopened the planner. “Board meeting, sir.”

This time, Lukas finally looked at her. His face was unreadable. Totally different from the man she met yesterday.

“And Monday next week, one in the afternoon?”

Unbelievable. Next week already? But she quickly read the note. “Site visit in Cavite, sir.”

He nodded, then went quiet for a moment before firing off more questions, one after another, faster than lightning.

“Tuesday morning, ten AM? Wednesday, four in the afternoon? Saturday, lunch?”

Her eyes widened.

Pak, pak, pak! What is this, a buzzer round? A spelling bee? Unli-questions?

“Tuesday, ten AM, client presentation with Mr. Anderson,” she rushed to answer. “Wednesday, four PM, investor call. And Saturday lunch with Architect Lim.”

At last, Lukas stopped and just stared at her, like he was reading her soul. She quickly lowered her eyes and pretended to check the planner again. Why is he like this with me? Yesterday I wanted to strangle him, now I just want to… smell him again.

Crap! What am I thinking?

“Good,” he finally said, snapping her out of her thoughts. “You’re faster than my last secretary.”

If it were another woman, she’d probably blush. But Shaina? She rolled her eyes secretly.

Wow, thanks. Achievement unlocked. What’s next? A gold star? A trophy?

As if that wasn’t enough, Lukas leaned down a bit, lips slightly curved.

“One last question, Miss Dela Cruz.”

She inhaled sharply. “Yes, Sir?”

He looked straight at her. “Do I really smell good?”

She almost choked on her own saliva. She couldn’t answer right away. Her throat went dry, and all she could do was swallow and stare at him.

Damn it. He didn’t forget! Why does he have to bring it up again?

She sighed, but as always, her sharp tongue got ahead of her brain. She raised her brow and cleared her throat.

“Even if you do smell good, sir, that doesn’t mean I like it. Honestly, I’m allergic to perfume. Maybe tomorrow I’ll catch a cold because of you.”

Instead of getting mad, Lukas’s lips curved into a faint smile. He didn’t say anything.

Silence filled the office again. Even the air seemed to be waiting for his reply.

And then, he chuckled. Not loud, but enough to surprise her. He wasn’t angry?

“Interesting,” he said, his tone still cold but with a trace of amusement in his eyes. “So you get colds easily.”

Shaina crossed her arms like she was the boss instead of him. She tried to hide her racing heart.

“Yes, Sir. So if you don’t want me gone too soon, maybe it’s better if you use a perfume that smells like alcohol instead.”

Lukas smiled again, and that made her panic inside. She wasn’t used to seeing him smile. It felt like her heart was being eaten alive. She didn’t know if it was more annoying or nerve-wracking.

In the end, he went back to his laptop like nothing happened. “Back to work, Miss Dela Cruz.”

And all she could do was shake her head. Damn it. Why are you so hard to forget, Lukas Vergara?