Encounter

Matthew’s POV( KTI Tower)

I yawn as I take off my coat inside my office. I’m still drowsy and I feel like I didn’t get enough sleep last night. I sat in the swivel chair and leaned there. I closed my eyes and felt the cold coming from the AC.

I sat up straight and stretched out my arms afterward and called my secretary. It took few moments before she picked up the phone. Maybe she was still busy cleaning up her area since it’s still early.

“Good morning, Sir. How can I help you?”she answered enthusiastically. She still hasn’t faded. She is still the same person I hired a few years ago.

“Good morning! Can you please bring me a cup of coffee?”

“Sure, sir. Your coffee will be served in less than five minutes.” I laughed because I felt like I was in a coffee shop at what she said. She never failed to amaze me with her humor.

“Five minutes is too long for a cup of coffee, miss. Make it three, if you can’t then let me talk to your manager then.” I joked. I also heard her laugh in the other line.

“Hahaha! Then, I suggest that you hung up so that I can prepare it right away.”It was her turn to joke.

“Okay, your timer starts now!”I ended the call.

It is one of our secrets to success. We do not consider each other as colleagues but as a family who works for one goal. That is to maintain, improve and expand our business.

We are Asia’s largest textile manufacturer. We manufacture, supply, and deliver different textile needs in the Asian market. I am the eldest in the family so I carry the biggest share of responsibility to carry on our grandparents’ legacy and pass it on to the next generation.

I glanced at the time on my watch while waiting for my coffee. Then, a few moments later I heard a soft knock on the door.

“Come in,” I muttered while feeling excited about my coffee. Yana, my secretary came in carrying the coffee I had ordered. She walked graciously towards me with a sweet smile on her face.

“So did I make it on time, Sir?”she asked while slowly putting the cup of coffee on my table.

I nodded as I smiled and looked up at her.” You are two minutes earlier than expected.”

“It was good news then you won’t be talking to yourself,” she said then laughed. She was referring to my request to talk to her manager if she can’t make my coffee on time. We both giggled at the thought of it.

“Anyway, can you please remind me about my schedule for today? I’m a bit drowsy that I can’t remember all of them,” I said with the cup of coffee in my hand ready to take a sip of it.

“Noted, sir. Can I tell you about it over the phone? I have to attend a meeting with the other secretaries 10 min from now,” she said while glancing at her watch.

“No problem. Just take your time.”

“I’ll go ahead, sir. Just call me if you need anything else. Oh! wait. I’ll be the one to call you as soon as I get back to my office.”

I nodded as as sign of approval and continued to sip my coffee. It’s the aroma and bittersweet taste that always made my day. I started to scan some important papers filed on my table. Some of them need my signature and some are still for review. I lost my drowsiness as I started to enjoy what I was doing. Then the intercom rang.

“Hello!” I answered.

“Sir.”It”s yana who is calling. I remember that she will be reminding me about my schedule for today.

“Yana, I thought you have a meeting”, I said while my other hand is flipping the pages of the papers I was reading.

” Yes, sir. I am about to leave. I just called to tell you that you have a visitor.”

“At this early? Okay, tell him to come in.”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

* My smile widened when I saw who my guest was. It’s my friend, David. More than a friend to be exact. He is a brother to me, so many times already that he proved that a family is not just someone related to you by blood. They can be related to you by heart.

“Bro!”he said as if disappointed. I’m starting to get confused. What happened? Why is he acting that way? He did not even bother to greet me when he came in.

“What’s that look ? You are making me nervous, bro. Did something wrong happen? Wanna have some coffee before breaking that news to me?”I stood up to get him a cup of coffee since Yana is not there to do it.

He shook his head instead so I sat back in my chair. “Any problem? Common, tell me.”

He sighed deeply. “Have you heard the most recent news today?”

“I haven’t heard, watched, or read any news article today. I was so sleepy when I got here. Why?”I asked still puzzled about the way he is acting.

“So you haven’t read the news about you yet?” Did I hear it right? News about me? What could it possibly be?

“Are you kidding bro? What about me?”

He did not answer instead he handed me a newspaper. “Just read it for yourself, then,”he said as he pointed to the highlighted headline

“Kline’s Textile Inc. CEO to announce his engagement to Grymes’ eldest heiress soon this week.”

My eyes widened in shock after reading the news about me. Who scattered this news?. To whom am I engaged? An image of a woman flashed through my mind. It’s giving me goosebumps. There’s no way that I would marry that girl. I was speechless for a second.

“Lost in your thoughts, huh! Well, I understand you though! You hit the jackpot!”

I hissed.”Tss! You can marry her instead if you want.”

He looked at me with shock in his eyes. “What? Are you crazy?”

“There’s no way that I’m marrying that woman. She’s not my type.”

David looked frustrated. I smiled at my thought. Does David like Nathalie Grymes? It never crossed my mind before. They are our mutual friends and we have met them from various family and business matters.

I stood up and transferred to the chair in front of David. ” Bro, do you like Nathalie?”I smiled when he did not answer me. It’s a yes, I guess.

He sighed. ” Maybe. I’m not certain about my feelings,” he shrugged his shoulders.

“That explained why you came here this early. Don’t worry. She is all yours, bro. I’m not gonna marry her.”I tapped his shoulders for assurance.

“As if you can do what you want. The news must have scattered already, leaving you no choice.”He said then closed his eyes and leaned on the chair.

“So you just wanted me to marry her and leave you broken.?” I asked trying to tease him. He was very quiet and I knew the reason why. He already knew the law of my father. If it’s him who arranged this, then it would be hard for me to say no.

“Bro, don’t worry it will not happen. I’ll do whatever I can to cancel the engagement.”

He opened his eyes and waved his hand in front of me. He is indeed in love with her. I wonder why. That woman is a spoiled brat, immature and childish. But I can’t question him for liking her for it’s his preference. We have our taste in everything. One thing is for sure, Nathalie is not my type.

Yes, she is pretty, smart, and sexy plus the fact that she comes from one of the richest families in the country. But there’s no spark at all. I am not a hopeless romantic kind of guy. I’ve dated a lot of women already. Maybe the reason that I do not settle for good until now is that I find them all the same. Boring!

They were all trying to catch a big fish in the sea because they knew who I really am. They knew that I am Zach Matthew Kline. One of KTI’s heir and CEO. But what if I am not me, would they still chase me?. Would they still crawl under my feet if I am Matthew but I don’t have that silver spoon attached to my name?

I guess not, specifically in this time when almost everyone is being practical. This is the time to use brain over heart. The time to choose money over love. It is hard to find true love nowadays. Does it even exist? Maybe I’ll try to find mine. How can I escape from that engagement?

I promise David, she will be your’s. I will not marry her.