The hotel has a rooftop pool and bar with a scenic view of mountain ranges and the ocean, a place perfect for a weekend getaway.
Damien and Markus were discussing some things that they needed to take care of for the week while Katherine sat next to Damien sipping her Kiwi Mai Tai, the c.o.c.ktail that he ordered for her.
"I"ll see you back at the office, Boss." Markus got off the stool and headed towards the elevators.
"He"s leaving?" Katherine watched as Markus left without even glancing at her. She figured that he was not much of a talker.
"He has some things to do." Damien turned to face Katherine who went back to quietly sipping her drink. "How"s your drink?"
"It"s really good. I like the sweetness of the pineapple in this drink. It"s actually refres.h.i.+ng with just the right amount of alcohol." She commented as she swirled the stirrer in her drink.
"Mhmm… you"ve always liked pineapple." He muttered to himself before drinking the rest of his own drink.
"Huh? Did you say something?" Katherine tilted her head to ask but he just gave her a smile and shook his head.
"Nothing." He swiveled his chair around so that he was now facing the pool where hotel guests were enjoying the amenities. "What do you think of this place?"
Suddenly faced with a question, Katherine thought hard about it as she looked around seeing everybody having fun. "It seems lively. It"s barely noon and there are people who are already drunk." She caught sight of a group of guests by the pool who were partying hard at that hour.
"Mhmm… And you? Are you having fun?" He placed his gla.s.s back on the counter and waited for her to answer, resting his chin on his hand as he looked at her.
Katherine tried to ignore his stare and continued to look around - seeing family with kids and drunk people mixed together in the pool. Her eyes narrowed and she bit her lip. "I don"t know, but if I was with that family, I don"t think I would enjoy having my kids be surrounded by drunk people wearing skimpy swimwear and making out with everyone." She almost rolled her eyes but stopped herself knowing that her boss was watching her.
The woman that she was looking at turned her head towards their direction and she saw her smile before coming out of the pool. As the woman in a two piece swimsuit approached them, she kept on looking at Damien who was still facing Katherine.
"Damien? Is that you?" She called, making him spin around.
"Oh, hi!" he responded briefly with a smile. Katherine saw his expression and found it interesting.
Even with the short span of time that she had known him, she had already noticed that the smile he formed when he faced the woman and Mr. Wu earlier were mirthless smiles. Although he looked attractive with his fake smile that people might think he"s glad to see them, it told Katherine otherwise. "This man is full of surprises. Rich, young… a smooth liar and also kept a facade under that whole business and flirty vibe."
Katherine quietly observed her boss as the woman sleazily traced her finger on Damien"s arm while she whispered something to his ear. Whatever it was, it made Damien chuckle at the same time that it made Katherine narrow her eyes at them.
"...your little friend can join us," said the woman in a s.l.u.tty manner as she glanced at Katherine"s way. That was the only thing that Katherine heard which piqued her interests more. "What are they talking about? And is she talking about me?"
She saw Damien whisper something back and the woman"s reaction made Katherine even more confused. The woman blinked and gulped before she excused herself with a forced smile.
"Seriously, why do they have to whisper? I couldn"t hear a thing!" she complained in her head.
"Shall we leave now, Ms. Miller?" Damien retrieved his coat from the side and got off the stool, startling Katherine in the process that she could only hurriedly put her gla.s.s down and step on the ground.
"Ah!" She slipped when her shoes brushed on the tiles; it was slippery because of the water that was seeping out from the pool. Fortunately, Damien caught her by the arm and straightened her up. She could feel his warm hand almost burning her skin.
"Are you okay?" He glanced at the floor and then at her feet as Katherine a.s.sured him, "I"m okay." She casually stepped aside to get out of his grasp.
She could have avoided the slippery floor if she wasn"t so distracted by the two flirty-looking people whispering sweet nothings to each other. She chuckled to hide her embarra.s.sment and walked ahead of her boss.
Damien"s hands hung in the air and her reaction made him smirk. Running a hand through his hair, he followed her quietly from behind.
Katherine tightly held her shoulder bag as they waited for the elevator while Damien gazed at her through her reflection — he was still trying to figure out how Katherine seemed exactly the same but also different. He already ordered Markus to investigate her background using the information from her job application and was merely waiting for the results.
Five years ago, no matter what he did, he could not find anything about her and could only run into her in random or unexpected places. So when she disappeared, just like their initial investigation, it was as if she didn"t even exist. He didn"t know where to find her and it made him crazy just to think about how she left him that night.
And now she suddenly appeared and posed as his secretary except, she acts as if she doesn"t even know him. He constantly reminded himself to keep his calm and to keep his sh*t together, otherwise, she might slip out of his life once again. "If you want to play… I"ll let you play."
There was only one elevator and since they were at the fifteenth floor, they had to wait. When the elevator came, they entered the s.p.a.ce and just when the door was about to close, other people who came from the pool had caught up with them.
Katherine gasped as she instantly moved aside, backing away until she reached the wall of the elevator to avoid the guests who were dripping with pool water that even made Damien want to curse. The elevator stopped at the tenth floor and a few more people came in making wet and dry clothes mix inside the small s.p.a.ce.
Clenching his jaw, Damien moved in front of Katherine, blocking her from the rest but in return, his suit got soaked from a guest"s wet clothes and towel.
Finally reaching the ground floor, the two of them got off sighing heavily. "I have a meeting in the afternoon back in the city. I"ll drop you off first at the company." Damien said while they walked out of the hotel.
"Understood." She nodded and that"s the only time when she saw his wet s.h.i.+rt. "President Park, your s.h.i.+rt…"
"I know. Wait for me here. I"ll just change real quick." Damien took something from the trunk of his Jaguar and disappeared into the men"s room in the lobby.
Five minutes later, he came out looking fresh and neat as if nothing had happened. "Let"s go," he said as he opened the pa.s.senger"s seat, urging Katherine to get inside.
She stared at him with a confused look. "Shouldn"t I drive? I mean… you"re my boss."
"No, I will drive because this is my car. Now, get in."
With only that simple answer, Katherine was left with no choice. She got inside the pa.s.senger"s seat and buckled her seatbelt. As soon as he was settled inside, he glanced at her and a small smile etched on his face as he said, "Good."
The ride going back to the city was quiet as neither of them attempted to speak. However, despite the silence, it wasn"t at all uncomfortable —not even when the atmosphere was filled with only the soft music in the background and the humming of the car engine.
But, it"s just that… Katherine still did not understand why they went to that hotel in the first place and did not do anything much. With this in mind, she stared at Damien and tried to understand what was going on in his brain as if what she was doing will help her.
"Keep staring and I might do a trick." A playful smile flashed across his face as he gave Katherine a wink before he put his focus back on the road.
Realizing that she had been staring at him again, she cleared her throat and smiled indifferently. "I was just wondering what was the purpose of our visit to Mr. Wu"s hotel."
"We"re just there to have fun." Arriving at Crown Resort Group"s main office, Damien stopped in front of the entrance. "You did well today, Ms. Miller. There"s a blue folder on my desk, read and familiarize yourself with it. You don"t have to wait for me later. I will see you again tomorrow."
Katherine got out of the car and watched as Damien drove away before she entered the building.
Inside the car, Damien was already on the phone with Markus.
"How much is he losing for the past two years?" he asked.
There was a short pause before Markus replied on the other line. "About fifty-eight percent. If it wasn"t because Mr. Wu is supported by the local government, that hotel might have already been closed."
"Got it. And what about Katherine?"
"I will receive the full report later at seven. I"ll bring it to you right away."
Damien nodded despite not being seen by Markus before they ended the call. He formed a knowing smile as though he couldn"t wait to learn whatever they were going to find out about his secretary.
Bonus Scene
Conversation back at the pool:
The woman traced her finger on Damien"s arm and whispered into his ear. "I heard that you"re still not seeing anyone. Do you want to take me upstairs?" She slightly leaned back and looked at his face, smiling seductively as she glanced at Katherine. "Your little friend can join us."
With a dangerous smile, he tilted his head to her and whispered back in a low voice, "If you don"t get out of my sight within three seconds, I"ll make sure your daddy retires early without receiving a single cent."