A week passed and things got back to normal. Johannes does not even act the way he acted before which gave Nathalie more confusion. Especially when a woman comes into the office. "Boss? He's out for a meeting, ma'am. How may I help you?" Nathalie asked. The woman looks like she's in her mid-twenties. She's wearing a light blue, casual dress down to the top of her knee paired with a flat doll shoe that makes her look even younger. She looks lovely. "He called me. Can I wait inside?" Even her voice sounds angelic. She tucked her hair behind her ear as she looked at Nathalie. The employees in the company aren't even surprised that another woman is lurking around the office. It had stopped for a couple of days, but of course, Johannes being the Johannes, women would line up again. They are even betting sometimes how many he'd flirt with this month, especially since the end of the year is nearing. Johannes kept this profile around the company. He did not have this image since the sta
Johannes's POV I woke up with a headache. I drank a lot last night. I saw soup on the table, and it was still hot. There was a note beside it, and I know too well to whom it belongs. I don't know if I should smile or feel agitated that she's acting the same even after what I said last night. I also did not know why I said that out of the blue. There was an urge in my chest, behind my head, telling me to ask her out. *** Last night... "Date me," I saw her freeze a little when I said that. She stepped back and smiled awkwardly at me. "Your next appointment will be in ten minutes, boss," she scans the tablet she's holding as she avoids my gaze. "You're avoiding me, Nathalie," "We're here for work, boss," "Exactly. I'm the boss. I decide. I'm the rule, Nathalie Taylor," her eyes stared directly at me. Her ocean blue eyes look like a surging ocean, unsure of what she needs to do next. I smirked. "I can wait for your answer, silly. You don't have to look so troubled," I said bef
"Why would you do that?" Nathalie asked, wiping her forehead because of the heat. "He's hitting on you," "And?" Johannes stopped walking, faced her, and wrinkled his nose. "And?" He asks sarcastically. "Are you asking me why because you didn't know, or you're pretending not to know? Are you teasing me, Nathalie? I'm telling you that this is not funny," the side of his lips lifted as he looked at Nathalie with disbelief. Johannes sighed. Nathalie looked lost with the words he had just mentioned. He could not believe he had to explain that he liked her. "I asked you to date me. That means I like you. I am waiting for your response, yes. But," he stared at her ocean blue eyes, waving like a tsunami's coming. "But I won't allow you to flirt with someone." "You don't get to decide on that, boss," Johannes arched a brow. This woman is testing his patience. He took off his sweater and wrapped it around Nathalie's waist. That was a designer's sweater that costs thousands of dollars,
Johannes glanced at the woman across the dining table. The sun slightly compliments her blonde, wavy hair as the wind plays with it. He smiled. He cannot believe she'd agree to dine with him after such a short notice. Well, it's a given because she is his secretary, after all. Still, Johannes knew this one could be an awkward situation for the woman after what happened last night. "How's the food?" Startled, Nathalie flinched a little before moving her eyes away from the dish to the man sitting across her. She gulped. Johannes stood out even more now that common folks surrounded them. They are currently eating outside, the heat is unbelievable, but the slight brush of the wind puts off the effects of it. Johannes waited for her answer, slightly curving his thin, reddish lips. Nathalie did not notice she was staring at it until Johannes lifted a side of it. "Do you want to kiss it?" He teased. Nathalie instantly looked away, putting down the utensils. "I-It's delicious," "Hmm?"
"Aren't you sleepy?" Johannes asked, wrapping a scarf around Nathalie's neck. It's not that cold, but the wind is quite chilly. "I, I just hoped I'd spend my Christmas in New York," she said, not looking at Johannes. The man stared at her side profile as he read her expression. It was not sad but longing. He felt a little guilty about keeping her with him when he could have agreed to fly back to New York yesterday. He planned to ask her to formally be his girlfriend tonight but was hesitant after hearing her thoughts. "Why?" He asked. Nathalie turned to him, and she smiled, and it was neither happy nor sad. "I just want to spend this day with someone really important to me, boss," Johannes furrowed his brows. "Important? Is it a guy?" He arched a brow. Nathalie felt a tingling sensation inside her chest. She chuckled and then nodded. "Yes, it is a guy, boss," she said, remembering her brother's face, "And he's handsome," she added. Johannes couldn't believe the woman was teasin
A week had passed since Christmas, and Nathalie was back to her work for Johannes. She woke up early to prepare all the paperwork she needed to address at the meeting later. Nathalie glanced at her watch; it was about time her brother called her to say hi. She took her tablet and waited for him. She always does the waiting so her brother can take his time. "Hey, Nathan!" [Sis,] his smile was so genuine that Nathan's handsome face was apparent even though he looked thin. His ash blonde, wavy hair compliments the whiteness of his skin. His nose is tall like his sister's. His eyes are blue, just like Nathalie's. The only thing that distinguishes the two is the color of their hair. Everything else was a carbon copy. "I miss you, Nathan," she leaned towards the screen as if she could touch him if she touched her tablet. [It's your fault for not spending the Christmas with me,] he scolded her. He even rolled his eyes. How cute. Nathan is a sixteen-year-old who spent almost his time ins
Johannes woke up earlier than usual. He took a bath and went to the kitchen with his tablet."Sir," he nodded at the chef as he guided him to the working area. Johannes is learning how to cook. He searched for a European dish that Nathalie would surely like."He had been coming here for a week now?""Really? How does he take time to cook? He got world-class chefs in his kitchen. Why would he learn how to cook?""I heard it's for a woman?""What? I heard it's because of a habit he had recently picked up,""No! I'm certain it's about a woman. Didn't you know he had been sending flowers to a woman in his company for over a month now?""Sir Johannes? Flowers? Woah, that's actually surprising,""Well, shouldn't we feel happy about it? I thought I'd never see him get that interested in a woman after what happened five years ago,""Shh! Do you want to get fired?!"Johannes heard them, but he could not bring himself to scold them. His head is full of how he should cook this meal for Nathalie.
"What? Your father came back? I... I thought he was dead?" Harries could not believe her ears. In front of her is Nathalie, who was still in shock as she witnessed her father earlier this morning. She thought he was dead... or that was what she had come to believe as she was not sure where he could have been after they left them with all those debts he accumulated after indulging in gambling. "What happened? Why did he come back? Why now when he had all the chance in the past?" Harries asked. Nathalie smiled bitterly. She remembered how silly she was expecting him to come back because he had finally come to his senses. She was wrong. Again. She was wrong to believe that her father was a good man. He was... He was a good man. Last night... Nathalie kept shaking as she waited outside the emergency room. Johannes approached her, giving her a bottle of water. "Drink," She stared at him, her face full of worry. Nathalie could not even understand why she would worry about a man who had