"I don't want to know, but when we went to Antony's proposal, you already brought a candidate!" Her mother's shout welcomed Altezza at the breakfast table.
"Candidate for what, Mom? A wife candidate for Antony?" Altezza teased, met with her mother's scorn.
"A wife candidate for you, Altezza. Not for Antony. It's clear he has Claire to propose to." Her mother replied grumblingly.
Last night, after returning from Adaline's residence, Altezza chose to go back to her parents' house with the intention of announcing that she had proposed to someone. But her plan was postponed as it turned out both of her parents were already asleep.
And now, her mother was nagging her again about a prospective wife. It wasn't her fault if her mother didn't receive good news. It was her parents' fault for succumbing to the allure of pillows and mattresses, causing them to sleep early. And now, Altezza chose to postpone the good news. Let her endure a few more days until she found the right time to shock her mother.
"So, when is Antony proposing, Mom?" She asked casually while spreading chocolate spread on her toast.
"When, dear?" Her mother asked back to her father. Altezza rolled her eyes. Her mother was indeed forgetful.
"This weekend, dear." Her father replied patiently. He was the only man who could withstand her mother's virtues and vices.
"There, Dad said this weekend. I don't want later when Antony's engagement is questioned, they also ask if you have a candidate. When are you getting married? Blah blah blah, which makes my ears burn."
"Yeah, yeah, Mom. Relax. I'll pick up a girl on the street to bring there." Altezza's casual answer received a fairly hard punch on her arm. "Mom! You can't hit Altezza! Don't you know this arm is precious? This hand is what earns money, and to make these muscles, Altezza has to work hard at the gym, Mom."
"How much? How much? Let Mom ask your Dad to pay for it."
"Why me? You're the one who hit her."
"I'm annoyed with her. How can her answer be so simple? Whenever I bring up the topic of finding a wife, she always says she'll make it a contest, announce it, look on the streets. Do you think a prospective wife is like a hotdog? Crepes?" Unwillingly, Altezza and her father burst into laughter. "See, now you're both laughing at me."
"Well, dear, you brought up food. Aren't you supposed to be discussing potential in-laws?" Her husband interjected, shaking his head.
"Yes, because Mom kept thinking about the warm bala-bala from Mr. Darto. Why didn't he sell it yesterday evening?" She mumbled to herself. "Anyway, Mom doesn't want to know. You have to bring a candidate, or else Mom will put you back in her stomach." Her mother threatened again with a stern face. She thought Altezza was a child who could be threatened with childish threats like that.
"Why didn't Dad give Mom a daughter back then? If it were a daughter, she would be more obedient. Maybe by now, we would have many grandchildren." Her mother grumbled again. Her husband and daughter could only shake their heads. They were puzzled by Mrs. Quirino's thought process.
"Okay, Mom, just calm down. I said finding a prospective in-law is easy. Well then, I'm off. Going to find a future son-in-law for Mom."
"As if you can find a son-in-law at this hour. At this hour, it's time for you to work and earn money. I want to buy a new dress for Antony's engagement and wedding." Her mother replied, once again causing Altezza to roll her eyes. As if she didn't know that during Antony's wedding, they would wear matching outfits, clearly funded by her cousin's family.
"Yeah, yeah. I'll go make money so my beautiful wife here can buy a new dress." She replied resignedly, kissing her mother's cheeks and her father's hand before leaving.
"That child, her behavior is just like yours." Altezza's mother grumbled after her only son had left.
"Why me?"
"Yes, look at her indifferent attitude. Just like you when you were young." Altezza's father could only shake his head. Wasn't his wife aware that Altezza became annoying like that because she enjoyed teasing her mother?
Sir Altezza: Can you come during lunchtime?
Adaline: Sorry, Sir. I already have lunch plans with Tessa.
Sir Altezza: Okay. After lunch, meet me in the office.
Adaline: Yes, Sir.
Adaline wasn't lying when she told Altezza that she had lunch plans with Tessa. They intended to have lunch together at a café not far from the Coskun Company building. However, Adaline was surprised when she opened the door and saw two men sitting casually, with one of them even waving towards them.
"Tess?" Adaline glanced at her friend in confusion.
"Come on, Ada. I rarely get to see Duncan. Is it okay if we have lunch together?" Tessa requested, pulling Adaline's arm towards the table where Duncan-Tessa's boyfriend and Altezza's personal assistant-along with Altezza, were sitting.
Adaline didn't mind having lunch with Duncan. What made her uncomfortable was Altezza's presence.
"Hello, Sir," Tessa greeted warmly as they stood in front of the table. Altezza responded with a nod and a friendly smile before turning his gaze to Adaline. Adaline could only swallow her saliva and greeted Altezza politely, behaving as if they didn't know each other.
"You don't mind if I join you for lunch, do you?" he asked, still with his friendly smile.
"Of course not, Sir," Tessa replied politely, taking a seat next to Duncan. "This is my friend, Adaline." Tessa introduced. Altezza extended his hand to Adaline, acting as if he didn't know her personally, just like Adaline did earlier. Duncan, who was next to Altezza, seemed to hide his laughter with a cough.
"We're lucky because Sir Altezza isn't the type of boss who prohibits relationships between employees. Otherwise, we might have to secretly date now," Duncan glanced at Adaline meaningfully. Tessa nodded in agreement while Adaline felt awkward.
"Come on, work is work, and personal matters are a source of joy. As long as you can maintain professionalism, it's not a big deal for me.
"I've been your age, and romance in the workplace truly has its own excitement. Isn't that right, Miss Adaline?" Altezza glanced at Adaline, who could only respond with wide eyes in surprise.
"You're asking the wrong person, Sir. My friend here is not a fan of office romance," Tessa mediated.
"Oh, really? Don't women usually love things that are romantic?"
"Yes, of course. But my friend here is a bit different," Tessa once again provided the answer.
Altezza knew that Adaline, being a shy girl, wouldn't comment much. Instead, he enjoyed Tessa's responses, which made the pretty face blush even more.
"So, during your time working here, Miss Adaline has never been involved with any fellow employees?"
Again, Tessa answered. She shook her head casually. "In the three years I've sat next to her, she has never shown any interest in looking at any male colleagues. Even though many tried to catch her eye, your employee here always paid no attention. I even tried to set her up with a few guys, but instead of succeeding, they ended up chasing Adaline until they gave up out of exhaustion because they never got a response."
Tessa's response this time truly caught Altezza's attention. The man was now sitting upright, gazing at Tessa with full attention. Meanwhile, Adaline, feeling embarrassed, tried to pinch Tessa's thigh under the table, but her friend ignored her.
"So, Miss Adaline has quite a few fans, huh?" Altezza said with a casual tone but with a meaningful look. "I'm a fan of gossip, you know. Why hasn't this news reached my ears?" Altezza glanced at his secretary with meaning. Duncan grinned, feeling awkward. "I'm intrigued. Is my employee really that famous?"
"Let alone you, Sir. Every time I mention that A, B, C likes Adaline, she never believes it herself. My friend is naturally shy and sometimes lacks confidence." Altezza nodded, encouraging Tessa, who was naturally talkative, to continue her story.
"There's even one of your employees who always brings back souvenirs for Adaline every time he travels out of town. But even though that guy persistently pursues Adaline, she's adamant about rejecting him. Even though he's still single, stable, and quite handsome."
"Really?" Altezza glanced towards Adaline, who continued sipping her drink while blushing and looking down. "We should be cautious then, in case Miss Adaline here gets a husband." Altezza's remark made Adaline choke on her drink. Tessa quickly patted her back gently, while Duncan handed her a tissue. Altezza felt more tempted to tease her.