The Were CEO’s Secret

(Stephanie’s Home)

It was the usual bicker every morning. This is mine. That was mine. Stephanie sighed. It’s not like anything would look bad on them.

She pulled Macy out of Lacy who she was tackling on the ground over a hair pin, Lacy stood up and stormed downstairs, crying.

“You are the best elder sister, you know” Stephanie said sarcastically.

“Nope. You are the best” Macy replied.

Stephanie wasn’t sure if there was sarcasm in it or the girl had innocently corrected her. Either ways, she helped her fix the hairpin she ‘won’ on her hair and they both went downstairs together.

Luckily, it turned out that another hair pin, of the same design, was at the sitting room. It was of different colors so Stephanie wondered why the girls argued.

Her mom helped Lacy wear hers and she wiped her wet face before running to a mirror to see how she looked. Their mom smiled at her. Soon, Macy ran to the mirror and a new bicker started.

“I wanna use the mirror too!”.

“But I came here first!”.

“Share!!”

“No, you wait your turn!!”.

It was never-ending.

Sliding into the kitchen, Stephanie started helping to make breakfast because that’d surely be the next bicker.

She could already hear their small voices complaining on whose omelet was bigger.

“Ah, I forgot about this” her mother walked into the kitchen with Lacy, who was looking grumpy. She sat her down on a chair and was given some potatoes to wash, to while the time.

She worked slowly with her pout.

Stephanie slid a plate of omelet and bread to her and she looked up, “Macy always win. Not fair!”. Her hands worked faster after she’d spoken.

Stephanie rolled her eyes. Could her boss just come to pick her so she’d leave this place! Her sisters would drive her nuts.

“Stephanie, aren’t you supposed to be at work?” her mother pushed breakfast to her. She shrugged. She should but her boss seemed to have forgotten. He had said she wasn’t to come to work without him but he hasn’t come.

“A call! A call!” Macy shouted from the sitting room. Stephanie dashed out as it was from her phone.

“Nathan’s assistant?’ she wore a scowl on seeing the caller ID, “Hello and good morning… um… hospitalized? Oh, oh,… yes, I can… sure… um.. bye” she pulled the phone from her ear and met her mom’s worried gaze.

“My boss fell sick. He’s at Dream Care Hospital. I am leaving to work now” she summarized, with a fake smile.

“Call him dear!” her mother ordered.

Stephanie saw herself being willing to do so. She was a bit worried. The last time they met, he had thrown a fit about the John Milk Vendor guy.

Though when she asked her mom if she had spoke her name to the man, her mother had said she hadn’t. It still didn’t mean the guy was bad, did it?

“Stephanie? Huh, why are you calling this line!?”.

That were the last person, she wanted to hear her voice. Garcia Carlos, the head model of Pure Silver company and childhood friend of Nathan.

Stephanie had always seen her in cover magazines before but like all models, she looked different off screen and on screen.

After her dramatic encounter with her, Stephanie tried her best to avoid her but fate was always unlucky to her, wasn’t it?

“Um… I’m trying to call the sick person, please?” she responded curtly, “Can you give him the phone, please, ma’am?”.

“He’s asleep. And I’d ask you again, are you two dating?! He saved your name as Stephanie with a red heart emoji. How long has this been on?!” Garcia barked from the other side.

Stephanie wondered too. Her number was saved with a red heart emoji? Why was this Nathan putting her in trouble like this?

She had heard of how obsessed Garcia is over Nathan. And no matter how she’d like to annoy the model, she knows better not to, especially if it involved Nathan.

“Um… I don’t know about that, ma’am. How’s he faring though?” she tried changing subject, “What happened to him?”.

Nathan shouldn’t be one to fall sick. With all his reflex skills, she’d assume he was very healthy.

“What happened isn’t your business! And he’s okay, his future wife is besides him. Stay away from my man or I’d…”.

Stephanie sighed as she hung up on Garcia. The girl was too petty, it tired her. Dragging a man was the least thing Stephanie would do. Especially if it’s a man as demanding as Nathan, her time and soul would be too invested, she didn’t have such time.

“So?” Mrs. Ernest ran to her after she was done with the call.

“He’s fine, mom. I best be going. Bye” she pecked her cheeks but the woman held her back, revealing a hot flask she wanted her to hold.

“I already had breakfast mom” she smiled, her mom bothered about little things a lot. Was she worried she might fall sick due to hunger like her boss? No, she was too much of a foodie to forget about food.

“It’s not for you. I made soup for your boss. Do take it to him”.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Stephanie’s smile fell. What?

“Soup for…? Huh, mom… why should I? People would misunderstand” she was already being accused of stealing Nathan. Garcia would just solidify her claims.

“Hun, your relationship is platonic, isn’t it? So sending him soup is a gesture of good wishes” her mom packed the flask into her bag. There was no expression on Stephanie’s face.

“Also, dear. Try visiting your dad at the hospital. It’s still Dream Care Hospital, hmm? Go now, go to work” she patted her daughter and left to kitchen.

“At this rate, even Nathan would misunderstand me” Stephanie mumbled to herself before storming out of the house.

Assistant Ashley seemed to be excited as the boss wasn’t at work. At least, Stephanie had never seen her so excited.

The way she ordered the workers, Stephanie included, felt like she always dreamed of the day. Stephanie had her suspicions.

“Oh, yes, Stephanie, there’s a job that needs your expertise” Assistant Ashley said to Stephanie as she submitted some required documents to her.

Stephanie rolled her eyes, that was the phrase the assistant has been using to work her, and when she thought on it, an assistant’s and secretary’s work are very similar, why couldn’t she do it?

“I think Nathan wants you to head this branch and cheerlead this brand. He says you have the know-how. So work on it well” Ashley handed her some files.

A little curious, Stephanie grabbed and opened it. Nathan recommended her to cheerlead a brand and head a branch! That was a freaking promotion!

It was a bid on a clothing company. One that was really promising, judging from the stats. And was valued at twenty million dollars?!

She felt with such amount, the brand can still work, but the owner seemed reluctant and she was glad. If she helped them acquire this then it was a sure promotion for her!

“When you get results. You can text the boss. He’d answer when he can” Ashely added.

Stephanie gave a nod, “I’d meet him at the hospital”, she saw Ashley’s raised brow so added, “I am visiting my sick dad so I’d just visit him as well, so I’d move on with other things”.

Ashley shrugged, and continued her carefree surfing the internet.

With shaky hands, Stephanie went back to her office to begin searching for information on the bid. This was a promotion and she was getting it.