Chapter 52
Bella
My job as Mr. Lardizabal’s secretary is exhausting and completely drains my energy. I’m the only one handling everything in his office, handling tasks that Mr. Aries can no longer manage. It’s fine because the pay is really good, but I’ve spent two weeks consistently working overtime in my month working for him.
I’ve been losing time with my son, who needs my attention as well, and I’m so thankful that Aunt Amor and the others love him so much. I’ve also been going to bed late and waking up early because of unexpected dreams that leave my mind in chaos. Who is that “my wife,” the voice of a man in my dreams referring to? As time passes, the man’s voice becomes more familiar. What’s even more frustrating is that sometimes the voice sounds so sensual, as if he’s moaning while saying “my wife.” I often feel a strange wetness between my legs that I can’t explain.
I shook my head, trying to push those thoughts away while working. The office tasks are crucial because my boss has considered another business venture. For someone already so wealthy, he still isn’t content with what he has.
I had just finished making Mr. Lardizabal’s coffee, which he always asks for at three in the afternoon, and was on my way to his office. As usual, I knocked before opening the door, but my eyes widened at the scene I walked in on, causing me to drop the cup of coffee I was carrying.
“Ouch!” I yelled, catching the attention of the two people who seemed to have lost all sense of reality.
“Are you stupid?” yelled Midori, a Japanese woman whom I secretly refer to as “the bow-legged woman” in my mind. She stood up from where she had been kneeling before my boss.
“I’m not! But I think you are!” I yelled back at her, my eyes wide. My foot was already hurting from the hot coffee, and now she was yelling at me on top of that.
“And you dare talk back to me?” she asked. “You should have knocked first.”
“I did! You’re the reckless one, not locking the door before giving my boss’s tender, juicy hotdog a blessing!” I shouted back at her. Gosh, I wasn’t going to let her yell at me just because they got caught in their lustful behavior.
“Maximus, fire her!” the bow-legged woman shouted again, now looking at my boss, who hadn’t taken his eyes off me while adjusting his clothes. He might be even more abnormal than my child because he didn’t even turn around.
“Get out,” he said. I glared at her and was about to turn away when he spoke again, making me look back at him. “Not you, Bella.”
“What do you mean, Maximus?” Of course, if it wasn’t me being asked to leave, it must be her, so I saw the irritation on her face.
“You’ve already seen it. You can’t make me feel aroused,” my boss said. What was that? Were they playing some game? “Make my dick hard” game? They’re unbelievable!
“Maximus!” the bow-legged woman yelled again.
“Get. Out.” Mr. Maximus said firmly, clarifying that the bow-legged woman had no choice but to leave.
And as I counted to ten, she stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind her. I shook my head because she even deliberately bumped into me as she passed by, giving me a sharp glare that, if looks could kill, would have knocked me down.
“Come here, Bella,” my boss’s sudden voice startled me after the bow-legged woman had slammed the door shut. I approached him and stood in front of his desk. “Sit down there,” he said, pointing to the receiving area of his office. Of course, I followed him because he’s my boss. Maybe we were going to discuss work.
I watched as he went into his restroom on the left. When he came out, he was carrying a first aid kit. He sat down next to me, which surprised me. “Give me your foot.”
I was speechless because I didn’t know what to do. I was wearing a skirt-how could I raise my foot? “Can you hear me, Bella?” he asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.
“I can do it myself, Sir,” I said, reaching for his first aid kit. But he avoided my hand.
“Give me your foot.” He looked into my eyes, which irritated me because I met his gaze and, almost unconsciously, lifted my foot.
“Ohh…” I couldn’t stop the sound from escaping my lips when he touched my foot, which widened my eyes as I looked at him. Oh no! Did I just moan?
“Oh… it stings, sir; you touched the part that hurts,” I quickly replied; I didn’t want him to think that I was thinking about different things as our skin touched. Shit! Honestly, it’s been so long since I last felt like a woman because of how my husband has been treating me. Yet now, I realize that the sensation his touch gave me was different compared to my husband’s. I know I shouldn’t compare them, but I couldn’t help it either.
My boss stared at me without saying a word, which made me a bit nervous. I thought he might fire me because of it, but his eyes spoke to me differently. “Here, do it yourself.” He placed the first aid kit in front of me before standing up and heading to his desk.
“Ah, sir, I can do it at my desk-”
“Do it here. I want to make sure you can come to work tomorrow.” That’s it? He’s just worried that I might not be able to come to work? “If you hadn’t been so harsh on your previous secretaries, many people would be taking care of you,” I said internally.
Of course, I said nothing else and started applying ointment to my burnt skin. It wasn’t that serious, and I think I can come to work tomorrow just as he wants. I was almost done when I heard my phone ring. I took it out of the pocket of my blazer.
“Hello, Aunt Amor,” I said as soon as I saw the caller. I suddenly became worried about my child.
“Bella, I’m sorry for calling. Chase kept calling for ‘Mom,’ so I thought he might want to hear your voice.”
“Okay, Aunt, please let me talk to him.”
“M-Mom,” I heard my child’s voice, which made me smile.
“Yes, anak ko?” I responded sweetly before hearing his soft laughter. He loves hearing the words “anak ko,” which I’ve been calling him even when we were still in L. A. It’s also one of the reasons my husband gets so angry, as that phrase in Tagalog means “my son.”
“A-I l-l-love y-y-you,” I couldn’t help but tear up while smiling.
“I love you too, my son. Please behave while Mommy is not around, okay? Don’t give Granny a headache.”
“Y-y-yes,” It means a lot that he can speak even a little now. Compared to when we were with his dad, he wouldn’t say anything and would just cry all the time. That’s why I’m happy I escaped his father’s control.
I said goodbye to my child because I didn’t want my boss to get angry. After all, I was still in his office. Because of that thought, I suddenly looked at him and saw that he was also looking at me before he stood up, walked toward me, and sat down beside me again. “Say it again.”
“What, sir?”
“Say it again, the way you call your child.”
“Anak ko,” I didn’t know why, but I saw something in his eyes. What was that? Sadness? Why?
As far as I know, Sir Maximus is married. But his wife was no longer with him when he returned after more than six months of vacation. He became more irritable, and just last year, it worsened, with rumors spreading that his wife might have died.
I also found out that his ex-girlfriend was the woman with bow legs, but he married his wife instead because she took care of him after an accident and was left by that bow-legged woman.
“What do you call your spouse? “Asawa ko?” meaning, “my husband.” I couldn’t answer and just stared at him because of the way he said that. Why does he sound like the man I hear in my dreams? “Bella,”
“Asawa ko,” I absentmindedly said before I felt Sir Maximus’ hand on my cheek, making me close my eyes. Why do I feel this way? Why does it feel like I missed his touch even though we’ve just met? Why am I feeling like this?Material © NôvelDrama.Org.
This wasn’t right, so I quickly opened my eyes, intending to move away, but it was too late because I suddenly felt his lips claiming mine.