Falling for the CEO's Playful Trap

05. Link

“Do you mind if I disturb your boss for a moment?”

My playful tone echoed across the silent halls of the highest floor of the building upon the elevator door to show the only secretary I probably meet most often these days. She turns her head to my direction before a relieving smile forms her lips as if she was expecting someone else for a moment. Like usual, she immediately gave her boss a signal through the intercom.

“You can enter, Ms. Adrianna. But she has to be back after lunch if you ever decide to go out to eat.” She politely reminded me as I nodded right away.

“Then I will make sure she makes it in time then, Miss Secretary!” I tease as she only laughs softly in return, letting me on my own way.

Probably because she is already used to my presence here, but assisting me inside her boss’ office thrice, she has let me go in my way already. For some reason, it is like I gained her trust that she will only remind me of her boss’ schedule if we ever go out to eat. She is that comfortable to leave her boss to me. After all… I know her boss first before she does.

As soon as I opened the door, the presence of a woman dressed in a burgundy colored jumpsuit greeted me. She stands, back facing me, as she talks to someone over the phone. I walk my way to the couch silently and let her finish her work before I can bother her since she probably didn’t expect my presence.

“I knew that you would come any day.” She exclaimed after ending the call. She immediately occupied the opposite couch I am sitting on with excitement filling her face. “But I thought you would visit earlier.”

“Oh, sorry, Ms. Carranza. It turns out that you are not the only one who has some busy schedule to follow.” I softly yet sarcastically say with one hand on my chest and faking making a sorry face.

She scoffs before throwing the pillow next to her on my sad. “Bitch.” She exclaims with a smile on her face, making me laugh. “Where have you been since you came back?”

“You probably know where already, since it’s a usual routine. I just really need to finish up the Metro Crown annual ball first before showing up to you.” I pointed out as she only nodded in return.

“If that is the case, then you probably have many things to tell me, yeah?” Her eyes sparkled with just that. She really is always up for talks. “But first things first, I already got the documents.”

She stood up as I properly sat upon the mention of the documents. I watched as she took the brown envelope from her safety box before walking towards me and handing it.

“This came just a few days ago. I thought of sending it to your place, but I can’t just send close information recklessly. I don’t want you to kill me yet.” She playfully said as I can only scoff in return.

My gaze lowered to the envelope. One of the things that I probably get every two months is this kind of envelope. It has the newest reports about what happened to my brother as I had it secretly and silently investigated, but so far, we found nothing up to this date. It is like the whole evidence is just cleared before we even know about it.

“Have you tried checking it?” I asked in a small voice.

“I didn’t,” She let out a sigh. “But the investigators say it remains the same.”

I close my eyes as a heavy sigh escapes my lips. It remains the same. My brother’s death also remains questionable for me even after a year. I might have accused Zachary about it, but I also just don’t want to rely on the personal feelings I bear because it might just be because I already hated him since then. However, it doesn’t change the fact that he is still the enemy in my eyes until the truth about my brother’s death is out.

“I did wish I could have delivered good news to you this time, Raerae. I’m sorry.” She apologized.

I open my eyes and put on a smile, shaking my head. “You have done more than enough for you to be sorry, Astrid. It’s fine. It is no one’s fault that we still don’t have the answer.” I calmly said.

In this world and after my brother’s death, if there is someone I trust the most besides my manager, it is Astrid Kate Carranza—my best friend since high school. Compared to the friends I have in the industry, she never failed to stand out still. Not because of her Goddess-like face and her model-like height, but because of her personality and the way she knows the part of me that I don’t know about. Besides my brother, she is the only person I can ever run to… and after ever, there is no one else anymore.

“Set that aside!” I placed the envelope on my side before looking at her properly this time. “Your secretary told me that I just need to return you after lunch, so that means we still have two and a half hours left before that. How about we eat out?”

Suddenly, she let out a laugh while shaking her head. “You really are just like your brother. Always know how to change the topic well.” She pointed out as I shrug in return.

“Well, we aren’t siblings for nothing.” I proudly said.

The two of us decided to eat at the restaurant that is 20 minutes away from her company—House of Astrid C.—so we wouldn’t need to drive so long. One of the routines I have after returning from a month-long schedule abroad is meeting my best friend to catch up and talk about this. Considering that many things indeed happened in my life during the past few days, I think we really do have many things to talk about.

“I saw Zachary at the party.” I spilled the right very moment the waiter left our table. She nodded, with not even any hint of surprise in her face. “You know already?”

“The two of you are sort of a big public figure. In case you missed it, there are hundreds of pictures of the two of you in the party already. I am not blind to not see that at all, Raerae.” She exclaimed with a playful smile, but it only lasted for a few seconds. “How was it meeting up with him again in a formal party after a year? Did it anger you?”

“It did… especially when he still claims he is innocent.” I said.

“That is not shocking at all. After all, since then, he keeps defending himself already. He also did the same during the investigation.” She pointed out like it was nothing. “But just a thought, what if he really doesn’t have anything to do about it? I mean… we have been investigating on our own for the past few months, but nothing really links to him.”

“But it doesn’t make him innocent, Astrid. Remember, he was the reason why my brother had to keep forcing himself to do better because our parents kept pressuring him to always reign against him. The only thing that probably lacks is having my parents also pressure my brother to be better looking than that asshole.” I roll my eyes, sarcastically talking.

“So you do admit that he is good looking?” She looks at me with a playful smile, but I can only shake my head with a sigh. “I mean, I can’t blame you. He might be an asshole but that asshole isn’t a casanova for a reason. He does make use of his handsome face and hot body so well.”

A scoff escapes my lips as she speaks about Zachary. However, knowing Astrid, it is not a surprise that she will say a thing. After all, she used to have a crush on him during college. Up to this date, she based her male models on Zachary which is why it is hard to become a model for her brand.

“But tell me, Raerae, when the two of you met at the party, did the two of you talk?” She curiously asked.

“We do.” I let out a sigh as the memory of that night showed up in my mind again. “In fact, we didn’t just talked. We also—”

“Didn’t just talked?!” She raised her voice a bit, making me look around to apologize.

“What the hell, Astrid?!”

“I’m sorry. It wasn’t on purpose.” She laughed awkwardly before apologizing to those around us as well. “What happened? Don’t tell me…”

“Tell you what?”

She sat properly before leaning a bit to get closer to me. “Many say that Zachary has this irresistible charm once he starts to flirt with them. The moment he speaks while coming closer to them, it leads them to the trap. The famous playful trap of the casanova. And whoever fell for it, they will end up making out with him or simply have s*x… a memorable s*x as quoted.” She explained.

I look away, feeling guilty about it. I admit, that night was unexpected yet the moment our body went so close to one another and his gaze locked on mine, I already knew that I fell in his trap yet I can’t even find a way out. When he claimed my lips that night and roamed his hands on my body, I was already going with his flow as if he had me under control.

I was aware of his famous playful trap, yet I wasn’t able to protect myself from it.

“Guess you were contagious of it after all, huh?” She plastered a smirk on her lips, making me want to throw my heel to her.

“We only make out , okay? I am not like those women who actually throw themselves at him and have s*x with him, only for that asshole to forget them the next hours so he can move on to his next target.” I defend myself firmly.

“Maybe it was only a make out for the first time considering how hard it is to really get in your pants. But what about your next meet up?” She raises a brow, like expecting something in return. “I heard he actually owns Metro Crown. The chances of the two of you meeting up more often now is so high. What if he made a move on you?”

I keep my silence for a moment. That is impossible, but at the same time possible. The last time we met, he promised that he will change the way I look or view him but I don’t really know how he will do it. He never told me how, but if his ways of changing how I look at him is trying to flirt with me so he can get in my pants, then I guess my point of view of him will never change anymore.

“I don’t care. No matter what he does, he will still remain the enemy in my eyes.” I look outside, staring at the bright sky. “He knows what happened to my brother, and until I don’t know what it is that he knows, he will stay that way.”

“Okay. I got your point. But you need to remember, Adrianna,” I look at her, only to see her serious face. “We still don’t know how they were together that day and why Zachary insisted to not let the conversation during the investigation be detailed to you properly. You are right that he knows what happened, but we don’t know if it is really him who did something to Tobias.”

I look at her, determined. “And we will know about it soon… I just know it.”

Astrid and I parted ways after I dropped her in her office before I head to my own for a sudden meeting Annalee called me for. I was glad because I received the call just before Astrid and I were about to leave the restaurant so it was good timing as well. However, the bad timing is that the meeting will be with Zachary at present. It means that I have to deal with his presence until the end of it, and thinking about it now already stresses me out.

I arrived in the office after more than half an hour because of the traffic before parking my car and heading inside already. Martha already sent me a message to just head straight to the meeting room with a few reminders of how I should act once I arrived there. Annalee doesn’t know anything about the thing with my brother and Zach, so I really need to be careful and control my anger as much as I can.

“Look who it is! The main star of the Metro Crown Annual Ball.”

A familiar feminine voice made me stop on my track as a sigh escaped my lips. Why does it have to be now? I look to my right where the voice came from only to find Caroline dressed in her v-neck top, which shows her cleavage, tucked on a skirt with a pair of stilettos on. As usual, she has red lipstick on and her hair is tied in ponytail, exposing her bare shoulders.

“What do you want, Caroline?” I timidly asked.

She shrugs her shoulders innocently, but I know well that those are fake. “Have you seen this?” She raises the iPad, showing one particular photo. “What does it feel like to stand next to Zachary Auguste Cuevas?”

The photo shows me having a smile that I remember putting on for an act and Zach having a smirk plastered on his lips while staring down at me. We have a distance between the two of us, but for some reason, even I could feel the tension in that photo even if I was faking my smile. It was like the photo was meant to mislead everyone who sees it.

“How about you try to ask yourself?” I argued with a smile, ready to annoy her. “Oh right! You don’t know the feeling yet.”

I saw how her face showed anger right away and jaw clenched. It doesn’t surprise me now that the first thing she would do upon seeing me after I was gone for a month was trying to get on my nerves and creating an argument to make me look like the bad girl in the building. Caroline has almost had this goal in mind to see me annoyed by something she did and to see me get defeated by her. However, it doesn’t happen because of the opportunities I get, so it just keeps piling on and having her to try on my nerves felt like something normal on a daily basis already.

She controls her expression before putting on a fake smile and putting down the iPad to her side. “I heard you have him invest in your work. Did you do him a favor just to get him to invest?” She tries to argue once more.

She just never learned how to stop.

“Caroline, dear. Even if I do him a favor, I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t just invest in me.” I step closer to her, leaning to her side with a smirk. “But too bad, I am not like you… who spread her legs just to get support from others.”

She suddenly pushed me so hard that I almost stumbled on my heel. “WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!” She shouted.

Just when she was a few inches away from slapping me, a hand suddenly held her wrist, preventing it from moving. When I looked to our side, my eyes widened upon seeing Zach standing there with a serious face on, like he can break Caroline’s wrist easily. On the other hand, Caroline looks scared as he stares down at her with dark eyes.

“Do you know what I hate the most?” Zach says in a deep voice. “Violence.”

“I-I-I… I-I d-didn’t—”

“I don’t care what happened between the two of you, but the last thing I want to see is have my employees fighting one another physically. I hope this will be the last time it happens, understood?” He warned in such a scary tone while looking at Caroline as she could only nod slowly in fear before Zach looked at me. “Is that understood… Ms. Garcia?”

I gulped hard and properly stood up before nodding. “Yes, Mr. Cuevas. Loud and clear.”

“If that is so, then can we start our meeting now?” He let Caroline’s hand go without sparing a glance at her. He only remains looking at me with that blank face on. “We shouldn’t make our client wait, yeah?”

Instead of saying a single word, I only nodded before he turned around and walked away first. I glanced at Caroline, only to see her shooting daggers at me as if it would really kill me any time. I can only sigh in return and keep my silence, leaving her there without any will to argue again. She has already done enough to embarrass the two of us in front of the higher boss, and I am sure that Martha will scold me later already.

How unprofessional, Adrianna!

When I arrived inside the meeting room, my attention immediately went to a familiar face sitting at the right side of the table, dressed in this striped jumpsuit. She has the edge of her hair curled and has a light makeup on, but enough to make her beauty stand out. She has a little tan, dreamy eyes, and thin lips. She also has a well-proportioned body like she can already work under Metro Crown as well. If she likes, she can even replace Caroline!

“Finally! I thought we had to wait longer.” Annalee exclaimed when she saw me. She pulled me with her as we approached the familiar woman yet I can’t remember her name. “Ms. Harriet, this is Adrianna, our top model and the one who will be taking part for the first project of your brand.”

I extended my hand with a sincere smile as she did the same. “Hello, Ma’am. I am Adrianna Garcia. Thank you for choosing me to be your model.” I softly said.

“Well, someone said that I should choose the best model,” If I wasn’t wrong, I think she secretly glanced towards the direction where Zach is before looking at me again. “So I might as well give it a go!”

“I promise to amaze you, Ma’am.” I said.

“She does, and she will, Ms. Harriet!” Annalee exclaimed, looking so confident. “Adrianna, this the owner and CEO of HM Cosmetics, Ms. Harriet Michelle Cuevas.”

For a moment, I felt myself freeze in my spot upon hearing her full name. My brows raise a bit as I stare at her more closely. However, the more I stare at her beautiful face, the more I see the resemblance.

“C-Cuevas?” I stammer.

“Yes, Ms. Garcia. Cuevas.” Zach butted in, draping his arm to Ms. Harriet’s shoulder. “Ms. Harriet here is my youngest sister… and I also turned out to be the one who recommended you to her.”

“WHAT?!”