As if hearing the assistant’s thoughts, Andrew looked away from the tablet and glared at the guy.
Assistant Jiang cowered immediately. With shaky hands, he took the tablet back from the man, feeling happy inside. “Hehe, Mr. Lim. It is true, those tablets are the best and you can watch the news from the forum as much as you want without any interruption. We can also…”
“Be quiet…” Andrew spoke, putting an end to the assistant’s blabbering.
Inside the CEO’s office, there was a lot of paperwork on the desk and many document files were lying on the table opposite the couches.
“Judging from the employees’ reactions, it seems there’s going to be a lot of submissions. Make sure the IT team does a proper assessment.”
“You’re right, Mr. Lim.” Assistant Jiang thought that was a good idea. Initially, during the shareholders’ meeting, they had agreed that the judgment would be done by the CEO himself.
But with hundreds of employees ready to apply, and thousands of paperwork ready to be done, his Boss would surely not have that time.
Even the assistant would pass out from working that hard. For the past few days, there had been an influx of work in the CEO’s area.
If more employees were hired, most of the former ones would work in the CEO’s secretariat, lending him a hand.
Assistant Jiang was in his thoughts so he didn’t find the silence strange until he looked at the CEO’s chair which was now empty.
The man was now standing by the wide floor-to-ceiling window and he seemed to be thinking deeply.
“Assistant Jiang.” Suddenly, the man called out to him. “What does it entail when a wife keeps doing what she likes without the consent of her husband?”
“Huh?” Assistant Jiang scratched his head. It seemed his boss and Mrs. Lim had fallen out again. And how was the assistant going to answer his question without getting into trouble?
“M-Mr. Lim, it can be due to many reasons.” Assistant Jiang decided to be honest. By the way, he couldn’t lie without getting caught by this man.
“The first reason might be because the couple don’t love each other. The second reason must be that the couple had a fight. And the third reason… Maybe one party is not taking the relationship seriously, or even both.”
The man looked away from the window and stared straight at the assistant. “What if it’s due to all those reasons you stated?”
“Erm, then in that case, the couple should strive to develop their relationship. One party must not be willing or even both parties. However, a harmonious relationship should not be overlooked. Even though there’s an agreement that the marriage won’t last, each party should be respectful towards the other party’s feelings.”
Ah, Assistant Jiang couldn’t help but applaud himself inside. His advice made meaningful sense. Maybe he should aspire to be a relationship counselor.
“So, Mr. Lim.” The assistant went on. “If you can convince your wife to be more lenient, there’s a chance that your relationship will return to how it was three years ago.”
“Who told you I want that?” The man’s expression turned dark, surprising the assistant. “Aren’t you so willful, Assistant Jiang?”
“M-Mr. Lim, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to put it that way. I meant you and Mrs. Lim can at least…” Assistant Jiang trailed off, sensing the temperature inside the office dropping to zero.
He glanced at his wristwatch and looked at the dark sky outside. “Ah, Boss, it is closing time. The work hours are over and-“
The man picked up his phone and left the office, surprising the assistant.
Assistant Jiang staggered in relief before he quickly followed behind him. At the parking lot, the man did not even wait for him to open the car. He was ahead of the assistant, and his car had already left before Assistant Jiang could reach the place.
Watching the car which was driving away, Assistant Jiang shook his head and went to his own car. Would the relationship between the couple even get better? With their current relationship, would their marriage even last up to the contract’s duration?
Three years ago, Assistant Jiang had never seen a more loving couple. They were inseparable, not even the Boss’s family could drive them apart.
The couple stood up for each other and fought for their love. And one day, out of nowhere, his
Boss who always had a harmonious atmosphere around him came to work with a solemn look.
Slowly, everything began to change. From a joyful man to a workaholic, the man’s transformation was rapid.
That was the shortest and most tragic love story the Assistant had ever witnessed. And that revolutionized his perspective of love and women. Ah! Those two are no-go areas.
…
At H District Apartment Building…
While walking down the hallway towards the apartment, Andrew brought the keys out to unlock the door.
So he was a bit surprised when he found the door open. What surprised him more was when he stepped into the apartment and an aroma from the kitchen.
Annie was done cooking though. He couldn’t find her in the kitchen, but he found his food served on the dining table.
Andrew didn’t bother to look for her. He sat down and ate slowly, listening to her movements coming from the bedroom.
He took his time to eat carefully, not because he wasn’t hungry. But the man seemed to be processing his anger. After eating, he even put the plates away and cleaned them.
Breathing in deeply, he stepped into the bedroom with his suitcase and almost bumped into the girl who was just coming out of the bathroom.
Annie gasped. Instinctively, she covered herself with a towel. “Mr. Lim, have you forgotten how to knock? Don’t you know that it’s wrong to barge in on other’s privacy?”
Andrew dropped the suitcase on the bed and stepped in front of her. He didn’t stop walking until he managed to corner her against the wall.
“Since when has there been privacy between a husband and a wife, Mrs. Lim?” His cello-like voice was like an alarm bell to her ears.