CHAPTER 8

I was still working when I heard my stomach grumble. Wrapping up my tasks, I stood up to go buy lunch, then thought to inform Mr. Grumpy.

"Sir, would you like me to get anything for you? I'm stepping out to get lunch," I asked.

"No, I'm fine ," he replied without looking up.

"Alright," I said.

As I turned to leave, a paper slipped from his hand and landed on the floor near him. I went to pick it up for him, and unknowingly, he also leaned down to retrieve the file. Our heads collided, and it felt like I had hit my head on a wall. Why was his head so hard?

"Ow."

"I'm sorry, sir," I said glancing up at him, while rubbing my head.

Is his skull made of stone? No flinch, no reaction, but I felt the impact—why isn't he rubbing his head too? Does he not feel pain? A normal person would at least react. Different thoughts kept swirling in my mind.

I sensed his gaze on me. Oh, the paper! I stretched my hand to give it to him, our hands brushed. I withdrew my hand immediately because of the tingles I felt; heat surged to my face. Hurriedly, I rushed out of his office.

Even after returning to my desk, I was still feeling the tingling sensation.

"Oh, why is my face red? Gosh, Audrey, it's just a brush,get a grip," I muttered, trying to dismiss the thought.

I went to a restaurant close to the company's building. I got snacks and cookies, but I skipped a meal because I was trying to save money until payday.

***

I heard my phone alarm vibrate on the desk. I had set it earlier, incase I get so engrossed with work.

"Ow, 6 PM," I said aloud.

I stood up. My body ached a bit, so I stretched. I arranged my things and then walked to my boss's office.

I opened the door and found him staring intently at the screen before him, pen in hand.

"Does he ever take a break?" I thought to myself. It seemed he hadn't left his desk since our morning meeting; I assumed we would both finish around the same time, but maybe he was just carried away with work.

"Boss, it's 6:05 PM," I notified him, glancing at my watch.

He glanced at me briefly, then returned to what he was doing.

"I've finished for the day, boss," I continued waiting for a response.

"Alright, you can leave," he replied flatly.

"Aren't you going home, boss?" I asked, curious, wanting to know the time he usually left.

"Not yet," he answered.

My shock was palpable. What time does he leave? Well, it's none of my business. I need my bed badly.

"Goodnight, sir," I said as I turned to leave.

He simply nodded on acknowledgement. "Would it hurt to say goodnight?" I thought as I walked out of his office.

"Goodnight, Bianca," I said, smiling at the receptionist as I left the building.

I sighed as the evening breeze brushed against my face when I stepped out of the building. I headed to the bus station to wait for my ride home.

"Ow," I moaned in delight as I felt the comfort of my bed. I reluctantly stood up after five minutes to undress and shower. When I was done, I laid back down, reflecting on the day's events. Unconsciously, I smiled while rubbing my hand, still feeling the tingles from when Mr. Grumpy hand brushed against mine. I didn't realize when I fell asleep.

—

"Morning, Bianca," I greeted the receptionist with a smile the next day.

"Morning, Audrey! How was your night?" she asked.

"It was splendid. How about you?"

"Awesome! Have a great day at work."

"And you too," I replied, walking to the elevator.

I arrived at work early today; it was only 7:30 AM, so I still had thirty minutes before Mr. Grumpy arrived. I settled down to review his schedule, searching the company's email to see if there was a new appointment I had missed or that wasn't showing on the calendar. There were none for now.

I heard the phone on my desk ring.

"Scott Holdings, I'm Audrey. How can I help you?" I answered the phone.

"Hi Audrey, I'm Samantha Lloyd, CEO of Industrial Service Company." A woman said. "I asked my assistant to set up an appointment with Adrian Scott, but I haven't received a response to the email," she continued.

"I apologize for that, ma'am. His schedule is packed; I must have missed it," I answered.

"It's fine. When will he be available?" she asked.

"I can't say for now, but I will have to call you back; he's not on seat right now. When was the original meeting scheduled?" I inquired.

"Last week Wednesday," she responded.

"Okay, I will reschedule the appointment today and send it to your email."

"Thank you. I will be expecting your call."

"Okay, bye for now."

"Bye," she said, before hanging up.

It was now 8:00 AM. I wondered why he had not yet arrived. I stood up to go tidy up his desk while waiting for him.

I opened his office door and there he was seated, staring through some papers. He looked up immediately as I entered.

"What time does he arrive to work? I didn't see him walk past me; nobody else had come to the first floor today. Is he always this busy?" I thought in my head.

"Good morning, boss," I greeted.

"Morning," he replied, his eyes fixed on the document in his hand.

"How was your night, sir?" He looked up; I thought I saw a hint of surprise on his face. Maybe I was mistaken, but his expression returned to its usual blankness.

"Fine," he grunted offering nothing more, then resumed staring at the paper he was holding.

I wasn't surprised; I knew he wouldn't ask me. At least he replied.

"Boss, I didn't know you were here already. I thought to come, tidy up your table before you arrived.

"What time do you usually start?" I asked genuinely curious.

"Between six and seven," he responded.

"What?! Does he ever sleep?" Shocked doesn't even begin to describe how I felt. Why does he work so hard? Isn't he the owner of this big conglomerate? I thought CEOs either arrive late or come in at a normal time. I'm completely speechless.

"Does this man ever sleep?"