5

SHAWN POV

Oh, absolute, pure perfection. Ang cute lang. I could almost smell the sweet scent of total panic radiating off her.

At bakit naman maiisip nitong dakilang robot PA ko na sisantihin ko siya ng dahil lang sa napakagandang bulaklak at mamahaling chocolate cake? What kind of weird, twisted logic goes through that head of hers?

Kung hindi ko lang alam sa sarili kong hopelessly in love at may lihim na pagnanasa sa akin ang babaeng 'to, iisipin kong tuluyan nang napraning ang utak niya. But of course, I knew the real reason. She was caught off guard because her cold, unattainable boss was finally giving her a taste of what she secretly desired!

Looking at her side profile, I could see how gloriously rattled she was. Hindi siya mapakali… Her fingers couldn't stop twisting her pen, her pink blouse was practically shaking, and her right leg under the table was nervously bouncing up and down like a jackhammer.

I'm not used to seeing my emotionless secretary like this... but damn, it was delicious.

Am I really making her this nervous? Was my sheer presence and simple gesture enough to send her inner world into complete chaos?

Oh, sweet Lord. My ego didn't just stay in the Milky Way—it straight-up blasted off to the moon.

She was so ridiculously adorable trying to pretend that I didn't break her icy facade. The way she adjusted her round glasses, her lips pressed into a tight line, acting like she was deeply focused on the panot director’s boring presentation—it was a 10/10 performance, but I saw right through it.

So, being the attentive man that I am, I decided to help her calm down.

Under the long mahogany conference table, where no one else could see, I smoothly reached out my left hand and gently rested it right above her knee to stop her leg from bouncing.

Big mistake. Or rather... a glorious one.

In a fraction of a second, Vanessa gasped, choked on her own saliva, and let out a soft, muffled cough: "Ahem—kh-kh!"

Before I could even enjoy the warmth of her leg, her hand shot down like a lightning bolt. She didn't just politely remove my hand, she literally slapped my knuckles away!

It was a stealthy, low-profile hit, halos hindi halata at walang nakapansin sa buong conference room—pero Jesus, the speed and sheer desperation in that small slap made me want to burst out laughing right then and there.

Napatitig ako sa harapan habang patuloy na nagdadait ang mga matatandang directors, but the corners of my lips were twitching violently against my will.

Look at that reaction. She was so deeply affected by my mere touch that she almost suffocated! She was so overwhelmed by her feelings for me that she had to violently swat my hand away just to keep her sanity intact!

Oh, Miss Fernandez... you are completely, hopelessly wrapped around my finger.

I subtly adjusted my gold-framed glasses, leaning back against my leather chair with the ultimate sense of victory. Keep fighting it, Vanessa. This is only Day One.

But I wasn't done making her feel nervous. In fact, I was just getting started.

The moment my annoying cousin, Adam Lim, started talking about the merger, which was basically just a boring repeat of what the old guy reported earlier, I pretended to be deeply focused on his video presentation. Pero sa totoo lang? My mind was completely wandering over to my PA beside me.

Busy na naman siya sa pagso-solidify ng robot facade niya habang mabilis na nagta-type ng notes sa tablet.

A slow, devilish idea popped into my head. I leaned down slightly and whispered right into her ear:

"Did the chocolate cake taste good? Masarap ba?"

BIGLA SIYANG NAPAHINTO SA PAGTA-TYPE.

She froze, slowly turning her head to look at me. Those eyes, unrelenting, seemingly emotionless, giving me a total blank glare that screamed: 'What the hell are you trying to say, boss?'

Pero kilala ko na siya. Deep inside, she was screaming and panicking! Kita ko sa bahagyang panginginig ng gilid ng mga mata niya sa likod ng salamin na nagpapanic attack na siya sa simpleng tanong ko. I almost wanted to smirk right then and there, but I held myself back. After all, nasa gitna kami ng boardroom meeting.

Then, out of nowhere, Vanessa tilted her head and asked in a low, sharp whisper—na medyo narinig pa ng ilang katabing directors kaya napatingin sila sa gawi namin:

"Sir, are you sick? May sakit ka ba? Parang naglalakbay ang isip mo kung saan-saan... Should I cancel this boring meeting?"

Napa-frown ako agad. Boring meeting?! At pinaratangan pa akong may sakit?!

Challenge accepted, Miss Fernandez.

"No. Wala akong sakit, I’m perfectly fine," I replied smoothly, deliberately using my rich, deep British accent—the exact voice tone that could melt any woman within a five-mile radius.

Pero kataka-taka... it did absolutely nothing to her.

No blush. No fluttered eyelashes. She just gave me a tiny, exasperated sigh and went straight back to writing on her tablet like I was an annoying fly buzzing in her ear.

Damn it. What the hell was she playing at? Ignoring me now?!

Wasn't she supposed to be seducing me? Wasn't she supposed to be waiting for a chance to flirt with me and kiss me?! Why was she treating me like an invisible distraction while I was out here putting on my absolute best charm?!

Oh, Vanessa... playing hard to get, huh? Fine. Let's see how long you can keep this up.

The moment the board meeting finally wrapped up and the older directors began filing out of the room, my radar immediately went on high alert.

I saw my cousin, Adam Lim, linger near the table. The shameless bastard adjusted his tie, leaned over toward Vanessa’s chair, and flashed his signature playboy smile.

"Hey, Vanessa... free ka ba for lunch later? I know a great sushi place nearby," Adam purred, completely ignoring my presence.

The audacity of this idiot. His wife literally just gave birth to their second son last week, and here he was, daring to flirt with my secretary right in front of my face?

Bago pa man maibuka ni Vanessa ang kanyang bibig to give her standard, polite refusal, I snapped. My body moved faster than my brain.

"No, she is not free, whatever you're planning, Adam," I blurted out, my voice dripping with cold, razor-sharp authority that made the room temperature drop by ten degrees.

Adam blinked, startled.

Diretso akong humakbang sa pagitan nila, towering over my cousin. "Why don't you visit your wife and bring her flowers instead? Total kakapanganak pa lang niya sa pangalawa mong anak. Show some respect to your family."

Without giving Adam a chance to process the reality check, I reached down, grabbed Vanessa’s wrist, and pulled her out of her chair.

Before we crossed the threshold of the conference room doors, I turned back to glance at Adam with a lethal glare:

"Besides... I’m having lunch with her now. She is definitely not free for your invitation."

OUTSIDE THE CONFERENCE ROOM

The heavy glass doors clicked shut behind us.

Napanganga si Vanessa, tumingin ito sa akin. Her jaw literally dropped, her eyes wide behind her round glasses as she stared at me with pure, unadulterated shock and utter confusion.

Tingnan mo nga naman, my ego purred again. Tulala! She’s completely stunned that I just publicly claimed her in front of that idiot! She must be swooning inside!

The moment she recovered her senses, she snatched her hand back from my grip as if my touch had physically burned her skin.

"S-Sir..." she stammered, pulling her hand close to her chest.

"Book a table for two at L'Osteria," I commanded smoothly, adjusting the cuffs of my suit jacket as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. "It’s that authentic Italian restaurant nearby, yung malapit lang sa mall. Make it 12:30 PM."

Vanessa just stood there for three full seconds, blinking blankly like a broken computer trying to reboot. Finally, she slowly nodded her head. "Y-Yes, Mr. Cavill. Noted po."

She turned on her heel and practically jogged back to her desk, her pink blouse fluttering as she tried to put as much distance between us as humanly possible.

Watching her flustered, panic-stricken back, a slow, triumphant smirk spread across my face.

Nice try playing cold and distant, Vanessa... but we both know you loved every second of me marking my territory.