CHAPTER 6

I have been practicing my best smile before his arrival, but as soon as he arrived, the smile on my face immediately faded. Alice and I had different reactions. While Alice was too stunned to speak because of the man’s appearance, I was shocked to see him again! It has been more than a year since I saw him, and I thought I was ready!

I tried to act nonchalantly but my heart almost skipped a beat as he strolled towards me. When he smiled, it was literally a game over for me. No matter how much I tried to convince myself that I could only be hallucinating at the moment, there’s no way it was another person. He still wore the same cologne, and as the scent assaulted her senses, she couldn’t help but recall how her knees wobbled that night.

“Miss? Are you daydreaming? Excuse me, Miss?”

“Oh, sorry. Welcome to Bellcana, sir,” she immediately composed herself but deep inside, she was so nervous.

“Is my accommodation ready?” He asked.

“Yes, sir. Here’s the key and-”

“No. Kindly take me to my room,” he cut my sentence and I was dumbfounded at his attitude. With a furrowed brows, I looked up to him to inquire if I heard him correctly, but before I could do that, he raised the tip of his eyebrows, as if he belittled me or my position in the resort. “I heard from the driver that his resort provides a personalized service, and personalized menu,” he stated.

“Eleazar was right, sir,” I confirmed.

“Perfect! I am a busy person, Miss, and I need someone to take care of my needs daily.”

“You have nothing to worry, sir! In Bellcana, we will take care of you like a family,” I told him with so much excitement from heart despite being nervous at the same time.

“Like a family?”

“Yes,” I replied immediately.

“No. I don’t want to be treated like family, but rather a boss. The driver said that this place has a private villa for your VIP guest.”

“Hmmm yes,” I hesitated to tell him the truth. Actually, it’s not a villa but just a detached accommodation inside Bellcana. I couldn’t fathom why Eleazar had to lie about it, and put me in a difficult situation. “I don’t think you will like it, I mean the villa.” Then, I explained to him that the main house has comfortable rooms upstairs, and since he’s the only guest, then he would have his desired privacy. However, he insisted on staying there!

“Is there a problem?” He inquired when he probably noticed how I frowned over the situation.

“No, there is none,” I said worriedly, but on the brighter side, it was beneficial to me if he wouldn’t stay in in the main building. That way, he wouldn’t know about our daughter. “If you haven’t had your breakfast yet, we had Filipino breakfast that is ready.”

“I understand you are doing this because the villa isn’t ready, right?”

“It is clean and ready sir, but we never expected that you will demand to stay there. I assume that you are going to stay in the main building.”

“I see. Can you give me extra eggs for breakfast? I love eggs. Hard-boiled,” he instructed.

“Of course. Come and follow me to the dining area,” I told him and since Alice was listening to our conversation, the woman was quick on her feet and did what was necessary. “If you have a special request, you can tell me about it, and I’ll check what I can do.”

“I need a personal assistant,” he announced all of a sudden.

“A secretary? I don’t think we can hire someone that fast during this time, sir,” I told him the truth.

“You can stop being formal to me. Logan will do, and I don’t need a secretary but a personal maid,” he clarified.

“A maid?”

“Yes. Since I will be staying here for a long time, I don’t want to compromise my comfort. I am not saying that you got a bad service here, but I want someone to live with me in the villa. The pay is good, so can you hire someone for me?”

“I’ll check what I can do, sir,” I replied while setting up the table for him.

“This place is understaff if I am correct. I didn’t see another staff since I arrived,” he noticed.

“Yes, you are right,” I answered. “About the maid, when are you going to start the interview? Maybe I can ask Eleazar to post a job hiring in town,” I suggested.

“I will need her after breakfast,” he replied.

“Why?”

“What do you mean why?”

“I am just asking sir,” I immediately replied because he looked pissed because of my being nosy to his business. “Enjoy your meal,” I said before excusing myself.

“Stay,” he called while I walking towards the door. “Please stay. I don’t want to eat alone,” he clarified.

A deep sigh escaped from my mouth before I strolled back to him. “I guess I need a cup of coffee to fuel my day,” I just said that to mask the nervousness inside me. Earlier, I couldn’t help but notice the intensity of his gaze towards me, and it was unnerving.

“Get your coffee, Krystal, then join me,” he said.

When he casually mentioned my name, I stopped on my track and my chest heaved high and low because of nervousness. My hands were shaking as I opened a sachet of an instant coffee, and I couldn’t stir it well. I took a long time stirring my coffee but when he called my name again, I panicked.

When I joined him, he stared at me for a moment before he resumed eating. Due to my nervousness, I nearly forgot that he was shirtless! Unconsciously, my eyes traveled towards his well-formed chest, and damn it, how could he look so yummy in the morning!

“You are making me uncomfortable,” he stated in a flat voice.

“I’m sorry but I just realized that you are topless,” I told him.

“Is this the first time you see a topless man, Krystal? I bet this is not the first time, so please stop acting.”

One way or another, his statement was offensive, but still, I tried to remain calm. “I am not acting, sir,” I reasoned out.

“Really, Miss Krystal Miranda?”