Wednesdays with the CEO (English) COMPLETED

Chapter 8 - The New Boss

Wednesday stared blankly at the computer screen. It’s been two hours after that unbelievable encounter with Iyanna Salvador followed by Lowell Sebastian’s sudden job offer, which she ruthlessly declined. It was one hell of an experience, until now she had to remind herself that everything was real.

She palmed her face in frustration. Was that the right thing to do? Aspiring writers like her would kill just to be given a chance to experience working inside the prestigious SMU Publishing. Although the young CEO did offer to train her instead, she can’t help but still feel guilty about it.

“What have you gotten yourself into, Wednesday?” She mumbled and shook her head.

“Wendy,” Cassie whispered to call her attention. Her colleague was seated right across her table, hence she had to lean closer to hear what she was going to say. “Did you see the email?”

“Email?”

“Yes, about the new management. Starting tomorrow, Mortel Malls Incorporated will acquire our company.”

Upon hearing that, her eyes widened. She quickly turned to look back at her computer screen. Seeing the email header with her own eyes, her heart almost sank. A trace of dismay crossed her face, she was kind of hoping that the gossip she’d heard at the restroom earlier wasn’t true. She can’t afford to lose her job now, especially not after she declined Lowell’s offer.

“Thank God they’re not firing us.” Another colleague beside her exclaimed with a sigh of relief.

Wednesday can’t help but do the same as she scanned through the email. Apparently, the new management intends to maintain the current structure of their company. Only some higher ups will be replaced, but there’ll be change in work schedules for each team.

“I’ll take the Saturday off.” Ella announced and everyone went silent - baffled at how brazen she was. But as usual, no one stood up against her. After that, they ended up choosing which days they intend to take.

“Who will take Wednesdays off?” She heard someone asked, and everyone titled their heads toward her direction.

She shrugged and voluntarily raised her hand in defeat. Everyone laughed. Yeah, Wednesday should take Wednesdays off. With that thought, she was instantly reminded of Lowell’s offer.

See you on Wednesday, Wednesday. Was it a coincidence? Now that she’s free every Wednesday of the week, she’s got no other excuse to decline.

The day went faster than she thought. Her mind was filled with worries on how she’ll deal with Lowell. The fact that she doesn’t know the exact time he’ll call in the next two days makes her more anxious.

Amidst walking towards the bus stop, her phone rang. She lazily pulled it out of her bag and answered the call without looking at who it was. “Hello?

“Wendy!” That thin and high-pitched voice brought her senses back on the earth’s surface.

“Rosey.” She didn’t need to think, only her best friend Primrose would squeal like that upon answering the phone.

“You need to help me.”

“Let me guess,” Wednesday said in a condescending tone. “Your step-mother arranged a marriage partner for you again? And you need to go on a date with another stranger.”

“Yes.” Primrose confirmed right away, followed by fake sobs. She’d known this girl for as long as she could remember, there’s no way she’ll fall victim to her crocodile tears.

“Well then, why don’t you give it a try?”

“Wendy!” She shouted. Wednesday briefly distanced the phone from her ear in fear of going deaf.

“Okay, sorry.” She apologized and sighed. “But I already told you last time, didn’t I? I can’t keep on being your stand-in.”

“This will be the last one, I promise.” Her friend pleaded, she could almost imagine her blinking innocently in front of her with gleaming eyes. “I’ll take you to Palau on Christmas break, how about that?”

She wanted to refuse but she had no energy left to argue and carry on with this conversation. Here’s to another person who generously throws offers without considering the discomfort it’ll cause her. But she’ll let it pass, it’s not like Primrose will stop bugging her about it. This friend of hers is just too stubborn.

“Who is it this time?”

“I don’t know. Just another guy who owns a conglomerate business, I guess. That woman is just too impatient to send me off.” Primrose said angrily.

“So, do I tell him that you prefer adventurous guys like always?”

“A-huh, that’s enough to get ‘em running.” It’s ironic, but she’s not wrong. Wednesday has done this three times now and not one of those rich men stayed after uttering those words.

“Okay, just text me the place. When’s the date?”

“Two days from now. Saturday, 10AM.”

She ended that call with a lot in mind. Two days from now, she’ll be on a blind date for her friend and anxiously waiting for Lowell’s call at the same time. Just thinking about all of it makes her want to curve into a ball and disappear in thin air.

The following day went by in a haste. She was so distracted that even finishing her report seemed impossible. Before she knew it, two days had passed. The lady found herself in front of her closet, contemplating if she’ll get dolled up for her friend’s date or not.

“Would it be rude to show up in jeans?” She frowned while looking at her reflection in the mirror.

No matter how many times she told herself that she shouldn’t bother dressing up, her conscience just wouldn’t let her do that. Given the fact that she’s there to waste a man’s time, the date’s venue was a high-end Japanese restaurant. With the mind of a decent person, she decided to put on a blue floral pencil cut dress.

“Wen-wen, where are you going?” The seven-year-old Logan tugged her hand with a long face. Her little brother looked like he was about to cry so Wednesday decided to carry him up to her arms.

“I’ll be back after lunch, don’t worry.” She smiled and pinched his cheek. “Where’s Mason?”

Logan points his index finger outside the room. She was immediately alerted because their parents were on an out of town trip while Avery was most likely asleep after night duty at her part-time job.

She ran towards the kitchen in panic. A sigh of relief escaped her mouth when she saw Mason peacefully standing near the dinner table. Upon putting down Logan in a chair, her brows slightly furrowed. She noticed that the youngest of the twins has his eyes shut.

“Mason?” She called but the child remained silent.

Stepping in closer, realization quickly dawn into her. Mason was sleepwalking again. She sighed and scooped his tiny body to her arms.

“Logan, come.” She lent her other hand for him to hold, which the oldest of the twin took without complaints. “So this is why you’re crying?”

Logan nodded in the middle of thumb-sucking and little sobs. She smiled to soothe him. “You did a good job. Let’s go and I’ll put you back to sleep.”

“What happened?” Avery, who just stepped out of her room, looked at them in confusion. “Mason did it again?”

“Yes, thankfully Logan came and alerted me.”

Avery sighed in relief while taking Mason from her. “I’ll take care of them today.”

“You sure? Aren’t you tired?”

Her older sister snorted at her question. “I’m not on a graveyard shift tonight so it'll be fine. Go on. Your date must be waiting.”

“It’s not a date, Avery.” She insisted but Avery just winked. Before she could mouth her protest, her sister started marching away with the twins. “Text me if you need help, okay?”

“Okay. Just scram already.”

Wednesday stopped on her tracks in front of the restaurant’s entrance. She took a deep breath and checked out her reflection over the glass door. She took out her phone to scan the picture that Primrose sent her last night as she walked inside.

Sander Mortel. She rolled her eyes, baffled that her friend only gave her a name and picture to get through this situation. The place was lit in romantic dim lights, decorated by vintage-style lanterns and cherry blossoms paintings. The fact that there were only a few people dining inside makes her more at ease. It’ll be bearable if even a scene breaks out, which she desperately wishes not to happen.

“Table for how many, ma’am?” A waitress dressed in kimono approached Wednesday.

She gave off an awkward smile as she was caught off guard by the sudden question. “Is there a reservation under the name Sander Mortel?”

“Oh, this way please.” The woman immediately responded, gesturing towards a secluded hallway.

She followed in silence but briefly felt intrigued that the waitress didn’t have to check the records after she said the name of Primrose’s date. There’s a tiny voice inside her head whispering that she might get into big trouble this time.

Her thoughts were put on hold as the traditional Japanese-style room divider opened. Seated in a wooden chair was a man dressed in white long sleeves tucked in black faded jeans and dirty white boat shoes. His slightly overgrown hair was tied up in a man bun, revealing his thick and well-defined eyebrows.

Wednesday looked down to scan her appearance. Compared to him, she’s definitely overdressed for the occasion. Confusion slowly crept into the man’s face while looking at her. She was about to explain herself but he took a loud sip of tea as if purposely interrupting her.

“So, the rumor was true.” Sander nonchalantly placed a hand inside his pocket, crossed a leg, and mockingly gazed at her.

“Pardon?” She managed to utter.

At this point, she’s not quite sure on how to react. She remained still with her fingers clutching the decorative lace attached at the tip of her dress. Out of all the men Primrose was set-up with, this man was definitely less formal but more intimidating. And he’s probably the youngest of the three.

“Why don’t you have a seat first? And let’s hear how Ms. Dia prefers adventurous men?” He smirked as her eyes widened.

“Relax. This rumor has been circling around for some time now, that’s why I’m not surprised to see a different face.” His tone was calm and reassuring. He must’ve noticed the change of reaction on the lady’s face.

“I-If so, then can I go now?” She bit her lip, anxious that he might get offended yet his expression was indecipherable. “Since you’re aware of what I’m going to say, I didn’t want to waste any more of your time - “

“But you already did.” He said in a polite manner. Wednesday almost took a step back when he stood up and pulled out a chair for her to sit on.

“Please have a seat. Since we already wasted each other’s time, why don’t you join me for lunch? It’s almost lunchtime and frankly, I’m starving.”

She glanced at her wristwatch and then turned back to look at Sander. He was innocently blinking and waiting for her response.

“Sure, but I can’t stay for long. I have prior engagements.” Wednesday exclaimed with a sigh. Finally giving in, she sat on the chair he offered.

“Don’t worry, this won’t be long.” Her spidey-senses tingle at his vague statement. She threw a suspicious look towards him and he burst on soft laughter.

“You are one distrustful girl, aren’t you?” The man commented, shaking his head in amusement.

“Don’t worry, I have no ill intentions. I just need to spend a bit of time inside this restaurant so that everyone will think that I actually went on a date.”

He glanced at the waitress at the slightly opened door and nodded. “Please bring in the food.”

“So, going on this date was that important?”

“May I remind you that this is a date for a potential marriage partner, Miss…” He paused and stared at her intently. “How should I address you, Ms. Dia’s substitute?”

“A-Ah,” Wednesday averted her gaze in panic. “Just call me Adelia.”

Sander snorted. “How bold of you to give me a fake name, Ms. Adelia.”

She cleared her throat loudly to hide her embarrassment. Luckily, the waitress came back with a tray full of food. She laid a long rectangular wooden plate in front of them with different kinds of sushi neatly placed on top.

“So tell me, how many times have you done this?”

“This?”

“Being a stand-in for Ms. Primrose Dia.” He said and scooped pieces of sushi into her plate.

“A few times, but I wouldn’t call it being a stand-in.” Although, technically it is. She whispered in her head.

“Then, what do you want to call it?” Sander asked in a condescending tone.

“Doing a favor for a friend?” Wednesday jabbed back. Her eyebrow raised when he looked unconvinced at her answer.

He took a bite and glanced in the middle of chewing his food. “Sure, but don’t you gain anything out of doing her a favor?”

This time, the red flags raised around this guy were too many to ignore. She’s aware that he was luring her to get more information. The strange intimidation she felt earlier isn’t just a gut feeling after all. She placed her palm under the table and was able to grab on something in the shape of a device.

Her eyes shut in frustration for a moment. How could she forget that Primrose was a rich politician’s daughter? Being a target of this kind of tactic must be a normal day for her friend. She’s not surprised, but probably a little caught off guard.

“Well played, Mr. Mortel.” Wednesday grabbed the audio recording device from underneath and slammed it with force in front of her. Without a word, she took a fork to completely crush it with no mercy.

After being sure that it’s ravaged, she threw it inside her bag and rose from her seat. She was about to walk towards the door, but she stopped on her tracks and took a deep breath.

“How feisty.”

He sounded so arrogant that Wednesday wanted to turn around and smack the s**t out of him. But she couldn't see what's the use of doing that. Her anger was interrupted by a vibration from the phone in her purse.

"Hello?" She answered the call without looking.

"Are you enjoying your date, Ms. Curtis?" The familiar commanding voice from the other end of the line stopped her from stepping out of the room.

"Are you surprised? I told you I'll be the one to call right?" She finally gasped at his confirmation. It's Lowell Sebastian!

"But how did you - "

"Look outside."

Wednesday turned to look at the glass window near the table she was seated earlier. Sander noticed that she was gazing outside so he turned to look too.

Across the artificial koi pond with small bamboo decorations and the busy sidewalk, Alexiel stood beside a car. From the lowered passenger's seat window, Lowell can be seen staring right back at her.

He was holding his phone next to his ear and his lips traced a mischievous smile. "I didn't know you're acquainted with such influential people."

"Influential? What do you mean?"

"Isn't that Messi Mortel? President of Mortel Malls Inc.?"

Wednesday's mouth dropped open as she shifted her eyes towards Sander who's now looking at her with a confused face. What was that? President of Mortel Malls Incorporated? Her company's - no - her new boss?