BOSS? AGAIN?

The ride home was cold for Raelle as she kept shivering, even though not a single drop of water had touched her. Next to her, Liam was driving as if he was not drenched. She could not help but wonder if he had blood in his veins.

"Are you that cold?" Liam turned to her, and she nodded. "You shouldn't go out in such little clothes next time, do you hear?"

Raelle nodded in agreement.

"Don't you feel cold?"

"I'm fine," Liam replied curtly, turning back to the road.

Raelle nodded and did not say anything more. She kept staring outside during the remainder of the journey.

After driving for a while more, Liam stopped the car in front of the doors of a high-rise building. From behind the tinted glasses of the car, Raelle could see the writing on the building.

'Will's Software Agency,' it read in block letters, painted in gold and white on the rim.

She turned to Liam with a raised brow.

"You work here?"

Liam nodded. "You should step out here so you don't get drenched. Go in; the receptionist will attend to you. I'll park the car and come to you."

Raelle nodded and stepped out of the car. Since they had stopped in front of the main doors of the building, she only took two steps, and she was out of the rain. She pushed open the doors and stepped in; a warm feeling enveloped her instantly.

The lobby was vast, almost as if it had no end. The floors were made of polished wood, with squares placed at random areas, each holding the company logo—a circuit board floating on a calligraphed W. There were four tables placed at the sides; behind each, a young woman.

Raelle hadn't come out of the car with the jacket, and she wrapped her arms around her shoulders as her foot moved softly toward the lady behind the first desk.

"Good morning, madam!" The lady greeted first, with a smile that seemed to brighten the room. "Welcome to Will's Software. How may I help you?"

"Good morning, miss Silver," Raelle strained to see the name tag on the lady's chest and smiled. "I'm waiting for my husband; he works here."

"Oh," the lady's smile widened even more. "In that case, please, have a seat before he comes." She carefully pulled a seat closer to her for Raelle to sit.

Raelle quietly sat.

Were they all cheery here? Everyone had smiles on their faces as they worked.

"If I may ask, Madam, who is your husband?" The receptionist asked, causing Raelle to turn to her. "Which sector of the company does he work in?"

"Uhm," Raelle thought for a while and shrugged. "I don't know. My husband is Liam. Liam Wilson. Do you know him?"

The receptionist blinked. She took one long glance at Raelle before turning to the doors; Liam was already walking towards them.

Seeing him, Raelle stood up. Her eyes widened, and she turned to the receptionist, wanting to thank her for her hospitality, but the lady had suddenly gone frozen.

"Miss Silver?" Raelle called gently. "Are you okay?"

"Ma'am; y-yes, I am." The receptionist broke out of her trance immediately. She turned to Liam immediately and bowed lightly. "Good morning, sir."

"Morning, Miss Smith," Liam answered, looking at her with scrutiny. "Are you okay?"

The lady quickly nodded. "Yes, sir!"

"Hmm," Liam nodded and turned to Raelle. "You forgot the jacket in the car." He said, draping it over her shoulders gently.

The receptionist's eyes widened in surprise; a hushed gasp travelled through everyone else in the lobby upon seeing their boss with a woman. The employees began to exchange curious and meaningful glances among each other as they watched the couple before them.

"Thank you." Raelle smiled warmly, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush, as she placed her hands on her shoulders to keep the jacket in place. Together, they headed towards the elevator, under the curious gazes of their onlookers.

As soon as the elevator doors shut, creating a barrier between them and their boss, the lobby became a chattering room. Everyone was curious.

"[Did you see that?]"

"[Who is she?]"

"[Ah, does it matter? What matters is now we are sure he isn't gay.]"

"[How can we be so sure? She could be his sister or friend for all we know.]"

The receptionist who had responded to Raelle turned to them with a blank expression, sinking into her seat.

"No," she whispered, "she's not."

"She's not?" The others chorused, quickly gathering around her. "Who is she then?" they asked eagerly.

"His wife..."

"His life?" One commented with a frown. "That makes no sense. Is Mr. Wilson dead that he needs a life?" she asked foolishly.

The receptionist gritted her teeth in annoyance.

"Don't be so stupid always, Susan! I said his wife!"

"[Wife? Like wife, wife?]"

The receptionist nodded. "Yes, Daisy, his wife. Get your head out of the clouds," she said with a stern voice.

"Ah! Thank God I was not rude to her," the receptionist cried, placing a hand over her chest and making the sign of the cross.

"He's married?" Daisy whispered, then crashed dramatically onto the floor. "Mr. Wilson is married!?" Tears started to roll down her cheeks.

Everyone turned to her in panic. "Hey, hey! What? Why are you crying?"

"Why? Why did he have to marry?" Daisy cried, her voice high-pitched and filled with exaggerated dismay.

"Yeah, you thought he was gonna come marry you?" One of the guys in the lobby said with a smirk, sitting cross-legged on Daisy's chair. He repeated "wife, wife," in a monotonous and annoying tone. "Keep dreaming, Daise. Oopsy-daisy..."

***

"Don't you think the receptionist was acting a bit strangely?" Raelle asked as they stepped out of the elevator on the top floor. "She even looked pale," she added with concern in her voice.

Liam sensed her worry and stopped walking.

Not noticing that she was not looking ahead, Raelle accidentally bumped her head on his chest.

"Oww!" She cried, rubbing her forehead and looking up. When she saw it was Liam, her face softened, and she quickly apologized. "Sorry, I didn't see you there."

Liam gently reached for her forehead and rubbed it soothingly with his hand.

Raelle felt a shiver run down her spine as his smooth hand touched her skin, just like the day he had applied balm to her feet.

"Be more careful where you're going next time, wife," Liam said tenderly. He took her right hand in his and led her forward, not waiting for any objections from her. "Don't worry too much about Miss Silver; she's probably just exhausted."

Raelle frowned slightly. "Are you sure? Because it didn't seem that way to me initially."

"What do you mean?"

They arrived at the office, and Liam held the door open for Raelle to enter first.

"Why is your office on the top floor, Liam? Aren't you afraid of heights?" Raelle's curiosity piqued as soon as she stepped into the luxurious office. "Oh, and by the way, what department do you work in at this company?"

Liam rolled up the sleeves of his completely soaked shirt as he began to loosen his tie. "Me?" He glanced at her. "Just a regular employee with not much to do."

"In a suit?" Raelle almost laughed. "I doubt that."

Liam smiled at her sense of humor. He turned on the room's warmer and removed his tie before stepping closer to Raelle.

"I'm the boss here..." Liam's face was placid and Raelle realized he was serious.

Raelle: "…" "Boss? Again?"