"HERE are the files you asked from Mr. Salvacion, Sir," I said as I placed the document in front of Xander. "May I also remind you about your meeting with Mister Alejandro at 2 pm."
Xander cut his stare from his laptop and looked at me. "Thanks, Charity." He glanced at his watch. "I still have thirty minutes before my meeting starts. I'll finish signing this first."
"Alright, Sir. Just call me if you need something."
I smiled at him before I left his office and went back to my desk. It had been almost two months since I started working as Xander's secretary. During weekends, I would drag Mariel out of the metro for a short getaway. Last Saturday, the two of us went to Baguio.
The past week has been busy for Xander. Last week, Salvador Villarama—the president of the VGC and Xander's grandfather, already sat down from his position. Right now, it was Xander who was acting as the temporary CEO until the board of directors voted for the one who would take over the position.
I was making the minutes of the meeting this morning when a tall and model-like woman arrived at my desk.
"Good afternoon, Mam. How can I help you?" Just from the red bodycon dress the woman was wearing, I knew she wasn't working here.
Since I started working here, this was the first time that a woman visited Xander in his office.
She looked like she had just come from a fashion show. Her red dress was matched with red fingernails and red stilettos. Was she Xander's current girlfriend? Well… this woman was totally her type.
"I wanted to talk to Xander," the woman answered me with an arrogant voice. She even flipped her long straight hair as she looked down at me.
"Do you have an appointment, Ma'am?" I maintained a professional face in front of her.
"I don't. But tell him this is Giana."
Giana? I stared at her face. She was bitchy, but I couldn't deny she was also pretty as hell. "For a moment, Ma'am," I said, then I pressed the intercom.
"Sir Xander, a certain Gianna was looking for you."
"Gianna? Do not let her in, Charity. Please, tell her that we don't have anything else to talk about."
Oh. So was she an ex-girlfriend? Or a fling?
"I'm sorry, Miss," I said to the woman who arched her eyebrows at me. "Sir Xander said you two have nothing to talk about. And he can't accommodate you right now. He has an important meeting at 2 pm."
The woman's eyes slanted in annoyance. "I needed to talk to him," she demanded. "Your boss and I have something to talk about!"
Before I could say something, she already walked past me. I hurriedly left my desk to stop her.
"Miss, you can't go inside." I held her hand. "Sir Xander—"
"Shut up, you bitch." My eyes widened when she suddenly scratched my arm with her long nail. Then the next thing I knew she had grabbed my head and was now pulling my hair.
"Ouch," I winced in pain as I tried to get off her claws. I saw my arm bled a little with her scratch. "What the hell's your problem, Miss?"
"You!" She pointed at me. "I knew it." Her voice was full of bitterness as she scanned me from head to toe. "You're also trying to seduce him, aren't you?"
What? My eyes widened. Seduce Xander? So this was Xander's former secretary. The one he fired for seducing him…
"I don't know what you're saying, Miss."
"Oh. Stop acting all innocent. I know the likes of you." She scoffed. She was about to attack me but then she stopped when she noticed something behind me.
"Gianna, what the hell are you doing?" It was Xander.
He walked past me and grabbed Gianna in the arm. He dragged the woman away from me.
I witnessed how the woman changed her expression. "Xander, I just wanted to talk to you and your bitch of a secretary said—"
"Don't call her that, Gianna. I was the one who told her to not let you enter. And what did you do to her?" Xander glanced at me before his attention went back to Gianna.
I remained there standing while fixing my hair using my fingers.
"X-xander. I didn't mean it. Your secretary was trying to stop me and I snapped. I just… wanted to talk to you."
"We have nothing to talk about," Xander answered, his voice cold and menacing.
"And didn't I tell you to not show your face to me again?"
Xander's eyes drifted to me. His face darkened when he saw the scratch on my arm. "We could sue you for physical harassment."
I blinked. This was the first time I witnessed Xander with this kind of expression on his face.
Gianna's eyes widened in fear. "X-xander, please. Don't do that. I…I'm sorry."
"Then get lost, Gianna. Before I call the guards to drag you out of this building."
Xander released the woman, and the former hurriedly ran to the elevator.
"Are you okay, Charity?" Xander was already in front of me. He sighed as his eyes zeroed in on my arm. His handsome face now full of concern. "We can file a case against her."
"No need, Sir. I'm fine. This is just a scratch. You don't need to waste your time on her."
Xander held my arm. His jaw clenched as he examined the scratch on it. "We need to take care of this. Let's go to my office."
"No need, Sir—"
Xander silenced me with his determined look. I had no choice but to let him drag me inside his office.
"Wait for me here, okay? I'll just get a medicine kit." He motioned the vacant couch to me.
"Sir, you have a meeting at two." I reminded him.
"Yeah. I know." That was his only answer as he left me alone in his office. It took him fifteen minutes before he went back. On his hand was a medicine kit.
"Sir Xander… you're meeting," I said as he placed the kit on the center table and occupied the space beside me.
"I already went to the conference room. I told them to start the meeting without me."
My lips parted. "S-sir. I can already take care of this."
He took out the bottle of alcohol in the kit and looked at me. "You were hurt because of me so it's my responsibility to take care of you, Charity."
I felt something warm enveloped my heart with the way he said those words. Shit.
"No. Just give me your hand."
He carefully held my arm and dabbed the scratch on it with a cotton ball with alcohol.
Xander… his touch was so gentle I felt like butterflies started to invade my stomach. Was he always like this? Now… I understood why his former secretary got obsessed with him.
"Gianna was my secretary before you came," Xander said while mending my wound. "She was efficient at first. But a few months later, I noticed she started giving me motives. I admit she was really pretty and her kind was my really type."
Yeah. Tall, slender and model like.
"Then one night, we saw each other at a bar… and I gave in to her advances." He lightly shook head as if he was regretting that moment. "We made out that night. The day after, she started acting as if she's my girlfriend."
"It seems like she's crazy over you." I couldn't help but say.
You're crazy over him, too.
Well… but I'm not obsessed like her. I was in love with Xander. But I know my limit. I knew where to stand. I would never be like Gianna.
"It was my fault for giving in to her advances." He sighed. "I plan to transfer her to another department but she made a scene during one of my meetings. That's why I was forced to fire her."
He looked at me. "I'm sorry, Charity." Damn. felt like melting with the way he stares at me.
"I-it's okay, Sir…" Shit. Stop with your stuttering, Charity.
"That's the reason I personally conducted the interview with you. I don't want another secretary like Gianna."
I bit the inside of my cheek. If he found out that I was in love with him, he'd surely fire me. But of course, I won't let that happen.
"You can press charges against her, Charity. I'll be with you."
I shook my head and gave him a small smile. "I'm already okay. Besides, I think what she needs is psychological help."
He put a band-aid on my scratch and then caressed the skin surrounding it. I felt a tinge of electricity travel through my veins. His touch was making my heart crazy. I knew it was a simple gesture but it was already enough to send shivers down on me.
"There. All done."
"Thank you, Sir." I managed to say despite the racing of my heart inside my chest.
He smiled at me. "I'd make sure to already ban her from the building. She can't hurt you anymore."
I was afraid he'd hear my heartbeat. So I stood up. "You can now go to the conference room, Sir. And uh… I'll go back to my desk now."