I stared at his gorgeous face. His wavy hair was neatly combed, his jaw in perfect angle. And dang, he smelled so freaking good. 

"I-I'm sorry. I wasn't looking," I managed to say despite the rumbling of my chest. 

"It's okay." He looked at me… and I saw how his forehead creased. "You're… familiar."

My lips slightly parted. Did he recognize me? But I cut my hair short. And I was wearing makeup. 

I felt my heart hammering when I noticed he was looking straight into my eyes. "You're that woman. The woman in the plane." I watched as his lips slightly parted in disbelief. God. Those naturally red lips. 

"You remember me?" he asked as he let go of my shoulder. I totally forgot that he was holding me. 

"I'm the one you—" 

"Yeah," I answered even before he finished his sentence. I felt my cheeks heat up when I remembered what happened on the plane. Of course. Damn. It was so stupid of me to think that he'd forgotten that embarrassing memory. 

"Right. It was you." He smiled… and I felt something melting inside me. "What are you doing here?" He asked in a curious tone. "Do you work here?" 

"U-uh…" Before I could answer him, someone called him. 

"Come on, Xander. I don't wanna be late."

It was only now that I noticed the man beside him. He was also handsome and tall. Just like Xander, he was in a business suit. His face looked annoyed as he looked at his watch. 

"I'm sorry, I have to go," Xander said to me. "Be careful next time, okay?" He gave me a smile before he walked past me. 

I almost closed my eyes when his scent lingered on me. God… he smelled so good. I wondered what his perfume was.

Shit. The folder. I immediately headed out of the building. I found Mariel waiting for me, her car still parked in front of the building. 

"What happened to you?" She asked as she handed me the folder, her forehead creased. "You looked disoriented." 

I tucked some strands of my hair at the back of my ear. I just shook my head. "Thanks, Mar."

She just nodded at me before rolling up her car's window. 

I went back inside and rode the elevator. I punched the button to the tenth floor. Damn. Xander remembered me. Should I push this through? Would he find it suspicious if the woman who puked on him on the plane became his secretary? 

You can always tell him it was a coincidence. Besides! You're still not accepted for the job. 

Before I could think twice, I already saw Amanda. She stood up from her desk and approached me. She led me to the conference room together with three other applicants. 

Of course, I told Amanda that Xander was my long-term crush. That I've been in love with him for six years already. 

I could still remember her shocked face when I told her I wanted to apply as Xander's secretary. She even choked on the juice she was drinking. 

"You and Sir Xander… have a history together?" 

"No." I shook my head. "We're just schoolmates." I pursed my lips. "He didn't even know my name," I told her how I fell in love with Xander. 

"Why didn't you do something about it?" she asked me. 

I gave her a small smile. "I didn't have the confidence back then. Besides, I looked like a nerd before. Definitely not his type." Well… Xander likes tall and slender women so I'm still far from his type until now. 

"And you wanted to apply as his secretary to get close to him?"

I shook my head. "No. On the contrary, I wanted to get rid of my feelings for him." I tapped my fingers on the dining table and told her the same thing I had said to Mariel.  "I've put Xander on the pedestal in the past six years… maybe if I finally get close to him and discover some of the bad things about him, I'd finally be able to un-love him."

"Alright. But I can only help you get an interview," Amanda said. "I don't have a final say on who'd get the post."

I looked at Amanda. I couldn't back out now. After she helped me? Besides, I was no longer the old me. I was no longer a quitter. 

"I'll just call our manager."

She told me beforehand that it was the HR manager who will conduct the final interview. 

I looked at the two women beside me. They were both wearing pencil-cut skirts. The one was wearing black-rimmed glasses while the other woman looked like a model with her height and physique. 

I bit the inside of my lower lip as I stared at my shoes. I couldn't believe I was feeling nervous. Back in Greece, I led at least three hundred people. After finishing my Master's degree in Management, I trained under my brother's supervision for two years before my father let me handle one of our businesses.

Amanda told me I was too qualified for the job so I omitted some information in my CV. 

Almost fifteen minutes later, the door opened. A middle-aged woman wearing a white button-up, black coat, and slacks went in. 

"Good morning." She greeted us with a warm smile on her face. "Your final interview will be conducted by Mr. Villarama himself."

I almost fell from my seat. Wait. What?!

THE moment I entered Mariel's favorite japanese restaurant, I immediately spotted my best friend. She was seated in the corner of the restaurant, her one hand busy on her phone while the other was softly tapping the table. 

She finally noticed me when I was only a few meters away from her. She put down her phone on the table and curiously arched her brow at me. I gave her a small smile as I went to her. 

"So?" Mariel asked me after sitting next to her. "What happened to the interview?" 

I shrugged my shoulders and picked up the menu on the table. "It was okay," I answered in a small voice. 

From the corner of my eyes, I saw her lips parted a little. Then she cleared her throat. "Hey, it's okay, Charity," Mariel said in a gentle voice. Then I felt her tap my shoulder. "Let's just eat out for today."

I put down the menu and turned to her. Then slowly, a wide smile stretched on my face. "I got the job, Mar!"

I witnessed how Mariel's mouth hung open. Then she snatched the menu from me and slapped it on my arm.

"What the heck, Charity Salvacion Alinsky! Since when did you learn how to joke?" 

She was glaring at me and I couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction. "Since I started living in Greece?" 

Conrad and Luke were both jesters. I couldn't count how many times those two had pranked me over the years I was with them.

I gave her a guilty smile, then looked again at the menu. "Come on, let's just order the most expensive meal in this place. I'll treat you."

She rolled her eyes at me. "As if I can't treat myself."

I just chuckled before giving her a side hug. "But thank you for supporting me on this, Mar. Promise, I'll make it up to you. I'll extend my stay here so we can still go on vacation."

"What will your father say about this?" she asked after the waiter left us. "Imagine his reaction if he finds out that his only daughter was working as a secretary here in the Philippines?"

I pursed my lips. "Of course, I wouldn't tell him about this."

She sighed. "When will you start working for Xander?" 

"On Wednesday." That's two days from now. "But I'll go to the office tomorrow for the orientation." I looked around and called a waiter near us. 

"That fast?" 

I nodded my head. "He told me he couldn't function without a secretary." I smiled at her. "So… let's go to Tagaytay after this because tomorrow, I'll be finally starting my new job." I bit my lower lip. "And Mariel… Xander personally conducted the interview earlier."

"What?" 

I nodded as I recalled what happened earlier.