Wednesdays with the CEO (English) COMPLETED

Chapter 6 - The Wednesday Offer

    Wednesday broke into a sweat. Her hands were stiffly placed above her knee. The pounding of her heart was deafening and uncontrollably fast. She gulped as Iyanna Salvador finished ordering food and turned to look at her direction. 

    “How about you, Ms. Curtis? What would you like to eat?” Iyanna gently smiled when she built the courage to tilt her head up and meet her gaze. “You don’t have to be cautious around me. I’m the one who owes you something.”

    She blinked several times in an attempt to understand her mysterious comment. Her eyebrows furrowed while handing the menu to the waiter.  “I’ll have what she’s having.” 

    Wednesday shifted her eyes back at Iyanna when the waiter stepped away after repeating their order. For some reason, the easy-going air around her and her nonchalant gestures were too familiar. Not just because she often sees her on TV, but it almost felt as if she met someone similar to the vibe she’s giving off.

    “You owe me something?” She carefully mouthed what she’d just said. 

    Iyanna’s smile widened while nodding. “You see, I have some confessions to make.”

    “Confessions?” It seems like all she could do now was to repeat after her words because she still couldn’t comprehend where this conversation was going.

    The actress and owner of JYBC Station pursed her lips and drew a deep breath.”To be honest, I was the one who switched up your manuscript.”

    “Sorry?” Wednesday remained puzzled over her statement. She paused and tried to think about what she’d just heard. “I don’t understand what you mean - “

    “My son probably threw a fit after what I did.” Iyanna cuts in and chuckles. She took a sip of water for a brief moment before continuing on, “Even if he’s like that, please know that he means no harm. It was my mistake to mix you up in our issues. I was so captivated by your novel that I thought my son would change his views if he’d read it but - “

    “Wait a minute,” She raised her palm mid-air to stop her from talking. Her brows were knitted together amid the situation she’s trying to comprehend. 

    Wednesday scanned Iyanna’s visage once again. Another minute passed before she finally grasped what’s happening. That haughty appearance! There’s no denying how similar they looked now that the possibility crossed her mind.

    “Y-Your son is... “ Her mouth gaped open, she can’t even start to mention his name.

    “Yes, Ms. Curtis. It’s Lowell Sebastian, my son, and the CEO of Sign Me Up! Publishing.” Iyanna confirmed as she rested her chin over her palm and giggled softly. “Judging from how you scanned my face, I guess my son and I do look alike.”

    She nodded earnestly in agreement. “It’s uncanny, but you look too young. That’s why I got confused.”

    Amused by her compliment, Iyanna grabbed her hand in delight. “You really think so? I knew it, my Lowell definitely got his good looks from me.” she proudly exclaimed, followed by a mirthful laugh. 

    Wednesday joined her laughter awkwardly. Now that the introduction’s over, she wasn’t sure how to react. A few days after her unbelievable scuffle with Lowell, here she is again - getting tangled and involved. With that thought, she slowly took her hands away from her tight grasp.

    She cleared her throat to gather her scattered thoughts. “I don’t mean to intervene, but I don’t think Mr. Sebastian would be pleased if he found out about you meeting me in private.”

    “Eh,” Iyanna’s eyes narrowed. The corner of her lips moved upward, suggesting curiosity. “You’re worried about how he would feel?”

    “I-It’s not that. I just feel uncomfortable being involved in his personal life.” she hurriedly explained and averted her gaze to hide the reddening of her face. 

    Iyanna was about to tease her some more but their conversation was interrupted by the sudden chatters and whispers inside the restaurant. Wednesday’s eyes wandered to the direction of the glass door where everyone’s sight was locked. 

    She gasped upon recognizing the two gentlemen that stepped inside. Panic started to creep in her system as they walked towards the direction of their table. If she could, she wanted to disappear from this scene once and for all. She cupped the exposed side of her face and met Iyanna’s gaze. 

    “Looks like I got caught.” The actress pouted as disappointment crossed her lovely face. 

    Lowell stopped his tracks in front of them, behind him was Alexiel whose face was visibly distressed. The mother and son duo exchanged cold gazes in the middle of unnerving silence. It goes on for a minute or two until he breaks out into a deep sigh while pressing the back of his neck with his fingers.

    “Can we talk outside?” he asked dryly as if he’s forced to do so. The man managed to maintain a poker face, but even Wednesday can feel that he’s pissed. The smug air around him made chills crawl up her spine.

    “Sure, why don’t you and Alexiel join us for lunch?” Iyanna was noticeably carefree and unbothered by her son’s obvious suppressed rage. She reached out for Wednesday’s hand and held it up. “You see, I’m having a wonderful time talking with this beautiful and bright lady.”

    Wednesday flinched and sat upright when Lowell’s sharp gaze shifted to her direction. She gulped, silently praying that he didn’t misunderstand the situation. There’s no way she’ll rattle him out with the information she possesses.

     “Ms. Curtis, I’m sorry about this but can you go with my assistant and wait for me in the car?” For some reason, his words sounded absolute to her. He was oozing with dominance that she was at a loss of words. 

    Alexiel led her inside a car that was parked outside the restaurant. From the passenger’s seat, she could see Lowell and Iyanna stepping out of the building. At first, they seem to be just talking but the look at Lowell’s face suggests that it’s not going well. They seem to be arguing, which made her feel uneasy. Her eyes circled around the area as she remembered that the SMU chairman was often swamped and tailed by reporters. 

    “Don’t worry, the security team cleared the area,” Alexiel said when he noticed the discomfort in her face. He was in the front seat and eyeing the situation.

    “Ah, I see.”

    “It's nice to see you again, Ms. Curtis.” Their gazes met through the rearview mirror. His smile gave away a mysterious context, she can’t really tell if he’s teasing her or she just became delusional at this point.

    “Y-yes, how have you been?” Wednesday smiled as casually as possible. She didn’t want to sound indifferent, especially because their last meeting ended in bad taste. 

    “I’m great. Thanks to you everyone got to relax for a while.” Alexiel gleefully exclaimed. “Although that ends today.”

    “Thanks to me?” she asked, confused. 

    "I'd love to elaborate some more but," His eyes shifted back outside the car. "I can't afford another salary deduction."

    Unable to comprehend his words, Wednesday shrugged her shoulders and looked back at the sight of Lowell and Iyanna. The young man wore a defeated face as his mother continued on talking. After mouthing a few words, he turned his back and started walking towards the direction of the car.

    Before she knew it, he’s already seated right beside her inside the car. She leaned opposite his direction to impose a safe distance between them. With her hands clasped neatly above her knees, she anxiously awaits for him to break the ice. 

    From the rearview mirror, she could also notice how wary Alexiel was while taking a peek at his boss’ facial expression. Just when he was about to mouth words, a knock from the car’s window almost made Wednesday jump off her seat. When she turned to take a look and Iyanna’s beaming face frightened her even more. 

    She tilts her head to see Lowell’s reaction, but the man was already palming his face. Not keen about what to do, she pressed a button to roll the window down. “Y-yes?”

    “I just want to thank you for spending time with me today, Ms. Curtis,” Iyanna exclaimed and threw a snide glance at her son. “Although it was cut short because a certain someone’s being a spoilsport.”

    “A-Ah, it’s okay. I had fun talking to you too - “ She paused for a while, unsure of what to call her. 

    “You can just call me Iyanna.” The woman willingly suggested and handed out a calling card. “If that foolish son of mine threatens you in any way, feel free to contact me.”

    From the corner of her eyes, she could see the young CEO of SMU Publishing sighing and rolling his eyes.  Wednesday tried to give off an awkward smile as she accepted the piece of paper from Iyanna’s hands. “O-okay, Iyanna. Thank you.”

    “Goodbye for now. I’m sure I'll see you again very soon.” A glint of excitement filled the actress’ eyes before walking away with her bodyguards trailing behind her.

    “Very soon?” she muttered to herself as her brows furrowed. Does that mean she’ll drop by her office again? That idea alone makes her feel uneasy. 

    Silence triumphs inside the car once again. Wednesday tapped her wristwatch. It has been twenty minutes since Iyanna left and not a single word came out of Lowell’s mouth. She kept clearing her throat in hopes of stirring a conversation. 

    “If it’s okay,” she turned to glance at Lowell but was taken aback when she realized that he was already looking at her. “C-Can I go now?” He didn’t respond right away, making her rush into an explanation. “I-I mean, lunch break is almost over. I need to go back and work or else - “

    “And what if I say no?” He cuts in with a smirk as the corner of his lips moved upward.

    Unlike before, Wednesday wasn’t flustered at his playful antics. The lady simply crossed her arms and raised a brow. “What makes you think that you can say no?”

    Alexiel almost choked upon hearing her response. Lowell, on the other hand, chuckled softly. The grim look on his face lately slowly fades away. She secretly admired how contrasting his expressions were. One moment he’s intimidating and sneering with his sharp eyes, now he’s oozing with charm as he laughed. 

    “Alex, can you give us a minute? I need to talk to Ms. Curtis privately,” he exclaimed and met his assistant’s gaze through the rearview mirror.     

    “Can’t I stay? I’ll be quiet, I promise.” Alexiel pleaded with puppy eyes. Wednesday held back her laughter by pursing her lips. It’s not every day that she got to see a grown man acting cute in front of his boss. 

    When Lowell noticed her delight, she quickly averted her eyes. He sighed and ran his fingers through his brows. “Cut the crap, Alex. We’re running out of time, she needs to go back.” 

    Defeated, the disappointed assistant pouted. “I’ll be outside, let me know if you need anything.” He exclaimed before stepping out of the car.

    “First of all,” He touched his nape and drew a deep breath. “I’d like to apologize. You’ve been dragged into this issue for way too long. I’m sure it has inconvenienced you in many ways.”

“Well, it’s not like you planned it. You don’t have to apologize.” 

    “Still, I have to. My mother..” Lowell stopped talking, exhaled, and contained his arising frustration. As if just the thought of Iyanna infuriates him. “I might’ve stopped her today but I’m sure she’ll continue to bug you.”

    “I wouldn’t call it bugging,” Wednesday recalled Iyanna’s beaming face and forced laughter. “I think she’s just really worried about you.”

    For a moment, she thought she saw hesitation crossing Lowell’s face but he shrugged his shoulders and spoke again. “Anyway, I’d like to compensate you for all the trouble.”

    The lady’s eyes widened and waved her hands to show her refusal to the impending offer. “Y-you don’t have to. I wasn’t really that bothered, I don’t need any compensation.”

    The young man shook his head. “To tell you the truth, I’ve taken an interest in you ever since our conversation last weekend.” With his small smile, her discomfort was immediately chased away. Iyanna’s visage briefly crossed her mind, in awe of how uncanny their resemblance was. She unknowingly became dazed as they continued to stare at each other.

    “Although some of it was out of context, I liked how detailed you were in your book interpretations. ” His eyes gleamed in anticipation. “So, how about joining SMU? I can place you in the editing team as a trainee until you get the hang of things.”

    “Joining SMU?” she managed to mutter despite being distracted. And when his words slowly sank to her, she regained her senses. “Are you offering me a job?”

    “Yes,” Lowell confirmed without hesitation. 

    Wednesday bit her lip and slowly shifted her gaze down her knees. She remained in deep thought for a minute until she finally tucked her hair behind an ear and turned to look at him again.

    “Thank you for your generous offer, Mr. Sebastian.” she softly said and smiled as a sign of her appreciation. “But I’m afraid I have to decline.”

    Puzzled by her refusal, the man’s head tilted to a side as he examined her expression.  “May I ask why?”

    “It’s just that... I don’t want to gain anything for this.” She clasped her hands tightly out of disgust. “If I’ll be advancing in my writing career anytime in the near future, I want it to happen with my own efforts. And in all honesty, I dislike people who use connections to get ahead.”

    Lowell cleared his throat. He pressed his lips together to hide his amusement. And when he couldn’t take it anymore, he threw his head back into a burst of sincere laughter. The lady watched him in confusion. 

    “You’re an odd person, Wednesday Curtis,” he exclaimed after collecting his senses. 

    “You’re the odd one.” Wednesday insisted and scratched the back of her head. “We just met a few days ago and now you’re offering me a job.”

    “What’s so odd about that? In a normal hiring process, I’ll only meet an applicant once then I’ll decide if they’ll be hired or not.” 

    “That’s not what I mean.”

    “Then, what do you mean?” Lowell asked and blinked in confusion. 

    “I just don’t feel comfortable getting favors from you after we..” Wednesday glowed red after that ridiculous memory crossed her mind. She momentarily shut her eyes due to embarrassment.

    “Ah, I see. You’re still bothered by that,” he exclaimed in a condescending tone amidst a sudden understanding of what she meant.  

    “No, I’m not.” Flustered, her voice unintentionally went up. 

    The young man snickered at her reaction. “Yeah, sure.” He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. “If that’s the case, how about I give you some writing lessons?”

    “Writing lessons?”

    “You can think of me as a literary agent who’s interested in honing your skills.” 

    “So, you’re offering to train me?” Her forehead wrinkled. It’s not that she doesn’t want it, but he’s Lowell Sebastian - chairman and CEO of a famous publishing company. Why would he offer her such terms? 

    “I usually have a vacant schedule every Wednesday of the week. You can come by and I’ll have Alex arrange a fixed time for our lessons,” he said instead of answering her question. 

    “I’ll give you two days to decide. Tell me about your decision then.” He added before she could mutter any word.

    “W-wait, how do I tell you? Through your assistant’s num - “

    “No, I’ll be the one to call.” Lowell chiseled in. His overflowing confidence was written all over his face. 

    “What?”

    “Lunch break’s over. You have to go.” He raised his wristwatch to show her the time. “See you on Wednesday, Wednesday.”

    Her mouth gaped open. For some reason, that phrase made her cringe.