CHAPTER 3
"I'm not in the position to answer your question, ma'am. So why not talk to Sir Kim about it, instead?"
Reading the meaning between the lines, my suspicion that I was indeed Jakara grew higher. I could consider having an identical twin, but the intuition or "lukso ng dugo" made me eliminate the thought. Not only that, there was something in the way Kim looked at me that attracted me to him ever since I knew him. And there was a strong emotional pull within me that I could not explain every time I got near him.
My thoughts then went to that day I first met him at Ara's office. I was sitting across from Ara's desk when Kim entered the office. His eyes fell on me right away, and he seemed to freeze for a second before he shifted his gaze to Ara.
"Ar, Mr. Sato, and his team are coming over this weekend. They'll be staying for about a month," he said, but his side glances didn't escape me.
"Got it, sir. I'll be meeting them as soon as possible," Ara replied, but an amused smile spread on her lips.
As I caught his perfectly chiseled jawline and the dark brows above his peach-shaped eyes, my heartbeats immediately throbbed against my chest. If he were to look at me closer, he would surely hear them pounding like drums on a showdown finale.
"By the way, Ara, aren't you going to introduce the beautiful lady here?" Kim's eyes were already sticking on me.
Ara scrambled to her feet and walked around to my side, grabbing my arm. I also stood up; the sense of unexplained thrill and awkwardness made me blush.
"Sir, it's my honor to introduce my best friend Yen to you."
I reached out and pinched Ara's side. He should have introduced him first because he's the company's CEO and I was a nobody.
"Glad to meet you, Miss Yen. I'm Kim, working for Kim Yuan Microelectronics." He extended his hand, and I accepted it while holding my breath.
"It's an honor to meet the man behind the great success of Kim Yuan Microelectronics, sir," I said, fighting to win over my erratic heartbeats.
He held my hand tighter for over a couple of seconds before releasing it.
"Glad to meet you, as well."
His smile was so magnetic that it tickled me inside. He then moved his eyes to Ara and said,
"Ar, why not bring Yen over to our team building outing next month?"
"That would be wonderful, sir!" Ara moved her eyes from Kim to me, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
I just smiled without saying a word. I was too overwhelmed that I no longer knew what to say.
"See you then, Miss Yen?"
"S-sure, sir. Thanks for the invitation."
Ara walked back to her seat at the back of her desk while I was standing before Mr. Kim. My knees seemed to worsen my awkwardness since they started shaking. I even got afraid they would eventually give way.
"Alright. I must go ahead. See you next time," he said, letting his eyes stick to me for a couple of seconds before he turned to leave.
Of course, it was never a secret that Kim possessed stunning features that often attracted women to him. And even if I were one of them, that short encounter with Kim had sealed the traits I wanted in a man. Not only physically but on his consistent and unwavering drive towards perfection and success.
"Pssst! Do I see something strange?" Ara's voice pierced into my ear.
"Strange?" I furrowed my brows as I turned to him.
Ara rolled her eyes. "You can't hide anything from your best friend. I saw the way you look at him."
I giggled. I knew better than anyone else that I shouldn't keep anything from her. Or else, she wouldn't stop pestering me until I give way.
"Alright. He's gorgeous," I tried to make my confession as simple as possible.
"Only that? My goodness, Yen, I saw how you blushed and how your temples sweat while gawking at him!"
I laughed harder. I knew I put off Ara's excitement by those few words. "What else should I say? Ar, it's just a crush. And it's normal for a woman like us to admire him."
Ara shrugged and frowned. I thought her enthusiasm died, but I got surprised when her eyes glowed again.
"You should go with us next month. There you will have ample time to ogle at him."
I heaved out a sigh. "You're too much, you know? Remember, I have a boyfriend, and we are going to get married soon."
Arah rolled her eyes and spread out her palms in surrender. Who knew that a month after that, I met Kim again at the beach during the company outing? And during that event, I got stung by a jellyfish, and Kim lifted me out of the water, carrying me in his arms.
The sequence of that incident flashed again in my mind…
Kim carried me again towards our cottage because Ara insisted that I couldn't walk by myself anymore. Perhaps because the wine had started to have its effect on me and because I kept thinking about him ever since that day I first met him, I gave in to the temptation of throwing my arms around his neck the moment he placed me on the bed. That move prompted him to bend down and press his lips on mine.
I kissed him back, giving in to the dictates of my drunken state. I was aware of what went on and that I dared to make out with a CEO, but I couldn't care less. This chance may not happen again. So I kept on giving in until we went deeper, riding on my irrationality. I didn't flinch when he took down my bikini, and I didn't refuse when he started to explore every part of my body.
He may have stopped and didn't go further than heavy petting, but for me, that was the best intimacy I had experienced with a man--not even with Zed when he finally became my husband. Every time Zed failed during our intimate moments, I would imagine this experience with Kim. Only then would I have the satisfaction.
"We're here already, ma'am!" Vic's voice pierced into my reverie I realized we were already in front of the Royal Park Hotel.
"Thank you, Vic," I said, smiling. "Please thank Mr. Mori also for me."
"But, ma'am, Miss Trish has called that I should be taking you to the party. Sir Cris picked her up, and you were not there, so she asked me to bring you there."
My bad. How could I forget Trish? Cris, her fiance, held a pool party to introduce her to his circle of friends, and she needed my emotional support. Soon marrying a famous business magnate, Trish wasn't so comfortable to be there with Cris alone.
"Okay, Vic. Just give me 15 minutes."
Before I opened the door, Vic's voice stopped me from stepping out of the car.
"Ma'am, I've heard that Mr. Josh Herra would also be there."
Josh Herra. Hearing that name immediately sent chills down my spine, followed by a welling anger that I couldn't explain where it came from.