ALAS felt hungry. When he checked his watch, he realized it was already past twelve. He stood up and saw Yna still at her desk. She was busy using her phone and not memorizing the documents he gave her.
"Let's eat," he invited her. He didn't want her to go hungry and end up feeling guilty about it.
She looked up at him. "Go ahead. I can eat without you," she said sarcastically, turning her attention back to her cellphone.
He shook his head. He decided not to say anything and just left her alone. He really needed to control his temper every time he faced her. She was incredibly stubborn.
Alas had his lunch at the company canteen. He wasn't picky with food, so he managed just fine.
After eating, he went back to his office. He saw Yna was still there. "Hey, go have lunch now," he said gently. He sat on his swivel chair and started checking the documents on his desk. There were so many that he hadn't finished them yet, but this was the last batch.
"Can I go home now?" she asked softly.
"Why? You aren't done with your work. Clock-out time is exactly at 4:00 PM," he replied seriously, glancing at her. "If you want to have lunch, you can go, but you need to come back here afterwards. Am I clear?"
"Okay." She found her bag and slung it over her shoulder. She also picked up the folders on her table.
"Why are you bringing those folders? Are you planning to sneak out and not come back after lunch?"
She faced him irritably and rolled her eyes.
"None of your business. I'm bringing this because maybe I'll have time after lunch to memorize it. I can't memorize anything on an empty stomach." Then she turned around.
"Okay. You may go."
She let out a smile of victory and walked out immediately.
"As if I'd come back," she muttered. She had plenty of time to sneak away.
She hated the atmosphere inside Alas's office. And she hated even more having to memorize everything written in the two booklets he gave her. She felt irritated and hated dealing with hassles.
She went straight to the parking area and drove home. She didn't care if Alas got angry. She used to sneak out from her father before, so why wouldn't she do it to someone else?
Almost an hour had passed since Yna left for lunch. Alas kept checking his watch. "She really sneaked out. That girl is so pathetic. She's really stubborn."
He used the intercom to call Lydia. He had finished checking all the documents and needed to hand them over for revisions.
"Sir?" she answered.
"Come here. I've already checked these. They need some revisions. You may go now."
"Copy, Sir."
Lydia quickly entered his office and took the documents. She was walking towards the door when Alas spoke.
"Don't forget tomorrow. You will train my new secretary."
She nodded and left.
Alas blew out a breath when he thought about Yna. He stood up. He suddenly thought of visiting Yna's house. He wanted to see Jomari and talk to him; they hadn't seen each other in person for a long time.
He was already in his car when a friend called, inviting him to a birthday party. He felt awkward refusing, so he decided to go.
UPON arriving at the venue, he was warmly welcomed by Melchior's mother. Melchior was his close friend and business partner.
"Hey bro, how are you?" Melchior asked with a wide smile as he approached.
"I'm fine, bro. Happy birthday."
"Oh? Thank you. Long time no see. How's your love life?" his friend asked immediately.
He smiled. "Nope. I haven't been in any relationship yet. I'm very busy with work, especially as the new CEO."
Melchior laughed at his answer, looking like he didn't believe him.
"What? You're so handsome, how can you not have a girlfriend? Oh, come on. By the way, Brenda is here, she's still single just like you. You can ask her out on a date."
"Really? Where is she? I miss both of you. I just really don't have time for dates lately, I'm so busy."
"Well, it's up to you. Let's have a drink. Come on," Melchior invited him, and they headed to the bar counter.
YNA was home. Jomari saw her since he had also come home early from work.
"How was your first day?" he asked as he walked closer.
She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't feel it. I'm tired and hungry."
"What? Why are you here? Are you done with your work?"
"Not yet. But I'm bored. Who would dare memorize two booklets with more than fifty pages in just one day, Dad?"
Jomari approached her and patted her shoulder.
"Well, that's how it is. Now you know what it feels like to have a job. Working for yourself and your family is hard, that's why you need to be diligent."
"It's true. I'll eat first, Dad, excuse me."
She shrugged and headed to the kitchen. She was hungry and wanted to eat. She found some lasagna in the fridge.
She put some on her plate. She was starving, so she ate heartily.
Jomari just watched her from a distance. "I hope you finally straighten up. And I hope Alas doesn't give up on you, Yna."
MEANWHILE, Alas was a bit tipsy, so he decided to say goodbye to his friend. He still had a lot of work to do tomorrow.
He was about to get into his car when a tall, fair-skinned, and sexy woman appeared in his blurry vision. She was wearing shorts and a halter top. She looked very sophisticated.
"Hey, Alas, are you going home? It's too early. Please stay." She blocked his way.
He smiled when he recognized her. "Hey, Brenda. Is that you?"
"Of course, it's me. Nice to see you again. Long time no see."
"Nice to see you too. Sorry, I can't stay any longer. But you can visit my office anytime."
Brenda smiled sweetly. She was one of Alas's friends from the US and also came from a prominent family. "Okay. Can you still drive? You smell like alcohol," she said flirtatiously, sniffing his suit.
"Of course. I really have to go. See you again next time."
"Okay." She stepped aside.
Alas got into his car. He waved at her, revved the engine, and drove off. Brenda watched until his car disappeared, then went back inside Melchior's house.
YNA was lying on her bed. She wasn't in the mood to open the booklet containing the staff profiles of Dela Merzcid Real Estate. Her eyes immediately landed on Alas's photo. She started to feel irritated.
"You aren't handsome even if you are my boss. I could pinch you," she talked to his photo like a crazy person.
She shook her head and turned the pages. She saw a picture of a woman. "Maybe that's Lydia. She's beautiful but looks like she's already married." Her guess was correct; she was even pregnant.
She turned more pages, seeing different faces. She wasn't sure if she could memorize them all, but she was trying.
She picked up another booklet but got bored quickly. "Work Ethics," she read. Could she really memorize this? She decided she would just try to memorize one page out of ten.
She got bored, so instead of studying, she browsed the internet. She saw Alas's face and name trending online. The news stated that his company was merging with the Domingo Group of Companies.
"No, it can't be? Maybe he knows Janus?" she squealed in delight. This was the chance she had been waiting for—to see Janus again.
"It's nice. I will work in your company, Alas, not because I want to. I hope one day they meet again. Janus, I miss you so much," she whispered.
It was another one of her delusions. She lost all motivation to study. She arranged the documents on her small table and went to sleep.