That's My Seat!

Roland stood close to the door of the conference room so as to greet each board member and show them in. The documents were neatly prepared in front of each chair, and there was a jug of water within reach of everyone; he was certain he'd prepared everything perfectly.

Barov was in charge of leading the board members from the elevator to the office, so Anna had nothing to do except sit there idly waiting for the meeting to begin.

'I just realized that I still haven't thanked Roland properly for helping me out back then. I haven't even spoken to him about anything not work-related.'

Anna glanced across the room at his broad back and smooth, silver hair. She bit her lip as her heartbeat hastened.

'I hope he doesn't think I'm being rude or ignoring him…

'I just lose my train of thought whenever I try to speak about non-work stuff with him.'

She averted her eyes and started reviewing the documents in front of her for the umpteenth time, while thinking, 'It's just a crush; I'll get over it.'

…

Surprisingly, the first to arrive was one of the frequent no-shows.

"Roland, it's been too long!"

Anna looked up from the documents only to see a beautiful blonde woman walking up to Roland.

"Veronica, it sure has been too long, although you could show up at the board meetings," greeted Roland, as he held out his hand for a handshake.

Completely ignoring his gesture, Veronica pulled him in for a hug.

Seeing certain parts of Veronica pressing against Roland's chest, she felt a pang in her chest. Frowning, she looked down at herself unconsciously as she thought, 'They're bigger than mine… Wait, why am I even comparing myself with her?'

Veronica smiled sweetly as she stepped back. No one noticed the quick, smug glance she gave Anna.

"I'm sorry, Roland, but you know I'm quite busy."

Waiting outside in the corridor, Veronica's driver heard this and broke out in a coughing fit.

'Busy? This is the first time you've left the house in weeks; how are you busy?'

"Yes, yes, I know. Now, let me show you to your seat."

Just as he was about to pull out the chair for Veronica, the other party walked straight past him and sat herself two seats away from Anna.

"Cough, cough. Roni, that's Barov's seat. We've prepared this seat for you."

"Oh, I'm sure Barov won't mind," she said as she waved her hand.

…

Outside the office, Barov was leading the group of regular attendees from the elevator.

"Gentlemen, you're in for a nice surprise today," Barov said with a polite smile on his face. After dealing with these men for years, he knew what interested these old codgers other than money.

"Roland has a new assistant, right? How hot is she?" one of the old men asked with a perverted grin.

Barov shook his head, and his expression seemed to suggest he'd expected this kind of reaction.

"No, he's not talking about that," one of the better-informed men said. As they rounded the corner and came into view of the office, he pointed and explained, "Look, Veronica Gilen is joining us today!"

While most of the group hurried into the room, Barov waited outside with a sorry expression on his face. He was staring despondently at Roland with a beauty sitting to each side of him; Veronica was in his seat!

"I suppose I should've expected this by now…"

The solitary tear glistening on his cheek went unnoticed by everyone else present.