Chapter 3 First Encounter With Mr. Gracer

Lunchtime ...

"Roxan, come on let's have a quick lunch before we proceed at Coffee Beans Xerin," Kristina told Roxan. Then she brought her laptop and bag.

Roxan immediately carries all the documents and projector with her and proceeds to the parking lot with her Manager Kristina.

Upon arrival at the Coffee Beans Xerin at 12:55 in the afternoon. Roxan prepared the documents and her Ipad to take down notes with her Manager Kristina's meeting with Mr. Gracer.

Exactly 1 o'clock when Mr. Gracer arrived together with his secretary. Mr. Gracer is around 30 years old and a very gorgeous man. He stands 6'1" with a Moreno complexion. He has a model figure and a manly contoured face. Roxan almost drops her jaw upon staring at Mr. Gracer.

"Good day Ms. Lee," Mr. Gracer approached and offered a hands shake to Kristina.  They shake hands and CathRoxan asked Mr. Gracer what drinks he prefers so that she can order them already.

"Glad to meet you, Mr. Gracer," Kristina smiled at him.

The meeting started and once in a while, Mr. Gracer is staring so deep at Kristina while she is presenting the proposal to him. Kristina is quite uncomfortable being stared at by Mr. Gracer but she needs to maintain her posture during her presentation and be professional.

Mr. Gracer's POV:

"Hmmm. I didn't expect that Ms. Lee is so gorgeous and so sexy," Mr. Gracer told himself.

He stared at Kristina and listened to her presentation well. He focused on her lips while doing her presentation. 

"God, she has a sexy pouty lip while talking," he smiles while thinking about it.

After the presentation, their collaboration with their project started. Indeed it is a successful one. Kristina closed the deal and Mr. Gracer of HardCore will be their partner for their new line of apparel.

"Thank you, Mr. Gracer. It's a great pleasure meeting with you," Kristina said to Mr. Gracer

"It is indeed my pleasure meeting you Ms. Lee. You are really a great presenter. How can I say no with such a beautiful lady in front of me," Mr. Gracer smilingly said to her.

Kristina's face blushed with Mr. Gracer's compliment.

"Thank you, Mr. Gracer, again see you at our next meeting. We are leaving. Ciao!" Kristina smiles at him and then leaves.

They shake hands and Mr. Gracer holds her hands so tight. Kristina immediately pulled out her hands and smile.

"Thank you, Ms. Lee. I'll visit your office within this week," Mr. Gracer winked at Kristina and left with a smile.

Kristina's POV:

"He is so handsome and very masculine," Kristina told herself. "But it seems that he didn't listen well to my presentation, as if he is undressing me while I am talking, haaaist! Pervert!"

"If it's not only for a deal, I won't be nice to him. hmmph!", she thought.

Kristina and Roxan proceed to the parking lot and leave.

While driving Roxan teases her Madam, "Madam, it seems that Mr. Gracer likes you."

"Dear, men are polygamous in nature. They were born that way. And in our industry particularly in sales, they have the same color. They all have a sweet tongue. So be very careful." Kristina said.

"You mean Madam, you don't like him. He seems so gorgeous and yummy!" Roxan excitedly said to her.

Kristina suddenly stepped in her break causing Roxan to almost hit the windshield of the car. "Ouch!" Roxan said.

"Madam I'm just kidding," Roxan nervously said.

"Alright, I am sorry. I was just shocked by your words," Kristina said then continue to drive back to the office.

Upon Kristina's arrival at the office, her mobile phone vibrates, seeing on its screen a pop-up message from Nathaniel. A smile suddenly appears on her face. 

"Hmmmn seems he wants to check on me every day," Kristina told herself.

"Hi Tin, how's your day? Have you taken your snacks already?" Nathaniel asked with a smiley emoji.

Kristina replied, "Well, I just arrived here at the office. I'll be checking my branch and my people then I'll pick Chad from his school later," "Done with my snacks during my appointment a while ago with my client. Thank you."

"Alright, drive safe then, and regards to Chad," Nathaniel said.

Kristina just sat on her swivel chair, holding her pen with its tip on her lips and smiling. Roxan knocks and then opens the door. 

"Eeeerm.... excuse me, Madam, Wall of Asia representative is asking when will be our schedule for the presentation to them," Roxan asked Kristina who seemed to be thinking of something else.

"Aaaaw, I'm sorry. Come again," Kristina asked Roxan.

Roxan said again," Madam, the Wall of Asia representative is asking when will be our scheduled presentation to them."

Kristina checked her personal calendar and said " Please inform them that next Tuesday at 1 p.m. Also, do prepare all the necessary documents and other paraphernalia for our presentation." 

Kristina checked her emails and signed the documents on her table. She had her ocular in the branch to check her people's work and talk to the salesforce.

Kristina is a very hardworking person. She treats her staff not just like a manager-employee relationship. She works with a heart and even treated her people as family. She has a smooth relationship with her people. She has five regular employees and three OJTs on top of their two contractual staff.  She also handles twelve sales leaders with more than 1000 salespeople. She is a hands-on Manager who loves to talk, train, engage, and motivate people. She is a coach and a mentor to each one of them. 

Being in sales and operations is a very tough job,  but Kristina is handling it smoothly. Sometimes there is pressure but she ensures that everything can be solved accordingly if there will be teamwork between her staff and salesforce. She is very calm and she always makes decisions fairly.

Kristina loves her work well. She doesn't feel tired at all. She devoted her time to her work since she graduated from college. Her time is only for her child and her work. Though sometimes her work is eating up most of her time instead of having it with her child, she learned to manage it.

This is the effect of Kristina's situation, being a single parent but she is handling it so well. Before it was really hard for her to divide her time and focus especially when her child was just a toddler and she needed to work. Driving more than 50kms away from home since she's handling a Branch in Las Pinas City and she resides at Tagaytay together with her parents. Leaving her child with his grandfather to take good care of him.

There were times when Kristina is parking her car at the side of their home, it was 12 o'clock in the morning, usually during cut-off, as she works more than 10 hours a day., she saw her son who was only two years old then, crying and waiting for her in their window. Lights turned off and only the car's headlight was on wherein Kristina's parents were both fast asleep. She immediately opened the door and carried Chad who was almost choking while crying. Her heart almost breaks out while pampering her child who immediately falls asleep while leaning on her shoulder. She endured the hardship of being a working mom for the two of them to survive. It wasn't easy to be strong.

It's the main reason why Kristina doesn't want to have any romantic relationships in the past. For her to cross the line of being a single mother, she chose to be alone with her child and focused on her job.

It is only now that she felt something special, having goosebumps every time her mobile phone pops up with a message coming from Nathaniel. Might be that she knew Nathaniel when she was a child compared with other men she met before. She had this feeling that men just want single mothers to be their mistresses and Kristina doesn't want to have that reputation, especially for her son's image. Or maybe she only fears having a man at all.

She had several suitors before but she discreetly refused one by one. She told them to be friends rather...Friendship lasts and she wants to be with that only.

Ding! " 

Kristina now is preparing to leave the office. "Roxan, do you want me to drop you home?" she asked her secretary.

"Yes Madam, thank you," Roxan immediately get her bag and walk with Ariane to the office parking lot.

While driving, " Roxan let's have a drive-thru at Mc Donalds, Jude wants the new toy, Happy Meal," she said to Roxan.

"Yes Madam, you can also order for me haha," Roxan is very close to Kristina as if she is her elder sister.

"Hmmm, alright, I'll order for you too," Kristina smiled with Roxan. "Just get the bills from my bag please, thanks."

This is how Kristina treats her staff. What she is at home, is what she is even in her Branch. Sometimes she also brings her son with her to the office and even plays with her staff. Her staff is very fond of her son. Chad is a mature child who loves talking with the elders and who is fond of searching youtube. He is very sociable at a very young age.

Well, there will be a new chapter coming her way. Is Nathaniel going to add colors to her life? What about Mr. Gracer? Hmmm... seems there will be twists in Kristina's life coming in...