Lady of Fire

III : A GARDEN OF GARDENIA

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In a presidential suit he bought for himself, he sat inside his office.

Sitting there, leaning at the backrest of his black swivel chair. Eyes are glued on the white ceiling, his right hand is connected with his chin, tapping it with his forefinger from time to time while the other rests at the armrest of his seat. His legs are crossed and his mind flies over his head.

Four years after leaving the life he lived for almost his whole existence, Hue had a little hard time standing up on his own feet. Yet he managed to fight against it.

With nothing at all, he started by completing the way he looked when he was still young. Natural white blonde wavy hair, removed the contact lenses and left it with his natural deep brown eyes and embraces the name his mother gave him. Kai Palma.

From all those years, he became more masculine and mature. Just as tall as enough, skin that can compare with the color of a fresh milk, lips that are naturally rubicund and soft. Veins shows up on his arms that are always hidden underneath his suits.

His third year of striving to build his company, his name Kai Palma, made noises all over the world of business. Magazines, newspapers and even the press awaits to the moment of opening up his mysterious life. Many of them admires to fish deep information about him which was never given and left blank.

Ever since he left his grandfather's chateau, he lost contact with him and the family. The last time he watched the news, the chateau were busted from illegal farming of m*******a and cocaine hidden in the farm of strawberries and mangoes. But none of the family were held behind bars, they were invisible. They have probably flew away from town and goes off to other safe house.

It's making him feel a bit sad, even how evil and a criminal the old Nabil is, he's still his grandfather. What's even more dejected is that he can't visit his mother's tomb anymore.

The house and the whole lot of land is still under in police inspection, there's no way he will go there and involve himself back in the world that he already left behind. He's living in peace now, and finding a new start with something that'll complete him.

But right at this moment, it's not something that'll complete him... it must be someone.

A soft scoff sounded across his breath, recalling the face of his laconic and stoic new secretary.

It amazes him how he just found someone who can compete with his attitude. She must have a story why she's like that, even so, she also must be avoiding spilling it.

Shia Rivers gives off the mood of being an antisocial person. Uncanny, but that only raises Kai's curiosity about her. And meeting her for the first time is just the start.

"Let's see if I could climb up your walls, Rivers." He mumbled to himself while picturing her face in his mind.

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Clad in his well-pressed dark gray suit, he entered his own building with his normal straight face. Receiving bows, greets and respect from his employees, he returns it with a nod of his head. It's the usual work day for him.

What's not usual is that he's too early than his prosaic time of arrival in his building.

"Good morning, Mr. Palma. So early today." His COO Mr. Baker greeted him when they met at the lift. "Got inspired? Mrs. Brown introduced me your new secretary yesterday, I think she'll last longer than your past assistants." The fourty year old COO let out a soft chuckle.

Being close to his COO, Kai chuckled quietly. Harkening back to the past secretaries he had, Shia Rivers is quite obviously different from the others. She's displaying her masculine side than being chic and seductive. And that will be the challenge for him.

The elevator dings, opening for the COO's floor. "See you later for the grand meet with the investors, they said that they might raise their bids and sign the deal if we chose to increase the demands with the products." He reminded the younger CEO. "And do frequently smile, you look better with it." He added with a wide grin before marching out of the elevator.

Frowning, Kai wonders why Mr. Baker said that. And was answered when the elevator closed and saw his own face. His cheeks are high and there's this little simper on his lips that he haven't seen for a long time.

Withdrawing that little smirk, he clears his throat and waits for his floor. Lifting his right hand to wipe the side of his lips, he leaned back to the side of the lift and silently questioned himself the whole time he's lecturing his mind to stop this changes happening to him.

Believing that he will never deserve a normal life, he's got to stop what it is that's changing him. Think that maybe it's a little too late for him to do that, Shia Rivers has been drawn close to his eye and there's no turning back from it. All that he has to do now is to face it, face her.

When he arrived his floor, he instantly goes off and his eyes found a view that's a lot more beautiful than watching the sun setting in between the sea and the sky.

Shia Rivers with her hair framing her stolid face, wearing her square glasses and that noticeable white suit. She's facing the monitor while flipping the pen with her fingers.

"You're early." He uttered as soon as he reaches the front of her desk.

Her eyes shifted from the screen to his eyes when she heard his voice. Straightaway, she stood up and greeted him with her impassive voice. "Good Morning, Sir."

"It's Mr. Palma and good morning too." He corrected her and brushes the strands of hairs that pokes his eyes. "Could you-- could you make me that same coffee you gave me yesterday?" He pulled his phone from his pocket so he could avoid eye contact with her. "I find it likely."

"Sure, Mr. Palma." She replied and stood up. "I have placed your schedule for today above your desk. Your first meeting is with the TBT Farming investors at nine am sharp. But for now, Engr. Kim brought his team's presentation for the meeting with the Hypen Plantation later after lunch. He said that you might want to review the copy first for a better comprehension. " She handed him a black flash drive while saying those. "I'll go get you your coffee, Mr. Palma." She excused herself and goes straight to the elevator and head to the pantry.

Amused and amazed, Kai toss the flash drive in the air and catches it. Glancing at the direction where she left before entering his office with a little smile that seems to be a tattoo temporarily marks whenever he thinks of her.

Inside his aesthetic office, he instantly found the schedule above his desk. Her handwriting made his eyebrows raise, it looks like it's a font from a computer. What a gifted hand she has, unlike him... his notes looks like it was shaken and messed by an earthquake.

Opening all the blinds of his windows before dragging his bottom on his throne, he starts to review the construction presentation. His eyes are looking at the screen of his laptop but his mind only sees the eyes of Shia Rivers.

"What the hell?" He rubs the bottom of his nose and shifts himself to his seat.

But as his mind continued to get bugged by Shia's image, he stood up and heads to the door. And when he opened it, Shia's already there standing with a cup of coffee in her hand and was about to knock on the door.

"Coffee, Mr. Palma." She handed him the cup and he accepts it with a careful hand.

"Thank you." He replied and clears his throat. Watching her goes back to her chair, he clicks his tongue and faces his new secretary. "Ms. Rivers, would you mind me asking some personal things about you? I needed it." He winced when he realized how nosy it came out.

"Depends on how personal it is, Mr. Palma." She let goes of the pad she just took and faces him wholly.

For a second there when their eyes met, her dark orbs looking at him behind her eyeglasses, it triggered him to remember someone who once owned a pair of those eyes. But instead of dead and cold like how Shia gives, it looked at him with fear. Eyes that saw before that young lady fell into the waters.

The coldness of the wind and the raindrops crawling on his skin. The chilling feels he got as his blood slowly drained off of his body. The moment she stood by the edge of the falls. That time when he saw her fell.

There's nothing that could make him forget that night. Even how much he tried to bury it deeply in his head, something will always make him remember it. And now that he has Shia Rivers around, it'll definitely make him recall what he left in the past way too frequently.

Leaning on the frame of the door, he also faces her. Trying real hard to keep his composure, and face what he's been avoiding for years. Those eyes that are as dark as the night sky. It haunts him, he admits.

"From your resume, there's nothing much written in there." He began, since he couldn't even remember some of the information in there aside from her whole name and age.

"I wrote what was needed, Mr. Palma." She told him that left his mouth hanging for the question was about to ask.

His eyes fell down on her lips, watching how it opens and closes when she speaks. Too little movements and with gritted teeth. That was also how that young lady once talked to him. Why is everything about Shia Rivers triggers the memory of that young lady he... killed?

"Yes, right." He nodded his head and pushes his weight to stand up straight. "I need you with me in every meetings I have to attend so I'll have something to recap with after." He said instead and she nodded her head to that. "Wherever I go, you're beside me." He added.

"Mrs. Brown have briefed me about it well, Mr. Palma." Shia spoke to him without faltering at all. "Is there anything else I can do to help you?" She asked.

Kai made a quick glance inside his office and saw the files that's needed to be distributed to the co-owners of the company and in need of their sign. But that would be too much work for her. Scoffing mentally, why is he thinking that way? She's his secretary and it is her job to do what he told her to do.

"Mr. Palma?" Got waken up by her voice, he took a deep sigh and licks his lower lip.

Clearing his throat, he opens the door wider and points the four folders above the table beside the desk. "Those files should be delivered to the co-owners of the company. All that they need to do is to sign it because I have read it already. You can give it to their secretaries." He answered and sips his coffee. "And I'm guessing that you already know their names, right?"

Standing up, Shia nodded her head at her boss before taking those folders with both of her slender arms and walks out of his office. "Of course, it's my job."

"That's great." He offered her a smile that was never returned. "Don't you ever smile, Ms. Rivers?" With that question, she paused for a second before looking over her shoulder.

"Soon, Mr. Palma. Very soon." She replied that made him furrow his eyebrows.

Although her answer is a bit questionable, he wanted to see how prettier she is when she smiles. Even how so mysterious she is, and that something in her makes him feel a little worried of his buried memory, the part of him where it says he wants to see a woman like Shia Rivers deserves a reason to smile about.

Watched her being hidden behind the doors of the lift for the second time this morning, he pivots to enter his office. Yet as he does, his eyes found a brown journal underneath the pad she's using to take note of his schedules.

The journal looks like it's years old but kept fine.

There's this urge that tells him to pick it up and snoop on her things. Glancing at the direction where she left, Kai approaches the table and gets a hold on the journal.

It's neat, just as expected from a sophisticated woman like Shia.

He wants to open it, but then his other side kicked his curiosity away. He must respect her privacy. This is invading someone's property, what he's doing is not what a professional person does.

Getting knocked out by his conscience, he placed the journal where it was and goes back inside his office. And that's the biggest mistake he ever made.