Chapter 12.1

This time around, Tina did not spend ages looking for the perfect outfit. She went with a fitting pair of black pants and a black blazer to go along. Considering that she was still going on a date after work, she wore flats, and as usual, styled her hair in a ponytail.

Today was the first time she was going to Jeff's company. She didn't want to look too dressed up or too shabby, so her fit was perfect for the day. Maybe because she just found love or it was her first love, everything seemed very colorful and bright.

As she made her way down the stairs, she saw Martha sitting comfortably on the couch. She looked at the watch on her wrist, it was only 7a.m. Why was she up so early?

"Good morning granny," she said sweetly before grabbing an apple from the dining table.

Like most times, Martha just gazed at her briefly before withdrawing her sight back to the little book in her hand. Tina was used to it, so it didn't faze her.

"Either this weekend or the next, my boyfriend will be coming over to meet the family. Will granny still be here by then?"

Deep down, she really did not want Martha to be around. She had two fears. One of it being Martha urging her and Jeff to get married soon to have a baby. The second being Martha harassing Jeff and saying things like "you're too good for her."

Her worries weren't unfounded because Martha had caused such a scene at her younger cousin's marriage introduction once. Whenever there was a family gathering, she only chatted happily with her "grandsons." If an outsider saw the scene, they'd think those were really are grandsons, and not grandsons via marriage.

Surprise flashed in Martha's eyes, but she was quick to mask it.

"You don't want me here?" she sneered.

She stood up and approached her granddaughter, "I assume that like you, he isn't anything good to show off, that's why you don't want me here. Well, I won't be here then. You can keep your good-for-nothing boyfriend for your mother who cares."

She walked around Tina and returned to her room.

Her reply was music to Tina's ears. Now that Martha would not be around, she'd be much more relaxed when having Jeff over. Mr. Lawrence must have finally decided to get her an apartment close to home with a caregiver, that's why she had so much attitude as early as 7a.m.

In a jolly mood, she drove off to work and did not forget to text Lina the new information she just found out.

"Finally, we would have peace. I'll text mom tonight to make a feast. It's been a while since I had dinner at home," was the reply she got back from her cheeky little sister.

As soon as she settled down in her office, Kyra showed up too with a little smirk on her face.

"Is there any good news to share?" Kyra looked intently at her boss.

Tina didn't pay attention to the gossipy Kyra.

"Any new file for me?" she retorted back as she looked through the folder on her desk.

Not giving up, Kyra pressed further. "Everyone at work is talking about you. You entered the office today with a smile and greeted everyone warmly. What's up with that? The last time that happened was when you were given a bonus."

"You know what would make my mood even better?" she smiled as she looked up at Kyra.

Sporting the cynical smile on Tina, Kyra didn't waste time to learn the answer. She scurried away fearing that Tina would give her more things to handle. She was scary when she got serious.

During lunch hour, she got a message from Jeff.

"Isn't it closing hour yet? When are you coming to pick me up?" he even added a sulking emoji.

She chuckled when she saw that message.

"There's six hours to go before I clock out. You'll have to wait for a while." After pondering about it for a while, she added a heart emoji and felt shy about her action.

Before she could place her phone down, another message was received.

"Since you added your heart, I'll wait for you patiently. Where do you want to go for dinner?"

"I want Korean," she replied immediately. Lately, she had been craving Korean street food. It'd be nice to satisfy her cravings for her man and food. Jeff agreed to her request readily and they both went about their day as usual.

At this time, the sky was still bright at 6p.m. After receiving the address from Jeff, she made her way to pick up her boyfriend. The closer she got, the quicker her heart was beating. She could not help but get nervous. The people at his company wouldn't know who she was, still she wanted to leave a good impression. After driving for a while, she finally arrived.

"I'm downstairs," she texted Jeff immediately and waited for him to come down.

While waiting, she let her hair down and touched up her lip gloss. She had to look presentable for her man. Engrossed while looking into the mirror, she heard taps on the window of her car.

Thinking it was Jeff, she unlocked the car to reach out, but was stunned to find out that it wasn't Jeff.

She hurriedly locked the doors again before lowering the window a bit.

"Hi ma'am," the voice drifted in. "I'm Bob, CEO Jeff's assistant. You must be Ms. Lawrence."

Getting to know that he was sent by Jeff, Tina lowered her defense a bit, and lowered the window a little bit more also.

"Yes, I am."

"CEO Jeff asked me to escort you to his office. He has some last-minute work to be done, so he'd prefer you wait in his office," Bob said politely.

She was stunned. This wasn't the arrangement they had agreed on. What was Jeff playing at?