Chapter 9 Nine

• THE NEXT DAY, I woke up early again, unsure if I slept well; I still feel heavy, maybe because of what happened yesterday.
• I didn’t call to check on them again; I just want to focus on work for now; they’ll manage there. I’ll call when I send something; I already know what’s happening with them.
• It’s exactly five o’clock. When I got up, I immediately cooked bacon and eggs, made crab soup, and toasted leftover rice. I also heated water for coffee. Right at six, I heard the door of the workout room open, and shortly after, Sir Kalix entered the kitchen. He seemed to have showered; I could still smell it.
• “Good morning, Boss, have you eaten?” I said softly, placing the coffee in front of him where he would sit. He sat down without saying anything, just like the previous days.
• While he was eating, I cleaned the kitchen and washed the dishes. It was quiet, only the sound of me washing and the clinking of his fork on the plate. After a while, I heard his chair move, an indication that he had finished eating and was standing up.
• “Are you okay?” I heard him ask, so I stopped and looked at him. “You don’t look okay.”
• “I’m okay, sir,” I replied, nodding at him. He looked at me for a moment before finally leaving the kitchen. I tidied up the table; my headache was really bad, to be honest. I didn’t feel like doing anything, but since I started this job as a helper, I couldn’t use being sick as an excuse.
• I spent three hours cleaning the library, arranging the books, and removing cobwebs. It seemed like it had been a long time since someone had entered and used it.
• I looked at the wall clock and saw that it was already ten in the morning. I had been noticing since earlier that it seemed like I had forgotten something today. I took out the mini notebook from my pocket, where I wrote notes.
• Busy day, no time to eat.
• Oh! Today is Sir Kalix’s meeting with his investors, and it’s also the day when I don’t have much to do because he won’t be eating when he gets home.
• Wait, no time to eat. I stood up and dusted off my apron, which was full of dust from cleaning. Maybe I’ll just bring it to him; I don’t know if I’ll be able to eat, but let it be, at least he’ll have something. It’s a shame if he can’t eat.
• I took the bento box from the cabinet; I saw it while cleaning during my first week here. I microwaved adobo, peeled and sliced a salted egg, and added tomatoes. I didn’t know if he ate this, so he can take it home if he doesn’t.
• I just had water because I didn’t know where the medicine kit was. I washed up and changed into longer clothes, pants, and a simple t-shirt because I didn’t have any other clothes.
• I went downstairs immediately, greeted the guards, and even the receptionists. I didn’t understand why they seemed mad at me, but I just ignored them. I took a jeep; it wasn’t yet late morning, so there wasn’t much traffic, but it was really hot.
• When I got off, I stopped at the lobby. “Good morning, how may I help you?” the receptionist greeted me, smiling. Their uniform was nice, like a flight attendant’s, and it made them look really white because the color was maroon.
• “Ah, is Sir Kalix here?” I didn’t know what his position was, a manager, team leader, supervisor, ah, I don’t know.
• “Excuse—” I didn’t hear what she was about to say because I heard someone call my name, so I turned around.
• A tall figure of a man who looked familiar—“Sir Max, it’s you,” I smiled and nodded.
• “Ms. Feliciano, what are you doing here?” he greeted me, his voice deep and somewhat strict, as he approached.
• “Ah, well, I brought this,” I raised the paper bag I was holding, “Sir Kalix said he’s busy, so I brought food. Can you please give it to him?”
• He looked at me, then at the paper bag, “Give it to him yourself. I’ll lead the way.” I didn’t say anything and just followed him. I was getting goosebumps from the cold in this building; maybe it’s because I’m not feeling well, “Are you okay, Ms. Feliciano? You look pale.”
• “I’m okay, sir,” I just nodded. We walked quietly, even when we got into the elevator. Even when we got out, all I could hear was the sound of Sir Max’s shoes’ heels; I didn’t have anything to say anyway.
• “This is his office,” he said and opened the glass door, “Just go straight through that door; he’s in a meeting right now and will end it any minute. You can wait there.”
• “Uh, can I—” he was looking at me, his eyebrows slightly raised, “Ah, never mind, I said you’re busy. Okay, I’ll just wait here.”
• I didn’t let him respond and just went in quickly. Boss’s office was a large room. He had a receiving area on the right, two rows of bookshelves on the left, and above them were awards. There were also aesthetic photos hanging on his wall, and many indoor plants around. It was very bright because of the glass wall.
• I put down the paper bag I was holding and went to the window. From here, I could see the city so clearly. It’s really beautiful from up here. I moved away for a moment when I suddenly felt a tickle in my throat, causing me to cough. My headache was getting worse.
• I sat on one of the sofas in Boss’s receiving area. I was about to close my eyes when I heard Boss’s voice, so I looked at his glass wall. I saw him entering, accompanied by four men in suits. He was just taller; that’s why he stood out more.
• “This report is nothing but trash. I’ve given you enough time to settle this. You are all disappointments, my god,” he said, opening the door and walking straight while reading the folder in his hand, not noticing me.
• But his colleagues noticed me; they stopped and looked at me with furrowed brows. I was about to speak when Boss looked up, and our eyes met, surprise evident in his expression.
• “Samantha? Why are you here?” he furrowed his brows, looking at me.
• “Ah, well, I—” I was about to say something when someone interrupted me.
• “We better get going, sir. We will fix this mess and update you,” one of them said, smiling and nodding slightly at me. They seemed familiar to me, but I couldn’t remember where I had seen them before.
• “Make sure not to fail me again. Go,” Boss said, and his people quickly left, leaving just the two of us. “What brought you here?” he loosened his necktie a bit; that’s probably what he does when he’s stressed. I just noticed.
• “Uh, well, sir, I brought lunch in case you couldn’t buy food outside. I have it here,” I stood up, but suddenly, something snapped in my senses. My vision blurred, and I lost control of my body. I collapsed and closed my eyes.
• “Samantha!”