“Are you trying to tell me that you will not approve my vacation leave?”
After so many years here in Khalifa, I’ve never taken a vacation, and now he won’t approve my leave? What if I just lose my temper with him?
“Not exactly like that. I was thinking, maybe one week will do for now?”
“That’s not possible. One week won’t be enough for me to take your family on a trip.” I plan to show his children what our country has to offer if their father allows it.
“Then you should have included our itinerary in your email!” He shouted at me again.
Our itinerary? But our plans with Khaleel and Ameera didn’t involve that.
“So, while we are gone, you should do your best to win back your ladylove. Okay?” He sneered.
I wonder what happened between them. Oh my! I want to know why, but I don’t want to ask. I just felt sorry for the man who has done nothing wrong but to love the wrong woman!
“I gave up on her already. After so many years, nothing has changed. She’s still her Daddy’s puppet!”
“I see. Can we talk about it while I’ll grab some lunch at your restaurant?” I knew he’s upset, but my stomach can’t wait any longer!
“Perfect! I haven’t had lunch yet.”
“What about Khaleel? Don’t tell me they haven’t eaten either?” It’s natural for me to worry about the kids as I treat them like my own.
“Don’t worry. They are enjoying the pool right now.”
“What? And you just left them there? Aren’t you afraid they might get kidnapped?”
“Come on, Jamie. Stop being paranoid about kidnapping or anything else. They’re safe at Khalifa!” He seems to have great confidence in Khalifa’s security.
Although he assured me multiple times that they are fine, I still worry.
“Can we check on them before eating?” Even though my stomach is growling, I can endure it rather than continue worrying about the kids, or else, I won’t be able to digest the food properly.
“If you insist, then let’s go.”
He left first, and I followed. When we reached the pool, I immediately looked for the kids. Seeing them happily playing in the water relieved me.
“Who will watch over them?”
He pointed to a group of heartthrobs. They were wearing only boardshorts and had no shirts on. Oh my goodness, I didn’t mean to stare at their bodies, especially their well-toned physiques.
“I didn’t know you liked that kind of body,” Samer teased me about my gaze on the men.
“Who wouldn’t look at them? Look at their faces; they’re like actors, right? Oh my, Rhea might faint if she meets them!”
“Rhea?”
Oh yes, Samer doesn’t know all the employees at Khalifa. “Rhea, she’s my assistant in the office.”
“Oh, the chubby one?”
“You got it right.”
“In that case, make sure she doesn’t see them; she might really faint, and they might have a hard time carrying her to the clinic.”
“Come on! Stop it, Samer! What if she’s your forever?”
“Never! That kind of woman will drain my resources. In one year, all our money will be spent on her food.”
“Samer!” I signaled him to stop as I noticed Rhea approaching us.
Why did she have to pass by the pool instead of going straight to the office?
“Cross my heart, I will never fall for your chubby assistant!”
Oops! Rhea heard him mocking her, but instead of getting angry, she laughed and calmly greeted our boss. I excused myself from Samer to talk to Rhea and also apologize for what happened.
“Okay, Miss Jamie, it’s fine. I am used to it,” Rhea said.
“Sorry, Rhea, I didn’t expect him to say that.”
“It’s alright, Miss.”
“Why are you here, by the way?” I changed the topic as I couldn’t bear to look into Rhea’s eyes, which showed that she was hurt by Samer’s comments about her appearance.
“Hmmm, I just wanted to personally see our boss. Gosh, he’s really mean and insulting to others. Good thing you’ve been with Khalifa for a long time.”
“Rhea, our boss is generally nice. And I thought you weren’t bothered by what he said about you being fat?”
“I don’t know; I just feel annoyed with him. I never expected that he would openly insult my being.”
“Let’s forget about it, okay? Don’t think about our boss too much; you might end up falling for him.”
“Never! Even if he’s the last man on Earth, I won’t fall for him!”
“Alright then, I’ll leave you now, and we’ll go for lunch, okay?”
I bid farewell to Rhea and followed the man heading to the restaurant.
“I have one week to turn over all the tasks to Rhea, especially the deadlines. Earlier, while having lunch with Samer, he approved my vacation leave with one condition – he’ll join us in all our activities with the kids.
“Are you sure about what you’re doing? What about your work here in Khalifa?” I asked him earlier.
“Common, Jamie. You know I can manage Khalifa anywhere.”
Well, with the availability of modern technology, managing a business from somewhere else is just a piece of cake. I turned on my computer and started to draft our planned itinerary. I wanted to take the twins to an island because they haven’t been there, but unfortunately, the resort was closed for renovation.
Fifteen minutes before the end of the workday, Khaleel and Ameera entered the office one after the other. Their faces showed excitement.
“Excited, aren’t we?” I asked them before they sat on the couch at the far end of my table.
“Baba told us we’re going to see places in your country!” Ameera’s statement was filled with enthusiasm, which was followed by Khaleel. I’m sure they’ll be disappointed if our trip doesn’t push through.
“Your Baba was right. So, you better pack your things for our adventure, okay?”
“Thanks, Miss Jamie. I’ve read that Azura is great during summer.” Khaleel suggested he wanted to go to Azura.
“Then, let’s visit Azura. Is Azura okay with you, Ameera?” She nodded, indicating that she understood what I asked her.
“How about Clayland? Is it far from Azura?” Ameera asked.
“Why? Do you also want to go to Clayland?”
These kids seem to know more about where they want to go than I do. Oh well, the power of the internet is the reason for all this. But it’s good that they tell me which places they want to visit so I don’t have a hard time drafting our itinerary.
“Yes, and some islands in the Claybourne too.” Khaleel voiced out his opinion before giving his bucket list to me.
“Alright, which of these places do you both like the most?” We can’t tour the entire Claybourne in one month unless I have a private plane, but that’s not the case, and I can’t afford to buy my own jet.
“Clayland!”
“Azura!”
The two spoke at the same time and mentioned different places. “In that case, I’ll be the one to decide. How about going to Azura first, then Clayland?”
“Sounds good to me, Miss.”
Ameera agreed with me, and Khaleel also nodded. I’ve read the news that there’s a fast craft from Azura to Clayland. I think three days will be enough to explore the entire province of Azura and another three days in Clayland.
“Tell your Baba to help you pack. Essentials only, okay?”
“Yes, Miss.”
After the two kids left, I suddenly remembered Brent. Maybe I was just too busy that I didn’t think much about him. I picked up my cellphone and sent him a text. I informed him about my one-month vacation with the kids.
I waited for his reply, but five minutes passed, and there was still no text back from him. I shrugged before entering the powder room. Maybe he’s also busy, I told myself.
I applied a thin layer of foundation on my face, a little lipstick, and tied my hair. The phone screen showed ten missed calls, but I didn’t have a chance to check who called.
Samer and the kids were already standing and waiting when I came out of the powder room. “Are we leaving?” I immediately asked Samer.
“Do you still have something to do?” He replied, also asking me.
“Hmm, nothing,” I said as I grabbed my bag. And I almost forgot my cellphone. There were ten missed calls, but I didn’t have time to check.
Samer stood up first, and the kids followed. Then, we left the office. The other employees were looking at us, and I understood why. Of course, I’m single, and I’m going out with my boss for dinner. Oh, the gossipers!
“Are you okay?” Samer asked me while we were in the lobby.
“Do you still need some distance from me? I don’t want the employees to think we have a romantic relationship,” I suggested to Samer.
“But we do have a relationship, right? Being friends is also a type of relationship. Why, are they bothering you? Tell me, and I will fire them!”
“Geez, then they’ll think even worse about us, don’t you think?”
“True. So, shall we go? I thought you wanted to eat out, despite having many restaurants inside Khalifa.”
Once we were in the car heading to Maximus, a halal restaurant in Claybourne, Samer’s favorite hangout, he asked me, “How was your date with your ex?”
I frowned at his question because it’s strange that he’s interested in my love life. “We’re back together,” I told him.
“What? Are you out of your mind? You just met him again, and you’re back together already?”
“Do you think I’m easily swayed? That I’m easily fooled, is that it?”
To be honest, I was offended by his questions. We agreed that we wouldn’t beat around the bush and would seize the opportunity. Just because his charisma didn’t work on Kate, does he have to include me too? It’s not fair.
“I just want you to be extra careful! He already deceived you before, so there’s no reason it won’t happen again!”
“He already explained everything to me, why he suddenly went to America. I already forgave him, Samer, and I’m not angry with him anymore. Aren’t you happy for me?”
“Of course, I’m happy for you, Jamie. I just don’t want you to get hurt again.”
“Thank you, Samer. And I hope you also meet someone who can make you happy.”
“I think I already found her!” He said while looking at me.