BECAUSE OF YOU

 4:50 in the afternoon- XTG Center Tamara was looking at her watch worriedly and repeatedly for the past one hour. She was supposedly done with work at 3 p.m. since she had requested an under time, and it was approved. She had to prepare for a wedding. Despite her request, she remained inside the meeting room of the XTG holdings--worried and stressed. “Oh my-- I’m a slice of dead meat, Chief. Please come back soon!” Tamara muttered in between heavy breathing. That meeting was unscheduled. She couldn't say NO to the Chief Legal counsel when he called for her, but she wished she did say “NO” for once. Nevertheless, she couldn’t blame the Chief. The newly appointed President & CEO of XTG Holdings summoned him to his office. Without saying, no one could say NO to the “Big Boss.”  They were in the middle of discussing her assigned new case, and she was explaining it to the Chief when the notice arrived. The CEO would like to see the Chief immediately. The poor Chief hurriedly and nervously left their meeting room...forgetting that Tamara was in the middle of her presentation.  Unfortunately, Tamara needed to leave as soon as possible. It’s her best friend's wedding at 6 p.m... The travel time would take about 30 minutes to reach BGC from Makati and another 15 minutes to dress up and prepare for the occasion. She wouldn't make it to the church in time if the Chief weren’t back soon. Tamara was desperate and worried to the extreme. Her friend wouldn't forgive her if she dared miss her wedding unless her reason was to save her own life.  Unless it was a matter of life and death, Tamara couldn't and shouldn't miss the wedding. If her reason was related to her work, her friend would forget about her existence for life or kill her She heaved a sigh of relief when finally, she saw the chief walking briskly in the alley. She silently uttered a prayer.  As soon as the chief entered the room, he immediately called Tamara and apologized. "Atty. Tam," he said while catching his breath, "I'm so sorry to delay you this long. I know you have a wedding to attend," deep regret was written on his face, "Let's finish our meeting tomorrow. You may go!" He did not expect his meeting with the CEO to last long. He was really sorry for Tamara.  She understood him perfectly. However, she was running out of time. "It's alright, Chief! But...I really had to go. I’ll see you tomorrow," she looked at him apologetically, then she gathered her things and headed to the elevator hurriedly.  Tamara knew she wouldn’t make it on time, so she asked her friend Tina to bring the gown to her office. There was no time to go back to her home and change. She decided to use the restroom on the ground level of their office to change her old maid clothing into the wedding entourage attire provided by the soon-to-wed couple. Her friend Tina had been waiting anxiously for her on the ground level of the building for the last 30 minutes. When she saw Tamara step out of the lift, she walked immediately towards her.   Tina hollered when she saw her, "Shocks, Tam! What took you so long?"  Tamara sighed and said, "Work! Sorry, I can't leave because the boss called the Chief. Let's go to the restroom." together, they ran to the restroom and briskly opened the door. Tamara pushed the door of one of the cubicles and uttered, "Faster, get me the gown."  "Here it is," Tina said, both of them were so nervous. She immediately changed from her unflattering business suit to the sexy strapless golden gown for the bridesmaid the couple provided. The gray curve-less coat & trousers she wore for work were tossed inside the paper bag. A few minutes later, Tamara emerged from the cubicle and faced the mirror. She untangled her long, naturally curly light brown hair from the bun and ran a few brush strokes on it, then let it hang loosely in her shoulders. She also applied light makeup and lip color. Lastly, she replaced her thick eyeglasses with contact lenses. With her new appearance, no one would believe the person and face reflected in the mirror belonged to Atty. Tamara Legaspi, the MA lead counsel of the firm. She looked totally different from the cold legal head, who presents herself in the office daily. The sexy goddess reflected in the mirror was a total reverse of the brilliant but unattractive lawyer. The 28-year-old Tamara is the head of her department, supervising five legal counsels in charge of Merger and Acquisition (MA) activities of XTG holdings. She graduated with merits and topped the BAR exams five years ago. She was the only lawyer recommended by her previous firm to handle the new division of XTG Holdings and assume the management position six months ago. Merger and Acquisition is a very tough job. Luckily, no matter how hard it may be, it is Tamara’s expertise. Tina looked at Tamara admiringly. She transformed 360 degrees from a cold and unattractive old maid into a sultry goddess in a span of 10 minutes. Tamara wore lifeless trousers to work, her hair styled in a bun, her thick eyelash, and adorable almond eyes always hidden behind the thick old-fashioned eyeglasses. She looked ten years older. The eyeglasses she wore completely ruined her delicate and appealing facial features. More so, due to her coldness and strict personality, no one dared to look at her intently. She was admired for her brilliance but never in her appearance. Very few people knew of Tamara's goddess-like beauty.  Another thing that was ignored by many was Tamara's alluring figure.  Her 5'4" height and hourglass figure were concealed in a lifeless and curveless coat and slacks every day. She also never wore make-up to work for the past six months. She definitely looked old-fashioned.  Nobody dared to discover the sexy, beautiful, and irresistible lady behind the concealments. Despite awareness of undesirable talks about her. Tamara was never bothered by it. In fact, she welcomed that people looked at her that way. It served as her shield from suitors and admirers. The grosser she looked, the better. The simple gown that hugged her long, perfectly shaped body and long legs, plus a little touch of makeup, instantly transformed her into an attractive lady. After dressing up... Tamara and Tina immediately headed to the lobby and waited for their service car to take them to the church. They were in such a rush and too nervous, which was why Tamara failed to notice the eyes that have been focused on her admiringly since they arrived in the lobby until they drove away when their vehicle arrived. His gaze has been assessing the perfectly shaped body clad in a golden gown and how it matched the lady's long semi-curly light brown hair, including her alluring heart-shaped face. The deep black discerning eyes had been glued on Tamara ever since she showed up at the building’s lobby.  Those eyes belonged to Alexandre Brias, a 33-year-old extremely handsome bachelor, who took over his father's position a week ago to control their multi-billion operation. He had been away for a long time. He made his name known in Europe without help from his family. Alex was expected to bring his experience and expertise from abroad, take over their family business in Manila, and spearhead its growth.  The new CEO of the XTG has a masculine physique and is about six feet tall. His Spanish ancestry, clearly defined in his very handsome chiseled face, adorned by thin lips, high tipped nose, thick brows matched with a very provocative set of deep dark eyes. Alex is one of the most sought-after bachelors in the country.  The building of XTG Holding Co. was home to different commercial offices, and not very often, one could see people who were perfectly dressed like the lady he just saw.  "She is definitely lovely and sensually desirable," He muttered to himself. He shook his head repeatedly, and he couldn't prevent himself from smiling mischievously, and he also half-laughed at himself. He realized that for the first time, his attention was caught by a lady. "Are you enchanted, Alex? That lady must be a witch!" he laughed at his own thoughts. As soon as his black Bentley arrived, he immediately rode the car and headed to his next appointment. Alex was pursuing a family friend to obtain a piece of property. He wanted to develop the property into a first-class resort in Palawan.  He told himself to better focus on this meeting rather than think about an enchantress he wouldn’t come across again. Nonetheless, he admitted that the lady caught his interest, which was a rare occurrence. His preference was set higher than normal. He has a distinct taste in women. An eligible bachelor like him pursued by ladies in the elite circle wouldn’t waste precious time dreaming about an enchantress he would never meet again...that’s what he thought.