Office Diaries

Liam blinked as he stared at his mobile phone several times. It's been minutes since his secretary called but until now he couldn't quite absorb yet what had been said. Jay Co didn't give him time to think nor a chance to answer before he ended the call, so until now, he wasn't sure if he heard or understood correctly.

"Pres, Marian Sis is having allergies and cramps. She said she's going to the drugstore before meeting with you. She said she'll just see you at the gala – oh, and she said she loves me…"

The young president frowned at the last part – not that he believed it anyway. 

"Marian's sick?" he wondered out loud. 

He worried that he might have done too much with her last night. 

"But she was the one who had been wild…" he muttered under his breath, making his frown deepened. "Wait a minute…what cramps was he talking about?"

With more speed, Liam finished dressing up for the event. As soon as he was satisfied with his reflection, he grabbed his keys and the fresh bouquet of roses from the top of his dresser and walked out of his apartment towards the parking lot.

He drove silently towards her apartment regardless that Jay already told him that his PA said to just meet at the venue. He was taking his chances. Glancing at the flowers, he hoped with all his heart that she would still be at home when he got there. He really wanted to get his confession over and done with before they went to the party. He was sure he'd have no time to woo his PA there with the never-ending crowd.

Arriving at the apartment with its door closed, his spirit sank. No matter how much he knocked, there was no answer from the inside. Marian was indeed out to buy medicine. Where exactly? He had no idea – and so all thoughts of picking up his PA went down the drain along with his plans of confessing. It seemed he had bad luck again today, he thought as he trudged back towards his car.

"Strike two," he murmured wearily as he glanced at the flowers on the seat next to him as he leaned forward, resting his head on the wheel. "Why do you seem to get yourself in trouble whenever I'm planning on baring my heart towards you?" he asked no one in particular as the images of her passion-filled face and her soft cries came to him and he smiled.

Remembering their intimacy the night before cheered the young president a little. "Well, there's still later," he comforted himself as he sat up straight and started the engine. He'd just sweep his PA off her feet after the gala.

===

Marian ran towards the hotel where the gala was and made a beeline for the restroom. She didn't know why but the medicine she took an hour ago was still not working. Her lower abdomen remained painful and her tummy felt tensed. In addition, her body started aching all over and she concluded that she might be coming down with the flu.

"This is not good," she muttered as he popped another tablet for pain relief into her mouth and arranged her hair in front of the mirror. Glancing at her watch told her that it was already half-past six in the evening and she worried that she was already late.

"Crap," she muttered apprehensively, that one word voicing out just how awful she felt at the moment. 

Earlier, she had been forced to call her boss herself, saying she'd be late, because her snotty junior had switched off his mobile phone and his home phone was forever busy. She reckoned Jay purposely went incommunicado.

The rat. Marian made a mental note to give her junior hell when she saw him next.

Tugging at the nonexistent crease on her new pristine white dress, she glanced at her reflection one last time before she went out of the restroom to look for her boss.

She saw Liam Kang standing by the ballroom's entrance looking very handsome as usual in the suit she chose for him. The young president appeared to be glancing around him as if waiting for someone as he smiled and exchanged greetings with people who passed him by. Watching him, her c.h.e.s.t filled with warmth as she recalled some details of her wet dream, and her face heated up.

If it was only okay to stay where she was, she would have done so. She'd happily stay away from her boss' sight and continue to watch him just like this. But she knew she should make her presence known soon. She'd made the president wait long enough and she kicked herself for being so unprofessional.

This was an official working event! This was not a date! 

"President," she greeted Liam as soon as she came to his side. 

"Ms. James," her boss' rich voice sent p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e down her spine but she refused to acknowledge it. 

She allowed herself to smile a little though when the president asked about her worriedly and she took a great time assuring her superior that she was okay albeit the reality was far from it. She was so weary she wanted to hit the sack as soon as possible but she knew she had to endure being here at the gala for a few more hours.

"Are you sure you're okay?" President Kang asked her one more time as he guided her inside the room. 

Although he didn't touch her, Marian could feel his presence very close to her. She was very much aware of the heat emanating from the young president's physique and painful body or not, she imagined herself pulling her boss away from the party, dragging him somewhere isolated and have her naughty way with him.

Shut up Marian James, you perverted wench!

Marian mentally scolded herself as she let out one frustrated sigh. This was going to be one long, troublesome night.

There was a program at the party, and part of it was a performance given by the children from one of the orphanages the charity gala was sponsoring. During the presentation, she surreptitiously glanced at her boss who was engrossed on the show and watched him smile genuinely with p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e as he clapped when the children awkwardly bumped into each other as they gave their bow. 

"He must really like kids," she thought as she smiled and clapped too.

"Do you like children Ms. James?" the president suddenly asked next to her, startling her. "Ha?" she asked and her boss repeated his question.

"I…yes. Why?" she inquired with a frown. 

She had no idea where this question was leading to but Liam already had his eyes back on the stage where the children were making their exit. 

"Just asking. Me? I want to have lots of children in the future," her boss answered, making her frown deepen.

"Big Brother Liam, if you like children, then you should go get a wife as soon as possible and start making babies!" A cheerful voice suddenly spoke from behind and both turned to face the newcomer.

"Susie!" Marian heard the president exclaimed as she watched him smile widely, opening his arms to let the newcomer step into them in a hug. 

The personal assistant recognized her boss's childhood friend and she offered her a smile of her own. She was also fond of the young woman named Susie Kim who also happened to be the vice president, Ken Park's longtime lover. 

 "What are you doing here?" her boss asked.

"Are you turning senile Big Bro? My company's handling this event," Susie teased her friend and Marian smiled surreptitiously as Liam hit his forehead. 

Susie owned and managed an events company. 

"Oh yeah, I forgot," her boss g.r.o.a.n.e.d making his childhood friend laugh helplessly at him.

"Yes you forgot – but that's not the only thing you forgot!" Susie announced dramatically and Marian wondered what else her boss had forgotten. It didn't take time for her to know though, and she wished she hadn't known.

"What do you mean?" The young president asked, his expression told them that he honestly didn't have any idea what it was and Marian watched as Susie hit her boss' arm playfully.

"Ken said that you already proposed to your love last night. You even made a lovely reservation with a band. You didn't tell me," Susie said sulkily with a pout, and Marian's eyes widened as she heard her heart break into many pieces.

He…proposed to his love? 

Marian had never heard of Liam Kang having a girlfriend much less a fiancée! But…

Glancing at her boss who didn't bother denying what Susie said, Marian had a feeling it was true and she swallowed hard. Blinking back tears that suddenly threatened to fall with her heartbreak, Marian James realized, at the age of twenty-five, it was going to be so f.u.c.k.i.n.g hard to stay acting all professional with her about-to-get-married boss whom she was hopelessly in love with.