"No, sir," replied Jay Torres, Christian's head secretary and second in command after Paul Hernandez shook his head. He then continued with his reporting.
"Anyway, sir. I wanted to make sure because Director Lopez wanted to discuss the progress of the Monterraz sales. I heard they sold more slots of land, so the construction of the villas should start immediately. Now sixty percent of the estate has been sold."
"Hmm. Indeed, it is an excellent piece of news." Christian leans back in the chair with a smug smile on his face. "However, they still didn't surpass the number of slots our boss has sold."
"Of course, sir! The lady boss was amazing! Who can exceed her influence? The lady's connections are worldwide. Her business partners couldn't have the heart to reject her proposals when the recommendations were just right."
Jay shut his mouth when his boss gave him a side-eye.
"Now the lady is in the country. I want you to ensure that neither Lopez nor Dela Cruz can get near her."
"Note, sir."
"Anything else?"
"That's all for now, sir."
~
Meanwhile, a traffic jam was close to the C Bridge, and the red Ferrari had been stuck for half an hour.
Eunice was impatient while sitting in the backseat. She looked around and studied her surroundings. After observation, she curled her red lips and inquired.
"How many cars are following us?"
"Milady?" Her question baffled Paul. He was unsure whether she was asking about the cars stuck behind them or other things. "I can't guess how many vehicles there are today, milady."
Eunice looked at Paul through the rearview mirror with such amusement.
"Miss, did I say something funny?"
"Yes, you did. I'm only asking about the bodyguards that are following us."
"Oh, that! Erm, hehe…" Paul laughs nervously and apologizes. "I'm sorry, milady. Your ethereal beauty keeps me from paying attention."
Eunice frowned. "Is that so? Then I'll instruct your boss to get me a replacement because the one he assigns me is an incompetent man."
"Er, my lady, please don't do that! Mr. Meier will cut my bonus! You know I'm saving up for my wedding. I begged for your forgiveness. I won't joke with you ever again!"
Paul begged, almost crying. Eunice shook her head and sighed, acting like she was magnanimous.
"Fine." Eunice rolled her eyes to hide the amusement flitting in her eyes.
She just wanted to tease Paul. Also, she knew he was getting married because he proposed to one of her close friends here in Claire City, and she would become the maid of honor. She's here not for Leah's wedding but for her best friend, Wanda.
Paul sighed with relief to hear that. He smiled and said, "Milady, there are three cars and four motorbikes following us, a total of ten bodyguards."
"How long did they serve Chris?"
"Er... I heard that four are veterans and six are junior bodyguards. But don't worry, milady. Even though they were hired recently, Mr. Meier picked them out himself. It means they were the best among the best applicants!"
Paul has yet to see those men in combat. But he must assure his lady boss and impress her with their efficiency.
"Get out."
"Milady?" Paul was stunned for a moment. He was confused once again. Why does his lady boss only speak limited words? He wished she would enlighten him. Then, he did not need to guess what she wanted to happen.
'I should have known that it’s tough to joke on her. I shouldn't volunteer in the hope I could get a raise and triple my bonus!'
"I'll drive." After saying that, Eunice got out of the car.
Paul hurried to crawl toward the passenger seat. They were in the middle of traffic and had limited time to do this stunt.
"Paul, call the Monterraz and instruct them to open all the roads."
"Eh? What are you planning, milady?"
Eunice had already positioned herself in front of the steering wheel. Paul fastened his seatbelt, made a sign of the cross on his chest, and then started praying.
He could hear the car engine roaring. As he had already guessed, the lady was planning something to endanger their lives.
"Milady, I begged you not to do whatever you were planning to do now. Three years that you were in a coma is enough to scare us all! If you were in an accident again,
"Shut up, Paul! If you were to be this noisy, then get out."
"No! I would rather die with you than die in Mr. Meier's hands if I left the car!"
Eunice felt goosebumps when Paul said that. "Stop spouting nonsense! Why would I wish to die with you?"
"Milady, don't look down on me! I am a reliable man, which is why Wanda fell hard on me!"
Eunice snorted at his statement. She ignored him when there was only a matter of a few seconds left before the light changed to green.
The moment it did, the red Ferrari made a hard turn. Eunice glanced at the rearview mirror and noticed the convoy immediately picked up their speed, which matched hers.
It takes only a short time, and they reach the foothill, the main entrance gate of the Monterraz, an inspired Banaue Rice Terraces Estate.
The red Ferrari skyrocketed in speed when it passed the first gate. However, two motorcycles and one car stayed caught up and are now following them closely. The other two vehicles and two motorcycles kept up a speed behind them as if they were only giving way.
After nearly half an hour, they arrived at the mountain's crest, the site of Claire City's most recent luxurious real estate development by Shen International and Shen Design Studio.
Paul rushed to the sidewalk to release his lunch after Eunice left the steering wheel calmly. She leaned on the car, waiting for everyone to arrive.
Soon, the bodyguards tailing her reached them and dashed out of the car, where two of them released everything inside their stomachs as well.
"Is this your newly hired bodyguard to watch me?" Eunice swept her gaze toward the young bodyguards in awful shape. "Tsk."
Eunice would have been disappointed if it hadn't been for a female rider, who she noticed arrived first and stood on the side as if waiting for a command.
She sized her up and was satisfied. She asked, "What is your name?"
"Kyline Monteroz, Miss Muller."
"Eunice… I want you to address me by that."
"But milady..."
"You will be my personal bodyguard in disguise as my secretary." After stating that, Eunice turned to the group of men and announced, "She'll be the only one I need."
"But, Miss Muller… We were hired to protect you!"
Eunice turns deaf and ignores her new bodyguards.
"Let's go to Shangri-La, Kyle. Well, I will call you that."
"It's a pleasure, milady."
"Alright. I need to freshen up first before I have my dinner."
"Note Ma'am. Should I reserve a table then, or do you prefer to dine inside your hotel suite?"
Eunice paused for a moment, then nodded. "I'll dine at a steakhouse. Reserve a table near the window."
She wanted to watch the city lights while planning out her next move.
"I've made you a reservation in an Italian restaurant, my—I mean, Eunice," Kyle informed her as she tapped on her phone.
Eunice curled her red lips. She had just met Kyle for less than five minutes, but she had already done an excellent job meeting her expectations. She could tell she was a perfect fit to follow her around.
"Bring my luggage to the hotel," Eunice instructed Paul before she climbed and positioned behind Kyle on her motorbike.
And before Paul could reply, he had already eaten the dust Kyline left behind.
"Milady!"
Helpless, Paul anxiously pulled out his phone from his pants and dialed a particular contact.
"Mr. Meier, sir. I'm sorry, I beg you... Please, don't fire me!"
SHANGRI-LA HOTEL After she freshened up and put on some makeup, Eunice exited the bedroom wearing a black knee-length dress that hugged her body, paired with a hot pink stiletto and a diamond jewelry set."Paul?" She saw Paul lounging on the sofa, discussing something with Kyline."Good evening, milady." Paul got up from the couch and greeted her courteously."Why are you here? I've already chosen Kyle as my bodyguard. You don't need to follow me around."Paul smiled nervously. He replied, "Er, Mr. Meier wanted me to bring over some documents for Miss Kyline since you chose her as your assistant, milady.""Ah, I see. How thoughtful of him then." Eunice commented, nodding. "Is that all?""Not at all. I'm here to escort you, Milady. President Meier booked a VIP room at Claire's Secret Garden."Claire Secret Garden is a lavish restaurant on the rooftop of this hotel. It was a glamorous venue where the wealthy and famous held parties and special events like weddings."Great. Then, please
"Jullian, you were so generous in helping my cousin. But I don't think she is qualified to be your secretary." Leah hurried to reason it out. Despite how annoyed she was that Jullian showed interest in Eunice, she pursed her lips with a smile. He had only met her once, but Eunice seemed to bewitch him already. 'She's really a witch! But if she thinks she can snatch Jullian from me, she is wrong! There's no way I will allow her to get close to my fiancé. Jullian is mine!' Since joining the school Leah attended, Eunice has been stealing everyone's attention. Even the boys she had a crush on confessed to Eunice, which is why Leah hated her so much. "Jullian, what are you thinking about?" Jullian did not reply but remained silent. It was the first time he had stared at her this long, and she could not hide her blushing cheeks. 'Perhaps my effort finally bore fruit!' She had regular appointments with the best dermatologist in the city to maintain a flawless look. Most of the time, J
“So? What are you going to do next? You succeeded in making Eunice Tsui return to the country. All the pieces are in place as you imagined them. Will you maintain your charade as the fiance of that woman?”Larry had a broad smile as he teased. As usual, Jullian shot him a dagger look, his way of reprimanding him. But he is used to his threatening look; thus, he'll only ignore him."Oopsie, you were the only one who knew it was a fake engagement," he added, causing Jullian to sharpen his gaze.Most of the time, he hates how Larry's mouth runs. He seems to never be out of breath, as he never ceases blabbing every second.If it weren't for his talent as a computer genius, he would never put up with how noisy and nosy the guy was. Hence, Jullian stayed calm and ignored his taunt."Now that we speculate that Meier is protecting Eunice Tsui, I have no other way to get near her but through the Dela Cruz family." After a long silence, Julian spoke."Ho, ho… The wedding is just less than two m
Most of the people in the elevator scowled in response to her boldness. One is daring to retort. "Miss Leah, we can share a ride since we will head to the same floor." The person who spoke is one of the secretaries assigned to the president's office. Hearing her excuse, Leah scolded her. "Who are you to disobey me? I am the future wife of your boss, the owner of this building! It means I have the authority to order you whatever I want! You had no say when I said I would ride this elevator alone!" The secretary and other employees from another company renting out the Lopez Tower felt annoyed at how bossy she was, even before she officially became Mrs. Lopez. The secretary, Laila, is now planning to draft her resignation letter and hand it over to the boss the day before his wedding. 'I would rather sell fish in the market than work with this woman!' If Leah were to become the boss's wife, Laila could already imagine how she would punish her and the rest of the Lopez employees if
Eunice walked up in front of me. Now, I had a better view of her entire appearance. Doing some math in my head, I swallowed as my eyes feasted on her physique, scanning her from the head down to her Louboutin stiletto adorned with genuine gemstones. My eyes then traveled upward to her white dress, which perfectly hugged every curve of her body with a blue sapphire chain belt around her waist. Wearing a pastel blazer does little to conceal her hourglass figure. After having had enough of her clothes, I stared at the jewelry set made of blue sapphire. The sizes were just perfect—not large or small. They were appropriate for her attire. With my observation, I realized that there was a more significant difference between Eunice and Leah. Leah loved wearing large stone jewelry in her daily outfit, which is why I didn't enjoy staring at her. Yet, Eunice exudes a unique charm, and anything would look good on her. And the purse she clutched was from a known brand and ornamented with ge
I sat up and then stood on my feet. Dusting my bottom and smoothing my suit, I coughed to clear out my lungs, covering my embarrassment. Pretending that nothing had happened, I stretched my arm with a grin. "Good morning, President Meier. I'm sorry if I haven't sent out a notice that I will make a personal inspection today. I am particular about maintaining a safe and comfortable space for my occupants; thus, I want to ensure there won't be any mishap because of my negligence." "Even the floor, then?" Christian teased. I chuckled awkwardly when he ignored my hand for a handshake. I am aware that my explanation made me look absolutely ridiculous, and I was tempted to rip Christian's teasing grin off his face. It was apparent that he would continue taunting me. Indeed, his following words annoyed me. "How grateful we are to have such a thoughtful landlord. However, you were never this concerned about doing the inspection personally; you used to send out your men to do the job. Don't
“Good morning, everyone.” Eunice smiled as she entered the door. She walked toward the center chair and sat down after Christian pulled it out for her, for whom he remained standing. His aura exuded like that of a noble knight, safeguarding her safety. As soon as a young, stunning woman entered the room, the atmosphere erupted in joy. Nevertheless, a few individuals were taken aback, and one struggled to keep her composure. “You! How’d you become the boss of Meier Holdings? I don’t believe this!” Leah could not maintain her demeanor, pointing her index finger at Eunice. The latter pursed her lips, amused at how her dear cousin could not control her nasty temperament. ‘So unprofessional.’ Eunice rolled her eyes and asked Leah, “What’s the matter if I am the boss of a giant company? I was fit for this position, and the M&M executives think so, too.” Despite Eunice’s reasoning, Leah is still in disbelief. She does not accept that the boss she works for is Eunice. “It isn’t true! How
"I concurred! DL Enterprises is inferior to many companies like Lopez Corporation, Meier Pharmaceuticals, or Shen Group! But M&M International? The combined Lopez Group and Shen Group would not surpass Muller & Meier Corp." "Also, Miss Tsui is even more beautiful than Miss Dela Cruz. She is young and talented!" Leah exploded when she heard all these comments in favor of Eunice. People have kept comparing the two of them ever since Eunice moved with them to the mansion. Everyone will praise Eunice because of her innocent-like beauty. Her angelic face, blue-green eyes, and heart-shaped lips capture people's attention the most… and everyone thinks she is the family's ugly duckling. Indeed, when Leah continued her studies abroad for two years, she made so many changes to her facial features that they could not be considered original. “Have you considered the consequences of your actions?” “It looks like you are tired of working at Lopez Group!” Irate, Leah barked at the secretaries