06

"Greatly embarrassed with what she asked, Nathalie simply agreed to what Johannes wanted. She ate lunch with him that day, but she never knew that there would be following invites from her boss.

"Dinner?" Nathalie asked, still finishing what she was typing. She then glanced at her boss and raised her brows, "I am quite busy with the annual reports, boss," she said. Hoping that Johannes would let her go. It had been over a week since he asked her out to eat.

To eat.

And they really did nothing but eat in fancy restaurants around the city. It gave Nathalie the assurance that Johannes didn't have much interest in her and simply wanted a companion to have meals with.

"Report? It's that time of the year already?" He asked, leaning to her desk again, placing one arm on the desk. His body was so close to the woman Nathalie needed to push herself back a little to back away from him. 

Just enough distance to make a space between them.

Johannes was still reading the report when his phone rang. He glanced at it and saw a number he thought he had forgotten already. 

"You can finish that report, then email it to me by this evening," he instructed, his eyes locked on his screen. Nathalie nodded, finally having time to breathe. It was the first time this week that the man had let her off.

Johannes answered the phone and walked out of the room.

'Who could that be for him to have that expression?' Nathalie was curious but never dared to ask. It was a professional thing to do for a secretary like her. Her role is to assist Johannes with company matters, not invade his personal life.

After all, it was the agreement she signed with this company. To act as a hand for Johannes, to give him better standing, and to lessen his workload. 

It was necessary since Johannes is a man who never really cares whether he's working too much. He never notices. Johannes is that kind of man.

"What do you want?" he coldly asked. Heavy breathing could be heard from the other line. Johannes waited for a whole minute, but it passed, and silence still filled the call.

"You are wasting my time." He said and was about to end it when the person finally talked.

[Wait!] His brows furrowed when it was a different voice. A man? He glanced at the caller's ID and rechecked with his memory the registered number in his mind. It was the same. Was this a prank, after all? He was going to end it, but he got curious about who it might be.

"Who are you? Why do you have her phone?"

[I, I am her friend. She had an accident and needed you to attend to her. Sorry, I don't know who to call,] he sounds apologetic. Johannes sighed. He closed his eyes tightly and opened them.

It coincidentally locked with Nathalie, who's currently walking out of the office.

"Send me the location," he said and dropped the call. Johannes is still staring at Nathalie, and the woman is oddly staring back at him as if waiting for him to fasten his strides.

When he finally reached her, he handed her his hand, "Keys," he simply said, and Nathalie realized it already. She immediately scanned the car keys with her and gave her the fastest car to drive. 

His face shouts urgency. Johannes took it and walked away.

Johannes drove to the hospital that Samuel sent him. When he arrived there, a man walked toward him and disrespectfully dragged him inside. Annoyed, he slapped his hand.

His green eyes glared at him, "It's urgent,"

"So?" Johannes mockingly replied.

"So? Hah!" Samuel scoffed. He was really annoyed that the man arrived a minute later than what he had told him. Just how confident this man is, acting like this in front of Johannes? He was about to tell him off when a voice interrupted the air between them.

"Johannes?" An angelic voice came from behind Johannes. His body froze. It had been over five years since he last heard that voice. He looked back and saw someone slightly different from what he remembered.

"It's you! What are you doing here?" She asked, confused as to why the man could be there. Vie walked to him and forced a hug. "I miss you," she said.

Johannes's jaw tightened as he pushed her away gently. "I thought you were in an accident?" He asked, scanning through her body, but there was no sign of it.

"Accident?" Vie asked back. Her brows were furrowed as she stared at his eyes. "What are you talking about-- ahh! I was. I hit a tree while driving, but it was not a big deal. The only damaged one was my car and the poor tree," she chuckled.

"Did you come running over here because of that? You never change," she said, grinning.

Johannes forcibly tightens his eyes. His breathing was heavy as he looked at Samuel. "This man called me saying you were in an accident,"

"Samuel? He's exaggerating things as usual!" She hissed at the man, but Samuel was not looking at them.

"You wasted my time," Johannes suddenly said. Vie was slightly surprised. Johannes is never a man who would tell her off like that. Wasted? He always gives time to her though he wasn't exactly connected to the man. 

He treats her like a little sister, and now he's saying that she wasted his time? It hurt her. Though it happened before, it still pained her. The fact that she could not act the way she used to around the man left a bitter taste in her mouth.

"Why does our relationship need to change when what happened was between the two

of you?" her eyes were questioning. Demanding the man for answers, but she could not read a word from his amber eyes. It was as cold as the night sky showing nothing but darkness.

"Johannes-"

"We're not so close for you to call me by my first name," he cut her off. Vie stepped back. She smiled a little and nodded.

"Mr. Alejandro... I apologize for wasting your precious time. I'd be sure to scold my friend over there," she said, smiling a little, but it did not reach her eyes. Johannes simply nodded and glanced at his watch.

It's past dinner time now. Nathalie must be on her way home. He regretted missing the chance to eat with her this time around...

Wait, he regretted rushing over to the hospital because he was planning to eat with his secretary? Johannes felt irritated with what he thought. He's still perplexed, feeling all this kind of emotion towards a mere secretary he had known for three years now.

Could there really be something going on with the heart that he froze over the years? Time has stopped for him already, and there's no way the hands of it are suddenly working.

No way.

There could be no way...