Chapter 8 [6]

I took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and began to smell the scent of eucalyptus oil on the tissue, bit by bit. I did it intentionally because the rose scent in this room was so torturous. When I came back after lunch, my stomach was churning. I felt like vomiting, but I held it in. I chose to rub my nose with my damp fingers that had the eucalyptus oil.

I rubbed the back of my hands, my neck, and even my throat with the oil. Also, the tip of my pointed nose. Can I ask Krystal to change the scent? But I wouldn't dare say that to her.

"Anya, come here for a moment."

I flinched. My boss's face disappeared from behind the door of her office. I quickly put my high heels back on and headed to Krystal's room. I thought my boss had gone out for lunch and would take a while to return. Maybe she had a lot of work, so she chose to eat in her office. I didn't ask.

During lunch, I just told her that I would be leaving. I asked if she wanted me to buy her some food, but she just smiled. So, I assumed she didn't want to eat out and didn't have any lunch appointments with her clients. If there were any, I would be the first to know.

"Mrs. Krystal."

The beautiful woman looked up, smiled a little, and asked me to sit in the chair right in front of her desk. I complied.

"Look." Krystal shifted her laptop display towards me. I couldn't help but focus on everything there. The more I understood, the more I was amazed. Seriously?

"Seeing your reaction, I assume you agree with me, right?"

I chuckled, returning the laptop screen to its original position.

"So, you know how amazing this Lazade project is, right?"

Yes, Krystal was absolutely right. If we settled the pricing and the way of collaboration that would be established, I was sure this would be an extraordinary achievement for this semester. "What more do we need, Ma'am?"

"Good question."

Working with Krystal made me understand a bit about how she worked.

"Actually, we don't need much more. It's just that the finance department feels like they will incur losses if we close the deal later. Their calculations don't match with yours, right? You, on the other hand, just like to be spontaneous... let's get started. After all, when you break down, it's not a significant loss."

Krystal and her boldness.

"I agree with you, Ma'am. We have many competitors. We shouldn't let ourselves be overtaken continuously. If possible, we should create unique promotions as well. I saw that you have many meetings with E-commerce clients this month."

"Marketing is ready for this, Anya. They are enthusiastic, and well... we'll be working overtime to discuss many other collaborations. We can't apply a one-size-fits-all approach, right?"

I nodded, furrowing my brows slightly. If the team that will be the spearhead is ready, what's holding us back? Krystal is a decision-maker. So? But it seemed like my boss didn't want to say more. She chose to play with her pen.

"I'll excuse myself, Ma'am, if there's nothing else to discuss."

"Ah, okay. I just wanted to inform you about that. Don't forget about the one this morning."

I nodded in response. When I left the room, I quickly sniffed my palm, hoping that there was still a hint of eucalyptus oil there. I found someone's shoe right in front of Krystal's office. When I looked up, our eyes met. I didn't prepare for this; Cedric smiled at me.

"Mrs. Anya," he greeted.

I responded with a brief nod.

"Is Mrs. Krystal in?" he asked, and I knew it was just a pretext. I've known Cedric for a year now, and he only started working here recently. While working, I've seen that he's always polite and well-mannered. He rarely engages in prolonged eye contact. But this time, my gaze got lost there. Fortunately, my rationality returned quickly. I quickly ended our eye contact.

"She's in."

I confidently walked to my desk. I didn't care if Cedric seemed strange to me earlier. I sat firmly in my chair and started working. Ignoring the sound of Cedric's footsteps entering Krystal's room. Only the sound of the automatic closing door remained.

I never knew, except when I suddenly felt like drinking water. On the small table where my snacks were placed, there were sandwiches again that I had eaten in the morning. I groaned, holding myself back. What did it mean? Did he want to approach me? Oh my God!!!

It seems like I need to talk to Cedric. I don't like the way he's treating me like this. After all, he's never done anything like this before. So why now? What's the meaning of it? What if, maybe, Naomi told Cedric about my situation? Oh God!

Dewangga: Anya, I'll wait for you. Don't tell me you forgot that we're going home together.

I forgot that Dewa invited me to go home together. My mind was busy with strange assumptions and suspicions that were only making me lose focus. I checked one financial report repeatedly, but it still didn't match. And I knew it was all because of Cedric!

I quickly replied to Dewa's message, letting him know that I'd be done in thirty minutes. I still sat at my desk, not moving at all even though I wanted to. I couldn't concentrate, and I didn't want to try to work on more than this. Instead of ending up with a mess, it's better to take a break for a while. I'll work overtime tomorrow. It's not a problem.

***

When I was getting ready to leave, saying goodbye to my boss who was still in her office, I felt dizzy and had to hold onto the edge of my desk to avoid collapsing. Coincidentally, Krystal came out of her room.

"Anya? Are you okay?"

I could sense the concern in her tone. I recalled the work I did in the afternoon, although I wasn't fully focused. I went back and forth between the second floor and the finance division to borrow some folders I needed. I didn't want to ask for more help, especially to carry a few folders. Usually, other staff members often asked Cedric to help them. But I didn't want to.

I chose to do it myself, especially considering the two sandwiches he gave me today. If I asked him for help, I was sure he'd pay even more attention to me. Right?

I wanted to answer that I was okay to Krystal, but darkness greeted me instead.

***

When I first started working at Blaxton Express, I fainted. The doctor said it was due to exhaustion, but I didn't think about that at the time. I had just moved to an apartment and worked overtime for two consecutive days. Well, the doctor was right. I was exhausted. I exerted too much energy without considering that my body also needed rest. I was hospitalized for two days and went back to work on the fourth day. My boss, Mr. Soleh, scolded me at that time.

Before becoming Krystal Blaxton's secretary, I was an administrative staff in the Finance department. I inputted a lot of data and handled incoming payments. Until now, Mr. Sonu still held an important position in the office. I had met him several times, and he always praised my performance.

Perhaps that was the basis for Krystal to ask me to help check the financial reports because my initial work was under Mr. Sonu. I also didn't understand why Krystal conducted a selection process and Mr. Sonu recommended my name.

Speaking of fainting, this time I found myself in a hospital bed. The sudden headache after I opened my eyes was quite intense. It made me weakly massage my forehead. My hands had difficulty moving. When I glanced, the IV tube was attached perfectly. Oh my God! And my mind went back to Krystal.

Yes, Krystal, who shouted when darkness first received light from my eyes.

"Anya, are you awake?"

Dona's voice sounded somewhat trembling. I thought she was crying, but I would confirm it myself later. I adjusted to the lighting and tried to make peace with the lingering headache.

"I fainted?"

"You did..." Dona with her exaggerated tone. "Can't you make my heartbeat normal?"

I chuckled softly. "How long was I unconscious?"

"Anya?"

I never expected Krystal to still be here. When we faced each other, she sighed. Maybe she was relieved or to avoid feeling guilty; I didn't understand either way.

"If you're sick, it's better to ask for leave than fainting like this, Anya," she said bluntly.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am." I shifted a bit, supported by Dona so I wouldn't collapse. I immediately felt guilty when Krystal's gaze didn't shift elsewhere but focused solely on me.

"Get enough rest. And you, Doni, call the doctor to check on Anya again."

Dona nodded immediately and left. Leaving me alone with Krystal. I didn't know why the atmosphere suddenly felt more tense than when I faced Krystal for making a mistake or when she was angry because I hadn't reviewed the reports she received.

"We need to talk, Anya."

Sometimes, I wondered about the romance novels' descriptions of lightning striking in the middle of the day. This time, I felt it. It shook me so much. My mind immediately flew everywhere, recalling everything that had happened and that I had done, all related to my boss. I still loved my job, and I didn't want to be handed a termination letter.

But what? What did Krystal want to talk to me about? My heart suddenly felt uneasy. The beautiful woman gently patted my shoulder and then walked away after excusing herself. Leaving me stunned with her actions.

Before my surprise could subside, the door opened. I thought it was the doctor or Dona coming to check on me.

"Mrs. Anya."

I closed my eyes. Why did Cedric have to be there?

"Is everything okay, Anya?"

Even his formal address immediately changed. Oh God! I really needed to give him a serious warning. And what I hadn't calculated was that he sat comfortably at the edge of the bed, taking my hand and holding it.

"What the hell, you! So rude!" I pulled my hand away, glaring sharply at him without any restraint. Oh Lord! He was so shameless! No sense of shame at all! His presence only made my headache worse.

"You scared me, Anya."

Seriously, I wanted to scold Cedric. But before I could even open my mouth, the doctor and Dona entered the room. Cedric slightly moved away as soon as he saw the doctor and her assistant approaching. They asked me a few questions, and I answered as best as I could.

"Fortunately, the baby is fine, Ma'am. You've been working too hard. Until you're declared fit, you can't leave yet. Don't ask to leave early," the doctor smiled, perhaps reading my facial expression that wanted to object.

I was sure my face had lost all its color. My lips didn't know what to say or how to respond when the doctor said that. Then her assistant just reminded me to take the prescribed medication regularly.

"Anya," Dona called softly because I didn't say anything. Even after the doctor and her assistant left the room, I still remained silent.

"Anya," Dona called again.

"Does Krystal know I'm pregnant?" I turned to Dona, who seemed flustered by my previous question. I pressed Dona again. "Don."

She winced softly. "Yes."

"SHIT!"

"Mrs. Anya."

I forgot that Cedric was there.

"Can we talk? Just the two of us?" he said, glancing at Dona. "I'm sorry, Doni."

Dona quickly said, "It's okay. If Anya scratches your face, you'll deal with the consequences." Then she left while laughing, as if what she said was a joke.

Damn Doni!

Again, he took my hand and held it. "I'm sorry, Anya."

No matter how he apologized, I couldn't accept it. I had a share in it, but I clearly wouldn't admit it to him. I chose to pull my hand away and act defensively towards Cedric.

"I should have known earlier and asked Mrs. Krystal more often. I never forgot what happened that night, and I feel responsible."

"What's the use of saying that?" I said dismissively.

"You pregnant my child, right?"

"Confident as always, Cedric."

He fell silent. His eyes looked at me with disbelief. I rolled my eyes. Then I heard the man, still wearing his uniform even though he had a sweater over it, sigh deeply.

"Okay then. Mrs. Anya, please get some rest. I'll take my leave."

I heard the sound of a chair being moved, and my headache and nausea seemed to worsen with his departure.