Office Diaries - Chapter 69

This is it. I’m so not in love with him, Marian thought as she gritted her teeth.

Earlier when the Kang called her personally at the cafeteria, she had thought that the president had something very urgent for her to do. It turned out that the blasted man wanted to have his own lunch and had personally asked her to buy them for him.

What am I? A gopher?

She asked herself if she was some sort of a servant and then she paused as she realized the answer.

Yes.

She was a personal ȧssistant after all which roughly translated to a glorified nanny which just so happened to have good pay since she was working for the president.

Oh well, she sighed as she glanced at the sandwiches and cups of coffee which smelled splendid, by the way, making her empty stomach growl. She didn’t know why her boss asked for her to buy a lot but she didn’t think Liam intended on eating all of these on his own.

Does he have a visitor? She wondered.

Jay never mentioned it if the president had which was unusual. Since the day she told her junior about her troubled feelings, the young man had been supporting her in his own warped way. One of those was telling her about the president’s schedule. Before she contemplated further, however, her stomach gave another growl making her frown.

Shut up you, she told her tummy as she knocked on the president’s office’s door.

“Come in,” the boss called from within and she turned the doorknob and stepped inside, walked across the room, and placed the food on the side table.

“Here’s your lunch sir,” she added monotonously as she took the food out of the package and arranged it on a small tray and served it to her boss.

Liam Kang didn’t even look at her and she had a chance to study her superior’s face up close. The president was indeed very handsome with his almond-shaped eyes which have laugh lines at the end. She reckoned her boss laughed and smiled a lot. It just happened that he never laughed or smile in front of her.

Well, he did once when they were in France, but he never did smile after that.

“Thank you,” Liam said casually as he patted the space near his computer, and Marian placed the tray there.

“Is there anything else you need sir?” she asked lightly and Liam nodded as he shifted in his seat.

“Yes. You,” her boss answered as that pair of gorgeous almond eyes turned to her and she swore she must have heard the president wrong.

“E-excuse me?”

With a sigh, Liam who remained unsmiling raised a brow. “Do I really have to repeat myself Ms. James?” he asked but didn’t wait for her answer.

The personal ȧssistant didn’t have any reply to that anyway. She was still sure she misheard her boss but she was wrong.

“I said I need you,” Liam repeated his words, and Marian’s heart suddenly did a flip-flop rendering her speechless if it weren’t for her boss’s next words. “— to help me out with the Charity Gala next week.”

Charity Gala. Oh. Right. Work.

Marian smiled, not showing her embarrassment upon realizing she hadn’t misheard at all but ȧssumed it’s otherwise. Of course, it’s work. Why else would she be needed by her boss? Stupid Marian James, she berated herself as she breathed in.

“How may I be of help sir?” she asked formally and the president looked a little thoughtful.

“I need a new suit for the occasion,” the young businessman answered as he flipped the front of his suit and she almost gulped seeing the fitted material on the handsome man’s ċhėst. “I realized this morning that I have gotten a little fatter so I need a new wardrobe,” the president continued and Marian wanted to protest there and then.

Liam Kang didn’t get fat. He’d just gotten more muscular that they bulged against his clothes. She wouldn’t really tell him that of course. It was very unprofessional.

“I’ll arrange for a fitting tomorrow sir,” Marian answered, her expression remaining blank as always regardless of how much her heart had been rampaging against her ċhėst. “What kind of suit do you have in mind, sir? We have double-breasted suits, Enzo suits, mantoni, linen, and slim-cut suits which are perfect for the occasion.”

Liam looked thoughtful before he turned back to his ȧssistant. “What do you think would look best on me?” the president countered and once again she was terribly tempted to say all of the above, but kept her opinion to herself.

As she said, it was very unprofessional and she was the most professional person in the company, right?

“I think a slim cut suit would be the best fitting for the event,” she answered totally refraining from commenting anything related to his boss’ looks. “Shall I ask someone from the boutique to come over?” she asked again and the president turned to look at her face and shook his head.

“I’ll go there,” he answered and she frowned.

What did he need me for if he’s going there himself?

As if hearing the question in her mind, her boss gave her the answer. “It’s going to be a boring night,” he said referring to the Gala. “So I’m taking you with me.”

Eh? “I’m coming to the Gala with you sir?” she asked, totally surprised.

She’d attended such lavish events before as the daughter of the James Family. But that was in a different country. “Oh my God, I don’t have any clothes here,” her inner voice wailed, and somehow her boss understood her dilemma.

“You’re going to need a new dress too. Come to the boutique with me late in the morning tomorrow. Tell Mr. Co to cancel my appointments until early afternoon,” Liam said dismissively and she gave a nod as she turned to leave.

Before she went out of the door however, the president called her name and when she turned back to look, her boss was already looking at his monitor.

“It’s a date,” the president said making her think she misheard again.

“E-excuse me?” she asked and Liam raised his brow in her direction one more time.

“Ms. James, I think you are having problems with your hearing these days,” he commented making her blush. “I said, the date tomorrow to the boutique, tell Mr. Co that you’re going to have lunch with me as well,” he ordered with a finality making her nod as she went out the door.

As soon as she was out, her cold façade vanished as she squatted on the floor, pouting and fanned herself.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid,” she scolded herself as she remembered how foolish she’d been in front of the boss earlier.

What the F Marian James?

It seemed she was already losing her touch. For the many months she’d been working with the young president, she’d scorned and laughed at those former secretaries and ȧssistants who made a fool of themselves falling like a ton of bricks for the boss. She’d snickered at their stupidity as she wondered how in the world those people could lose their professionalism.

When she got the post, she swore she would never ever be the same as them…but she was wrong. At the age of twenty-five, Marian James realized how bitter the taste of eating your own words was.

“I’m doomed…”