That evening, Shane went to the cafe alone. He had arranged to meet a friend from his police academy who had some business in the city that day and took the opportunity to meet up.Upon arriving at the agreed-upon cafe, Shane sat and waited while playing with his phone. As he scanned the leather-clad room, he spotted Lea in the far corner. He examined her more closely to confirm that it was indeed Lea, his irritating blind date. Despite her simple and unremarkable appearance, her charm remained, especially with her wavy black hair tied up, framing her oval face.Shane scolded himself for being curious about who Lea was with. Was she often meeting new guys? Shane suspected. From their gestures, it seemed clear that they had just met. Maybe another blind date, Shane thought to himself.His heart suddenly felt warm. He didn't know how he felt about Lea, but he didn't like seeing her with someone else. However, he couldn't dictate who Lea spent time with. Shortly after, when his college
"Lea, come over here for a moment. Help me out for a bit," Adelle requested, prompting Lea to stand up and approach her friend automatically.At Adelle's table, she subtly nodded toward Bella, signaling to Lea that Bella was uneasy."Oops... I forgot again!" Lea said after realizing Bella's sulking behavior. Lea could be oblivious and forgetful sometimes, mainly when focused on her work."Adelle, seriously. Taking Lea without asking. I was here first!" Erick complained as Lea left him to assist Adelle. However, Adelle was almost done with her work and didn't need Lea's help. She was trying to keep Lea away from Erick to prevent Bella from getting more upset."Don't act so entitled. Do your work! Don't make it a habit to procrastinate," Lea scolded Erick, finding his use of the term "booking" negative, mainly when referring to a woman. Annoying, she thought."Yeah, right. Don't help him. Let's each do our work. So that when promotions come, it's just Lea, not others," Bella's sharp rem
"Alright, office hours are almost over. I need all the weekly reports placed here now!" Mrs. Vivian, the head of the Accounting division, said while tapping Lea's desk with the pen she held.Lea, slightly startled, jolted a bit because she had been daydreaming while staring at the laptop screen in front of her, but her mind had wandered elsewhere.She quickly gathered her belongings, which had been ready since earlier, followed by her three friends walking towards their desks like robots controlled by a remote—no greetings or jokes as usual. Mrs. Vivian's demeanor instantly turned fierce whenever there was a sudden internal inspection schedule.She ended her work hours simultaneously with the sound of Mrs. Vivian's footsteps leaving the room to return to her office. Carrying a stack of weekly report books, she strolled away to ensure the fate of her four subordinates ahead.Left behind were four exhausted individuals in their respective chairs, exhaling heavily and relieved that the d
Okay, this Amanda's cousin has a high level of infatuation, thought Lea, a bit wanting to laugh and a bit annoyed. However, she couldn't immediately respond to Daniel's statement of infatuation because she was still confused about choosing the right words. "Come on, seriously, Daniel!" Lea finally pleaded. She then sat on the terrace chair facing her mother's flower garden with a pout on her face. It would be pointless to ask Daniel to leave now, as her mother had returned carrying a tray of drinks and snacks. "Come on, let's not stay outside. Where's the comfort in talking like this?" Mrs. Anna asked, making sure whether she should put the tray on the terrace table or in the living room as she initially wanted. Daniel quickly responded, "Oh, it's okay, Ma’am. We like it here, watching people pass by, ehehe...." Oh my goodness! What kind of answer is that? Watching people pass by? Lea thought irritably. Mrs. Anna scolded Lea with her eyes, hoping her daughter could understand her
"Well, whatever, the important thing is that I've told him I'm not interested in him, right? Whether he wants to chase after me or whatever, it's up to him." Lea spoke resignedly when recounting Daniel's behavior to Amanda."Tsk tsk tsk... Daniel loves you, Lea. It's not his behavior to pursue a girl like that, as far as I know," commented Amanda, quite intrigued to hear from her friend that suddenly Daniel had followed her home after work. Oh my!"Oh, you should tell him, I... um... keep thinking about Shane," Lea complained afterwards. She couldn't think of anything else now. Her mind was filled with Shane alone. What's happening? Shouldn't she forget about that guy because of his super annoying behavior?"Oh, my goodness... still Shane? Come on, Lea. You have to be decisive. If you like him, contact someone who can be reached, his girlfriend Grace, ask for Shane's number, and arrange to meet him. Done!" Amanda concluded with annoyance because she didn't like Lea's indecisive action
"Where did you hunt for your mask, Amanda?" Lea automatically asked Amanda again over the phone."Huh? To the boutique, of course. There's a masquerade boutique in the mall there," Amanda replied from the other side, mentioning the largest mall in the center of the city."Oh? I didn't know that. Don't forget to invite me when you go hunting." Lea warned her friend."Okay, let's do it later in the evening, then? Many people are expected to attend the event. So, we need to quickly find one so we won't be late and miss the special one." Amanda immediately took the initiative."After work, I'll drop by your office then, okay?" Lea confirmed that Amanda's office was closer to the mall they were heading to."Okay, just make sure you leave at four; don't work overtime until five!" Amanda responded. She often arranged to meet Lea after work, and their leaving times differed. Lea was used to working overtime until five, while Amanda always left at four."Hahaha, alright... I won't take overtim
"Wow, what's this?" Mrs Anna welcomed Lea, who carried a boutique bag, waving her hands to show off.Grace, who saw it, was also curious about what her sister had bought.Mrs. Anna and Grace had the habit of sitting in front of their terrace in the afternoon, enjoying the beauty of the neatly arranged and beautiful small garden owned by Mrs. Anna. They were there while waiting for Lea and Mr Adam, who usually returned from work almost simultaneously.However, seeing her dad's car had arrived at the terrace, it was clear that Lea had come home late after shopping.Without a word, Grace snatched the paper bag from the high-class boutique. She pulled out a cream-colored dress with dark brown accents along the edges. A dark brown lining was also attached to the front bottom of the skirt. There was also a beautiful mask that, although super simple in design without ornaments, had intricate carvings that made it look classic."Wow, cool, sis. This must be for the costume party. Aiih... Grac
The knocks on the door snapped Lea out of her reverie. She was staring at the costume she had hung on a hanger in front of the wardrobe.Quickly, the girl, who had changed from her work clothes into long pajamas, opened the door."Yes, Mom?" she asked, poking her head out of the door."Daniel is looking for you." Mrs. Anna's words immediately left Lea stunned."Oh my, Daniel is here again, Mom?" Lea asked, surprised. She remembered that he had been subtly requested to leave the last time he visited. Why is he back again? she thought to herself."Yes, he's out there. Find him. It's not good to keep guests waiting," said Mrs. Anna, pushing her daughter's shoulders, who seemed reluctant to leave her room."Just tell him I'm already asleep, Mom," she replied, coming up with an idea so she wouldn't have to deal with Daniel again.Mrs. Anna shot her a sharp look in response to her daughter's request, saying firmly,"Go find him for a moment!"Receiving such a look, Lea lost the courage to r