Episode 4

"Hayden, come on," his sister whined the moment he step foot inside his penthouse.

He shot her a murderous glare. "What are you doing in my penthouse, Heather?"

Coming home after a very long and tiring day, he expected some quiet time with his beer but to his surprise, he found his sister lounging on his couch eating a slice of carrot cake. Come to think of it, he didn't have any carrot cake in his fridge. She dropped on his couch and opened the TV on the night news. A female newscaster was talking about what happened this morning in his company.

"Is it true?" She watch him head to the fridge.

"Which part?" He went to his fridge and grabbed two beers.

"All of it," she took the beer he handed to her. "Is it true that someone nearly died?"

He nodded and took a sit beside her. "Yeah."

"Then?"

"Luckily, someone knew first aid and was able to help," he took a sip of his beer when a certain woman popped into his mind.

She nodded. "That's awesome."

"Yeah, she is," he stared at the news with disinterest as his mind wander to the woman in the hospital.

"She?" Heather turned her attention to her brother.

He nodded, without looking at her. The show on the TV drowned out his attention. He tried focusing on his sister's ramble but his mind kept on wandering somewhere else. His mind flashed to her dark chocolate eyes and full pink lips. Her tan skin complemented her other features. Damn, he thought. Why am I thinking of her? He took a big gulp of his beer before forcing his focus on his sister. A month, his mind still echoed. He won't see her for one whole month.

27 days after

"Alright, class," she said. "Pass your papers already. The quiz was supposed to be easy."

She took her projector remote and set up her PowerPoint. She can remember her brother's shocked expression when she told him to book her a ticket home.

"Oh my," he brother teased. "This should have happened sooner."

"What are you talking about?"

"Wow," he sat beside her, amazed. "All it takes was one near-to-death experience for you to come home."

"Shut up."

"Miss Lacson?"

Her student snap her from her reverie. She saw him hand her the stack of papers to be checked. She was lucky she didn't get to simply stay at home for a month because if she did, she probably would have lost her mind.

"Alright," she turned to her class. "I hope you did well on your quiz, after all you made a report on it."

She heard a series of 'awws' and groans, which made her chuckle. "This quiz will prove if you made your project or ask someone to do it."

She grabbed the opportunity when her high school science teacher asked her to substitute for at least a month due to some existing reasons.

"Now, open you books to chapter 16," she said. "What is the chapter title?"

"Organic compounds," someone answered in the front.

She nodded in approval. Her childhood dream was to teach. Watching these high school students look forward to her classes warmed her heart. She knew how boring science subjects could be but she made sure that her student would at least impart some knowledge and someday one of them would choose chemistry as their major.

-

"Ivy," she heard her friend whine. "I miss you."

"Shut up, Jubileen," she fought a chuckle. "I know you missed me."

Its eight in the evening and the moment she logged on her Facebook account her right hand and best friend, Jubileen asked for a video chat. She and Jubileen have been friends since they were in college. They only got separated after their graduation when Jubileen decided to continue her Bachelor's degree while Reinne decided to work right away. After two years, she found out Jubileen graduated in her Bachelor's degree and she told her friend about a vacant position in the plant she work for.

"Are you slacking because I'm not there?"

Her friend scoffed. "It's lunch. By the way, how is your mom?"

"If pushing me to find a boyfriend is considered fine," she sigh. "Then, yes, she's fine."

Jubileen laughed out loud causing some of her coworkers to glance at her. "And my Mom?"

"Same as ever. Mean." Her friend laughed so hard, it caused other people to glance in her direction.

"Is that Miss Lacson?" One of their laboratory minion asked. She nodded at them and gestured to the screen in which her friend's face was shown.

"Oh, Cesar?" Reinne asked when the screen was suddenly filled with their minion's faces.

"Hi, Miss!" The screen was filled with their waves causing Jubileen to vanish in the screen.

"Hey!" She heard her friend screamed. "I'm talking to her!"

"Aw, come on," one of them said. "When will you be back, Miss Lacson?"

"Maybe next week," she chuckled when she saw them pout.

"What are you doing?" A loud voice said behind them.

Jubileen and the minions stiffened and turned around slowly to see their CEO standing behind them with a gloomy face. Someone woke up at the wrong side of the bed. Hayden glanced over their shoulders to see a video chat going on. It pissed him off. He woke up at the wrong side of the bed, his sister asked him to bring her sons to their daycare. Reinne held a gasp as she saw Mr. Sarmento glaring at her minions. It's been nearly a month since she last saw him.

"It's past lunch already," he boomed. "I don't pay you to slack off."

"Yes, sir," she heard a chorus of answers and the screen moving.

"Ivy, tell my mom I said hi," her friend said before exiting the video call.

So, she took the month's leave, Hayden thought as he sat on his chair. I wonder where she is. It's been almost a month since that incident in his plant happened. The following day, when she was discharged, she left the country to go home.

"Mr. Sarmento?" His secretary broke him from his thoughts.

"What?"

"Sir, you have a meeting with Mr. James in thirty."

When will she back? He thought to himself again before heading to the conference room.

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