Proof

I closed the folder and piled it on the still growing pile and took the nth paper that I needed to review for today before I sign it. I set down my fountain pen and grabbed out a red pen to mark some things that I needed to change.

While I was leaving notes on it, I heard a knock from the door and Ethan's head popped behind it.

"Oh! Give me an hour more and we'll go at 6," I told him hurriedly as I should've been already downstairs by this time usually.

"Boss, it's already 9 pm," he informed as he opened the door fully with a laugh before taking out something behind him like a magician, "I brought food."

I glanced at the clock and it was in fact past 9 pm already. I didn't even notice that it was this late, no wonder he went up. I felt bad for not minding the time and ended up detaining him again more than necessary but my neglected stomach very much appreciated his gesture.

"Sorry, I didn't notice the time," I stood up and looked at the window where the buildings surrounding the view were all lit up already.

I stretched my neck side to side and went to the sofa table where I thought Ethan would set the food but he went past it to reach the space in front of the glass wall behind the meeting table.

Huh?

He sat indian style in front of it and set the food across some old newspapers while I just stood there still stupefied.

He only called me after he managed to lay it all out, "Come on."

He was all smiles as he prompted me to go over and join him on the floor. I don't have anything against it so might as well just try it out.

He gave me first my share of chinese fried rice with sweet and sour pork that still emitted warmth before he started with his portion. Quietly, we ate like this while we looked at the twinkling lights within the fast-paced city.

Who'd have thought that it was actually fun?

I looked at Ethan who was busy inhaling his food without care. It was the first time that we actually ate together properly. Most of the time, he was always the one feeding me.

"How did you even think of this?" I muttered while I looked at him in wonder.

"I've been meaning to try this ever since I saw your office. I thought it would be really enjoyable to do that. You never tried it?" His eyes went wide in disbelief.

I bursted out laughing, "No."

He was just so random and different sometimes. I felt my interest growing stronger the more I interacted with him. It was a curious feeling that seemed endless somehow.

"Does this always happen?" He asked after I finally finished getting out my laughter.

"This what?" I tilted my head in confusion.

"You, losing track of time because of work," he said, glancing at me.

"I think? I don't really pay attention to it," I shrugged.

"You do know that you're a workaholic, right?" He teased me with one side of his lips quirked up.

"I know that much," I glared at him.

"I wonder how that feels though. I always get bored easily," he muttered, looking straight ahead but his casual tone sounded like it hid an even deeper emotion that I couldn't fathom.

"Why?" I asked simply, though I was burning from curiosity. It was rare that he actually talked about himself. I always got the feeling that although he looked very open and amiable, he's very guarded about himself.

"I get bored easily," he repeated, laughing it off like a joke.

"Maybe because you don't have the motivation. If you don't like it then no matter how you try to do it, you won't last long," I suggested, trying to figure out more from his faraway expression but no such luck happening.

"I finally found an interesting job but . . ." He trailed off, throwing a meaningful stare at me.

Is he talking about his job with Blanca before?

He chuckled at my frowning expression then just started to talk about trivial matters randomly. I knew then that the subject was closed.

Somehow, I felt comfortable just talking over food with the night lights beneath our feet.

As I walked inside a small italian restaurant located at the edge of the city, I regretted meeting Leon for a lunch meeting. I was hungry now and if it was awkward then it would be hard to eat.

There were few people inside and even though it was a restaurant that I hadn't heard of before. The furnishings were delicate and appealing to the eyes. It gave off the feeling of sophistication.

When I rounded off the corner, Leon Sanders was already sitting on a table. I haven't seen him for ages so I can't remember his face but the only reason I recognized him was his resemblance with his father.

He was wearing a dark grey pinstripe suit paired with a black tie that was free from embellishments. One look at him and I knew that he was a man who very much liked control and order in his life. He had the kind of face that would make a woman double take and take a good long look at his stubble that enhanced the sharp line of his jaw. It was like the meeting of neat and grunge but if they saw his gray eyes, I'd bet some would hesitate at the hard look it reflected.

I went to the table and introduced myself, "Sorry, I'm late. I'm Miranda North."

He stood up and shook my hand with just the right amount of force, "Leon Sanders. Don't apologize, Ms. North. You're just in time."

We both took a seat and a waiter immediately came by to our table. I ordered Pasta Alfredo while he went for a Filet Mignon steak.

"I assume we both know what we're here for," he wasted no time getting straight to the point.

I nodded, waiting for him to finish what he wanted to say.

"I'm not the type to blindly follow my father, however I think this idea has merits. What do you think?" Unsurprisingly, he just plainly stated his view as if we weren't discussing a lifelong commitment.

I hesitated as a face unwittingly appeared in my mind.

I answered a bit later, "I already told your father that I'm not interested at the moment. I've just got another one broken off so it's a bit too early for now."

His eyes narrowed in consideration before nodding, "It doesn't seem like that's the only reason. In any case, I respect your decision. It's not the only relationship we can have. How about we talk about business then?"

I couldn't help but crack a smile. He was just so refreshingly blunt.

Our food arrived by then and we talked about possible collaborations between our businesses. Leon was brilliant as expected but he wasn't arrogant at all. We agree on a lot of ideals especially about the business so he wouldn't be hard to work with.

We walked out of the door near the parking lot and I faced him to say goodbye.

"One last thing. Don't trust my father so much. I know you guys are close but he would bite even his sons when it comes to business." His face was even somber than before when he uttered the words.

It looked like Uncle Alan was that strict to his children. There seemed to be more to the story but I didn't want to pry more and involved myself regarding their family matters.

I was about to reply when he glanced at something behind me abruptly and smirked to my surprise, "Was he the reason why you don't want to proceed?"

"What are you saying?" I turned back and saw Ethan, standing beside the car with an unreadable expression but somehow he looked irked to me for some reason.

"Is he your boyfriend? He looks mad at me," Leon continued to give Ethan a measured look.

"We're not like that," I explained in bewilderment. I don't know where he even got those assumptions.

Where did that even come from?

"Oh. You don't know?"

My brows furrowed at his insistence.

His eyes were on Ethan but then he leaned closer and whispered, "Want me to prove it?"

And then he bridged the gap between us in a flash. . .