The Cursed Proposal

Chapter 5: The Chilly Cascade

Sebastian felt like a failure. He dragged his footstep back to his office after just landing from China, feeling hopeless because now people thought he wasn't a good businessman. After all, he couldn't keep a single woman.

The Chinese investor had given Sebastian another chance to revisit the situation, but the outcome was still uncertain. They had agreed to meet at Sebastian's company next week before the next BOD meeting. Now Sebastian faced more problems; he needed to entertain these Chinese envoys, should he order sushi? or sundubu? He needed to consult with Margaret to make a reservation.

He arrived at his office when the sun was at its peak. Sebastian saw hundreds of his employees exiting the lobby to find places to eat their lunch. Many greeted him as he navigated through the crowd.

Sebastian found the elevator that could take him to his office's floor. He didn't use this elevator often because he preferred the ones his employees used. It allowed him to stay familiar with them and inspect every floor briefly. He allowed employees to use his elevator if they wanted to directly go to his office.

The elevator doors opened and he saw Margaret exiting. "Afternoon boss, you're back." She greeted me with a professional smile. Sebastian was very fortunate to have Margaret as his secretary. Margaret was a perfect secretary - elegantly dressed and poised, she carried herself with a quiet dignity. Her meticulous attention to detail and calm under pressure were admired by all.

"Yes, I am back, but the negotiation didn't go well. You should have your lunch first," Sebastian said with a warm smile. Margaret kept her conversation minimal, that is what Sebastian liked about her. Sebastian entered the elevator, pushed his floor buttons, and waited for the doors to close.

"Mr. Arthur Penn is already waiting for you," Margaret said before the doors closed, taking Sebastian to his office. Sebastian pulled out his phone to check his email and text messages. The elevator doors opened to reveal the white and grey office's hall. The large windows let in warm sunlight, giving the room a creamy, inviting glow. Sebastian always liked coming to his father's office because it felt warm and soft, like being enveloped in a cozy blanket. It was his now and he would fight tooth and nail to keep it that way.

He entered Margaret's office before his own. When he opened his office door, Arthur, his butler, was steaming the suit he was going to wear.

"Master, your suit is ready. Do you want to take a shower or have lunch first?" Arthur turned around when he heard the door open.

"Afternoon, Arthur. I'll change it right away. I have a lot of paperwork to handle." Sebastian said, removing his blazer and beginning to unbutton his shirt.

"Master, please have something to eat first. Mrs. Adelberth has made your favorite food," Arthur pleaded. Sebastian knew Arthur meant well, but he didn't have the appetite to even see anything in the food right now.

"Thank you, Arthur just leave it on the coffee table. I'll eat later," Sebastian said. Arthur's face shows defeat and disappointment. He knew his master wouldn't touch the food, so it would either go to waste or be given to an employee. Arthur helped Sebastian to put on his new, steamed Canali doubled-breasted navy blue suit, with a cream color shirt and dark brown derby shoes.

Arthur left the office after setting the food on the coffee table. As predicted, Sebastian didn't touch the well-prepared food. The heavy cream of mushroom risotto and roasted golden-brown chicken filled the air with a delicious aroma, but it couldn't temp Sebastian. To him, the paperwork was oddly more enticing than the meal.

His office door opened revealing a distraught Alex. It was almost five o'clock in the afternoon, and Sebastian had only finished and approved a quarter of his work. Sebastian yawned and stretched.

"Man, I'm in big trouble," Alex said, taking his seat in front of Sebastian's desk. Lately, Sebastian felt Alex had become like an annoying uncle you can't escape from at a family gathering. Or maybe Sebastian was just in a bad mood since nothing seemed to be going his way.

He had failed the negotiation and lacked sleep because all he could see when he closed his eyes was Kaya's tender smile, and felt overwhelmed by his piling work. He couldn't relax because everyone was watching him for mistakes. He felt like he was drowning, or at least his body was.

"Kaya quit her job a week ago, and there's no sign she's coming back," Alex complained. Sebastian continued to work while Alex told the story of how Kaya quit her job. Sometimes Sebastian smiles or chuckles at Alex's story. No one had ever dared to talk back at Alex before. Despite Alex's playboy reputation just like Jack, his exes and brief encounters always had something good to say about him. Sebastian found it amusing that someone could dethrone him from his throne.

"What should I do? I can't afford to lose her," Alex said desperately. Sebastian didn't like the sound of that. Anger flared within him, thinking Kaya wasn't Alex's to take.

"Alex, there are many fish in the sea, why don't you try to find someone new and leave her alone? I think you've made your case with her," Sebastian replied struggling to contain his rage.

"No, I need her. She made me feel safe and good. She is great at handling all my antics. No one else ever has," Alex said with a big smile. Sebastian's annoyance grew with each passing second.

"Why don't I talk to her then? Maybe she's softened," Sebastian said jokingly, but Alex took it seriously. He left Kaya's phone number and hurried out, taking the roasted chicken with him for his snack before his dinner date with his wife.

Nothing seemed to go Sebastian's way. Now he had an additional task on his already endless list. He took a short break and tried to call Kaya. He planned to ask once to return to work with Alex, then hung up and claimed he had tried. The call went straight to voicemail. Despite his irritation, his desire to hear Kaya's voice again was stronger. The call continued to go straight to voice mail, and Sebastian felt a pang of worry.

He asked Margaret to find Kaya's home address and text it to him. Sebastian went to Kaya's neighborhood and bought a random bouquet just in case she was fine. Margaret sent the detailed address. Sebastian rang the doorbell in the early evening. He looked around to see if anything seemed suspicious.

When the door opened, he turned to greet the host, only to be met with a bucket of cold water dumped over him in the chilly night air. See, nothing went his way. Sebastian noticed a pair of scared black eyes staring at him, pleading silently.

To be continued.