Luna

With the new week just beginning, I stepped into the office bright and early on Monday morning. It was a strange feeling to go unnoticed as I made my way inside the building. In a rather peculiar manner, the security guard even went as far as giving me a strange look before stopping me.

"Are you new here, miss? Let me see your I.D."

After witnessing the incident, one of my bodyguards swiftly appeared behind me.

"Is there any problem, guard?"

"Um..." The guard's forehead furrowed with a puzzled expression as he closely examined me, but then his eyes widened in sheer surprise. "Oh! My sincere apologies, Miss Stavrakos, for my mistake. You look different today. That's why I didn't recognize you."

"Don't worry about it, Mr. Rodriguez." I smiled at him, then proceeded to the elevator.

I couldn't blame him, really. I looked different. I switched things up and showed my true self. I wore my type of clothes, conservative and professional. Just my real shoulder-length hair, no blond dye or extensions. No false eyelashes and heavy makeup, only my bare face with cheek tint and lip gloss. The colorful trendy clothes and flashy jewelry were gone, just a plain black blouse and slacks combo and black heels.

I got out of the elevator and made my way to my office. I could sense a shift in the atmosphere. My employees were bustling around, but they didn't seem to notice my presence. This was unusual, as they usually greeted me with a smile or a quick hello.

"Good morning, everyone." I greeted them.

They all stopped and faced me. It was clear in their expressions that they didn't recognize me right away. I heard someone said, "Who is she? A new employee?"

But Sally, my PA, recognized me first.

"Miss Luna? Is that you?"

"Of course, Sally." I answered.

The second they realized who I was, their faces turned bright red. They were so embarrassed at not recognizing their boss, who's always been the epitome of style and fashion.

"Wow, you look even more beautiful with your natural hair, Miss Luna."

"Thanks, Sally." I answered.

As we walked towards my office, I overheard some of them whispered and gasped.

"She's stunning with dark hair."

"No doubt, that's her actual hair color."

"Thank God she finally got rid of those colorful clothes. It was an eyesore."

"She's rocking her new clothes. She looks way more confident without the Barbie outfit."

I agreed with their comments. Now, I felt like myself again. I even said bye to my glam team since I no longer needed them to do my hair, makeup, and dress me up in colorful clothes. I can do it on my own, like I did two years back.

As soon as I stepped into my office, there was that cup of coffee that tasted like powdered charcoal just sitting there on my table.

So, he's back.

I immediately remember the problem I had to deal with.

I let out a big sigh, trying to stay chill. I was still shocked and upset, but I had to face it head-on.

I decided to play along with Barry, pretending that I was oblivious to everything. I couldn't risk jeopardizing all the hard work I had put into building my success, especially the substantial investment I had made in the company.

"You know what to do with the coffee." I said to Sally.

"Sure. My plant is getting healthier with this coffee." Her smile widened as she took the coffee and turned to go.

But unfortunately, she collided with Barry as she reached the door.

Barry's eyes widened in fury as he saw the dark brown stain of spilled coffee on his once super white shirt.

"Fucking shit!" He was looking at Sally like he wanted to kill her.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Cox. I didn't see you coming." Sally was super sorry and grabbed a tissue from my table.

"What the fuck did you do? You didn't watch where you were going! You totally wrecked my expensive shirt!"

"My bad, sir." She handed him the tissue paper, and he snatched it from her. "I'll buy you a new one, sir."

"HA!" He chuckled nastily. "Do you know the price of this? You won't be able to afford this, not even if you save up your entire year's salary! You're fired! Get out of here, now! I don't want to see your face ever again." He burst and pointed at the door.

Oh my gosh. He's super rude! How did I end up falling in love with someone like this? He's not even human, he's evil!

He fooled me with his clever deception. He had a way with words, always charming, polite, and the epitome of a gentleman. With each step closer to the altar, his confidence grows, allowing his true colors to come to light.

I walked towards them, feeling the adrenaline coursing through my veins as I prepared to intervene. I looked at Sally, her eyes widened in shock at the unexpected turn of events.

"Calm down. Sally didn't mean it. No need to fire her. She's been by my side since the beginning of the company."

"Ha! Look at what she did!" His stained shirt completely horrified him.

"It's not a big deal, it's just a shirt. Why are you freaking out? You didn't seem bothered when Venus spilled the same coffee on you. Instead of getting all angry, you gave her a job."

His forehead furrowed.

"That was different." He said and noticed my displeasure. He also seemed to realize his unpleasant behaviour.

"You can go, now. Sally." I said, then turned to Barry. "That's a sign that you should stop buying me those kinds of coffee."

He got what he deserved. I kept telling him I didn't like the coffee, but he just wouldn't listen.

"Are you seriously putting the blame on me?"

"You were at fault as well. You didn't bother to look. Stop making such a big deal. We've got more problems on our plate." I couldn't help but show my actual feelings and scold him like he was a little kid.

"Don't worry, I won't bother you with the coffee." He sulked. "It sucks. I couldn't wait to see you. I'm missing you like crazy, and this happens."

Couldn't wait, huh? He didn't even call or text me since Friday.

Barry came up to me, gave me a kiss, trying to get my lips, but I dodged and he ended up kissing my cheek. He didn't seem to notice that I avoided his touch. He was oblivious to everything except his own needs.

Surprisingly, even when I dyed my hair to my natural color and wore simple neutral colored clothes, he didn't notice.

"Oh, hey, I've got something for you from Malaysia. Trust me, you're gonna love it."

"What is it?"

He pulled out a long red box from his pocket and popped it open. It was a bracelet made of jade.

"Do you like it?"

"It's so pretty. Thanks." I answered.

"I'll put it on you." He grabbed my hand and placed it on my wrist. When he finished, he held my hand and kissed my knuckles. "Wow, it looks great on you."

"So, how was the mall opening?" I plopped down in my chair behind my desk and he sat across from me.

"Fantastic. I made the right choice by showing up at the event. Mr. Oishi gave me his word that he'd sell our stuff in his malls in Japan, the Philippines, and Indonesia."

"That's great."

I listened as he told me how busy he was meeting potential clients and brand partners to promote our product.

"I wasn't supposed to come today, you know. I'm exhausted from the business trip and working non-stop. But I've got a ton of stuff to do for the company."

"You must have been super busy in Malaysia. But seriously, how did you get so tan?"

At first, he looked surprised at my question, but then he burst out laughing.

"Come on, sweetie. Who wouldn't get a tan? Malaysia's weather is really hot. Even indoors, the sunlight still gets you."

His reasoning blew my mind. He thought I was too clueless to buy his story.

"Oh really? I spent an entire summer in Malaysia before, but didn't get a tan like yours."

"I have very sensitive skin, babe. I easily get burned." He chuckled, then diverted the topic. "Anyway, how's the wedding preparation?"

"Doing well. The wedding planners will have everything ready before the wedding."

"Makes me happy to know that. I'm so sorry, babe. I missed a lot of important things to do for the preparation. From now on, I'll be with you every step of the way."

"Aww, that's really sweet of you, Barry. But there's no need. They've got everything covered."

His face lit up, then he grabbed my hand and rubbed the engagement ring he gave me.

"I can't wait for our wedding," his voice filled with excitement and anticipation, "and to spend the rest of my life with you. You know you're my dream girl, my everything. Lately, my excitement has been keeping me awake at night."

Just as his head bent down to kiss my knuckles, a sudden knock on the door interrupted the moment.

It was Venus.

Barry and Venus both had a noticeable tan, making them look like they had spent a lot of time under the sun.

"Excuse me, Miss Stavrakos. Mr. Cox has a phone call." As she held a mobile phone, a slight smile played on her lips while she spoke.

Barry stood up abruptly, his footsteps echoing in the room, and swiftly snatched the phone from her hand.

I couldn't help but notice Venus' wrist, adorned with a jade bracelet that resembled the one Barry had given me earlier, now delicately dangling from my wrist.

Is that a coincidence or they're fooling me?

With a sigh, I unclasped the bracelet and stowed it away in the compartment of my desk's bottom drawer.

Later, I went to see Gwen, the HR Manager. As soon as I entered their department, I heard the sound of keyboards clicking and saw Colton's team collaborating with the staff.

"Good morning, Miss Stavrakos. What can I do for you?" Gwen greeted with a smile.

"I know that Barry advised you not to do a background check on Venus Packer. But we need to follow the company's protocol. I want you to gather information about her, particularly her educational and work background. I'd be happy if you can do it ASAP."

"Absolutely, madam," she replied, her tone conveying a willingness to assist. "I'll instruct our investigator to start right away."

"Good. Tomorrow morning, I expect receiving a tentative report."

The next morning, Gwen handed me the report. Its crisp pages rustling as I flipped through it. Venus completed high school, but she pursued no further education in college. Throughout her career, she never had the opportunity to work as a secretary. Instead, she worked as a server in bars, restaurants, and coffee shops. Her educational background and work experiences in her CV were all lies.

Darn it. I'm pretty sure Barry was aware of this.