“Welcome back, Miss Edward.” Collin greeted her with a smile… a genuine one. He had to be the only person in the building that was happy with her return… aside from her father, that is.
Harriet returned his smile, glad that she had someone on her side. She definitely needed some positivity around her, especially with everything going on in her life.
” Thank you, Collin. How have you been?” She asked as she settled down, preparing herself to drown in the pile of work she was certain was waiting for her.
“Very well, Miss Edward. I must say, It’s nice having you back.” He said, switching on his tablet, a sigh leaving his lips as he scrolled through the numerous activities on her schedule. It was a lot, even for her. A week wouldn’t even be enough for her to finish everything she had on her schedule.
He felt bad for her.
“Come on, Collin. Let me have it.” She waved her hand at the tablet, since she saw that he was being too sentimental. Collin slowly gave her the tablet and closed his eyes.
As Harriet scrolled through the endless activities on the tablet, her eyes widened and her body instantly slumped to the chair.
“I’m doomed, Collin. Doomed.” She laughed maniacally and suddenly switched into fake cries.
“I tried to warn you. It’s a lot, but we can take our time with it. Do things slowly, and we’ll be done in a few days.. Or weeks.” He whispered the last part, but Harriett heard him clearly and batted her lashes at him.
“I’ll be fine. I brought this upon myself after all.” She straightened her back and packed her hair in a high ponytail, cracking her fingers as she set a timer for 7pm. She didn’t plan on going home until she was done with today’s work.
She wasn’t going to let the people’s perspective of her be true, which was why she was going to do everything to prove them wrong… even if it meant overworking herself.
As she began her work, she didn’t even bother to have lunch, despite the pleas from Collin. He had to get her a sandwich and a milkshake while she still went through the countless documents in her mail.
It was a busy time for JE holdings, not just her. They were about to go into a new line of business, a market which they didn’t have much stronger hold on. With JE holdings being known for their real estate and hotel management, the electronics market was an area they were yet to explore, and it was revealed by her father in the last meeting with the board of directors that they would be making an entry into that market.
To prove that his daughter was capable, Jake Edward put the entire project in Harriet’s hands. She only found out about it while she was in the hospital with Damien.
Harriet couldn’t make any mistakes. Not with this project. Her spot as CEO would be unchallenged if she was successful and that was her plan.
Harriet received a call on her phone and, just like the rest that weren’t work related, she hit the decline button. But, the call came in again. Annoyed with the caller, she looked to hit the decline button again when she saw who it was.
A small smile broke out on her lips as she answered the call.
“I’m downstairs waiting. I’ll take you home.” She heard Damien say and her brows creased in confusion as she wondered why he was talking about taking her home.
She checked the time on her laptop, and it finally dawned on her that it was already 7:36pm.
‘How did it get so late?’ She wondered as she barely took any break from work, and she still wasn’t done with her work.
She peeked through her window and realized that the building was completely empty and quiet. Even Collin had gone home, which meant she was the only one left.
“I’ll be down in two minutes.” She said and shut her laptop down before clearing her table, so the cleaner doesn’t help her rearrange the documents. She didn’t want to go through the stress of searching for the documents.
Fifteen minutes later, Harriett was down. She spotted Damien next to his car the minute she walked out of the building as he stood, dressed in a black buttoned shirt paired with black trousers. She could tell he had come here straight from work as his sleeves were rolled and the first few buttons of his shirt were left out.
Harriett felt part of her stress disappear just by staring at the man. He looked so perfect, with his legs crossed, his pursed lips, perfect jawline and black hair that looked like it had been run through countless times by his hands.
“Two minutes, Harriett. This is what, thirty minutes later?” He said as soon as he spotted her. There was a faint smile on his lips as he watched her walk towards him in her peach-colored gown and hair that had been packed in what now looked like a messy bun. The sag in her eyes made him know that she had been working all day.
“Twenty. I was clearing the office.” She replied as she got to where he stood and was immediately pulled in by him for a hug.
She tensed up at first since the gesture was foreign to her, but she later gave in and reciprocated the hug.
“I missed you.” He said as soon as he pulled out of the hug, his large hands cupping her tired face.
“You saw me yesterday though.” Harriett laughed and Damien shook his head.
“Not enough.” He said and opened the door for her, not wanting to keep her standing for long as she needed quality rest.
“You know, I came with my own car.” Harriet laughed.
“I’ll have it delivered to you before morning. There’s no way I’m letting you drive.” He placed a kiss on her forehead and entered the car.
“You stayed up quite late. Is it usually like this?” He asked, referring to how late she got off work and she shook her head.
“No no. It’s only like this because I have been away for two weeks. I have a lot on my plate with so little time.” She sighed, massaging her temples.
A feeling of guilt washed over Damien as he knew that he was responsible for that. She stayed by his side all through his stay at the hospital, which was why she missed so many days of work.
Damien placed his free hand on hers, rubbing it lightly.
“Thank you for…” Harriet started as they arrived at her house but was cut off by Damien.
“Don’t say it. This is nothing. I meant it when I told you I’d be actively involved in your life.” Damien said, still holding her hand.
A blush crept up to Harriet’s face, and she nodded at him with a smile.
“I should go. I have a longer day tomorrow.” She confessed with a chuckle.
“Take it easy, okay? Goodnight, Harriet.” Damien said and kissed her before she could exit the car. It was a very short kiss, but it meant so much to both of them.
As Harriet watched Damien drive away, fear gripped her as she realized that she was falling again… deeper this time.
She might not be able to come out if she doesn’t stop now. But, how could she when she was finally truly happy?
Her life felt too peaceful to be true. Damien was finally in love with her and her family was at peace. The only problem she had was her responsibilities at the office, which weren’t life-threatening.
It all felt too good to be true.
Could this be the calm before the storm?