Chapter 65: CEO Augustine have a crush on me!
The entire day was quite stressful for Charles.
After thoroughly cleaning CEO Augustine’s office, he joined his coworkers in the Gyapm Corporation hall, where they began scrubbing the premises from top to bottom.
After meticulously scrubbing every corner assigned by the head staff cleaner, Charles wasted no time.
He quickly freshened up before making his way to the restaurant where he worked.
The weight of exhaustion pressed against his limbs, but he couldn’t afford to slow down—especially since he had been instructed the day before to resume his shift by 2 p.m.
The clock was ticking toward 2 p.m., and with hurried steps, Charles rushed to the restaurant, grab his work uniform, before slipping it on with practiced efficiency.
Following suit, Charles resumed his work duties by moving from table to table, taking orders from customers before relaying them to the kitchen.
Each time a meal was prepared, he swiftly retrieved the plated dish from the chef, balancing it carefully as he served it to the awaiting diners.
Charles continued his daily waiter routine until it was past six o’clock.
He cloak out from duty.
Charles took off his work clothes, feeling the relief of cool air against his skin as he stepped outside the restaurant.
He inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with the crisp night air, his gaze drifting upward toward the sky.
Charles closed his eyes, letting out a slow exhale, savoring the moment as the gentle evening breeze caressed his face. "Hmm," he murmured, his body relaxing as the weight of the long day began to fade.
"Boom," a voice purred from behind.
Charles spun around, his fist instinctively swinging toward the source.
"Ouch! What the hell!" Freda yelped, bending over to the ground as she clutched her stomach, her eyes squeezed shut in pain.
She let out a shaky breath, trying to steady herself while squatting down. "Why did you hit me?" she hissed through clenched teeth, her voice laced with both shock and frustration as she groaned from the impact.
Charles’s eyes widened in shock as his mouth parted slightly, his hand instinctively covering his lips.
"I... I didn’t mean to," he stammered, quickly waving his other hand in apology. "I thought you were someone else," he added, his face etched with remorse.
Freda hissed, swallowing her saliva hard as he forced herself to rise from her squatting position. "Are you having a fight with someone?" She asked with a frown.
Charles shook his head. "I just thought that you are a bad person who wants to hurt me."
Freda scoffed. "And who the hell would want to hurt you, Charles?" Freda asked and this time around, her voice had softened, the initial offense fading as she arched a brow, studying him with concern.
"Pfft!" Charles exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair, his fingers tangling in the strands. "I... I heard this place gets dangerous at night, so I just want to stay prepared. You never know who might be lurking around." His voice wavered slightly, betraying the tension he tried to mask.
"HHahahaha!" Freda laughed out, partly placing her hands above her mouth as she tried to press her laughter.
"Hey, why are you laughing?" Charles probed and Freda immediately forced her laughter to die down while waving her hands towards the air. "It’s... it’s..."
She wanted to explain the sole reason why she was laughing but unfortunately, she finds it so hard to control her laughter.
And then, after a few more seconds had passed, Freda’s laughter suddenly subsided.
"Umm... umm," she purred while clearing her throat. "Well, your earlier explanation was cute and I just can’t help myself:" Freda honestly explained.
"Cute?"
Freda clasped her hands together, a dreamy look washing over her face. "Well, for starters, he wore a navy-blue suit today, and I swear, he looked like he just walked out of a magazine cover." She sighed dramatically. "But that’s not all! He was so polite and charming to everyone, even the janitors! And when he smiled—ugh, Charles, you should have seen it. It was the kind of smile that could make a woman’s knees weak."
Charles arched a brow, folding his arms. "And that made him cute?"
"Yes! Your earlier words instantly made me think of CEO Augustine and the way he was extremely cute and charming towards me alone."
Hearing Freda’s explanation, Charles’s curiosity piqued. "How was CEO Augustine cute?"
"Let’s walk and I’ll explain everything to you," Freda stated with a gleeful smile.
Charles sighed, deciding to do as Freda had instructed because he wanted to hear how Augustine was cute towards her.
’Besides, Augustine has never been cute towards anyone,’ Charles thought to himself as he walked alongside Freda, his curiosity growing with each step.
"So... how was CEO Augustine cute?"
"Well, remember earlier when we were talking about the apology letter I received?" Freda asked.
Charles nodded. "Yeah, but we couldn’t finish that conversation because the head staff manager called us out for being late," he added.
Ealier that morning, Charles and Freda had been deep in conversation when the head staff caught them sneaking in late.
With arms crossed and a stern expression, she launched into a long-winded lecture about punctuality.
She made it clear that their tardiness wouldn’t be tolerated, warning them that if they were ever late again, their punishment would be brutal—overnight cleaning duty, scrubbing floors long after everyone else had gone home.
The thought alone was enough to send a shiver down Charles’s spine.
Currently...
Following the words of Charles, Freda leaned closer, her breath warm against Charles’s ear as she whispered, "Well, after we left the head staff cleaner, I bumped into the CEO’s secretary."
Freda paused for effect, her lips curling into a sly smile. "The secretary handed me a single rose—no words, no explanation. Just the flower."
Charles’s brows furrowed, curiosity flickering in his eyes. "And you think that means something?"
Freda pulled back slightly, tilting her head. "Of course! Why else would he do that? It’s obviously from CEO Augustine." She let out a dreamy sigh, hugging herself. "So mysterious and romantic."
"So what does that have to do with CEO Augustine?"
Freda leaned away from Charles’s ear, her gaze drifting toward the stars as a soft smile played on her lips. "I just know it was him. He sent his secretary to give me that flower," she mused, her voice laced with excitement. "CEO Augustine has a secret crush on me."
Freda let out a small chuckle, shaking her head. "But the funny thing is... I have no idea when he even started liking me and how."