Chapter 34- The CEO

In the Philippines, Ms. Peace leaves their home daily to report to her work as the assistant boss in the secretariat department. In USA, she was a housewife tending the needs of her husband, children and in-laws. Sydney remained at home as his inventions were made there. In his own birth place, he was the one leaving the house daily to do his duty as the CEO of the business firm he founded from scratch.

As a housewife she was so prudent and very neat at home that was why behind her back, her parent-in-laws would relate to their friends and acquaintances about her qualities.

Meanwhile, just like Ms. Peace, Sydney was very efficient, effective hard working and persevering boss of his employees. At 7:30 in the morning he made sure that he was already starting sorting out the documents on his table according to its importance and schedule to be handled. At noon time his food for lunch was brought to him by his children by instructing their family driver to drive them to his office.

He was so thankful of his wife's thoughtfulness and concern by sending him some foods that really made his stomach full. So, in the afternoon, only a coffee with a creamer completed his afternoon's ten-minute-break. He saw to it that his dinner would be at their home except when he had a dinner date with a client or business partner.

Since most of the department heads were hired during his stay in his wife's country, he was unfamiar with them and vise versa. They didn't know that he was stricter than his younger brother, Carlos. Therefore, they were pressured when he required them to rewrite their project proposals and resulotion. He, likewise, grilled the head of the financial department of the little mistakes they had in their report. In fact, its head plus his members were required to have a training workshop under him. To make it short, just what he had promised he really made up for his lost time in managing his own company.

It was his third week running the company when he accidentally met the woman whom he fell in love with. That was what he believed before he met his wife.

It was his dinner treat to the board members of their firm in a resto-bar he scheduled for reservation two days before the conference in the biggest private room of one of his five-star hotels. As he was busy, he arrived late for almost ten minutes.

He was at the threshold when that woman saw her. He forgot her name but her face was familiar to him. Thus, he did not bother to give her his second glance. Unknown to him, that woman noticed him and she was so intrigued because his appearance seemed not to be a senior citizen yet.

Sydney who was in his suit was so handsome, very neat and well-groomed matured man that emitted elegance. Because he was not in his smiling mood, anyone would think million times first before approaching him due to his snobbish aura.

Her keen eye sight tailed him till he was no longer seen upon his entry in that private room where his colleagues had waited for him for about ten minutes.

Through his mobile phone he told them to start eating after choosing the dish they preferred to eat but instructed them to choose only a light meal for him as he wanted to eat the especial 'puto' t dinuguan' for his evening meal cooked by his ever sweet loving life partner.

As he was seated, he did not waste time eating his food after greeting everybody. Naturally, dining with the board members would be lousy and incomplete without a wine.

Sydney was a conversationalist and an eloquent speaker as well. Thus, his decoders did not notice that he was conducting an evaluation of them. His evaluation of those working with his brothers was scheduled by him for two weeks as screening to avoid an internal problem and betrayal or disloyalty to the company. Doing so, would made him more confident that mismanagement would never crop up.

He was enjoying in learning more about the board members he was with during that early evening. Never would be in his mind that someone was waiting for him. Never would be in his expectation that his first love, so he once thought before meeting Ms. Peace, was decided to approach him shamelessly as soon as he stepped out of the private room.

At 9:45 Sydney and his colleagues stepped out of the private room where he was bidding a joyful weekend to each of them. When he was about to leave the reataurant, Rosemarie had immediately hugged and kissed him on his lips. Sydney was surprised that he automatically pushed her knowing that she was a stranger. He had to push her hard before her lips and hands be forced to be parted from his'.

"Who the hell are you to kiss me and hug me? Are you my wife?" He was totally pissed off by her. While asking her, he pulled out a small bote of sanitizer and applied some on his lips and arms where she touched her.

She hid her embarrassment by talking to him pretending to be unaffected by the sanitizing action of Sydney.

"Honey, it's me! Your first love! Remember?" Rosemarie's self- confidence was over the moon.

"My wife is my first love! Is your name Pearl Ace May? If that is your name, then... You are not only my first love but also my true and one and only love." Sydney quipped irritatedly.

"I'm Rosemarie not Pearl Ace May. Can't you remember me anymore? Aren't you Sydney?" Rosemarie had not given up yet.

"I am so sorry if I can not remember a certain Rosemarie being the first love of my life." Sydney denied it profusely.

Then he quickly left her alone at the midst of the lobby toward the parking lot. Rosemarie, on the other hand, was still hopeful that she would rekindle their relationship like it used to be. Hence, she Chased after him only to have seen the tail light of his car. She was even unable to read its plate number as she was planning to track him down.

While Sydney was in his car, he gave the receptionist, his secretary and his personal assistant to deny his existence from a certain woman who would introduce her name to be Rosemarie, if ever she would appear in that hotel where their office was located.

Now that he belonged to be those in their ripen age, he suddenly realized that he never liked her at all. It was only his manly pride at his young age that was trampled by her but not his heart nor feeling of love.

The love that he felt for his wife is far different from what he thought he had once for that cheating woman. She was as despicable as a man who could be called as a jerk. He was just then infatuated with her as a young man who preferred to stick to only one woman. But, at last he was able to ponder on that she never deserved his sincerity. He was very thankful that she cheated on him as he was given the greatest chance or the opportunity to find Ms. Peace as his life partner. The latter was not a gold digger. She was not at all a materialistic person for she knew how to work hard to earn for a living.

When the CEO arrived home, he lovingly and passionately kissed his wife who was waiting for her at the living room improving his skill in knitting. But he sanitized himself first for disinfection as he wanted to cleanse himself from the touch of Rosemarie. He loved Ms. Peace so much that he disliked to transfer the bacteria from that woman who surprisingly hugged and kissed him without his consent.

His appetite in eating his dinner was noticeable while sharing his day's activity graciously to the ever caring & loving mother of his three lovable children. Besides, she was not a mere decoration in his life. Just like him, she was also gifted with an insight in dealing with those who were around her, scheming what should be possibly done to avoid a dilemma that may arise in the future.

The two-week evaluation was, in fact, not only his plan. She was a contributor of his scheme to be more acquainted with their men who were the hoteliers and other employees. After such evaluation Ms. Peace suggested to give their employees an increase in salary. She believed that the happier they were in their designated job, the better they became as employees who would never undermine or sabotage their hotels to pull them down to bankruptcy. It was this reason why he prioritized sharing his knowledge to those in financial department of their business firm.

Sydney slept beside her with smile of contentment.

Next morning was another busy day to do those what his adult personal assistant had prepared for his daily hectic schedule. Had it not for the voice through the intercom from his secretary about a woman looking for him, he would had forgotten his accidental meeting with that bitch.

"Good morning sir. A certain Rosemarie was so insistent to see you." The secretary informed him.

"Karen, what did I tinstruct you last night? What was that call I made for you?" His exasperation could be sensed from his voice.

"Oh! I am sorry for being forgetful, sir...a sign of ageing." Karen's sense of apology was heard.

"Your apology is accepted. Tell the receptionist that I haven't arrived yet." Sydney retorted.

So, the CEO's lie was encoded to the receptionist at the front desk on the ground floor. Still, the woman was hesitant to leave. She decided to stay near the elevator to watch every occupant who would ride in and out of it.

It was about more than an hour when Sydney received a text message from Karen that the woman in search for him hadn't left yet.

"Karen, send a text message to our receptionist to be consistent of our alibi that I am not yet in here...no matter how long that woman would wait. And by the way, tell her to let my children use my private elevator secretly." He instructed her in a friendly tone.

"Got it sir, loud and clear." Karen replied to her boss enthusiastically.

Known of the presence of the woman who was patiently waiting for the big boss, the receptionist furtively instructed the oldest utility worker to wait for Sydney's children at the parking lot in front of the hotel. Expectedly, they were all ushered by their trusted janitor into it and until they were at the door of their father's office. But it was a surprise that their mother was with them. On that day, they had a bigger basket full of thermostat lunch boxes plus a jar filled with a mango smothie.

Upon their arrival, the children kissed the hand of their father while Ms. Peace hugged and kissed him after their children greeted him.

He was overwhelmed with joy with the surprise visit of his wife. While the children placed the lunch boxes plus the cutleries, plates and glasses from the office's pantry, the couple were whispering sweet nothings as they could not make out before the eyes of their beloved children.

It was a sumptuous meal for lunch that Ms. Peace cooked on that day that was why she decided to dine with him together with their one son and two daughters. He found it very palatable that he almost forgot that gluttony is a mortal sin. It was so good that his wife was his ever willing guardian angel to remind him.

Like at home, the children were the dish washers while the couple agreed that they would have their lunch in his office from that day and onward. Together, they would be going home at five in the afternoon.

Finally, after their lunch time his secretary informed him that the woman left. He discussed the matter to Ms. Peace which amused her knowing his brooding days after that woman left him for another man.

"Alas, it's a waste of that woman's time waiting for you. Had you told me earlier, I could have seen her." Ms. Peace voiced out her thoughts to her husband.

"She's nothing compared to you. So, don't waste your time to fill your curiosity." Sydney replied back to her.

Sydney called her mother that he would bring along with him his wife and his children to dine with all the department heads during his dinner date with them.

His old mother assured him not to worry as there were still cooked food in the refrigerator ready to be heated in the microwave oven.

Ms. Peace helped him reviewed the documents while their children read their favorite novels they brought with them.