Chapter 4: Chapter Four

Olivia tapped her nails nervously on the table while waiting for her date to arrive. Taking a look around her, she realized this wasn’t a place where you were supposed to be loud, so she quickly put her hands in her lap and crossed her fingers to keep them still. Blue Verde was the fanciest restaurant she had ever seen in her life. The huge chandelier hanging from the middle of the ceiling, glistening brightly, made her think she was in a palace waiting for the ball to begin. She smiled to herself wondering if the handsome stranger she was waiting for would prove to be her Prince Charming.

The tables around her were all covered with blue and green cloths, exactly as the name of the restaurant indicated, and had a small vase filled with beautiful flowers. At least, the ones that were still empty, which weren’t a lot at this point. It seemed lunch was a busy time for this restaurant.

She checked her watch. It was only a couple of minutes after one, but she had come early, and it now felt like she’d been waiting for hours. I shouldn’t have agreed to this, she thought. What was I thinking saying yes to a lunch date with a grandson whose only words to me were “You met my granny earlier. Have lunch with me today,” and an old lady I barely talked to for more than ten minutes. I must be out of my mind.

But small as she was, there was something intimidating about that old lady. Olivia barely uttered two words while on the phone with her and the older woman never gave her a chance to reject her offer. The phone call had ended so abruptly that Olivia was left staring at her phone wondering what had just happened.

Then, when she had texted her brother to check up on him and told him about her ‘date,’ he encouraged her to go. Jude’s exact words were “About time you started living, sis,” which made her laugh at the time. She knew that Jude felt bad that she had been spending the last two years of her life taking care of him. The only time she left home was to go to work or to take care of something for him.

A ping brought her out of her reverie, and she grabbed her bag to see if it had come from her phone. As she was fumbling in her bag, she heard footsteps approaching her table.

“You must be Olivia,” a husky voice said.

She lifted her head to see a devastatingly handsome man in a crisp light-gray suit smiling at her. “You!” she exclaimed, shocked.

The young man seemed taken aback by her reaction. “Have we met before?”

“Typical!” Olivia said. Seeing the confused look on his face, she added, “You bumped into me this morning at the café and didn’t even bother to apologize.”

The young man nodded, obviously not quite registering what she was saying. “So, are you Olivia or am I standing here in vain?”

“I am, and you are?”

“Owen Kim,” he said, offering his hand for a shake.

Olivia held his hand a minute longer, lost in thought.

“I’m going to need this,” he said, pulling his hand slightly back.

“Oh yeah, sorry,” she said, letting his hand go. As Owen was taking his seat opposite her, she asked, “Did you just say Owen Kim? As in KimCorp CEO Owen Kim?”

“One and the same,” he replied, amused by her clear embarrassment.

“Oh my God! That means your grandma is Soonja Kim.”

“Indeed!” Owen said matter-of-factly.

Olivia started hyperventilating and feeling faint. She fanned her face with her hand.

“Are you all right?” Owen asked, concern coloring his voice. “You look pale. Do you need water or something?”

She saw Owen calling over the waiter. “Bring the lady some water, George, and our menus please.”

“Of course, Mr. Kim.”

“Are you okay?” Owen asked, once they were alone again.

“I can’t believe I was talking to my boss about messy rooms and tidiness in such a casual way.” She paused and grabbed the glass of water the waiter had just filled.

“Your boss?” Owen asked indifferently, already reading the menu.

“Your grandma!” she said loudly, which made Owen look at her.

“What?” he asked, surprised. “You work for us?”

“I just got hired. Today’s my first day…” She gulped the rest of the water in her glass. “…and I hope it’s not my last,” she muttered. She quickly glanced around her as though trying to locate the exit again. “I shouldn’t have come.”

Owen laughed, and gently tapped her hand on the table. “Calm yourself. It’s okay. Let’s just have lunch as a thank you for saving my granny.”

Olivia stared at his large hand over hers. Although the touch was brief, she didn’t fail to notice the reaction it caused in her body. “Where is she, by the way?” she asked to direct her mind elsewhere. “She said she would join us.”

Owen was back reading the menu. “Urgent business kept her in the office,” he said without lifting his gaze. “What are you having?”

Olivia picked up her menu. “I’ve never been here before,” she started, “Well, actually, it’s the first fancy restaurant I have ever been in my life.”

“Do you need help with the dishes then? I can order for you.”

“I know my French, Mr. Kim,” she replied confidently. “It’s the reason you hired me, after all.”

Owen finally lifted his head and smiled at her. “Is it?” he asked, amused. “What other qualifications do you have then?”

“Well, I could have said Business Administration, but I didn’t finish college. So, I guess it’s just the four languages I speak that got me the assistant’s position.”

“Oh, so you’re a dropout.”

“It wasn’t like I had a choice in the matter,” Olivia said, offended. “I didn’t want to drop out. I had to.”

“What do you mean?” He sounded genuinely curious.

“My parents died in a car accident two years ago and I came back home to take care of my little brother.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” He looked at his menu again and said, “Shall we order now? I really don’t have much time.”

“I guess I’ll have the soup of the day then.”

“You eat light for lunch?”

“Hardly! But it’s the only thing I can afford on the menu,” she admitted in all honestly.

Owen called the waiter over. “Two coq au vin, and bring us my usual red, George.”

“Right away, Mr. Kim.” The waiter retrieved the menus and left.

“Mr. Kim, you shouldn’t have done that,” Olivia said.

“What, you don’t like chicken?”

“I do…I mean, I’m used to ordering my own food and paying for it.”

“I asked you out, so it’s my treat obviously. And please call me Owen.”

The waiter came back with their order, interrupting the argument Olivia was preparing. She wasn’t used to this extravagant lifestyle or being around men like Owen Kim. She took a deep breath. She should at least try to enjoy her meal and be nice. He was her boss after all, and she certainly didn’t want to make a wrong move and lose her job.

“Thank you, Mr.— I mean…Owen,” she corrected when the waiter left again.

They spent the next few minutes in silence, each enjoying their food and wine.

“So, how has your first day at KimCorp been so far?”

“Freakin’ unbelievable,” Olivia said, and quickly covered her mouth, embarrassed. “Pardon me.”

Owen burst into laughter. “You’re cute.”

Olivia blushed. “Um, how’s your meal?” she asked to take his attention off her. “Mine is delicious. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted such tender meat before.”

“I’m glad you like it. It’s my favorite dish here.”

“I figured you must come here often. You called the waiter by his name.”

“Well, as often as my schedule allows, or if I have some lovely company to entertain.”

“I’m sure you would rather be having lunch with your girlfriend right now.”

“I don’t have one,” he said. “And besides, this is a nice change.”

“What do you mean?” Olivia asked.

“The ladies I usually date barely take a bite of their food. It’s nice to share a meal with a person who actually eats normally like me.”

Olivia stopped her fork mid-air. She looked at him, considering if she should feel self-conscious for eating so greedily. His smile reassured her that she wasn’t doing anything wrong. “It would have been such a waste of good food, wouldn’t it? Not to mention that at that price, you should be crazy to leave food on the plate.”

“I think you’re right,” Owen said and picked up his glass of wine. “To good food then,” he toasted, and Olivia clinked her glass to his.

“So, what else do you like besides food?” Owen asked.

“Books,” Olivia blurted out. “I could get lost in a bookshop.” She took another sip of wine. She was starting to feel a little lightheaded as she wasn’t used to drinking, but she liked the taste very much. “What about you, Owen? What do you do when nobody is watching?”

Owen slumped back into his chair and looked at her for a moment. “Do you really want to know?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”

“Well, most people don’t ask me questions like that. They just assume what my life is like from what they see in magazines and on social media.”

“I can’t say I pity you living in luxury. It certainly makes life easier, but I guess it must be tough not having privacy.” Olivia smiled sympathetically. “So, what is it that you like to do?”

“I paint miniatures,” he said almost in a whisper.

“Really? How awesome. My dad used to do that. What kind?”

Owen seemed to be relaxing, and reassured, he started telling her more about his secret hobby. “I have a huge collection of mythical creatures and fantasy characters and I honestly can’t stop buying more.” They shared a laugh and then he continued, “Really, I might need to build a spare room in my house just for all the miniatures.”

“I’d love to see your collection one day,” she said without thinking, but before she had a chance to say she didn’t mean it like that, her phone rang. She retrieved it from her bag and looked at the caller ID. “I’m sorry, I have to take this,” she said to Owen.

“Dr. Roberts?” Olivia listened carefully to what Jude’s physician was telling her on the other end of the line. “What does that mean? More lab tests?” Her heart rate increased, and her hand started shaking. It wasn’t good news. Jude’s tests showed a deterioration of his condition. “Treatment!” she almost shrieked. “But that would cost more than a thousand dollars per appointment, to say the least.” She put her elbow on the table and rested her head in her hand in clear despair. “Where will I find that kind of money, doctor? You know what will happen if I can’t take care of Jude.” Her eyes brimmed with tears.

From the corner of her eye, Olivia saw a handkerchief being offered, and she lifted her head, as though suddenly realizing where she was and that she wasn’t alone. “I’ll call you a little later, doctor. I can’t talk right now,” she said and hung up. She grabbed her bag, threw her phone in, and got up.

“I’m sorry I have to go,” she said to Owen, clearly upset. “Thank you for the lovely meal, though. My regards to your grandmother.”

Before he could say anything to stop her and make her feel even more embarrassed than she was feeling right now, she quickly walked to the front door and exited the restaurant.

As she was getting into a taxi to head back to work, one thing was in her mind. What am I going to do now? And how am I going to break the news to Jude?