When Mr. Knight said I would get an unforgettable experience working on the executive floor, he meant it.

The real shit began the next day. Meeting after meeting, never-ending phone calls and email correspondence, problems with the departments that didn't follow through with the deadlines, issues with vendors who provided meals and beverages for the meetings, and the list kept adding up. It was like a Deja Vu. Only, it was worse.

After our last encounter, Mr. Knight and I haven't had a chance to have another social chat. He was either burying his face in his computer screen, grunting and growling at someone on the phone, or stuck in back-to-back appointments. When I wasn't in the meeting room to take minutes, we communicated through phone or email. And that was good because his presence was still too intimidating for me; hell, it's still menacing now.

On top of that, something inside my head keeps reminding me that I'm not yet off the hook. He knows about the ghost chili incident, but he hasn't used it against me. The suspense is killing me. I should have apologized in the first place.

Days go by faster than the speed of light, and now I've been doing the executive assistant job for almost two weeks. Did Max mention the temporary position was only for a week? A week my ass.

Mr. Knight interviewed five candidates who had been through Human Resource screening, but none of them gets hired. Only heaven knows the reason. He simply doesn't want to pull down the bar a little bit and give the best candidate a shot. Maybe he forgets that there is a support system called training where employees can upgrade their skills. Also, I still don't get why he doesn't want to have a female assistant. It would have made the Human Resources job ten times easier to find Alex's replacement.

The waiting makes me anxious because I don't know how much longer I can keep up with this temporary task. This isn't the job for me. I should have been on the fourth floor by now.

"You know, I'm surprised that Mr. Knight chose a female temporary assistant," chirps Tanya who is now having breakfast with me in the pantry. We rarely do this because of the workload that sometimes leaves us no choice but to eat at our table.

I raise my eyebrow while scooping my almost-empty blueberry yogurt with a spoon. "How so? Is he a gynophobia?"

"What phobia?"

"Fear of women."

"Oh!" Tanya laughs at my reply. "No! hell, no."

I chug down the rest of my yogurt by tipping the cup over my mouth. "Then why doesn't he want to have a female assistant?"

"Um, not sure." Tanya bites her lower lip while her eyes twinkle; the look a girl has when she's so close to spilling juicy gossip.

"Too bad. I've been so curious about it." I purse my lips while counting inwardly.

One... two... three.

"Rumor has it that he got involved with a female secretary who happened to be an assistant of the previous CEO, Mr. D. Knight. Things got messy because apparently, this girl was also seeing her CEO secretly. At. The. Same. Time! Then the war began. There was even an office fight between the two because of the girl. But," Tanya shrugs, contrasting her enthusiasm in cooking up the story, "we never know what actually happened. No one really witnessed the fight."

"Wait, Mr. D. Knight is Mr. Ashton Knight's father?"

"No." Tanya shakes her head. "He is the big brother, Dickson Knight. As you see, Knight Corporation used to be a family business until it went public seven years ago. So, when this company joined the Remington group, Mr. D. Knight was the CEO, replacing their sick father. But it didn't go well. He wasn't capable of leading a company with a different level of demands and pressure. One day he messed up, big time, and he was forced to step down."

"Oh."

"But we're glad that he stepped down. He isn't a nice man. True to his name, Dickson, he's a dick."

This is getting juicy. I glance at the clock above the pantry door, indicating that I still have ten minutes more for office gossip. Turning around in my seat, I face her again. "What happened to the girl by the way?"

"Honestly, I don't know. I've never met her because it happened a few years back before I joined this company. I only heard she resigned after the big catastrophe in the office, but Mr. Ashton Knight was still seeing her for a while. Seems like he was so head over heels for her. After a while, the girl was out of the radar, no one knew where she was or what happened to her. Especially after Mr. Knight took over the CEO seat, no one dares to make a speculation about him and the secretary."

"I see." I glance at the camera on the corner of the ceiling. "Is that camera on by the way? Can it record what we're saying now?"

Tanya follows my eyes. "Nah. It can only see us. No sound recorded. Besides, no one checks our activity in the pantry unless the person has some weird kink."

"Tell me about it," I mumble, glancing at the camera surveillance once more time. "So, the current CEO position, is it being handed over to Mr. Ashton Knight?"

Tanya wrinkles her nose. "I don't believe so. Mr. Ashton Knight got this position last year from the boards' and shareholders' votes. I believe they saw his qualities. I mean, look at him, he's smart, strong-driven, good business instinct and he's reflecting the ruthlessness of his late father. Also, he knows about the Knight company from A to Z, more than anyone else here, except Mr. Tan."

"Oh, okay."

"Hang on there, girl. Mr. Knight can be very demanding and insufferable sometimes, but he's a good man."

"True, he's insufferable. You know what, I think both their names are cursed," I look around to make sure that there is no one else in the pantry before leaning forward, continuing with a low tone, "If Mr. D. Knight is a dick, then Mr. A. Knight must be an ass."

Tanya, who is drinking from her bottle, almost spurs the water out of her mouth. She then throws her head backward, cackling. "That's a rhyme! He's such an ass sometimes. But if you know him closely, he can be nice."

"Well, I haven't seen the sweet part of him. Yet." I put my dirty cutlery back in my breakfast box. "And I'm not gonna wait around to witness it. Because I'm going back to the fourth floor soon."

Tanya mimics my gesture, gathering her stuff and bringing them to the sink. "Have they found a replacement?"

"Not yet. But today, several candidates are set for an interview. I have a good feeling about this."

Well, to be truthful, I don't. But a girl can hope, can't she?

After pondering for days, I finally texted Ethan and we agreed to meet for lunch, which is today. He looked genuinely happy when we bumped into each other a couple of weeks ago. Maybe, just maybe, it's time for us to put all the uni drama behind us. We are now adults and should be able to act civilly toward each other. And in all honesty, I'm curious how he ended up in this city.

Suits 'N Beans is packed as always but luckily I can secure a spot for us. Ethan suggested we have a proper lunch at the well-known Mexican restaurant around the corner, but I refused the idea. I haven't seen him for more than eight years and I'm not sure if I want to meet him in an exclusive place like that. A coffee shop feels more casual, lighter, and easy to escape if things go awkward.

Luckily, it doesn't.

The conversation flows easily like two good friends reuniting after being separated by fate. Only, we weren't just good friends and what separated us wasn't fate. Or maybe it was; I'm still indecisive about this part. We keep the topic rolling around work, our new social circles, or sometimes updates about our mutual friends from university.

Even after almost a decade, Ethan is still the same guy I knew back then, except for the lighter skin that performs a line around his left ring finger.

"So, are you uh, married?"

Ethan glances at his own hand that has been resting on the table. "Yeah." He reflexively withdraws his hand as if he wants to hide it from my sight.

I never expected he would stay single after he left. But learning that he is now married while I'm still single, with no prospective boyfriend, gives me quite a punch in the face. I heard people tend to compete with their exes' life progress, and now I know that it's true.

"Oh, wow. Congratulations! I didn't know, I mean, you're not on Facebook or Instagram anymore, so, I didn't get the happy news at all."

"I know," Ethan mumbles and smiles. The smile that gave me strength every time I went through my rough patch. "I don't think those activities on social media benefit my future. Or maybe I just don't have time for that."

"I would imagine so." I take a sip of my tiramisu-flavored latte while my eyes still linger on his hand. "Where is your wedding band then?" I know I sound like a curious cat but I just can't help it.

"It's uh...I left it home," he answers with a dismissal tone, a sign that he doesn't want to talk about it.

I nod, deciding to drop it; it's not my business anyway. But I'm curious, capital C curious. Detaching my eyes from his finger, I stir my nearly-empty drink.

"What about you? Have you met someone special?"

I purse my lips. "A few yes, but none of them worked. You know how I am with relationships." I laugh, trying to break the small tension between us.

"Why don't I believe you?" He chuckles. "You were great, Char, and still are. And I don't think time will ever change that. I'm sure whoever the guy is, he needs to work so hard to deserve you."

Then why did you leave? Why didn't you want to be the guy who deserved me?

"Thanks," I mumble. "So, d'you have kids?"

Ethan shakes his head while tapping his fingers on his coffee cup. "Nope."

"Career first then family, huh? Still the ambitious Ethan I knew," I retort, earning a smile from him. Not a heartwarming smile, but it's more of a 'no comment' smile.

Ethan was always a private guy. It was one of the reasons why we often had arguments when we were still together; we had different ideas about how much we could share with others. It seems like he hasn't changed by keeping his life hidden. On the other hand, what happened eight years ago has gradually changed me and forced me to be more careful in sharing information with others. People say sometimes we just need a hard smack in the face to learn, and that's how I learn things in life. Well, I have to. For Chloe.

Right. Chloe. Ethan must have been under the impression I gave up my baby seven years ago. At least, that's what he learned before he disappeared from my life.

There is a brief silence between us before I drop the bomb.

"I kept the baby."

I have no idea why I told him that but it's too late to take it back. Ethan freezes. It takes him several seconds to finally move again.

"I thought you would give it up for adoption."

I shake my head. "I couldn't do it. I fell in love with my baby."

Ethan rubs his face before running his fingers through his hair. "I'm uh...you...damn, you have me speechless now, Char."

"I know. It doesn't sound like me, huh? I never wanted kids." A surge of warmth fills my heart when my mind jumps to Chloe. "Now, here I am. I can't imagine how my life would be without her."

Ethan's lips curl up into a smile. A genuine smile. "And a daughter! She must look a lot like you; mini Charlotte. How adorable."

Chloe's pellucid green eyes and her wavy chestnut hair flashes in my mind. "You would be surprised."

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