Chapter 2 One

"Sir," Mrs. Thompson called out to the man sitting on the large silver swivel chair, facing away from us and looking out at a large glass wall that offered a view of most of Baguio.

The Smith House building stood at the highest part of downtown, where famous attractions such as Burnham Park, the Rose Garden, City Hall, and the renowned church could be seen. The distant mountains were also visible.

I couldn't stay calm and was extremely nervous about our first encounter. I tried to find information about the CEO of Smith House on the internet, but the search results mostly showed John Smith, who belonged to the second generation of Smith House CEOs. Ms. Claire had mentioned to me that my boss would be from the third generation, and he disliked any public information about him being published.

The swivel chair slowly turned until I finally saw his face. My throat went dry, and I felt like my heart was about to burst out of my chest. If I hadn't been standing near one of the visitor chairs in front of his executive table, I might have collapsed from standing. My legs felt like jelly at this moment. Oh no.

My heartbeat raced, and it felt like my heart would jump out of my chest! Along with my soul leaving my body, I couldn't help but wonder if it was because of the dream I had about him earlier that I'm now wide awake and seeing him in front of me, yet he showed no emotion while looking at me.

Is he really the CEO of Smith House, my future boss?! To make sure of what I was seeing, I rubbed my eyes; maybe I was just blinded, but there he was, clear as day, right in front of me.

Could it be that I'm still dreaming? I discreetly pinched my side, wincing at my own action, and when I turned my gaze back to the man in the swivel chair, I caught him already looking at me!

So, does that mean I'm not dreaming? Suddenly, my stomach felt like it was in knots. I couldn't stay still in my spot. Do I want to leave? I don't know. I'm feeling a mix of emotions right now, and I can't focus on what's happening around me.

"Joanna, are you listening?" I snapped out of my deep thoughts when I heard Mrs. Thompson's sharp and irritated voice. In my panic, I nodded repeatedly, even though I didn't understand a single word she said.

I didn't even know if Mrs. Thompson had introduced me to him or not! Because he didn't react at all, he just maintained a poker face while staring directly at me. I ended up being scolded by Mrs. Thompson again. She was saying something to the man in front of me, but I couldn't understand it because I was still confused about what was happening.

"Joanna, what are you being dumb about?! I still have things to teach you outside!" Mrs. Thompson shouted at me. Did she already say we were leaving? My gaze kept shifting between Mrs. Thompson walking out and Justin, and then Mrs. Thompson called me again, so I finally walked out of his office.

Actually, today is Mrs. Thompson's last day. She extended her hours just for my first day of work. She wanted to make sure I knew what I was doing because Justin is too strict-no, I mean, my boss is.

I wiped away my invisible sweat on my forehead when it was already lunchtime, and Mrs. Thompson invited me to eat in the cafeteria. It was a good thing she informed Justin that we were having lunch. Ugh! If only I had known that Justin Smith-Montemayor is a relative of the owner of Smith House and, more importantly, the CEO of the company-in short, my boss!

If I could just back out, I would, but I've already signed a six-month contract with Smith House Corporation, and if I don't fulfill the contract, I'll have to pay the company for the lost months. Where would I get six million pesos to pay them, right?

So, I have no choice but to endure it and figure out how to get along with Justin starting now. Of course, first and foremost, I need to be civil in my dealings with him. I should get used to addressing him as Sir, or better yet, just 'boss.'

The day passed with just Mrs. Thompson and me together. She repeatedly instructed me on what to do first thing in the morning, during lunchtime, and even mentioned that it's part of my duties as Justin's secretary to buy him lunch.

Apparently, he doesn't usually leave for lunch, so Mrs. Thompson often volunteers to buy him food or have it delivered. In the afternoon, Mrs. Thompson would also bring him snacks and even dinner, which surprised me. I didn't want to ask why even dinner, so I just nodded in agreement, but curiosity got the better of me, so I ended up asking.

"Mr. Montemayor often works overtime, Joanna. He usually stays until 11 PM to 1 AM reading and signing documents. He doesn't want to delegate the task of reading papers to me. He's very hands-on with the business proposals from their clients to impress his father."

The truth is, I don't really know much about Justin, except for his full name that I forgot. Well, as they say, sometimes stupidity is real. Hay. How could I forget his full name? Well, why would I even bother remembering the name of the guy who left me hanging, right?

I have no idea about his parents, so I didn't feel any surprise when I noticed that he somewhat resembled Josh Smith. At that time, I thought there were many people who looked alike in the world, and it turns out they're relatives.

When it was past 5 PM, Mrs. Thompson allowed me to leave, but she told me to say goodbye to Boss before leaving. My hands immediately turned cold, and I couldn't stay still. I didn't know how to bid him farewell.

"Joanna, what are you doing there? Go inside and say goodbye to him," Mrs. Thompson scolded me. She seemed to have noticed that I was just standing in front of Justin's office door. I bit my lower lip and was about to respond when the door suddenly opened.

Mrs. Thompson stood up from her seat while looking at the man in front of me. I could smell his masculine cologne, and I had to tilt my head up to see his face.

"Sir--" Mrs. Thompson didn't get to finish her sentence when Justin spoke. I'll practice calling him Boss later. I'm still in a state of shock until now, and in my mind, I still refer to him as Justin. I involuntarily nodded as I thought about it.

"Are you going home?" He spoke in a cold and firm tone of English. Oh, maybe he was asking Mrs. Thompson since it's probably her five PM out as well. But minutes passed, and I didn't hear any response from Mrs. Thompson.

So, I turned to look at Justin, and I was puzzled when I saw him looking at me. Was he looking at me or at Justin? To make sure, I looked at Justin, and I was equally surprised to see him looking at me too.

My heartbeat quickened, my legs turned into jelly once again, and I couldn't stay still. The butterflies in my stomach joined in, which I've been feeling since I heard his voice again.

"Uh... Are you asking me?" I asked him in return. He raised an eyebrow and looked at me intently.

My bag was already hanging on my shoulder, indicating that I was ready to go home. I thought he would scold me for leaving earlier than him, considering he's my boss. But to my surprise, he grabbed my right hand without saying a word and pulled me out of the office.