Thawing the CEO's Heart

Chapter 6: A Reality Check

Emerging from the sanctuary of the bathroom, Meena felt as if she had shed the weight of the world from her shoulders. With a renewed sense of determination, she resolved to push aside the illusions that had clouded her judgment and focus on the task at hand—fulfilling her duties as Aoom's secretary to the best of her abilities.

As the lunch hour approached, Meena found herself seated in their favorite Japanese restaurant, waiting anxiously for Charlotte to arrive. Her best friend's insistence on a meet-up had initially felt like an unwelcome intrusion, but now, Meena welcomed the distraction from the chaos of her thoughts.

As they settled into their meal, a familiar figure entered the restaurant, sending a jolt of panic coursing through Meena's veins. Engfa and Aoom—a pair of specters from her CEO's past, haunting the present with the echoes of unresolved tensions and unspoken truths.

Unable to bear the weight of their presence, Meena seized Charlotte's arm in a vice-like grip, her urgency palpable as she dragged her friend out of the restaurant in a whirlwind of confusion.

"Meena, what the hell?" Charlotte exclaimed, her frustration evident in her voice. "We barely touched our food, and now you're dragging me out like a lunatic."

Meena's mind raced with a thousand excuses, but in the end, she found herself at a loss for words—a tangled mess of emotions and fears choking the words from her throat.

Unable to bear the weight of Charlotte's confusion any longer, Meena led her friend to a nearby coffee shop, where she poured out the tumult of her thoughts in a torrent of words.

"Charlotte, I saw them," Meena confessed, her voice trembling with a mixture of fear and disbelief. "Aoom and Engfa—they were here, in the restaurant."

Charlotte's eyes widened in shock, her features contorting with a mixture of anger, pity, and exasperation.

"Meena, are you out of your mind?" Charlotte exclaimed, her frustration boiling over. "You've been deluding yourself with these crazy thoughts ever since that incident with Mr. Chiu. Aoom is your boss, Engfa is her ex—end of story."

Meena recoiled at the sting of Charlotte's words, the harsh reality of her friend's rebuke cutting through the haze of her confusion like a sharpened blade.

"I know, I know," Meena whispered, her voice tinged with shame. "I just...I don't know what came over me. I guess I wanted to believe that there was something more—that maybe, just maybe, there was some hidden truth lurking beneath the surface."

Charlotte's expression softened, her anger giving way to a gentle understanding.

"I get it, Meena," Charlotte said, her voice softening with empathy. "But sometimes, the truth is simpler than we think. Aoom is your boss, and Engfa is her ex. That's all there is to it."

With a heavy sigh, Meena nodded, the weight of her friend's words settling over her like a heavy blanket. In that moment of clarity, she realized that perhaps, in her quest for answers, she had lost sight of the simple truths that lay before her.

As they sat together in the quiet sanctuary of the coffee shop, Meena found solace in the warmth of her friend's presence, grateful for the reminder that sometimes, the most profound revelations are found not in the depths of mystery, but in the simplicity of acceptance.

As Meena reluctantly returned to the confines of the office after her tumultuous lunch break, a heavy sense of apprehension settled over her like a suffocating blanket. The prospect of facing Aoom—her formidable CEO, and the source of her recent turmoil—loomed like a specter in the recesses of her mind, casting a shadow of unease over her every thought.

Determined to bury herself in her work and escape the looming confrontation, Meena threw herself into the tasks Aoom had assigned her with a fervor bordering on desperation. Yet, despite her best efforts to drown out the cacophony of doubts and fears that gnawed at her consciousness, the memory of Aoom's scathing rebuke lingered like a festering wound, a constant reminder of her own inadequacy in the eyes of her boss.

Meanwhile, within the confines of her own office, Aoom found herself grappling with the aftermath of her own actions—a bitter cocktail of regret and self-recrimination churning within her as she confronted the harsh reality of her own shortcomings. The sight of the forgotten paper beneath her desk served as a stark reminder of the collateral damage wrought by her unchecked rage—a silent testament to the price of her own pride and arrogance.

Before the echoes of her outburst had even begun to fade, Aoom suddenly remember the prior conversation she had with Engfa

Aoom: (picks up the phone reluctantly) Hello?

Engfa: (voice dripping with familiarity) Aoom, darling, it's been too long.

Aoom: (tenses, her grip on the phone tightening) How did you get this number?

Engfa: (laughs lightly) You know me, Aoom. I can get anything I want. And what I want right now is to talk to you.

Aoom: (swallows hard, her voice strained) What do you want, Engfa?

Engfa: Why don't we catch up over lunch? I've already taken the liberty of making reservations for us.

Aoom: I don't think that's a good idea.

Engfa: Oh, come now, Aoom. Don't be like that. I'll be waiting for you at our usual spot. Or shall I pick you up from your office instead?

Aoom: Fine. I'll be there.

Engfa: (smirks) Wonderful. I'll see you soon, darling.

Aoom: (slams the phone down, her hand trembling with anger) Dammit.

Reluctantly acceding to Engfa's demands, Aoom found herself ensnared in a web of intrigue and uncertainty—a pawn in a game whose rules remained shrouded in shadow and deceit. With a heavy heart, she resigned herself to the inevitable confrontation that awaited her, steeling herself for the storm that would soon descend upon her fragile equilibrium.

Returning to the present, Aoom found herself standing before Meena's desk, a tentative gesture of reconciliation hanging in the air between them like a fragile thread. Yet, as she reached out to engage Meena in conversation, she was met with a wall of icy indifference—a stark reminder of the chasm that had opened between them in the wake of her own folly.

Aoom: Meena, I need to go over the details of our upcoming meetings and finalize the contract with the new investor. Can you please gather the necessary documents?

Meena: Of course, Ms. Chaiyawat. I'll get right on it.

Aoom: Thank you. Is there anything else you need from me?

Meena: No, that's all Ms. Chaiyawat

Meena's response, though outwardly calm, carried with it an undercurrent of bitterness and resentment—a silent rebuke that cut deeper than any words could ever convey. And as Aoom recoiled from the frigid silence that enveloped them, she knew that the road to redemption would be long and arduous.