Lunistra

Timothy's Condominium

She reached home a little after 6 PM. She still found it weird to call Timothy's condominium her home. Emily occupied the guest room and was allowed to decorate it so she could feel at ease even if she was staying at someone else's abode. Timothy always came home at around 9 PM and by then, she was done preparing his supper. They never dined together since it wasn't part of their arrangement. All she had to do was make sure he ate freshly cooked food and cleaned up after him.

This time it seemed like Timothy was home before her.

"Hey," Timothy greeted her as he sat on the couch, feet propped up on the coffee table and his laptop on his lap. Emily took off her shoes and slipped on the house slippers. "Hi Mr. Angeles, I brought takeout." She said and waved the bag in the air for Timothy to see. He had always reminded her to just call him by his name when they were at home but Emily insisted that she keep the formality. She was, after all, the housekeeper. At some point, Timothy gave up and just let her call him however she wanted.

"Ah. I'm guessing you met with your friend?" he guessed and Emily only nodded. Although she did it unconsciously, it became somewhat of a routine to get takeout whenever she met with Joshua.

"What are we having?" he asked without moving from the couch. Emily had already made her way to the kitchen to start preparing for dinner. "Grilled Chicken and," she hesitated, remembering the brisket burger she bought, "that's it, really." she replied, and Timothy only hummed in response.

They didn't pry on each other's matters much.

After she was done setting the table, she called for him to come and eat. They usually dined separately, but whenever she came home with takeout, they would eat together in silence. She would always try to break the quiet with light conversation. On days like this, he would take a bottle of wine for her and his expensive scotch, but Emily would always decline the offer. He still brought her glass, though.

He asked her about her day at the flower shop and if anything interesting happened, to which she responded with "The usual... Though I did sell one of the young plants to this regular." She said and smiled at the recollection.

He hummed once more, "So who is this regular?" feigning interest as he began cutting into his food. Emily lit up, excited to share her activities with the man, "Mrs. Cruz, she usually orders these rare flowers, and asks her assistant to pick them up for her."

He made a noise of approval and took a sip off his glass before asking, "And what's she like, the assistant? Is she pretty?"

Emily nodded, comically explaining that Mariko was indeed pretty, with her short black hair, white shirt and pencil skirt. Without Timothy's prompts, she continued to describe the woman, even recounting to the man that Mariko had brought her coffee during busy days. Although Timothy often teased her about her day, today seemed different. It sounded like he was genuinely interested.

Odd, that.

"She sounds like a lovely lady. And pray tell, is this Mariko lady in a relationship?" Emily's brows furrowed at his question. Was he asking because he wanted to know if he had a chance? Or because he knew something about Mariko that she wasn't privy to? Where was this question leading?

"I never asked, actually..." She slowly said as she eyed the man across her, finally deciding that tonight might be the night that she accepted the wine offer. She took the empty wine glass and poured herself a glass. Timothy only stared at her with a raised brow.

She slowly took a sip and placed the glass down, her lips pursing before she visibly swallowed. "Maybe you should ask her." Emily glared at him as she took another sip, this time, emptying her glass. He looked smug as he swirled his drink before taking another sip.

"Why should I?" Emily looked at him squarely, "Are you interested in her? Have you met her before?" and to this, he merely shrugged. "No reason,"

Emily glared at him, dubious of his answers but she didn't want to continue the line of conversation. It was annoying. She began cleaning up the dining table, without bothering to ask if he was done.

If he wasn't eating and would rather use his mouth to rile her up, then he was done eating, she decided.

A little before 10, Emily was done with most of her house chores and she would either catch up on her evening soaps or call her family, and at 10:30 she would head off to bed.

Tonight, she grabbed what was left of the wine bottle, took it to her room and called it a night.

Angeles Headquarters

The call came at a quarter before noon, surprising Emily. 

"Emily, I need lunch, as soon as you are able." 

Frazzled by the request from Timothy, she immediately closed up shop and ran home to whip something quick and easy that matched the man's preference. She had no complaints about his request but the way he had ended the call without letting her have a peep made Emily annoyed.

Can't he be nice for just once?

"As soon as you're able." She grumbled, mimicking the way he had said it and making a face at the passenger seat in front of her. Perhaps as a consolation, the man had thankfully sent a car to fetch her. She didn't even have time to change into more decent clothing. To keep up with pretense, she told the driver to pick her up at the cafe-restaurant across the flower shop.

"Any trouble, madame?" The driver asked, glancing at her through the rearview mirror. She gave him a polite smile and shook her head. The driver smiled back and reverted his gaze back on the road. 'He should be glad he's my boss, otherwise I'd have flipped him off.' she thought, bemused yet still annoyed.

It was a little after 2PM when she reached the lobby of the Angeles Headquarters. Although she wasn't able to change, she was still thankfully wearing nicer clothes than the last time she was here. Laurence had arranged her wardrobe, after all. Belatedly, she realised she hasn't thanked him for it.

She held the thermal bag tightly in her hand as she carded a hand through her hair. She didn't understand how Timothy couldn't just order a takeaway like a normal person. Or just get his ass out of his probably ergonomic and customised office chair and go out to a nearby restaurant. He was an abled body person who could afford it, so why the hell was she the one doing the cooking and delivering? Granted, she was his maid--but she was also supposed to act as his fiancee in public--and it couldn't get any more public than showing up in his office!

She sighed and trudged her way to the elevator to get to the top floor. Emily didn't miss the furtive glances at her and the quiet exchange between one person to the next as she walked past them. It only went worse when she was inside the elevator. Soft whispers turned into loud chatter, meant to make her feel uneasy.

"Did you see them the other day? She literally was arguing with Mr. Angeles about sending her on an errand." She came to drop off some papers he left in his home office. She was only pointing out things to him--hardly an argument!

"I did! Ohmygod, I can't believe someone would ever talk back to Mr. Angeles!" Emily wanted to say she was only stating out facts: That he was a little forgetful that day. Was that what his employees counted as talking back?

"I mean, I get why they're getting married—at least she's not a doormat like one of his exes." At this, she couldn't help but get curious. She had little information about his dating history since the Angeles dynamic duo never mentioned it.

"Right? Exactly."

"They're probably a match made in heaven." 

"Or hell, depends on how you look at it."

Emily bit back the urge to call them out for talking like that about their boss and his fiancee, but decided to just let Timothy handle this. 

Besides, all of Lunaria was probably talking up a storm about her and Timothy already.

On the 16th floor, several employees filed in and out of the elevator and she couldn't help but move at the far end of the moving contraption. Thank the mages for their magical prowess--at least she won't have to climb up the stairs to the 55th floor.

This time, she doesn't hear about how suitable she was with Timothy but the opposite. Apparently, having a mysterious background isn't a good trait for a fiancée of CEO Timothy Angeles.

When someone spoke up about Timothy choosing a foreigner over the locals of Lunaria, Emily's eyes immediately trailed toward the man talking. It was one of the board of directors that Laurence told her to memorise. The director kept telling the employees that the CEO's fiancée was basically a mushroom popping out of nowhere in this lush forest—completely out of place and unnecessary.

55th Floor. Finally! She thought and cleared her throat, raising a brow at the employees who only looked at her. "Move." She said and the sea of people parted for her. She walked out with ease and turned to face them once she was out, "Thanks." and smiled brightly at them, giving them a conspiratorial wink before beelining for Timothy's office.