Chapter 12
"Mr. Nathan, aren't you going to the office? Miss Tasya and Miss Naina have already left." The middle-aged woman in charge of the predominantly white house looked incredulously at her employer, who arrived with a cheerful face. His shirt was not buttoned perfectly, but he still looked cool, although his authority seemed slightly diminished. He casually carried his Armani suit jacket.
He stopped and glanced at Merry, giving a faint smile. "I'll be working in my office. Prepare some coffee. If there are any visitors, tell them to come straight to my room. Oh, and ask Mr. Jack to set up the presentation equipment in the living room. I have a meeting."
Merry was surprised but couldn't refute his boss's words at all, so she quickly did as she was asked. She had intended to knock on the room where a guest had been staying for the past few days. She had no objections because the guest was pleasant during their stay and the atmosphere of the house was not as gloomy as usual. Especially the young miss, who appeared more cheerful and rarely showed emotions or shouted in annoyance.
"Merry," Nathan called out a little loudly as the middle-aged woman was about to disappear behind the corridor towards the kitchen. "Where is Tasya sleeping?"
The woman blinked slowly, but a moment later, she pointed in the opposite direction. "In the guest room on the right, sir."
Nathan furrowed his brow. "Why not the guest room in this area?"
"Miss Tasya didn't want to. She said it's more comfortable there."
This irritated Nathan. The right side of the house was rarely occupied. The outdoor area of this house was mostly on the right side. There was one room that he considered the best guest room. The room he used to stay in whenever he visited his sister's house. But now, Nathan preferred the room next to Naina's, so he could keep an eye on her when he came home. Although it rarely happened due to being busy with Faldom.
"In which room?" Nathan asked again. This time, Merry fell silent. It made Nathan realize that the room had been opened for Tasya. "Who told Tasya to sleep there?"
"Miss said she wanted a quiet place to work. The Mistress asked me to tidy up that room."
"Well then, just prepare the coffee, Aunt. Have you made breakfast yet? If so, deliver it to that room as well."
"All right, sir."
Merry slapped her forehead. She had forgotten that no one else should occupy that room except its owner. She thought Nathan no longer used his old room. The room required somewhat difficult maintenance because it consisted mostly of glass. The large bed in the corner of the spacious room faced the glass, offering a beautiful view of the garden. No need to create a small courtyard just to enjoy the green area with many flowers.
Meanwhile, Nathan's steps continued toward his destination. He walked through the corridor, adorned with several paintings, and passed by the swimming pool area on the right side. When he arrived right in front of the beautifully carved door, still maintaining its well-preserved dark brown color, a smile suddenly appeared on his face. Slowly, he turned the handle where... "Oh my, Tasya!" he exclaimed in annoyance.
He tried to enter the unlocked room as quietly as possible! Didn't the girl know how dangerous it was to have an unlocked room? What if someone had malicious intentions towards Tasya? How would she protect herself?
But... shouldn't that remark be directed at him? Why did he enter without permission? And without even knocking. Just barging in as if it were his room. But if he thought about it, this used to be his room, right? Why would he need permission? Ugh! Nathan shouldn't be like this.
The girl was still wrapped in a blanket. Nathan's eyes quickly scanned the room, where a neatly organized stack of files sat on the desk. Tasya's work bag was also among the pile of files. Her phone was lying on the nightstand, connected to a charger. A large suitcase containing Tasya's clothes was in another corner. Nothing was out of place, and even two pairs of the assistant's high-heeled shoes were neatly lined up near the desk.
The bedside lamp was still on. The tall curtains covering the glass windows of the room were perfectly closed. It was dim and comfortable in there. That's why Nathan enjoyed sleeping in this room because besides being quiet, he could use it as a place to unwind after activities outside. Even when he reluctantly took over his sister's position, he still often used this room to sleep.
He complied because he felt sorry for Naina when she asked him to move. Nothing had changed in the room's interior. Including... Nathan's eyes widened in surprise almost to the point of jumping out. He quickly took a step without paying attention to his surroundings, which became his own misfortune. His unfortunate foot, his beloved handsome face, had to touch the floor even though it was covered with a warm carpet. "OUCH!!!" he cried out.
The sound immediately woke Tasya up. She swiftly uncovered herself and hurriedly looked around. Her bedroom door was wide open, just like her eyes, suddenly filled with fear as if someone had intruded. "Who's there?!" she asked loudly, although worry quickly consumed her.
When their eyes finally met, she exclaimed, "What are you doing here, sir?"
"Didn't you intend to help me, Tasya? My foot hurts."
"Why is it hurting?" Tasya still couldn't believe what her eyes were seeing. Her boss was sitting on the edge of her bed, wincing in pain. His hand was holding his foot for some reason. His face looked annoyed but also embarrassed? "Get me a cold compress, Tasya. My foot is really hurting."
Tasya quickly got off the bed, removing the blanket that had wrapped around her, and then... "Sir!!!"
"Tasya! Oh my!"
"Sir? Miss?" Merry was genuinely surprised by what she saw. Tasya fell right on top of Nathan. Whether it was a coincidence or not, they were very close to each other. Almost hugging each other. If only she hadn't entered, but how could she not rush into this open room? And she heard someone shouting, including Tasya's voice growing louder. Merry was worried that something had happened.
And it turned out to be true. Ah... too bad the Mistress didn't witness this show. It would have been quite entertaining.
******
"Why are you pouting like that?" Nathan asked irritably. The corner of his eye glanced at Tasya sitting next to him. However, they weren't close; there was a significant distance between them. "Who's pouting?"
"I should be the one angry with you. I fell, and you pinned me down. It's like falling and having a heavy burden on top."
Can Tasya please stop tearing her mouth at Raptor? Since when did Raptor speak without thinking? But if she thought about it, what happened earlier was indeed true. Tasya became curious. "Why did you fall earlier?"
Ah! Now it was Nathan's turn to stay silent. "Enough. Just fetch the files I need to review."
"I already emailed you the entire report last night, sir. You just need to print it." Tasya blinked, confused. "You also have a morning meeting, right?"
"I canceled it." Nathan's hand still pointed at Tasya. "Quickly, Tasya. I need to study it now."
"Did you have breakfast, sir?" Despite grumbling in annoyance, Tasya still focused on the stack of files she had prepared. Don't think that Tasya was flustered! She had never been this close to her boss before. She could even feel his heartbeat. My goodness! If she could turn back time, she would go back a moment after waking up. She had to be careful because of the blanket!
It seemed that she had to add more enemies to her life. The main one being the blanket.
"Not yet. Where would I have eaten? I came here to get the files without bothering you. But why am I so unlucky, stumbling over the bed?" Nathan grumbled. His eyes glanced back at his slightly reddened foot. "What if my foot was injured? What would happen?"
Tasya sighed briefly. Sometimes her boss exaggerated in his reactions. Like now. Where his foot was still intact, without any injuries, just slightly reddened from the stumble earlier. But Tasya noticed that Nathan's walk was still perfect. No need for assistance or a trip to the hospital.
"It's because you entered the room without permission." Tasya handed the requested files to Nathan.
"This is my room, right?"
Tasya's movement to grab the tray of breakfast that Muji had brought stopped abruptly. She stared at Nathan with an unreadable expression. "Seriously?"
"Why would I lie?" Nathan chose to make himself comfortable in his seat. "Prepare my breakfast, Tasya. My stomach needs to be filled because I have important agendas today."
Tasya still refused to take her eyes off Nathan.
"Tasya, please. Hurry up! I don't like being late."
The girl in the satin pajamas still didn't move from her position. The pajamas Tasya wore didn't have short sleeves or expose her shoulders. She preferred ones that covered her up and had long sleeves. So she wasn't worried when she uncovered the blanket earlier.
"If you're busy, why did you come home?"
Nathan looked closely at his assistant. According to him, this morning was somewhat human since he took off his glasses. Her long hair was disheveled. Her face was devoid of any makeup. Very natural. Unfortunately, Tasya's cheeks seemed to be getting thinner for some reason.
"I have to make sure you get the right vacation time."
Nathan wasn't deaf when he heard Tasya's irritated sigh. He looked carefully as the girl carried the tray, her eyes trying to focus. This made Nathan move quickly. "Let me do it. Where are your glasses?"
Tasya was startled. When the tray she was carrying was taken over by Nathan. She wanted to stop him, but she was also afraid that everything would spill and make a mess. They wouldn't have breakfast then. Ah... if she remembered correctly, his glasses were on the table next to the bed.
"Tasya?"
"I'll get your glasses, sir." Tasya said with a thin smile. "You should have breakfast first. Is there anything missing? Shall I get it from the kitchen?"
"Where are your glasses, by the way?"
"Over there," Tasya pointed innocently. The place she pointed to was where Nathan's photos were neatly displayed. This made Nathan stare at Tasya in disbelief.
"You... did you pay attention to that photo too?"
"Yes." Tasya nodded innocently.
"Oh my!" Nathan slapped his forehead. "Embarrassing!" He quickly headed to the bedside table where his childhood photos were displayed. "They should be hidden." Tasya burst into laughter. "So that's why you fell?"
"What else?" Nathan said irritably. He quickly passed by Tasya. It was better for him to get his glasses and hide the photos that he didn't think Tasya needed to know about. Why did he forget to remove those photos?
"Your younger self looked so cute there. Chubby cheeks. I wanted to pinch them because they were adorable. Why did you become annoying now that you're all grown up?"
Those words made Nathan turn around. "What are you talking about?" No, Nathan wasn't angry. He felt that Tasya was different today compared to their usual interactions. Especially since her laughter seemed different.
"I'm not saying anything, sir. Just commenting on your childhood photo that I found adorable. It looked like a male version of Naina and a bit chubby."
"Is that so?"
Tasya nodded without hesitation.
"I was going to hide it. Or... should I just leave it?"
"Whatever you're comfortable with, sir. If you think I shouldn't see the photo, I'll forget about it."
"If you ask me, it's not a problem for you to know." Nathan stepped closer to Tasya. The girl was just as she usually was. Rarely backing away when Nathan approached, whether it was when he was angry, talking, giving instructions, or even during long discussions.
"I'll keep it in my deepest memories, that you were once an adorable person. Who transformed into an admirable person."