Little Pumpkin scampered towards the door as soon as he heard the honk of the horn outside the gates.
He had been packing around and looking through the window, expecting his dad and uncle to get back.
He thought his uncle had sent his pretty noona away again and had refused to eat since he got back from school.
As soon as he walked out through the door, he couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw his noona-she was looking gorgeous.
He ran towards her, and Emily carried him in her arms.
She grinned, “My darling…”
Joel watched previously, as Emily carried Little Pumpkin into the lounge, ‘my darling?’
He threw his car key at one of the guards and took long strides to the lounge.
In no time, Michael arrived at the villa in his car and also walked into the lounge.
They all, promptly, settled down at the dining.
Emily gazed at the trio one after the other; so, she was living with multibillionaires.
Wow, impressive.
She remembered what her manager said before they parted, and she felt chills on her body-what had she gotten herself into…
Michael smiled, “Emily, eat all you want, okay? You did well today.”
Emily drifted out of her thought and bowed her head, “Okay.”
She glanced at her food and suddenly dropped the spoon in her hand-she lost her appetite.
She pushed her chair back and stood on her feet.
Michael looked up at her, “Wae? What’s wrong?”
“I just need to get some rest, I lost my appetite.”
She turned and excused herself from the dining.
The ‘boys’ stared at her retreating form in puzzlement.
Emily?… Lost appetite?…
That was weird.
Michael and Joel were now convinced that there was something wrong with her.
???
Emily wriggled around on her bed, sleep wasn’t coming.
“Hmph,” She sighed.
First of all, she needed to get rid of the feelings she was starting to develop for the handsome god.
There was no way they were going to have a thing together…
At first, she had a little hope, but when she found out he was the CEO of Empire World Corporation, the hope she had died instantly.
The CEO would not have a thing with a lowlife like her.
NOTED✔️
Secondly, she’d rather quit that job than fight anyone. Gosh! She had forgotten she couldn’t… she signed the contract already…
She facepalmed herself, ‘what to do now?’
She’d try as much as possible to avoid trouble. Most especially, with her role model, Stephanie.
NOTED✔️
“Hufffff,” she huffed.
She turned on her side and switched on the rechargeable fan.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh… Paboooooooo…” She exhaled into the fan.
A few seconds later, she switched off the fan and dropped it.
She stared silently at the ceiling for a while and stood up on her feet.
She wore her slippers and walked out of the room, ‘everyone should be asleep by now.’
She walked silently towards the kitchen and took a can of soda pop from the fridge.
She needed bubbles on her tongue right then.
She tried opening the can as she walked out of the kitchen, but she couldn’t.
‘Wow, even my hands are emotionally down, tsk tsk tsk.’
A masculine voice made her stop in her tracks, “Let me help you with that.”
She looked in the direction of where the voice came from-the dining, and her eyelashes wavered slightly.
“Stop looking like a dummy, come over.” Joel sneered, his hands folded on his chest.
Emily pressed her lips in a thin line and walked up to the dining.
She handed the soda pop over to the CEO.
“Sit.” He ordered.
Emily sighed. She was trying to stay away from this person but there he was, asking her to sit right next to him.
Would she be able to get over him at this rate…
She sighed again before sitting next to him.
He glanced at her, “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing.” She replied firmly.
Joel twitched his lips.
Lost in thoughts, the can rolled off the table. He stood up on his feet, walked over to where the can stopped at and hunched down to pick it. Mistakenly, he kicked it with his left leg, and the can rolled away.
“Aishh!” He groaned.
“?” Emily smiled.
She watched him saunter towards the can, and he kicked it again.
“?” She couldn’t help but laugh this time, as she watched the CEO.
Joel sneered wearily at the can, “you, stop rolling okay?”
He walked towards it, and it rolled, yet again.
“Aishhhhh! I just told you not to…” Joel jog-trotted after the can as it rolled continuously till it hit the wall.
“??” Emily laughed.
“Thank heavens, it’s going nowhere now.” Joel smiled and crouched to take the soda pop.
But then, his pants tore.
He widened his eyes and quickly stood up straight.
“???” Emily hit her hand on the table as she laughed her heart out.
“Ehm…” Joel cleared his throat awkwardly and quickly turned around.
He looked up at Emily.
“Y-yu-you, did you see anything?” He stuttered.
Emily pointed to herself, “Me?”
She shook her head amidst laughter, “Ani.”
“Aishhhhh!!!!!” Joel groaned.
“So embarrassing!” He used his placed his left hand on the torn part of his trouser, and hastily ran up the stairs, to change into something else.
Emily couldn’t stop laughing. It was the first time she saw the CEO run.
Joel changed into shorts and went back downstairs. He met Emily, still laughing her ass out.
He smiled secretly and sat down beside her.
He was really happy he made her laugh.
Slowly but surely, he was falling for the girl.
“Is it funny?” He asked, sneering at her.
“?” Emily nodded her head.
“So… what’s wrong with you?” He asked.
She stopped laughing abruptly and sighed.
She frowned, “It’s just that, there are some things that can never be yours… and you just have to give up.”
Joel snickered, “Give up? what language is that?”
“There’s nothing I want that I don’t get. I see it, I want it, I get it. I never give up-it’s not in my dictionary.” He stated calmly.
“That’s why you need to work harder and be rich too. Once you are rich, you can get everything you want.” Joel added, proudly.
Emily smiled… He was right, if she was rich, she’d be able to be his wife-but she wasn’t.
She dared not compete with the women trying to be the CEO’s wife in her current state.
Maybe she should work hard and become rich…
Something flashed through Joel’s eyes. “Huh, that reminds me…”
“You don’t have a phone right?” He asked.
She pouted, “No. My phone spoilt.”
“I’ll be back,” He stood up and took long strides up the fleet of stairs.
In no time, he was back with a phone.
Emily stood up on her feet and turned around to face him.
He stretched out his hand, “Have it.”
“Huh? W-wh-what should I do with it?…” She asked, eyeing the phone.
Joel reached for her hand and put the phone in her hand, “It’s yours.”
She gaped excitedly at the phone, “Jinjja?!!”
It was an Empire World model. It had the EW logo on it.
“Awwwn.” Her lips curled up in a cute smile.
She was really happy and grateful. She reached forward and hugged Joel.
He froze on the spot.
???
Emily broke away from the hug and stared at the phone, “Kumawoyo.”
Tears brimmed down her face, “I have never received any gift from someone that is not family.”
Joel stared dumbfoundedly at her.
She had never received gifts from anyone? That was strange.
“I’ll use it well, good night.”
Emily turned around and skipped to her room.
Joel gulped and looked down, at himself. How come his heartbeat intensified when she hugged him, his body was acting strange.
He turned towards the stairs and headed to his room.
He couldn’t sleep, as he kept tossing, from one side to another.
“Never received gifts…” He muttered incoherently under his duvet.
“Hmph.” He sighed.
Emily gazed at the phone lying near her pillow.
Who would have thought she was going to receive her first gift from the arrogant CEO?
She smiled.
Suddenly, the phone rang.
“Huh?” she furrowed her brows and took the phone from the bed.
She bit her lip uneasily, “Eotteoke, who do I know is calling?…”
She hesitated for a while before she swiped the answer icon on the phone to the left, and placed the phone on her left ear.
“You, are you asleep?” Joel’s voice sounded over the phone.
“Handso…” Her voice trailed off.
“I mean, CEO Joel.?..” She pressed her lips in a thin line.
“Wow, now your brain is working correctly right?.” He snickered.
“Sorry?” She furrowed her brows bewilderedly.
He chuckled, “You know I’m the CEO of Empire World now.”
She rolled her eyes, “Huh…”
Emily removed the phone from her ear and threw daggers at it with her eyes like the phone was Joel.
One moment he was treating her nicely, the next moment, he was insulting her.
She sneered poutily and replaced the phone on her ear.
“I’m hanging up now, good night.” She dropped the call.
Joel removed the phone from his ear and gaped at it. That girl had nerves-no one had ever hung up on him before, No One!
He took the duvet and wrapped it over his body, “Aishhh!”
In a short while, he drifted off to sleep.
???
Early the next morning, after Little Pumpkin left for school, and Michael left for the office, Joel took Emily to the fence, at the right side of the villa.
Emily stared bewilderedly at the CEO.
What exactly were they doing in front of a wall?
She was about to ask when Joel placed his hand on the ‘wall’ and it moved.
“Huuuuuuuu… Wahhhhhhh!!!” She couldn’t contain her stupefaction as the ‘wall’ moved to the side.
Joel smirked and pulled her into the compound behind the walls.
She clasped her hands over her mouth, “Ohhhhhhhh!!!!”
Right before her were a fleet of cars; a Lamborghini, Ferrari, Rolls-Royce, G-Wagon, and sooo many, as in soooooo many, other cars.
Emily was sure the cars were up to thirty.
Joel smirked as he watched Emily’s mouth go from an ‘ohh’ to an ‘ahh’.
“Choose one.” Joel twitched his lips.