Chapter 7

Yassmin's POV

Yassmin's spirit awoke when she smelled an aromatic scent. But it’s not a bold stink but a bold super fragrant.

She sniffed it even more.

'Mm, smells good,' she stated while her eyes are still closed.

She sniffed that fragrant scent over again. The smell is masculine.

Wait!

Men?

Yassmin looked up and sat up straight when he heard a man's weak laugh. She was so shocked when she saw Harry.

He's barely bowed to her as if he had been watching the stupidity before.

"Harry- I mean Sir have you been there before?" Yassmin sought.

"Of course not. I'll just come close before you wake up and smell me," he teasingly said while smiling and remained bent over her.

Oh no!

"It's so embarrassing!" she said in her mind.

"Are you coming home, Sir?" she changes the subject.

He straightened up and then nodded.

"Aren't you planning to go home?" he asked her.

"There is Sir, I'm just waiting for you," she explained with a smile and then arranged her belongings.

"You don't have to wait for me," he said, then grinned.

Seriously?

It seems like he's thinking something else!

Yassmin laughed. "What I'm trying to say, Sir is I won't go home as long as you're still here because I'm your secretary. Maybe later you'll ask me to do something when I'm gone. It's better to be sure," she explained at length.

"Well, you have a point there," he agreed.

"Hmm, I don't want to have any work left today. So that I won't get overwhelmed with things that I have to do," she added.

"Well, that's good," he praised her.

When Yassmin was sure she had nothing left; she got up and adjusted her seat.

Yassmin slung her bag, then faced Harry.

"Let's go, Sir?"

He nodded, and they walked together.

"How was your first day?" he asked her out of curiosity.

'It's okay, Sir. It's not that hectic, though,' she replied honestly.

"Did you enjoy it?" his question again.

Enjoyed what?

Yassmin was teasing herself as if they were doing something else.

Take it easy, Yassmin.

"Yes sir," she answered, ignoring the nonsense thought in her mind.

"Well, that's nice to hear. I hope you'd stay here longer," he noted.

"Of course, Sir. I dream of working here though," she confesses.

"Really? And why is that?" he questions her furthermore. Not letting the conversation end.

"Because you are the leading clothing line company in the entire country, Sir. You're great because you've only been starting a few months, your business has reached such a high level right away." Yassmin proudly declared.

"Anyway, you're also into fashion, so maybe that also added a factor," he added.

Yassmin nodded in agreement.

Soon the elevator opened, so they entered.

They're alone inside the elevator since they are the only person left.

"Don't you miss your previous job, Ms. Yassmin?" he asked her.

"Of course, I miss it Sir, but this job is very important, so this is my priority,"

He just smiled at her and then came out when the elevator opened.

They are now walking to the company's parking lot.

"I'm going at that part, Sir," Yassmin pointed to the other side of the parking lot.

"Okay, Be careful," he instructed.

"Sir, be careful too," she let out, then walked in that direction.

Yassmin climbed up from her car, then started the engine.

She quietly left the parking lot. There was no traffic, so she went home quickly.

Yassmin saw her Mom in the living room who's watching the news. She approached her to greet her.

"Good evening, Mom," she exclaimed, and kissed her cheek.

"Good evening Hija, have you eaten already?" her mom sought.

"Not yet Mommy, but I'll take care of it. I'll just go upstairs and change," she said. Yassmin intends to take a bath at night before going to bed for freshness.

Entering her room, she went straight to her bathroom, then turned on the faucet and heater in the bathtub and left it open to fill up. Then went back to the room and turned on the T.V.

She will find a movie that is good to watch.

When she finished searching, she went back to the bathroom and put bath soap in the water until it bubbled, then took off her clothes. Then let her body soak in the bathtub water.

She relaxed for a while before deciding to take a bath. Yassmin dried her body and put on her pajamas. Then went back to her room and started playing the movie.

The Hustle is what she watched.

While watching, she applied lotion to her body. Also applied skincare on her face after her hair got dried from the hair blower.

After doing everything, she leaned forward on the headboard of her bed and resumed watching.

This movie is about two crooks starring Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson. They became partners in deceiving their victims.

Even before the movie ended, she fell asleep.

Yassmin is always like this when watching a movie. She doesn’t watch it 'till the end because she always falls asleep.

Harry's POV

Even before he got in his car, he saw Yassmin's car pass by.

How fast did this woman move?

So he got in his car and started the engine. He also turned it on immediately because it was already night and maybe Manang was waiting for him.

Exactly no traffic, so Harry got home quickly as he wish.

And he was not mistaken. He saw Manang in the kitchen, heating the food.

"Hi Manang," he greeted her, then ask for her hand.

Harry doesn't forget placing Manang's hand on his forehead because for him it's a sign of respect and Manang is like his mother.

In the Philippines, we called this behavior as "pagmamano". Which you ask for your parents, grandparents, and old relatives' hands and place them on your forehead.

"Oh Hijo, I knew you were already on your way so I'm heating the food already," she stated as she continued heating the food in the pan.

"You are the best Manang," he simply compliments her.

Harry just said goodbye for a while, then went up to his bedroom to change his clothes. And went downstairs again to help Manang get the plates ready. But she set everything up.

"The food is ready," she said as she marched to the kitchen.

Harry immediately sat down and started eating.

"How about you, Manang?"

"I'm coming for a minute. I'm just preparing the dessert I made,"

"Wow, what dessert is that Manang?" Harry asked her excitedly.

"Leche flan and Ube halaya," she answered in a rather loud voice from the kitchen.

"Wow! That's delicious Manang," he exclaimed happily.

"You can only say they are delicious because you like them," she laughed as she said those words to Harry.

When she returned to the table, she was carrying the desserts.

"That's why it became my favorite because it's delicious Manang," he defended himself.

"Hmm, eat already so you can eat dessert,"

Harry did not answer and finished his food unbelievably fast. He likes those desserts.

Manang's cooking is delicious and her desserts are incredible.

"How are you, Manang?" he asked her when he finished his meal.

"I'm fine, hijo," Manang Lita replied while finishing the food on her plate.

"I believe you're making yourself tired when I'm not at home, Manang, huh," Harry jokingly accused her.

"I'm not Hijo, you're making me too old," Manang Lita responded, and didn't like the fact that Harry was making her feel too old. But she's thankful for his concern.

Harry laughed because of what Manang Lita has said.

"It's not like that Manang, I'm just thinking about your situation," he explained.

"I know Hijo, I'm just kidding," she exclaimed; Harry just shook his head because of Manang Lita's playfulness.

They continued their fun conversation until Harry stood up to say goodbye and go upstairs. He's still going to read a pocketbook.

When Harry entered his room, he picked up the pocketbooks on his bookshelves and went to bed. He leaned against the headboard and read.

Harry is a man, but he sure loves reading things like this.

Before Manang wasn't there, he was the only one here in his house, so he felt a little bored. When he was shopping for supplies at a store in the Mall, he saw a shelf of books.

Harry saw the pocketbooks looked beautiful, so he bought them right away. At first, he only bought a few pieces until he didn't realize that he had bought too many and Harry had to make a shelf in his room.

After reading the entire book, he went to sleep because he still has work tomorrow. Harry arrived at the office early and it shocked him to know that Yassmin had come earlier than him. Harry immediately went straight to his own office and immediately looked for Yassmin.

Jane was right, she was already there and looking at him.

"Good morning Sir," she greeted him cheerfully enough to start his day.

"Good morning too. Why are you so early today?" Harry asked as he walked to his table.

"I have to be early, Sir because I am your secretary. I have to come earlier than you so that I can fix what you have to do right away. "

"What's my schedule for today?" he asked her and she looked at her iPad.

"There are papers you must sign now, Sir. From 9:00 am to 10:30 am, you will have a meeting with the supplier of the fabrics that we use. 10: 30-11: 30 am Sir, you need to visit the factory to greet our seamstresses," she announced at length.

"After that?" he asked again.

"You have a meeting with the board from 3:00 pm to 5:30 pm, Sir. After that, you have nothing to do Sir." she replied again while the sight was still on her iPad.

'Okay,' he exclaimed.

Yassmin gave Harry the papers he needed to sign. It was also quite a lot, so he wasted no more time.

Yassmin immediately returned to her place because Harry also asked her to do something.

Harry's not only signing the papers, but he's reading all the words written there. He wants to make sure everything goes well in his company.

He doesn't want to make any mistake because he knows that there's a lot of competitors out there who want to bring him and his company down, just a minor mistake and many of his employees will go hungry.

After signing the final papers, Yassmin approached him right away.

"Sir, it's 9:00 am already," she reminded him.

Harry looked at the watch on his arm, then stood up to fix his clothes.

"Let's go," he said to Yassmin. They walked into the conference room and entered.

Their fabric suppliers are already sitting inside. They stood up when Yassmin and Harry entered the room.

"Good morning Sir," Mr. Arevalo greeted him.

Mr. Arevalo is the owner of the fabric firm that supplies the fabric they use in making their products.

"Good morning Mr. Arevalo. You may have a sit," Harry said to him and his companions. Then sat on his chair while Yassmin sat on the sofa near the conference door. "What is the matter?" he asked them.

"Nothing Sir, we just want to ask you for an update for the fabrics you want to get," Mr. Arevalo exclaimed.

Harry faced Yassmin. "Yassmin, kindly check the schedule if there's an upcoming event that we need to attend," he ordered.

She nodded and looked at the iPad she was carrying.

"We will hold a Runaway Fashion Show in May, Sir," Yassmin informed him.

"Thank you," he whispered, then faced his interlocutors again. "What are the fabrics in stock, Mr. Arevalo?" he sought.

Mr. Arevalo looked at his female companion, maybe it's his secretary.

"Lia, hand the document to Mr. Lee, please," Mr. Arevalo ordered the woman beside him.

The woman stood up and walked over to Harry with a clear book.

"Here's the list of the fabrics in stock, Sir," she stated. Harry reached for it.

"Thank you," he thanked her, then opened the clear book.

"The first fabric is mulberry silk Sir, it is the most expensive and luxurious silk of them all. Mulberry silk is pure white, odorless, and 100% natural. They made it from the Silkworms of the Bombyx Mori Moth, and is the most refined silk in the world." the woman explained.

"What's this?" Harry asked, talking about the second picture.

"That's Vucana Wool Sir, the most expensive in the world is Vucana wool. Harvested from the Vucana, the national animal of Peru. This wool can only be collect/shorn, once every three years," she explained again...

"Tell me the rest, please," Harry politely ordered the woman.

"Next in line is the Cashmere wool Sir, it's a type of wool known for its very soft quality. Cashmere is also synonymous with luxury.

They made cashmere from the soft underbelly hair of Kashmir goats, who live in extremely cold and harsh climates, primarily in Asia. To survive, they grow long, fine fibers to protect themselves. Cashmere is incredibly smooth, almost silky to the touch, insulating, and long-lasting.

Leather's are back in stock, Sir. Shell Cordovan is a type of leather with a mirror-like finish made of horsehide, used to make high-end shoes.

Lamb, deer, elk skin, reptilian hide, kangaroo, ostrich, even stingrays are also used to make more high-end and exclusive leather goods.

Another type of leather that is available for Sir is Suede. Often confused as an entirely original material, suede is a particular finish of the leather. Suede simply refers to the finish that gives the fabric a soft, fibrous effect.

We also have Linen Sir. Linen is yet another high-end fabric that offers both quality and style. They made linen out of flax and is one of the oldest textiles in the world. In Europe, linen was a widely available fabric worn by peasants in medieval times. Today, however, linen is highly covet for being stylish and cool; both literally and figuratively.

Another available fabric is Fur, undoubtedly the most controversial material in the market. Fur throughout the ages has long been synonymous with luxury. Today, however, fur has become taboo, calling into question ethical concerns. Viewed by many as fashionably extravagant, they still wore fur today amongst the super-elite.

While fur, even faux fur, may not be as practical as wools or leathers, the sheer opulence is hard to beat. High-quality faux furs can be an alternative, ruffling no feathers.

And there are two available natural fabrics. First is Cotton. Cotton is perhaps the most underrated of all fabrics because it's so, well, common. However, not all cotton is equal. Cotton's natural fibers are durable and low-maintenance. Second is Hemp, Hemp is becoming increasingly popular for its highly sustainable quality." Mr. Arevalo's secretary length explained.

"Is that all?" Harry asked the woman.

"As of now, yes Sir but the other fabrics are coming next week. I will send the list right away the time it came," her assurance.

Harry glanced at Yassmin. "What do you think, Yassmin?" he asked for her opinion.

"I think it's okay Sir, those 8 fabrics that she mentioned earlier are the simplest options to settle on. It goes with a saying that when creating a high-quality garment, a designer is probably going to go for the most effective, best suited, and also finest forms of fabric. Although these high-end, natural materials typically include an expensive tag, when building a solid, timelessly elegant wardrobe, these fabrics are definitely worth the investment. Not only do these materials look expensive, but they also feel luxurious, and can stand the test of your time." she said those explanations with seriousness on her face.

And that made Harry smile.

She's good and she just proves to him; he didn't make the mistake of choosing her as his secretary.