"DO YOU have any more questions, Miss Madriaga?"

I smiled a little before shaking my head. "No more questions, Sir," I replied.

My manager smiled back at me. "All right, Welcome to The Empress," he said before he left my office.

When my manager left, napahawak ako agad sa dibdib ko. My heart is beating so fast. Today's my first day at work and I'm fricking palpitating because of the 3 cups of coffee that Cash made me drink!

Akala ko talaga I won't make it on time! I had a good midnight talk with Cash under the stars while sitting at the beach. Kaya anong oras na kami nakauwi from Batangas, tapos inabutan pa kami ng traffic when we got to Manila. He got me back at the Empire at almost 6 AM, kaya halos 1-hour lang ako nakatulog because I didn't sleep sa biyahe kasi kawawa naman si Cash if tutulugan ko siya.

So, I slept until 7:30 AM, and then I just took a quick bath and went to work.

I didn't eat breakfast. Ang laman lang ng tiyan ko ay coffee while we're in the biyahe and then coffee again this morning. I could feel my eyes hurting and my head about to burst.

I sagged in my office chair and closed my eyes for a few moments. Sabi naman ni Sir Andres, wala pa naman akong masyadong gagawin today because it's my first day palang and he just wants me to be familiar with the employees for now. One of my responsibilities as an HR professional is to handle employee relations, payroll, benefits, and training. Kaya mas better na kilala ko talaga lahat ng employees dito sa The Empress and that's not an easy task.

The Empress is a huge company, and they have like hundreds of employees and different departments, kaya I need to get to know each one of them. Siguro sisimulan ko nalang sa marketing department, tutal nandoon si Curtis, and I also know Trent, Maddy, Brienne, and Gabe na.

I almost jumped off my seat when I suddenly heard a knock on my door.

"Come in," I said, while combing my hair with my fingers. Inaantok na talaga ako.

"Hi, Sera."

"Oh, hi Trent. That's you lang pala." I chuckled. My eyelids were drooping because of lack of sleep.

"Are you okay?" natatawang tanong niya. Lumabas iyong dimples sa magkabilang pisngi niya. He looks different now that he's wearing a suit and tie. He looks cute and neat.

I yawned. "Uh-huh. I'm sleep-deprived lang, but I'm okay." I replied while wiping the tears from my eyes.

I couldn't control my yawning. I'm really sleepy na talaga. Did Cash get to work kaya? Nag-drive pa siya all night and for sure hindi na siya nakatulog after niya akong ihatid.

"I'll be back," Trent said, and he left my office immediately. And then, after a few minutes, he came back while holding a cup of coffee.

"Here's your coffee with an extra espresso shot,"

"Thank you, Trent," I said when he handed me the coffee. Agad kong ininom iyong kape para mabuhayan agad iyong dugo ko. Hindi kaya bigla nalang akong mag-faint dito because of too much caffeine?

I heard him chuckle while he was staring at me sipping from my cup of coffee. My forehead creased a little.

"What?" I asked.

"You still look cute even when you're sleepy,"

I playfully rolled my eyes at him. "Bolero ka,"

"It's not bola if it's true, right?"

"Right..." I agreed, and then we both laughed.

"Why are you here pala? Don't you have any work to do? Curtis told me before that strict raw iyong boss niyo?"

He just shrugged. "Your task is to meet with all the employees here, right?" he asked, and I nodded.

"Well, I'm here to meet with our new HR. So, technically I'm working and helping you at the same time,"

I replied, "Fair point," and he smiled at me.

Thank you sa coffee na binigay ni Trent dahil medyo nawala iyong pagka-antok ko. He also stayed at my office and entertained me. I found out that he's close with my boss kaya pala nakakapunta siya sa HR department basta-basta.

"Everyone attention!" Trent said in a loud voice when we entered their offices. That made everyone from their department look in our direction. I pursed my lips together to stop myself from laughing. Parang siya iyong boss dito sa marketing kung makasigaw.

"This is Miss. Madriaga—"

"Just Sera," I interrupted.

"This is Sera, and she's our new HR. If you all have a few seconds to spare for her to introduce yourselves, that would be great. That is all. Thank you."

I playfully punched his shoulder after his speech. Nakakahiya! Lahat sila nakatingin sa'kin. I'm not in my best condition pa naman ngayon.

He just smiled at me cheekily, and that made his dimples pop out.

"I'm the secret boss here. Don't worry," he said before winking at me.

"Boss my ass," I muttered, giggling at his reaction.

"Hi, Sera!" bati nila Brienne, Maddy, and Gabe sa'kin.

"Hi, you guys! Sorry naabala pa kayo," sabi ko.

"Okay lang naman. Hindi naman kami busy ngayon," Maddy replied. Inakbayan naman ni Gabe si Trent.

"Like a boss ka talaga," sabi niya kay Trent habang tumatawa.

"Where's Curtis pala? I don't see him."

"Pinatawag kanina ni Sir Crew," sagot ni Brienne.

Maya-maya ay isa-isang nang lumapit iyong mga ibang employees at nagpakilala sa'kin. They're all nice naman. I talked to them and asked something about themselves, para mas makilala at matandaan ko sila agad. Trent was standing beside me while everyone came to introduce themselves. He also told me some information sa bawat employees like Sophie loves milk tea and shakes, and James is their best editor naman.

It looks like everyone's close with Trent sa department nila dahil mukhang wala namang nainis dahil sa malakas na speech niya kanina.

"Are you sure you'll be fine by yourself?" Trent asked while we were in front of the elevator. Hindi na niya kasi ako masasamhan sa ibang department dahil may binigay na trabaho sakaniya at kailangan raw niyang matapos today.

I smiled at him. "I can handle myself. Don't worry," I assured him.

He sighed before smiling at me. "Alright. You can call me if you need something,"

"But I don't have your cellphone number?" nagtatakang tanong ko.

He gave me a mischievous look. "Are you asking for my number, Miss Madriaga?" he said, and I gasped in disbelief because of what he said. This guy! Now that I'm getting to know him more. I really think he's a chikboy talaga gaya ng sabi nila Gabe.

He started laughing, and I frowned at him.

"Can I get your number, Miss Madriaga?" he said while handing me his cellphone.

I rolled my eyes at him before I entered my phone number on his cellphone.

Nagpaalam na rin ako sakaniya dahil bumukas na iyong elevator. I pressed one floor above us para sa mapuntahan iyong ibang departments.

This is going to be a long day. I think I'll need more coffee to make it through this day.

#

"Did Trent accompany you on meeting all the employees?" Sir Andres asked when I got back to the HR department. His office kasi iyong nasa pinaka-bungad kaya dadaanan ko siya palagi pag lalabas o babalik na ako.

"He only accompanied me to their department, Sir, because he had to do some work na," I replied, and Sir Andres chuckled a little.

Bumalik na rin ako sa office ko after kong kausapin si Sir Andres about sa departments na napuntahan ko na. I took out all my sticky notes from my pocket that I used kanina dahil nag te-take down notes ako after ko sa isang departments.

I was busy reading my notes when my phone vibrated. I checked who was calling me, and my heart automatically started beating when I saw his name.

"Hello?" I bit my lower lip so he wouldn't be able to hear my excitement in my voice.

"Hi. How was your first day? Did you get some sleep?" Cash said.

"I'm okay naman. I had coffee again this morning. You? Nakatulog ka ba?"

"Nope. I went straight to work," he replied, then I heard him chuckle softly.

Sandali kaming natahimik na dalawa. I could only hear our breathing.

"Cash,"

"Serenity,"

We said it in unison.

"You go first na," I said.

"Uhm, I really enjoyed our trip last night. And I think we should do that again,"

Thank, God! I have blinds on my office window because I'm so kinikilig dito at nakakahiya if Sir Andres sees me acting like this! Baka isipin niya nababaliw na ako mag-isa dito because I'm smiling from ear to ear!

Oh, Cash Evander... What are you doing to me?

"Okay... Let's do that again," I replied, and I swear, I could imagine him smiling on the other line.

#

After kong makausap si Cash, I got back to work na kahit na kinikilig pa rin ako.

What's happening to you, Serenity Rose?! Really...

I must control myself and my emotions again before it's too late. I don't want him to become the person who breaks my heart.

We had rules that we set when we first met, and we have to follow those again. I like him, but I don't want to risk it further.

"Miss Madriaga?" nagulat ako nang biglang bumukas iyong pintuan at pumasok si Nyle. She's one of the receptionists in the lobby.

"Yes, Nyle?"

"May delivery po para sainyo." bahagyang kumunot iyong noo ko. I don't remember ordering anything.

Nilapag niya sa desk ko iyong isang paper bag and I inhaled the smell of the food.

"I didn't order anything. Baka that's not for me?" I said, a bit confused.

"Galing po iyan kay Sir Cash. Pinapabigay po niya sainyo. Lunch niyo raw po," sabi niya and my jaw drops.

"A-Ahh, okay. Thank you, Nyle." I said and smiled at her before she left my office.

How can I stop myself from liking him when he is so thoughtful towards me?

I just grabbed my phone and texted Cash. I should still thank him for his sweet gestures. I know he's really busy, and yet he still made some effort to order me food.

To: Cash

Thanks for the lunch :)

After I sent my message to him, and I opened the paper bag and saw a bunch of food inside. This is a lot!

I had 15 minutes pa before lunch kaya I waited muna bago mag 12 PM before I grabbed the food that Cash gave me and headed to the cafeteria. Cash didn't reply to my message. Baka he's really busy ulit or baka nagagalit na naman si Sir VM sakaniya dahil sa nanagyari kagabi.

I could feel my blood boiling when I remembered what happened last night. And everything Cash told me about his father. It's just unacceptable...

When I got into the cafeteria, I immediately saw Curtis and his friend on one table. They called me, kaya lumapit ako sa table nila, and I joined them.

"Where were you this morning?" I asked Curtis.

"I had a meeting with Dad and Kuya," he simply replied. I didn't ask further because he didn't look okay.

Seriously, What's wrong with their dads?

"What are you having for lunch, Sera?" Trent asked. He was sitting beside me.

I looked at their food and they all had sandwiches. Kaya I got all the food from the paper bag and told them na we can share dahil sobrang dami talaga.

"Where did you get all these foods?" Curtis asked, in awe.

I simply smiled at him and na-gets niya agad.

"I see," he just said.

Trent got some pasta while Gabe and Maddy got some fries and ribs tapos si Curtis at Brienne naman kumuha ng Caesar salad. I don't know why Cash ordered too many foods. It's not like I can finish everything.

"Looks like everyone's eating the lunch I bought?"

Agad akong napatingin sa likuran ko at nakita ko si Cash na nakatayo doon. Napatigil sila Trent sa pagkain when they heard Cash.

"I couldn't finish everything kaya I shared it with them," I told him. His face looks serious. He doesn't look mad, but I couldn't read the expression on his face.

He didn't say anything. I only heard him sigh before he began walking away from the cafeteria.

"Hala. Nagalit ba si Sir? Para sayo lang yata 'tong pagkain na binili niya, Sera." sabi ni Maddy.

Agad akong umiling. "No. It's okay. Hindi ko naman talaga kayang ubusin iyan," I replied.

"Where are you going? You haven't finished your food yet," Trent said nang makita niya akong paalis ng table.

I smiled at him a little. "I'll be back," I said before I went outside and followed Cash.

Did he seriously get mad because I shared with my friends the food that he bought for me?

W H A T Y A S E Y