[49]
“You’re waiting for Mr. Andrew,” Nindy said with a nervous look. Since earlier, she had been pacing back and forth in front of her desk. Not because there was no work to be done, but the arrival of her boss complete with irrefutable orders made her put her work aside first.
She and Andy had to quickly work on the boss’s new orders. Nindy’s part was done, it was just Andy and his report. But I don’t know what prevented Andy from returning to the office, it seemed so slow. Was it because he was tense? I don’t know.
What is clear is that when she saw Andy’s staggering arrival, Nindy breathed a sigh of relief as if the heavy burden on her shoulders had just been lifted.
“Boss is inside?” asked Andy without breaking stride.
“Yes, you are expected.”
Not long after, Andy disappeared behind the door of Andrew’s room. The man bowed slightly after handing over some shabby-looking files. It wasn’t his intention to give a report in a messy state. Not only had the boss asked him to be an impromptu information seeker, but what he was being asked to do was also out of the question.
“What… is there something missing, sir?” she asked quietly. He had to hold his breath so as not to disturb the concentration of the man who seemed to be busy flipping through the reports Andy could provide.
“Nothing,” the boss said simply. “You can go back to your post. There’s still coverage elsewhere, right?”
“The coverage of Miss World activities has been handled by another team. Tomorrow the ten main finalists will be covered during the visit to the Ministry of Culture.”
Andrew didn’t need to raise his eyes that were still paying attention to every word written in the report that was the focus of his attention. He only replied with a small nod. Letting Andy walk away from his room. Even the door that was closed tightly returned as before.
After reading the entire report up to the last line, Andrew’s smile grew even halfway. “Damn it, Harvey, you can hide something this big without anyone knowing.” He chuckled. Leaning back comfortably in his oversized chair. Turning slowly as if playing with his seat. Silence was again his most faithful companion during his work.
“But I’m curious,” He stopped his movement. Her back straightened without order. She also supported her face with both hands. Again his eyes were filled with the reports and photos Andy had collected for him. “Does Justin know the background Harvey is hiding?” He folded a smile to himself. “I don’t think so.” It was a question the other man should have answered, not him, but there was no way he could talk to Justin now.
Harvey was none of his business. He doesn’t care what the girl’s background really is. After all, she felt the sincerity in Harvey’s eyes that she found creepy. But given the girl’s past and circumstances, it is certain that the look in his eyes is different from the others. They are burning with a grudge that will not be easily extinguished.
“Finish your business with Langham, Kingston. Otherwise, you’ll obviously find out about me after this.” Harvey grinned slightly. Then whistled as if he won a big game. With the tail of his eyes occasionally pointing at the corridor leading to the toilet. Just in case, Giselle was done with her business. It could raise questions if their conversation was overheard by the girl.
“If not, what are you going to do?” asked Andrew trying to remain calm. He had already prepared in his heart what to do to deal with the girl who seemed brave and fearless.
“As a friend, I won’t support your feelings for Giselle.”
Andrew laughed. “That answer is so on point.”
“I can be your ally if you want. Although my friendship with Giselle is not based on anything as dirty as supporting your romance, but I think Giselle better come out of her illusory shell.”
Andrew began to lose his laughter. Staring seriously at the girl who seemed to be casually playing with words but what came out of her lips, really hit the mark. “You… support me?”
“Actually, no.” Harvey laughed with his goofy smile. “I’m sure there are many men out there who are much better than you. But hearing stories about you during quarantine made me realize. You’re serious. But unfortunately, your family’s snares are impossible to ignore.”
Andrew was again silent.
“So, before it gets any further, take care of it and finish it. If you feel you can’t, let Giselle go. Don’t keep fertilizing your feelings. There will be a time when Giselle is vulnerable and it could be that, at that time, what you’ve done begins to distract her. But at the same time, you’ll be powerless to be by her side. And I don’t want that to happen.”
Harvey’s words rang through her head again. He let out a long sigh and again leaned his back against the back of the chair. “What should I do to break the bond?” She massaged her suddenly tired temples.
Not long after, the cell phone on the table buzzed like a bee. It was noisy. Usually, he only hears it twice and then it goes silent again, but this time it was long enough to make his desk vibrate gently with annoyance. “Who, anyway?”
Fania’s name appeared on the screen which made her quickly swipe the green icon there. “Yes?”
“Oh my God, can’t you return my greetings first?”
What’s wrong?” asked Andrew, ignoring Fania’s whining. He chose to return to staring at his work screen. Working while talking on the phone was a common practice. After all, Andrew’s hands were very skillful at tidying up his files. He didn’t let anyone else know what he was observing.
“Don’t forget tonight you have to come to Street Ocean 13. Have dinner together.”
Andrew chuckled. “Why should I?”
“You want me to come alone? Get caught up in this ridiculous talk about our closeness?” Fania grumbled without pause. “We should be stuck together. I don’t want to eat with aggravation in my heart.”
The man loosened the hook of his tie. “I have a meeting with WIT Studio. They want crucial hours at King Studio. You know, it can’t be talked about and decided haphazardly. But what WIT is offering is so tempting. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.”
There was a long sigh.
“I sent you a card. You are free to use it.”
“You forget that I’m Langham? I have a lot of cards too,” Fania snapped distastefully.
“My apologies.” Andrew laughed. “I’m not downplaying how Langham is in Kingston’s eyes. But you know, I need WIT’s cooperation.”
“All right,” Fania said finally. “But after dinner, I have to see you.”
“Late at night?”
“Are you crazy?”
“You asked,” Andrew laughed. “I don’t mind being visited by beautiful women. But I’m still thinking of the many risks including being stalked by your girlfriend.”
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“Eight o’clock at Road Caffe. I’ll wait for you there. How about it?”
“Double hamburger with cola. I need food that can distract me during the nauseating dinner later.”
“Okay.”
Again there was a long sigh from Fania. “When will it end?”