“Celphone…”
“Car keys…”
“Kikay kit…”
“Hanky…”
“What else?”
Fran checked and double-checked the contents of her bag. She glanced at her watch and swore under her breath. Giving one last look at herself in the mirror, she dashed out the door.
She muttered a short prayer as she turned the ignition of her 1996 Honda City.
“Please Lord, paandarin Niyo po ang kotse ko…. And please help me through this day….”
She knew she needed the help. It was her first ever executive committee meeting at Lee Holdings Corporation since Great Minds IT Services, the company she worked for, was bought out by the former. Mr. Henry Marquez, owner of GMITS and now CIO of LHC, would be in the meeting as well as the other bigwigs of LHC. She, being the most senior project manager at GMITS and most trusted by Henry, was expected to be there and in all future EXECOMs.
It was all well and good. She was not a stranger to rubbing elbows with VIPs, thanks to her experience at GMITS where she spearheaded major IT projects of multinationals left and right. Henry was a great mentor, and he trained her well.
There was just one person she was not prepared to come face to face with.
Gavin Lee.
Nephew of LHC’s president.
Overall head of Sales and Marketing.
Shrewd, intelligent businessman.
Gorgeous hunk of a man.
Ex-boyfriend.
Fran sighed, gripping the wheel as she entered C5 from Katipunan. It was a good 30-minute drive from her place near Commonwealth to the office. She glanced at her watch, estimating that she’d arrive at least 10 minutes before her 9 AM meeting.
She grew more tense as she entered the basement of LHC Building in Eastwood and carefully parked her car in the first available slot she found. It has been two weeks since she and the rest of the GMITS group set up office on the 6th floor. Somehow she had managed to avoid bumping into him in elevators and along hallways but she knew meeting him was inevitable.
She dropped off her bag at her cubicle, picked up a notebook and pen and her phone, then proceeded to the elevator. Her heart skipped a beat upon seeing the wall clock near the guard.
“Shit! Bakit 9:10 na yan?” She glanced at her watch – it was only 8:50. Her watch was late and so was she! Frantically, she pounded on the elevator buttons and willed the doors to open. Unable to wait any longer, she ran to the stairs and hurried up to the 9th floor. Luckily, the climb was manageable with her slacks and two-inch heels.
“Kainis! Ngayon ka pa na-late!” She muttered to herself as she paused by the boardroom’s door to catch her breath. Smoothing her hair and her long-sleeved tailored blouse, she opened the door and tentatively stepped in. Several heads turned to her as she quietly sat on the empty chair near the end of the table. Mr. Johnson S. Lee, the president and whom everyone refers to as JSL, was currently talking about his recent visit to Europe where he saw the latest developments in audio-visual technology and how these would benefit LHC’s audio-visual product lines. Her boss, Henry, was seated to JSL’s right. Next to Henry was Ms. Nancy Alejo, HR head. And next to her was…..him.
