Scenarios

II

“ What's funny? ” Ian asks the two girls who's giggling while looking at him.

The two girls blushed.

“ Ah, wala po, ” Joy, one of the girls, answers him, looking away.

Ian raises a brow that made the two girls nervous.

“ Sir, wala po talaga, sorry po, it's just that, ang gwapo n'yo lang po kasi, ” Lin, the other girl, answers him this time.

“ Naga-gwapuhan lang naman pala sa'yo, bakit naman tinatakot mo? ”

Ian turns around to look for the owner of that voice and his brows furrowed.

“ Hindi ko sila tinatakot, I'm just asking them if there's something funny, they're laughing, ” Ian explains, still with a furrowed brows.

“ hindi tinatakot, eh, parang mawawalan na sila ng malay, oh? And look at you, your forehead is nakakunot na naman, gosh, para kang bubuga ng apoy, ” Alice stated, chuckling. “ and they're not laughing, they're giggling, pogi ka nga raw kasi, ” she winks at him.

Ian shakes his head, raising a brow again.

“ what do you need? ” Ian asks Alice in his masungit tone in which Alice just answers her with a laugh.

“ Gagi, I don't need anything from you, I'm just passing by and then I saw Joy and Lin na parang namumutla, tinatakot mo kasi, bakit ka ba nananakot? ” Alice asks, teasing him.

“ Hindi nga sabi, ” Ian answers coldly.

“ Oh, galit na naman, tinatanong lang, eh. Sungit mo talaga, ” Alice says.

“ ikaw naman, makulit, ” Ian fires back which made Alice chuckles.

Joy and Lin just stood there, watching them in awe. They wanted to go back to their works but they can't help but to watch their cute banters. Both of them looks at Alice with an amazement in their eyes.

It's true that Alice is makulit but she's the only one who have the guts to talk with their boss that way; calm, cool, and in a funny yet respectful manner.

Hindi tuloy nila maiwasang mapa-isip if the two have a past, o kung may namamagitan ba sa dalawa. Hindi naman malabo.

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“ I called everyone of you here in the conference room because I'd like to ask for your help, ” Ian says in his usual tone, which earned him a nod from his employees.

They have an upcoming event and Ian starts to discuss the plan with his employees, and all of them, including his self, noticed that Alice is just sitting there, listening quietly all throughout the discussion.

“ Alice, ” Ian calls her so she looks at him.

“ Yeah? ” Alice responds, more like asking, with a matamlay voice that shocks everyone.

Who wouldn't? Everytime Alice speaks — whether to talk to them or to talk to Ian, — her voice would always be cheerful. So having that matamlay tone of her is new for them.

Ian's brows met and everyone in the room gulped. Hindi talaga nila maiwasang matakot everytime na magsa-salubong ang dalawang kilay ng kanilang boss.

Ian walks his way where Alice is seated and everyone in the room followed him with their gazes. Their jaw drops and their eyes widens upon seeing Ian, placing the back of his palm on Alice's neck and forehead, checking her if she's sick.

“ You're not hot naman, what do you feel? ” Ian aks, and for the first time, they heard Ian in his soft, malambing tone.

“ N-nauseous, ” Alice answers as she closes her eyes.