3

Morning came and it was spent on an awkward breakfast. The downtown's area was clouded with a storm. Loud booming of thunder can be heard from time to time and Jana can't help but flinch every time it comes. Gio would only watch her from behind. She tried eating as if the storm was just a show but inside, she's terrified.

The trauma that Queenie had from the accident has not yet subsided. Jana now knows that loud, sudden noises can trigger Queenie's anxiety. Jana felt helpless about it. When she twitched for the nth time, Giovanni sighed unnoticeably. “Ms. Queen, how about we move inside?”

“Hmn…” Jana shovels a large amount of bread inside her mouth. “No need to trouble yourself. It's just a little rain.”

The sky, as if it heard her, gave another loud boom. Jana hurriedly took the glass of water and drank. Wiping her mouth, she asked, “Can we go now? I'm full.”

Unbeknownst to her, Giovanni lifted a corner of his mouth. He didn't know that Queenie Servantes had this side. The woman is always haughty every time they interact. What happened last night opened Gio's mind to the things that made Queenie feel cornered. He thought that if he had been on her stead, he would feel the same. He would hurt anyone who reminds him of the things he once had.

In just one night, his lady boss became human in his eyes again. He was able to understand her at last. And the more he thought about Queenie, the more he appreciated her strengths and weaknesses.

'I've never seen someone like her before. Like a turtle scared of showing its soft side.' Giovanni pushed Queenie's wheelchair with a gentle pace. “Is this okay, Ms. Queen?”

“Call me Queenie, or Queen. However you like it.” Jana nodded. “It's okay."

Giovanni was amazed by the trust she's giving so willingly to him now. Before, even catching a glance was difficult from the woman. Now she's grinning, asking to call her like a close friend. ‘She must be lonely.’

"How was pops lately?" Jana sighed blissfully when her wide bed adorned with soft mattresses soothed her back. Scratching the side of her face, she inquires, "Did he ask…about me?"

Giovanni failed to answer right away. Jana concluded that the old man did not. She felt unburdened after clarifying it from Gio. The only person that Jana must be weary of is Queenie's grandpa, Theron Servantes III. The old man knew his granddaughter through and through. She didn't want to test it.

"No, but you should rest assured that I am updating them daily about your progress, Ms. Queen." Giovanni stared a little longer at her face before evading his sight. He cleared his throat, voice as warm as the hiding sun. "Queenie should not delve into matters like this. Your parents love you dearly, and dealing with the company's nitty-gritty right now can be quite stressful to the old people."

'He's trying to comfort me,' Jana mused, genuinely surprised with the man. Giovanni had his hair neatly combed to the back. His suit and tie made him appear proper—as if this guy, wearing his italian black leather shoes sparkly clean and dress firmly pressed, is going to a board meeting instead of taking care of an invalid woman. Jana blinked the sourness she felt in her nose. Giovanni should be somewhere making a name for himself. He should not be by her side, waiting for her signal to when he should push her wheelchair.

The room's gloomy feeling sent a chill to Jana's spine. The moment she woke up, she had noticed the devastating room full of greys and blacks. Her jealous heart was ripped to pieces. 'How come a room as lavish as this one could be so unkempt that an actual cemetery would be very much livelier?'

"You've been with me the whole month, right?" Jana sniffed. In her mind, she's already planning on how to decorate the mournful place into a more dazzling one. 'Queenie may be losing her legs forever but that doesn't mean she'll live like hell for the rest of her lifetime!'

Jana shines with her bright smile that she never really felt. In truth, she is shaking with dread and at any minute, she thinks collapsing will be a better idea than pretending to be strong.

Losing both of your legs is not great. It will never be. Speculating why the game level is 'easy' when obviously she's struggling without legs, Jana shooed Giovanni away. "How about you buy me some cake? Be back in two hours."

Giovanni seemed to not like that idea at all. His skin a few shades darker than hers seem to be extremely eye-catching below the dim-lighted chandelier. "I can't do that. That's…not in my job description, miss."

Jana resisted tapping the man's shoulder for comfort. "Everyone's been worrying about me, and that makes me so anguished too, alright? Why does everybody think I can't handle myself alone even just for a minute…"

Giovanni inhaled sharply. The loud knocking of his shoes to the marble floor in the middle of silence got Jana aware of his presence. 'Great male lead! Spare this woman some slack, will you? I'm just acting according to Queenie's personality!'

Jana eyed the man in her peripherals. Expecting an abrupt move from Gio, she was frozen as he lowered himself to give her shoulders a light hug. Her nostrils was filled with the scent of warm lemon scent. Instantly, Jana's body sighed in comfort because of the familiarity. "What do you want, Ms. Queen?" Giovanni smiled. "Your parents said you preferred something not too sweet."

'That's wrong.' Jana couldn't voice that one out. 'Queenie loves eating sweets but because of her diet, she restricted herself from getting much sugar.' Jana nodded to the man. Giovanni rose and went straight to the door. When the soft thud echoed in the room, she whispered, "Vivien, come out!"

"Venerable host, how can I help you?" the Ai asks dutifully. Jana's eyes narrowed into slits. "Does changing a teensy bit of these boring grey curtains and black paintings here will cost me a thousand penalty?"

Vivien answered, the voice deeply sympathetic, "Good host, why are you so jittery? Your pulse is not on the normal state, beating a few times—"

"Stop." Jana leaned back on the headrest of the bed. Quiet dominated the place for a while before she muttered, "The protagonist will have her first meeting with the male lead right now, did I get that right?"

"The venerable host did according to the schedule. A few days earlier than expected. The host is rewarded 10 V+ for her perseverance. Best player Jana, please continue doing your best."

Jana hummed a low tune before staring at the window. The sky was still dark and the splatters of rain continuously graced the earth. The violent waves of the air were frightening. She shuddered. Jana found it funny when she didn't notice the biting frost when Gio was still here. Gentle taps entered her ears.

The vases inside this place don't have a single flower in it.

"Vivien, can't I really change these to purple?"

The Ai sounded scandalized. "Host, you cannot."

Jana almost laughed herself off.

Morning came and it was spent on an awkward breakfast. The downtown's area was clouded with a storm. Loud booming of thunder can be heard from time to time and Jana can't help but flinch every time it comes. Gio would only watch her from behind. She tried eating as if the storm was just a show but inside, she's terrified.

The trauma that Queenie had from the accident has not yet subsided. Jana now knows that loud, sudden noises can trigger Queenie's anxiety. Jana felt helpless about it. When she twitched for the nth time, Giovanni sighed unnoticeably. “Ms. Queen, how about we move inside?”

“Hmn…” Jana shovels a large amount of bread inside her mouth. “No need to trouble yourself. It's just a little rain.”

The sky, as if it heard her, gave another loud boom. Jana hurriedly took the glass of water and drank. Wiping her mouth, she asked, “Can we go now? I'm full.”

Unbeknownst to her, Giovanni lifted a corner of his mouth. He didn't know that Queenie Servantes had this side. The woman is always haughty every time they interact. What happened last night opened Gio's mind to the things that made Queenie feel cornered. He thought that if he had been on her stead, he would feel the same. He would hurt anyone who reminds him of the things he once had.

In just one night, his lady boss became human in his eyes again. He was able to understand her at last. And the more he thought about Queenie, the more he appreciated her strengths and weaknesses.

'I've never seen someone like her before. Like a turtle scared of showing its soft side.' Giovanni pushed Queenie's wheelchair with a gentle pace. “Is this okay, Ms. Queen?”

“Call me Queenie, or Queen. However you like it.” Jana nodded. “It's okay."

Giovanni was amazed by the trust she's giving so willingly to him now. Before, even catching a glance was difficult from the woman. Now she's grinning, asking to call her like a close friend. ‘She must be lonely.’

"How was pops lately?" Jana sighed blissfully when her wide bed adorned with soft mattresses soothed her back. Scratching the side of her face, she inquires, "Did he ask…about me?"

Giovanni failed to answer right away. Jana concluded that the old man did not. She felt unburdened after clarifying it from Gio. The only person that Jana must be weary of is Queenie's grandpa, Theron Servantes III. The old man knew his granddaughter through and through. She didn't want to test it.

"No, but you should rest assured that I am updating them daily about your progress, Ms. Queen." Giovanni stared a little longer at her face before evading his sight. He cleared his throat, voice as warm as the hiding sun. "Queenie should not delve into matters like this. Your parents love you dearly, and dealing with the company's nitty-gritty right now can be quite stressful to the old people."

'He's trying to comfort me,' Jana mused, genuinely surprised with the man. Giovanni had his hair neatly combed to the back. His suit and tie made him appear  proper—as if this guy, wearing his italian black leather shoes sparkly clean and dress firmly pressed, is going to a board meeting instead of taking care of an invalid woman. Jana blinked the sourness she felt in her nose. Giovanni should be somewhere making a name for himself. He should not be by her side, waiting for her signal to when he should push her wheelchair.

The room's gloomy feeling sent a chill to Jana's spine. The moment she woke up, she had noticed the devastating room full of greys and blacks. Her jealous heart was ripped to pieces. 'How come a room as lavish as this one could be so unkempt that an actual cemetery would be very much livelier?'

"You've been with me the whole month, right?" Jana sniffed. In her mind, she's already planning on how to decorate the mournful place into a more dazzling one. 'Queenie may be losing her legs forever but that doesn't mean she'll live like hell for the rest of her lifetime!'

Jana shines with her bright smile that she never really felt. In truth, she is shaking with dread and at any minute, she thinks collapsing will be a better idea than pretending to be strong.

Losing both of your legs is not great. It will never be. Speculating why the game level is 'easy' when obviously she's struggling without legs, Jana shooed Giovanni away. "How about you buy me some cake? Be back in two hours."

Giovanni seemed to not like that idea at all. His skin a few shades darker than hers seem to be extremely eye-catching below the dim-lighted chandelier. "I can't do that. That's…not in my job description, miss."

Jana resisted tapping the man's shoulder for comfort. "Everyone's been worrying about me, and that makes me so anguished too, alright? Why does everybody think I can't handle myself alone even just for a minute…"

Giovanni inhaled sharply. The loud knocking of his shoes to the marble floor in the middle of silence got Jana aware of his presence. 'Great male lead! Spare this woman some slack, will you? I'm just acting according to Queenie's personality!'

Jana eyed the man in her peripherals. Expecting an abrupt move from Gio, she was frozen as he lowered himself to give her shoulders a light hug. Her nostrils was filled with the scent of warm lemon scent. Instantly, Jana's body sighed in comfort because of the familiarity. "What do you want, Ms. Queen?" Giovanni smiled. "Your parents said you preferred something not too sweet."

'That's wrong.' Jana couldn't voice that one out. 'Queenie loves eating sweets but because of her diet, she restricted herself from getting much sugar.' Jana nodded to the man. Giovanni rose and went straight to the door. When the soft thud echoed in the room, she whispered, "Vivien, come out!"

"Venerable host, how can I help you?" the Ai asks dutifully. Jana's eyes narrowed into slits. "Does changing a teensy bit of these boring grey curtains and black paintings here will cost me a thousand penalty?"

Vivien answered, the voice deeply sympathetic, "Good host, why are you so jittery? Your pulse is not on the normal state, beating a few times—"

"Stop." Jana leaned back on the headrest of the bed. Quiet dominated the place for a while before she muttered, "The protagonist will have her first meeting with the male lead right now, did I get that right?"

"The venerable host did according to the schedule. A few days earlier than expected. The host is rewarded 10 V+ for her perseverance. Best player Jana, please continue doing your best."

Jana hummed a low tune before staring at the window. The sky was still dark and the splatters of rain continuously graced the earth. The violent waves of the air were frightening. She shuddered. Jana found it funny when she didn't notice the biting frost when Gio was still here. Gentle taps entered her ears.

The vases inside this place don't have a single flower in it.

"Vivien, can't I really change these to purple?"

The Ai sounded scandalized. "Host, you cannot."

Jana almost laughed herself off.