Chapter 2 Flash Drive

2. Flash Drive.

...that same day.

Pearla had packed her bags with her very few documents and chargers. The documents contains the list of things she'll get new ones for the company and the few she needed for herself.

One thing still left undone, she was downloading this trendy K - drama series everyone on her Facebook page was blabbering about, "Alchemy of Souls".

The network reception had been really bad today and she waited to finish the downloads.

The company had a wi-fi for everyone and besides, she fixes everything that uses touch screen in the company. It was only right to use the company's data subscription to her fullest.

Pearla was the last to leave the company even as she had promised to go on a 'Ladies night out with Isaac'.

She was lost in counting the kilobytes her system was using to download, that she didn't notice anyone walk into her small office, startling her in the process.

"H. Christ!" she yelled out.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." a guy apologized, with his expensively polished suit. She could tell he wasn't from their floor, it was definitely the executive floor at the top where employees don't get easy access to.

"I'm looking for the technical guy who fixes stuffs..." Jaden looked at Pearla, brows furrowed, awaiting a reply.

"Any problem?" she questioned, inwardly screaming it's not something of work related she had to do. She had already planned tonight for goodness sake.

"Only the tech-guy can fix the problem. Have you seen him around or is he gone?" Jaden asked, his ever cool face still facing Pearla.

"I am the tech-lady" she replied, wishing she had not, as this will only means she'll work for extra hours.

"Tech-lady? Are you a comedian or something?" Jaden gave his angry face that only made him more cute.

"No, seriously. I am the tech-lady." she repeated to have Jaden raise his brow in amusement. This time, she adjusted her glasses that fell on her nose.

"Okayyy-yy. There's been a little problem in the Executive Office, care to follow me?" Jaden opened the door widely for her to pass through.

When they both made it to the Executive Office at the top - top floor. Pearla was amazed by the decor. Huge portraits laid on wall as if the artist had designed it there itself.

She had never been called up to the top floor for any repair, as her qualifications only made the company put her in the rest of the floor, except the top.

Her legs were already feeling giddy, butterflies shuffling her stomach to the thoughts of seeing *him*.

By him, she meant Simon Montero himself, her crush which she will dream of before going to bed at night. Even when she wakes up, only him will give her comfort and motivation to go by the day.

She stepped into the large office Jaden (whom she doesn't know his name yet) opened the door for her to enter. One door after another revealed another larger and meek office.

It looked more like a maze, except this one was made of glasses and mirror thats stares your reflection back at you.

"Here is it" Jaden finally opened the last door.

"Ladies first" he grinned.

As soon as she stepped inside, he pointed to the laptop on the table and closed the door, leaving her all alone with the laptop.

Pearla walked to examine it's condition, minding the papers on the floor. She tiptoed like a wet fowl, jumping from one end to another.

She would have picked them all up if she was a cleaner, but she wasn't. To top it, she had the 'Ladies night out with Isaac'' to attend to, still at the back of her mind.

Jaden walked back in as if he had forgotten something.

She took the laptop in her hand and said "Oh, this is just some minor issue. I'll just have to fix the screen tomorrow, that's all" she concluded, putting the laptop back on the desk.

"No, not that. The flash drive...!" Jaden gave her a look she couldn't understand. The look of "Can-she-do-it?" or "Is-she-qualified" face.

"Yes, what about the flash drive?" her puzzled eyes staring back at Jaden. "It's broken, I can lend you mine if you want" she added her suggestion.

"No, I need you to fix it. The content in it are valuable and irretrievable." upon saying this, he walked towards the door and left again leaving Pearla all alone.

"Hunh?" Her funky face stared at the door, where he walked through.

"Now!" He yelled out as he pushed the other door out of the building, the echo of his voice reaching Pearla's ears.

She knew she was in a deeper shit than she thought. How is she going to fix an already broken flash drive that needs to be weld and tested, it will take years.

Her eyes moved up to the portrait of Simon on the wall and she walked towards it. Admiring his straight face, one of the pictures of the many she had.

Now she was angry that she was stuck in Simon's office with no Simon, on top of that, she had to work extra hours.

'what does this company really want?' she pointed her finger at the portrait, poking his nose, but careful enough not to scratch it. Anger evident on her face as she poked the eye again and again.

"...you're so hell bent on ruining my life. Why do you have to break your flash drive today, now of all the days that I wanted to meet you..."

"...Fuck you man..."

"Fuck You!"

She raised her middle finger up in the air. Her voice echoed in the room. She took a step back and turned to look at flash drive, to see if she can actually fix it earlier than expected, only to stumble into someone's broad chest.

She screamed from shock.

"Jesus H. Christ!"

"What the actual fuck!" she cursed out loud, her heart thudding in her chest.

"You startled me right -t-here-" her words cut short, her face pale and hand frozen as she looked at the familiar face she was pointing at on the wall.

"?" "Was she daydreaming or this is real?" she thought to herself.

"And who are you?" Simon's calm voice echoed in the room, the kind of calm that you know you're already in trouble.

His grey eyes staring back into hers, Pearla had some huge balls to stare back. She then lowered her gaze when she saw it to be disrespectful.

If it was any other day, she would have felt it to be romantic, not after he had just witnessed her poking his eyes in the portrait. She even fucked him, literally speaking though.

"I am the te- te-ch-lady" she croaked out, her head feeling dizzy as she was already thinking of how she would lose her job just for something like this.

"Tech-lady? I didn't ask for a la-dy" he also paused, stepping a foot back.

"Jaden" he whispered.

Pearla felt like pooping herself that instant. People do not really look like their picture, if they do, she won't find his grey eyes terrifying.

"Can you fix my flash drive?" He asked, his voice still calm as he had spoken earlier.

She wasn't sure if he saw her poking the portrait, only then he might have heard everything.

"Oh, ye- yes. Of course, the drive" Pearla mumbled, trying to remember why she was called in the first place.

"Great" he clapped his hands.

"N-no, no, no. That's not what I meant. It's already broken. Unless you backed up your files on icloud, it's not possible, Sir" she replied, hoping he would rethink about what to do.

"You will have to fix it, young lady".

"Not after you accused me of ruining your life or the Ladies night out with Isa-iah? or what did you call it?"

"Oh God! Fucking God! He heard everything from the start?" her eyes widened as if they wanted to fall out of her sockets.

"I didn't mean that, Sir" she tried to reason with him.

"Too late, you're going to fix it and I will have my files back. If I had saved them on icloud, I won't be asking for your help would I?" This question made Pearla sick, he took a couple of steps away from her to look at the drive again.

"This will take years for me to fi-fix, Sir" just then Simon suddenly rushed towards her, his grey eyes staring back at Pearla's nerdy glasses that hid her attractive green eyes.

"M-m-months" she stammered.

He took another daunting step forward,

"Okay, whi-w-weeks then" she took a step back to increase the space between them, but Simon was quick to close the gap.

"Days!" she blurted out without thinking.

"Good!" He concluded.

"Days are good enough, as long as it's fixable." Pearla nodded her head like a lizard before she stepped away from him.

Her phone buzzed in her jean pocket, only to see the ID as Janet. "Ladies night out with Isaac".

"Oh!" she squeaked a sad face. Simon walked out the room leaving Pearla with the flash drive to fix.

She had to text her that she won't be coming, again!

Right now, she won't even be able to watch the Alchemy of Souls she downloaded earlier.

"I'm cursed!" whispered out to herself, her eyes scanning the room, hoping he wasn't eavesdropping this time.

Pearla finally packed her bags and left the company, angry! sad! disappointed! soo so fired!