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He might be a bit paranoid. For a while now, since he'd stepped foot in the main office of the ND Corporation, Laurence had been getting this odd feeling that someone was keeping an eye on him. No matter how he convinced himself it was just his busybody workmates who loved to talk about him on the sly, he could not shake off the nagging voice inside his head, telling him it was not the case.

"Have you discussed with Ms. Marian when she'll be teaching you about the ins and outs of the assistant work?"

Laurence studied the solemn expression of the older man at the desk in front of him. He awkwardly stood straight, his hands resting behind him like a soldier in a parade rest, as Mr. Edison Frias peered at him over the documents he was holding.

"I understand that the HR and Ms. Marian have agreed not to make you do the administrative reports for now because of your circumstances," Mr. Frias continued, his no-nonsense tone matching the look on his face. He glanced back at the papers that Laurence had brought from the CEO's secretary to him. "But there are only a couple of weeks before Ms. Marian's due date, so I believe it's best that you learn all her duties as early as now too."

The senior employee uncapped his pen and began signing the documents.

"Although it would have been better if we could just assign someone else for the job. I don't know what the HR has been thinking." Shaking his head, Mr. Frias let out a sound akin to a scoff under his breath. "This was not what I had in mind when I learned that Ralph came to them. And what was the CEO doing in the middle of all this? He may be smart and talented, but he's still really young."

Laurence knitted his brows, uncertain if Mr. Frias had forgotten he was still there.

"... he's seemed somewhat out of it since that day." The older man jogged the papers on the table before handing them to Laurence. "Anyway, you've always been a fast learner, and young people like you have always had better memory, so it should not be a problem for you to learn from scratch again if you start now."

Discerning the snide, Laurence feigned a polite smile and muttered a curt thank you. He had been informed about this senior administrative officer's strictness regarding work, so he'd prepared himself for such a reception. Yet, now that he was faced with the older man's stern behavior, Laurence could not help but wonder if he was like this to everyone. Mr. Frias didn't seem like he was fond of Florence in particular.

He turned away and was about to walk for the door when the older man spoke again, "Do you know how to adjust the font for this site? Make it bigger?"

Laurence paused to give Mr. Frias an inquisitive look over his shoulder. He checked the room for another person, thinking the senior employee was talking to someone else. Unable to find anyone, he returned his gaze to Mr. Frias, who was already busy moving the computer mouse while his eyes were glued to the monitor.

"I may be—"

Before Laurence had the chance to finish saying he could try since Marian had already taught him the basic computer knowledge and online office tools, Mr. Frias dismissed him.

"Never mind." He waved his left hand in a shooing motion, not even bothering to spare Laurence a glimpse. "You might have forgotten about it too. Warren often helps me with these things, but he's on leave today."

Put out, Laurence took the older man's inattention to him as a chance to throw a glare. He stalked out of the office without another word.

When he arrived at the secretary's counter, Marian told him she would bring the papers for Mr. Isaac inside so he could prepare a drink for the young CEO.

Laurence immediately complied and went to the office pantry. He made a cup of coffee, adding a bit of cream and sugar, just enough to balance but not cancel out the bitter notes of the hot beverage.

It had only been a few days since the last time he'd been in the CEO's office. Yet, he felt like it was his first time stumbling upon the place as he stepped inside again. And perhaps the part that Laurence found the hardest to get used to was the very occupant of the room. This person and his distant behavior.

Isaac Ruiz did not take his concentration off the documents, even when Laurence closed the door behind him with a click.

Laurence's gaze led to the long desk of indoor plants. He tilted his head in curiosity as he noted something he wasn't sure was there the last time he'd been in the room. In the middle of kalanchoe and begonia, another pot of flowering plant stood; its yellow-orange, layered petals blossomed in between the wide, dark-green leaves. It was a familiar kind for Laurence, but it wasn't usual to see their blooms.

Did this punk take care of them himself? Who'd have thought he'd be good at it?

He approached the CEO's desk while Isaac kept busying himself with the paperwork.

"I've brought you coffee, sir," Laurence said in what he hoped was an impassive tone. He schooled his features to disguise any emotion when the young CEO took heed of his presence.

As much as he wanted to reciprocate Isaac's lack of interest, Laurence could not stop the curiosity creeping within him. Even now, he found himself unable to tear his gaze away from the man while questions resurfaced in his head.

Why are you really here? Where have you been, and what have you been up to all this time? Why do you seem different from how I remember you?

Do you still know me? Did I ever actually matter enough for you to still know me?

"So, how have you been coping up with returning to work? Are you readjusting to it and getting the hang of it again?"

Laurence blinked as the deep voice of the young CEO interrupted his thoughts. He stared dumbly at Isaac, who was looking at him dead in the eye.

"Are you talking to me?" Laurence asked, unsophisticated, briefly forgetting that the man in front of him was his superior.

"Unless there's someone else here aside from the two of us." The composed expression remained on Isaac's face, but the weight of authority exuded from his enunciation. Without breaking eye contact with Laurence, he brought the cup of coffee to his lips.

A corner of Laurence's mouth twitched as he suppressed a sneer. Well, how'd I know when you've been treating me like an air since I came to this company? And look at that. You can actually pretend to give a shit and make a small talk with people.

He tried to convince himself that this unreasonable annoyance with Isaac was just him pitying Florence for being constantly disregarded by the person with whom he was supposed to have a relationship. Even though it might not be true, he did not think the young CEO was that detached from the reality that he would remain in the dark about the foolish rumors going around in his own company, especially the one that involved him.

Or is it exactly because you know about what your employees have been whispering behind your back that you chose to ignore Florence? To avoid further giving them any wrong ideas?

"Did you make it?" Isaac lowered the cup to the saucer and eyed the drink like he was analyzing a business project proposal.

"I did..." Laurence began in a casual tone before finally remembering their positions and Isaac's usual drink. "I'm sorry, sir. It slipped my mind. You must have preferred cold tea. I just..." He trailed off, thinking the young boss might not even care about his excuse. "Would you like me to change it?"

"Never mind."

Laurence pressed his lips in a tight line, catching the not-so-subtle roll of Isaac's eyes.

"Anyway, discuss your work schedule for this week with the other departments. If you have any task that's due within the week, it's better to complete it earlier. We'll be site visiting a few of our projects on Thursday and Friday."

"Am I coming along too?"

"That's the assistant's job, isn't it? Or do you expect a pregnant woman to go with me instead?" Isaac asked, the criticism audible in his voice despite its calmness.

Because he was certain a glower was just about to appear on his expression, Laurence lowered his head. "Then if there's nothing else, I'll be seeing myself out, sir."

He did not wait for his superior's response as he spun on his heels. While he was walking to the door, a weird sensation crawled at his nape as if a pair of eyes had bored into it. Though, when he glanced back at Isaac, he saw that the young CEO had gone again to studying the documents on his desk while taking sips of the coffee.

Laurence shook his head, telling himself his mind might have just been tired, what with the things he had learned during the weekend. He then left Isaac in his office.

The following hours were the most hectic part of Laurence's day. Marian gave him a quick walk-through of the overall duties of an executive assistant when he mentioned the senior officer's concern about the transition. He also had to do some inputting in the computer and filing documents, so he wouldn't have to deal with a mountain of backlog once he returned from the two-day site visit with the CEO.

By the time lunch break came, he had been too mentally exhausted and had no energy left to listen to Odessa ramble about how the owner of the Renascence Café, Violet, had always been so nice to her.

"You look exhausted, Mr. Florence." Jino gave his usual welcoming smile once the pair arrived at the shop's counter.

"Well, I guess yeah," answered Laurence with a sigh. He shrugged. "Just work."

The young shop attendant studied the male office worker's appearance, his smile turning compassionate. His eyes flitted back and forth between Laurence and Odessa before a light flashed across them.

"Oh, I know. Ms. Violet has been trying to make a new tea blend with chamomile and black tea that she's planning to add to the menu as soon as she gets Mr. Ruiz's approval. We're giving free samples of the mixed ground leaves and chamomile flowers to our selected regulars. It's supposed to be good for de-stressing."

Jino winked at the pair of office employees. He went to the door behind the counter, leaving Laurence and Odessa to exchange confused glances.

The young attendant wasn't gone for too long. When he came back, he was already holding two small white pouches, and he handed one each to Laurence and Odessa. "Here you go. This might help you relax. And if you find it effective, just remember you might be able to check it out from our menu soon."

Odessa expressed her thanks in a bright voice while Laurence brought the paper pouch near his nose, sniffing the earthy fragrance of the tea powder. The smell alone was calming enough, so it got his approval.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed his female coworker stare at him curiously before she copied his action.

"Chamomile and black tea? I haven't heard of this combination." Laurence studied the small bag. "Do you know what variety of black tea this is?"

"Sorry, I can only give you the samples, but can't tell you the variety of leaves," Jino said, his lips curling up into an impish smirk. He sent the duo another playful wink. "It's the café's top secret."

Laurence chuckled, but did not probe further.

And then, for some strange reason, he sensed a familiar presence looming behind him, causing him to freeze. The change in Jino's expression from good-natured to deferential just confirmed his hunch.

"Oh, welcome, Mr. Ruiz." The smile remained on the young shop attendant's lips. Only, it was more sober.

Upon hearing their boss's name, Laurence swiveled. A feeling of déjà vu hit him as the serious face of the man greeted him.

The scene was similar to when they'd run into each other at a coffee shop last Saturday. But there was also a bit of difference. This time, instead of the emptiness, a deep frown rested on the young CEO's face. This time, he did not ignore Laurence. If anything, he fixed him with a hard stare.

"Will you have your lunch here, Mr. Ruiz?" Jino asked.

Isaac gave the café employee a sidelong glance before acknowledging Odessa with a nod. At last, he tossed his gaze back to Laurence.

"You should attend to them first since they were here before me."

Following the young boss's instruction, Jino got Laurence's and Odessa's orders.

The male office worker faced the counter to avoid Isaac's intense regard. But even as he focused ahead, the weird feeling behind him did not stop. He could still sense the young CEO examining the back of his neck like a researcher would a rare specimen.

Laurence scowled. What the hell's up with him now?