Chapter 2:

“It’s okay. I can just call a taxi—” Kacee began, but the man immediately cut her off.

“Don’t worry, I just want to help,” said the stranger standing in front of her.

“But I’m not asking for help,” she replied firmly.

“But I can see that you need it—” This time, she was the one who interrupted him.

“Can you please mind your own business?” she snapped, turning her back on him.

But before she could take another step away, he suddenly grabbed her arm, startling her.

“Don’t touch me!” she shouted, quickly jerking her arm away from his grasp.

“Oops, sorry—”

“Are you some kind of pervert?” she asked angrily, catching him off guard.

“W-what?” he stammered.

“If you bother me one more time, I’ll call the police,” she warned.

He immediately raised both his hands in surrender. “You’re unbelievable. I just wanted to help, Miss—”

“I already told you I don’t need your help! What part of that don’t you understand?” she snapped again.

“Fine, I won’t bother you anymore,” he said with a small laugh.

Kacee rolled her eyes in frustration. This guy must be crazy. She couldn’t figure out what his problem was or why he seemed so amused. Lucky for him, she was still being patient—otherwise, she really would’ve reported him for harassment.

She turned her back on him once more and hailed a taxi. The man simply stood there, watching her until she got inside and left.

Kacee shook her head as the taxi drove away. Men like him are so annoying. Maybe he thought she would fall for his little act—but he was dead wrong. She didn’t need any man in her life. And the nerve of him to call himself her “savior”! He really made her blood boil.

When she finally calmed down, she called an auto repair shop to have her car towed and fixed. A few minutes later, she arrived at the Blue Prime Hotel, where she worked as the executive secretary of Chairman Emman Vego, the head of the company.

After paying the taxi driver, Kacee quickly entered the building and went straight up to the office.

“Good morning, Ma’am,” several employees greeted as she passed by.

“Good morning,” she replied with a polite smile.

She glanced at her wristwatch and hurried toward the conference room.

“I’m sorry I’m late, sir,” she apologized to Chairman Emman as soon as she entered.

“It’s okay. It’s good that Mr. Dyllan hasn’t arrived yet either,” he replied casually.

“P–pardon? D–Dyllan?” she stammered, as if her ears were playing tricks on her.

Before she could even recover from her shock, the door opened—and there he was. The same man she had argued with earlier. He was smiling confidently as he walked in and sat comfortably beside the chairman, his eyes never leaving hers.

“Sorry, I’m a bit late,” he said, still looking directly at her. “I ran into a woman whose car broke down. I was going to help her, but… she refused.”

Kacee's lips parted in disbelief.

“I didn’t know there were women who could still say no to you, Mr. Dyllan,” Chairman Emman commented with a light laugh.

“Exactly. That woman was… quite something,” Mr. Dyllan replied, shaking his head slightly, but his gaze remained fixed on Kacee.

At that, her knees nearly went weak.

“By the way, Mr. Dyllan, this is Ms. Kacee Samiano, my secretary. She’ll be the one presenting today,” Chairman Emman introduced.

Kacee swallowed hard, one gulp after another. She couldn’t believe how terribly unlucky her morning had turned out to be. First, her car broke down, then she lashed out at a stranger—only to find out he was the very man she’d be presenting to.

If only the ground would open up and swallow me right now, she thought in utter embarrassment.

“Ms. Samiano, this is Mr. Anthony Dyllan, the director and acting CEO of Real Estate Land,” the chairman continued.

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Samiano,” Mr. Dyllan greeted politely.

She cleared her throat before replying nervously, “N–nice to meet you too… s–sir Anthony Dyllan.”

“Okay, let’s start the business,” he said, flashing her a composed smile.

That smile—so calm and professional—somehow helped ease the tension in her chest. I’ll just apologize to him later, she told herself.

She began her presentation, and thankfully, both men listened attentively. Anthony Dyllan, she noticed, was a highly professional man. Despite their earlier encounter, he maintained a formal, courteous demeanor throughout the meeting—perfectly separating personal matters from business.

After more than an hour, Kacee finally finished her presentation. Chairman Emman planned to open the fifth branch of Blue Prime Hotel in Batangas. Unlike the other branches, this one was intended to be more affordable and family-friendly. The Real Estate Land Company, on the other hand, owned several properties in the area that could be used for the project.

“Thank you for the wonderful presentation, Ms. Samiano. You never disappoint me,” Chairman Emman said with a pleased smile.

“Thank you, sir,” she replied politely.

“I agree with the chairman,” Mr. Anthony said, smiling as well. “I think we can already proceed with this project.”

“Good,” the chairman nodded approvingly. “Now, may I request who I’d like to assign to handle this project?” he asked Mr. Anthony.

“Of course, chairman. Anything for you,” Mr. Anthony replied with a grin.

“I want your brother,” the chairman said. “I’ve heard that he’s in demand right now, and many are offering him big projects.”

“My brother?” Anthony raised a brow before smiling. “Well… sure! No problem with that. I’ll be the one to inform him.”

“That’s great,” the chairman said, visibly pleased, before turning his attention back to Kacee. “Ms. Samiano.”

“Yes, sir?” she responded attentively.

“I want you to continue handling and monitoring this project together with Mr. Anthony’s brother,” Chairman Emman instructed. “You already understand the kind of output we’re aiming for.”

“Noted, sir,” she agreed at once.

The chairman handed her a blue portfolio. But the moment she looked inside, her eyes widened in shock.

“He is… Architect Ryan Dyllan.”

Hell no. No way!