The Secret Admirer

Chapter 7: Moving Out and Moving On

WHEN I arrived at the PharmaCo office, I met Hannah, the HR manager I was communicating with through email. She led me to a conference room and welcomed me to the company. She gave me the employment contract and asked me to read it before signing. If I had any questions relating to salary, benefits, rules and procedures, she can answer them. She’ll be introducing me later to the Sales Director who will brief me on the job description so he can answer my questions about that.

I read the contract, and it was boiler-plate. I had some clarifications, which Hannah was able to address. I signed the contract once I’ve finished reading it twice. The pay was more than I was anticipating, since Hannah said that the management felt I needed more motivation to finally jump ship. She was still telling me about the company policies when the doctor to the conference room opened and a very good-looking man came in. I was mesmerized and for a moment I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

Good-Looking Man: “Good morning ladies, I’m sorry I’m late. I just got off a meeting.”

Hannah: “It’s okay, you’re here now. I’d like you to meet Ms. Vanessa Mae Abella. She’ll be joining your sales team as the Strategic Manager. Vanessa, this is Mr. Gabriel Mariano, he’s the Director in-charge of the sales team.”

Gabriel was smiling while looking at me and I can’t seem to move or say anything. Why did he have to be so good-looking? I was saved from making a complete fool of myself  when Gabriel’s phone rang. He excused himself and apologized as he said he had to take the call.

As he stepped out of the room, my jaw dropped and I still can’t believe I will be reporting under that gorgeous man.

Hannah: “I know. He’s yummy, right?”

Vanessa: “Excuse me?”

Hannah: “Mr. Mariano has been the subject of every woman's and a few men’s  fantasies in the office since he started working here. Too bad he’s a bit aloof and doesn’t interact with the employees outside the office. But we can all dream, right?”

I chuckled as Hannah seemed to have read my mind.

Vanessa: “Well, I don’t want to complicate my life by getting involved in an office relationship. Besides, he’s going to be my boss, so it would be inappropriate.”

Hannah: “Still, he’s yummy isn’t he?”

Vanessa: “He is, he really is.”

Hannah and I were laughing when Gabriel made his way back into the room.

Gabriel: “So, what did I miss.”

Hannah: “Uhm,  I was just telling Ms. Abella, that interoffice relationship is seriously frowned upon in the company.”

Gabriel: “That’s right. You could get fired. Besides, it’s not a good idea to entangle your personal life with your professional life. It wouldn’t end well for everyone.”

Vanessa: “I agree.”

Gabriel: “So, Ms. Abella, would you care to join me in my office?”

I got up and thanked Hannah as I left the conference room to walk with Gabriel. Hannah kept giving me a naughty smile as I bid her goodbye.

Before moving to PharmaCo, I made a vow to myself that I wouldn’t get involved in office romance anymore. I don’t want a repeat of what happened with Ron. I had to leave my job just to escape that nightmare. I want to stay in this job as long as I can. I would like to someday move up and become the sales director or even the president of the company.

As we were walking towards Gabriel’s office, he made some small talk.

Gabriel: “How tall are you?”

I was surprised as Gabriel asked me this question. I wasn’t expecting him to ask anything personal because he struck me as the strictly business type of boss.

Vanessa: “I’m 5’7”. I’m wearing 4-inch heels so I’m almost 6 feet tall today.”

Gabriel: “Are you a beauty queen or a model.”

Vanessa: “I did some modeling when I was younger. I haven’t done it in a while and have been in the pharmaceutical industry for 5 years now.”

Gabriel looked me up from head to toe. It made me a little uncomfortable because he’s my boss. If he was anybody else, I would have jumped his bones by now. He’s just so good-looking.

Gabriel: “Are you married or in a relationship?”

Vanessa: “Uhm, no to both. I just broke up with my boyfriend of 5 years. I used to work with him in my previous company. Believe me Mr. Mariano, I know it’s not a good idea to entangle your personal life with your professional life. I’ve lived it. I don’t want a repeat of that.”

Gabriel: “Are you sure?”

Vanessa: “Positive.”

Gabriel: “I got you.”

Gabriel stayed quiet for the duration of our walk towards his office. He made a few comments about the different areas in the office, and gave me a quick tour of the area where the sales team is located. I noticed some women stealing glances at Gabriel as he walked me through the office.. When we got to his office, he did brief me on the PharmaCo sales force vision and mission.

I had the impression that Gabriel runs a tight ship, and he’s probably the reason why the company has been leading in sales. I was impressed by how he manages the team, and I look forward to working with him.

Once he’s finished with his pitch, he asks if I have any questions. Aside from a few clarifications, everything else seemed in order. I thanked him for his time and as I got, he reached his hand over. As I shook it, I felt electricity run through my body, pretty much the same way as it did when I shook Ron’s hand for the first time.

Oh crap.

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I left Gabriel’s office right away. Aside from still having other things to do for the day, I don’t want to entertain the idea of starting something with my boss. Maybe for now I should just abstain from men in general. I’m still messed up from my former relationship and I know that getting romantically involved with one’s boss is a bad bad idea. I shouldn’t even consider it.

I tried to forget about my good-looking boss by busying myself into looking at prospective apartments to live in. I met with Jasmine, the realtor and she showed me pictures of some properties I might be interested in.

For now, I need a space to rent which should be around 30 minutes or less away from the office. I also want something spacious with at least least two bedrooms and bathrooms. It also has to be within my budget.

Jasmine showed me some condo units on her computer that are near the office. Some are even within walking distance. The problem is, those that meet my space specifications are too expensive, while those that are within my budget are too small. She said that the rents are high since the units are inside the commercial district. Aside from rent, I also have to think about paying the utilities. It’s just too much for me.

Jasmine then asked if I will be driving to and from the office, and I said yet. Part of the benefits that come with the job is a company car. When she heard my response, she went back to her computer and looked for something. Once she found it, she had me look at the computer monitor and made her pitch.

Jasminer: “Take a look at this Ms. Abella. Since you’ll be driving, we have an available property for rent inside a subdivision located within 30 minutes of your office. It’s a townhouse, with three bedrooms and 2 baths. It’s located inside a quiet subdivision. It’s within your price range and available right now. What do you think?”

I looked at the pictures of the townhouse that Jasmine is showing me. The house looks nice and is pretty spacious. I particularly like the kitchen. I love to cook so this is a plus factor for me. I also like that there are spare bedrooms that my parents can sleep in when they visit me.

Vanessa: “Does the house come with furnishings?”

Jasmine: “It has been semi-furnished since the owner recently migrated abroad. There’s already beds in two of the bedrooms, a couch, a dining table and chairs, refrigerator and a gas stove.”

The price is very reasonable for the space and inclusions. Of all the properties we looked at, this one really interested me.

Vanessa: “Can I see it?”

Jasmine: “Yes, we can. Can you come back in an hour? We can go there together.”

Vanessa: “Of course. I’ll see you then.”

I decided to go to a coffee shop near the realtor’s office to pass the time. I didn’t want to return to the hotel and come back since it will take more than an hour just to travel. I ordered an iced macchiato and a slice of cheesecake and took a seat in the corner. I took my phone and decided to call my mom.

Mom: “Hello.”

Vanessa: “Hi mom, how’s it going? I just signed the employment contract and I’m about to look at a townhouse unit that I can move into.”

Mom: “So it’s really happening. You’re moving away from us.”

My mom got sensitive and started crying when I told her of my plans. She calmed down a little when I told her my situation with Ron. She understood why I needed to move away for now, but was still sad because I’m an only child and I’ve never been away from home for too long.

Vanessa: “Mom, we’ve talked about this. You can visit me anytime. There’s an extra bedroom for you and dad to sleep in when you do.”

Mom: “I just can’t believe that you won’t be living with us anymore. We’re going to miss you.”

Vanessa: “I’m going to miss the both of you too as well.”

Mom: “By the way, Ron came by again. He brought flowers. We didn’t come out of the house and just had the maid talk to him. He insisted on leaving the flowers and begged to say where you are. Nita (the maid) doesn’t know where you are, so she can’t really say anything.”

Vanessa: “I’m sorry he keeps bothering you. He’ll get tired of it eventually.”

Mom: “Don’t worry about it honey. All we want is for you to be happy.”

After a few more small talks, I said goodbye to my mom and promised to send pictures of the house I will be moving into. I smiled as I ended the call. I was browsing through my phone when I heard a familiar voice call me out.

Familiar voice: “Ms. Abella?”

I looked up and I saw my boss smiling at me while holding a coffee.

Vanessa: “Uhm, Mr. Mariano, hi.”

Gabriel: “Can I join you?”

Vanessa: “Of course you can. Please, take a seat.”

He took a seat across from me and put his coffee down on the table. He was still smiling and I noticed he has a dimple on his left cheek. Damn, hot just got hotter.

Gabriel: “What are you doing here? Are you waiting for someone?”

Vanessa: “Oh, I’m just killing some time. I’m meeting my realtor in about half an hour to look at a townhouse where I can move into when I start the job at PharmaCo.”

Gabriel: “Do you live far from here?”

Vanessa: “Well, it’s a plane ride away, so I guess you can consider that far.”

Gabriel: “Wow, I didn’t know that. So you’re not just moving jobs, but moving houses as well. That’s quite an adjustment.”

Vanessa: “It sure is. I won’t have issues adjusting. It’s my parents I’m worried about. I’m an only child, so it’s hard for them to accept that I’m moving away from home.”

Gabriel: “That’s true. I moved away from home when I went to college, and have been living on my own since. The hardest adjustment I had to make was to learn how to cook. I couldn't even fry an egg when I moved out, but now I can make gourmet dishes.”

Vanessa: “Wow, how did you manage to learn that?”

Gabriel: “Honestly, I took cooking lessons. I’m getting tired of ordering out, so I learned to make the dishes that I wanted to eat.”

Vanessa: “Well, learning new skills is I guess one of the benefits of living independently.”

Gabriel: “So true.”

Vanessa: “So, Mr. Mariano, I hope you don’t mind me asking, how old are you? I’m just curious because the sales director in my previous company is in his 50’s and I think you’re only a few years older than me.”

Gabriel: “I’m 30 years old. If you’re wondering how I got to where I am being that young, the answer is it’s because I got lucky. I came into the company when they were struggling and they needed new blood to revitalize their sales strategy. As it happens, I had a lot of new ideas which they adapted, and when they succeeded, I got promoted. I kept coming up with ideas and kept getting promoted until the previous sales director retired.”

Vanessa: “So you were responsible for PharmaCo being number 1 in sales for the past 10 years.”

Gabriel: “I guess so. I ruffled a lot of feathers when I became sales director. I passed over a lot of tenured employees and they made it difficult for me to succeed. I overcame it, and they eventually moved on to another company or came to my side when they saw how dedicated I was in my job.”

Vanessa: “That’s very inspiring Mr. Mariano. I hope I can achieve the same success you’ve had.”

Gabriel: “You can. Just never lose the drive and motivation. And please, just call me Gabriel. We’re outside the office anyway.”

Vanessa: “Okay Gabriel, and you can call me Vanessa.”

My phone pinged at that moment and I saw a message from Jasmine asking if I was ready to go. I totally forgot about her and really enjoyed chatting with Gabriel. I replied that I’m on my way back to her office and I’m just a few minutes away.

Vanessa: “I’m sorry Gabriel, I have to go. It was nice talking to you. I’ll see you when I start in the office.”

Gabriel: “I’m about to leave too. We can walk out together.”

We stood up and headed to the exit. We were heading in opposite directions so we said goodbye. I was walking away when I heard Gabriel call me out.

Gabriel: “Vanessa?”

Vanessa: “Yes, Gabriel.”

Gabriel: “Would you mind if I call you?”

Vanessa: ‘For what?”

Gabriel: “Just to see how you’re doing. Maybe you’ll need help moving. Or you might want to have dinner sometime or something.”

Vanessa: “Sure, you can call me.”

Gabriel: “Sounds good. Take care, Vanessa.”

I smiled and waved goodbye. Gabriel calling me does not have to mean anything. Maybe he’s just being friendly. I don’t know anyone in this city, so I could really use a friend right now.

I walked back to the realtor’s office smiling. I’m really excited to see my new potential home.