His Rotten Apple

47 ~ Stuck in Reverie

A month had past since Zailey signed the contract with Reverie, instantly boosting sales and the brand's popularity. It took a while for everyone to adjust to the fact that Zailey wasn't teamed up with Gavin, but after time, the issue fully subsided.

    Connor and Zailey saw each other every week for the regular meeting, sometimes even going as far as to visit Zailey's commercial and photoshoots. He shrugged off every remark or joke James threw along his way, somehow even learning to laugh at them.

    "Ms. Tsang?" Connor walked to her as she laid on the couch of the staff lounge. "Are you alright?"

    "Huh?" She shot up from her position, "Yeah... Just resting before I have to be on my feet again. My parents are having some issues with their shop."

    "Right... How are they doing?" he sat down next to her.

    "They're great. We're in a much better place now."

    She took a deep breath and laid back. She turned to the side to face Connor, meeting his concerned gaze. For the first time in a long time, she saw something behind his eyes. His beautiful, emerald green, shining eyes that used to speak paragraphs of emotion... She caught a glimpse of them, as he leaned closer to her.

    She saw him hesitate, as he slowly brought his hand to her forehead. "You're still overworking yourself... Don't think I forgot about your habit of getting sick because-"

    "I'm fine," she said warmly.

    His breath hitched as he saw her smile... The smile that had first captured him, leaving him defenseless and helplessly smitten.

    "I just have to finish these photoshoots, visit my parents' shop, plan my next meeting with James, and meet up with Gavin to do an interview with Win magazine," she said. "No biggie."

    "I'll talk to James so it's one less thing to worry about," he insisted.

    "I told you, you don't have to worry about me. I'm used to it."

    "Ms. Tsang, I've been watching you for a month now and I don't think I've ever seen you enjoy a day off... Or rest any more than a few minutes-" He realized he was talking to much and immediately shut himself up.

    You watched me? Is what she wanted to ask him.

    She pulled away from her thoughts and raised an eyebrow, "Why? Are you worried?"

    "Why wouldn't I be, you're my-" He trailed off, subtly trying to correct himself. "Our ambassador."

    "Then why do you try to stress me out?"

    "You're the cause of most of my stress these days."

    "Oh yeah? How many times have you yelled at me for asking you simple questions? You even spilled my barbeque sauce!"

    "I didn't want your barbeque sauce, you were trying to force it down my throat."

    "Whoa, whoa... Now you're just getting kinky," Zailey crossed her arms.

    "Very professional."

    "I was merely asking you to taste it."

    "I didn't like the taste."

    "It tasted like normal barbeque sauce!"

    "Nope, it was way too sour. It didn't complement the taste of the legs."

    "Maybe there was something wrong with the chicken."

    "You're really siding with the barbeque sauce?"