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º Trouble In Paradise º

"I don't care! Start acting like I matter, too!"

"I'm sorry. Okay?" He tried to stop scowling but his annoyance just kept growing. "How many times do you want me to apologize?"

"You promised! You're such a liar." Shariena tried to shove him when he was about to get in the backseat without her, struggling to maintain self-control.

Patience.

Nothing but good ol' patience. Although difficult sometimes, being patient is key, Jeihral reminded himself. At this point in his life, it was what he needed to do to keep sane.

He knew it was also crucial in keeping a relationship going. Especially when you're dealing with a feisty and sometimes annoyingly demanding girlfriend.

Five years of dating her and her attitude was wearing him thin. On the bright side, the experience had been educational. Now he knew better how to handle her at her worst.

Their very first meeting had been okay. Pretty normal. Random night. They'd met at a bar, the place interestingly dim, he and Sharie both single and looking for a good time...et cetera et cetera.

Already a face on the rise in the modeling scene, Shariena Villaro was a headturner among the women he brushed elbows with. She had the body and the face you could stare at all day. Even at first glance, Sharie was something else. Someone who would keep him on his toes all the time. Someone who piqued his interest.

But having dated her on and off for quite a while now, Jeihral couldn't help thinking his utmost appreciation of her then was now turning into a choice he would regret. He thought so, more often than not. Being in a serious relationship with her all this time—it was now inching towards the unmanageable side.

"Don't touch me!"

"Shariena, just stop screaming and get in the damn car."

"No! You're always like this."

"Fine. I'm sorry. For the millionth time: sorry. It's all my fault."

"You're so insensitive and it's just making things worse," Sharie complained amid a forced sob.

Fortunately, it only took him minutes till she cooled off in his car, but only after her insulting accusations of him being a liar and a cheat. She eventually simmered down when he promised her some time next weekend.

"Right, then. Pick you up Saturday. We'll go somewhere," he promised his teary girlfriend.

A whole day. He promised her a whole day, just to keep her company. He would hang out with her despite his formerly scheduled plans.

Thank heavens he'd thought of a passable compromise when she was already making a scene—in mid-day, at that. Jeihral breathed a sigh of relief. In certain cases, she was just that difficult.

°

"Good afternoon, Sir Jeihral."

"Afternoon." He glanced to his left and saw a young face standing behind a computer screen. He greeted the smiling first floor receptionist with a nod and a quick 'Hi'.

Her subtle makeup suited the company's new staff uniforms, mostly midnight blue with gold streaks in color—the Chairman's preference.

"Going up, Sir?" the uniformed woman with a ponytail said.

One of the new hires, if Jeihral presumed correctly. He'd been too busy in the next building to remember their new employees' names. "Meeting with the boss," Jeihral replied as he made his way to the nearest elevator.

His phone went off when he checked for new messages. Just as he had guessed, it was his father calling, for the hundredth time today.

Good grief. His father could be so peremptory at times. "On my way to your office. Don't fret," Jeihral immediately said after picking up.

"I didn't know lunch breaks now took more than two hours." Mr. Han, no doubt blaming Sharie for his tardiness, went quiet when Jeihral didn't respond to his sarcasm. "They've been here all morning. I'm late for an appointment. Finish this up so they could go home," Mr. Han grumbled over the phone, sounding unusually impatient.

"On my way. In the elevator now." Jeihral pressed the 'End Call' icon repeatedly. Alone in the elevator, he slapped the button numbered '35'.

Why did his father need him in the meeting? What good would his presence do? Jeihral scowled and made guesses. He didn't care for the Raish's transactions with their financing business. Why was his father forcing him to meet the widow and the daughter?

It wasn't his fault the Raish family got sucked into an unending web of multi-million corporate loans. Why did his father expect him to have a solution for their problem? As if he didn't have enough backlogs and daily workload already. Jeihral swore in his head.

Rushing past the hallway leading to the Presidential Lounge, Jeihral glimpsed the empty secretarial desk outside his father's private office. He hastened his pace. The big boss didn't like to wait.

"Hi."

Jeihral looked up from his phone. He didn't recognize the voice that greeted him timidly. As he stood in the bright hallway, a fairly tall woman waited outside the lounge's entrance. A small smile stayed on her face as they locked gazes. He stood still.

"I, uh, I'm sorry. I carelessly locked myself out," the young woman explained in a stutter. Her dainty hand sat on the shiny door lever. Her skirt hung below her knee. Besides her lush hair, her dark lashes also caught his attention. "Could you help me out with the..." she asked when he just kept staring.

Like a brainless twit. Stupefied by the familiar face before him.

It was her. Holy shit! Was it really her?

Or did she have a twin sister?!

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