The Tempting Business

Chapter 9

Gloria came out of the dark alley and turned to the corner. She did not notice the blonde standing behind her as she walked away.

Katherine build up the courage to speak as she followed the brunette. "Ms. Gloria, what a coincidence!", she exclaimed.

Gloria turned around and smiled at her, "Katherine."

"I am surprised to see you here, Ms. Gloria", Katherine said, "What brought you here?"

"Oh....", Gloria got nervous and smiled weakly, "I thought I should check .... this sale market that people talk about a lot."

"Wow! Didn't expect rich people to try this place", Katherine exclaimed "But don't worry, my mother used to say sometimes it's good to check these kind of places."

Gloria laughed nervously, "Oh? I see."

"By the way, what were you doing in a dark alleyway?", Katherine finally asked the main point.

At first, Gloria tried to beat around the bush but then gave in. "I think I'll tell you then", she said in a low voice, "Let's sit somewhere, shall we?"

Katherine nodded and the two girls went to a nearby cafe where they ordered two cups of coffee. Gloria sighed and said, "I'll tell you from the start then."

Katherine nodded and Gloria continued, "Last month, my dad got into a car accident. Due to that incident, he got paralyzed and has been on bed rest since then."

"My brother took over the company, as my mother had to take care of my dad. But, my brother made some stupid bet that got us bankrupt!"

"We had to sell our company to get the money for dad's treatment and medications. So, I came here to find a job because I couldn't get one there."

"But, all the jobs offered such less salary that was not enough!", she exclaimed while wiping her tears, "I saw a poster for some club that was offering a lot of money, so I contacted them and came here."

"Did you tell this to any of your friends?", Katherine asked with concern.

"No, I didn't", Gloria said, "I am afraid, they will all abandon me once they get to know that I am not rich anymore."

"But Mr. George isn't like that", Katherine reasoned,"He is your best friend, right? I think you should at least let him know about this."

Gloria looked down, staring at the cup of coffee. Katherine sighed and continued, "Look, you can't get into this dirty business. If you're looking for a job, I'll help you. I'll see what I can do."

"Katherine", Gloria said and then smiled, "Thank you. I get it now, why George adores you so much."

"What does that suppose to mean?", she asked with a grimace on her face.

Gloria giggled, then said, "Thank you Katherine, I think I'll talk to George about this and I'll keep looking for a decent job!"

"Here", Katherine gave the brunette her number and said, "If you ever feel like you won't be able to get a job and stuff, you can contact me." 

The brunette thanked the blonde again and took her leave. Katherine sighed and headed back to her apartment.

At the airport, Katherine greeted the CEO of Greenwood Corp and opened the door for him. The brunet smiled and sat inside while the driver put the luggage in the deck of the car. The car drove towards the Greywood Manor.

"So, what are the details of the work?", George asked his secretary. Katherine then gave him the briefings.

On reaching home, George suddenly held the blonde's hand.

"W-what?", Katherine asked nervously.

"Stay at my place tonight", he stated nonchalantly, "You must be tired, after all."

Katherine tried to make her blush go away but ended up being more flustered. "I'm not tired at all, you must be tired, now let go of me."

"Didn't you miss me?", George asked.

Before any of them could say anything, Mrs. Greywood appeared at the door to greet her son.

"How have you been, my dear?", she asked the ashed brown haired man. On hearing her mother's voice, he let go of the blonde's hand and greeted his mother.

Katherine excused herself and left the Greywood Manor. 'What's with him all of a sudden ', she thought.

On the next morning, George apologised for his behaviour the night before. Katherine brushed it off and the two of them got engulfed in their daily work.

When it was nearly lunch time, there was a knock on the door. "Yes", George permitted as he kept doing his work.

The door opened and revealed Gloria. When George looked up, he smiled at his brunette friend and motioned her to sit.

"Hey Gloria, what brought you here?", George asked with his usual smile.

Gloria smiled then said, "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Well, it's almost lunchtime", George said while glancing at his gold watch. "What do you say, we talk it over at lunch?"  

"As you like", Gloria said and smiled weakly. George had already guessed that something was bothering Gloria.

"Ms. Katty, please proceed", George addressed the blonde who was busy playing game in her phone.

"Oh right!", Katherine said as she got up to hold the door open.

"You aren't coming with us?", Gloria asked the blonde secretary.

"N-no, I will not like to disturb you both", Katherine said nervously.

"Is it because of me?", Gloria asked but before Katherine could say anything, George interjected, "Forget about her Gloria, let's get going."

Gloria nodded and walked away with the brunet, leaving Katherine behind.

"What was that all about?", Katherine asked herself. "Well, at least I can eat in peace."

Katherine sat on the couch and took out her lunch from her bag. She finally was able to eat her sandwiches but she thought that somehow she was feeling really lonely. 

A/n: Votes and Comments are appreciated.