18 Free Gift

Aiden get on his car after his meeting with Hazel. He heave a sigh of relief and hug the steering of the car.

He placed his head in it, then lifted his head again. He placed his hand over his heart and grasped his clothes. "Damn! Why do you need to beat so fast? You almost drive me crazy!" He said to himself.

He thought that he just said many nonsense to Hazel. How will she think of him? Will he scared her away? What if she distance herself more from him?

Fear came to him. A fear of losing the woman who owned his heart! He regrets how he puts pressure on her. He should not rush things. What if she shut him off completely?! Just the thought of it can make him panicked with fear!

He ask himself, "Can you like the woman you only met three days ago, to this extent? Or maybe it's love!"

He tried to arouse himself from his endless repercussions. He shake his head, rub his eyes and pats his face. Then he started his car and drive to Blues Publishing.

--- --- --- ---

"What? Aiden Lee came to our company?! You should have told me! I really want to meet him in person too! I'm a big fan of his!"

"He came to meet our CEO. You're so unlucky that you didn't get to see him. He's such a gentleman!"

"He's so polite and friendly! I even got to take a picture with him!"

Endless gossips about Aiden's surprised visit to the company were circling around Haze Group for the whole day.

--- --- ---

It's 6 in the night. Cora Min entered the CEO Office with a file in her hand. She then handed the file to Hazel, who was busy reading some reports, flicking a pen with her right hand again and again.

"This is the last file for the day" Cora Min told Hazel.

Hazel already spent her time reading and examining several reports since 3 in the evening after her meeting ended. "You may go home for today. Tell my driver to go home too. I will drive home myself." Hazel said. All her focus were on the reports.

"Yes, ma'am." Cora Min replied. "I don't know if I should tell you this or not, but..."

"Just say it." Hazel cut her off.

"It's that...rumors were circling around the company since Aiden Lee came here. Some even assumed that you are in a relationship." Cora Min anxiously reported. But her boss reply really caught her off guard.

"It's fine. It's just a rumor. It will die very soon." Hazel calmly said. Her eyes never leave the report.

"I understand." Cora Min responded and leave the office.

The moment her secretary left her office, Hazel put down her pen and sigh. She then rose from her seat and approached the window. Enjoying the mesmerizing night view became her way of relaxing. She stood for a while crossing her arms, then her phone went off.

She went back to her table and grabbed her phone. It was a call from an unknown number. 'Who might it be?' She thought to herself. She answered the call with a bit hesitation.

"Hello?"

"Where are you?" Aiden's friendly voice echoed through her ears.

'Speak of the devil' She thought. She already forgot that she gave her phone number to him; so hearing his familiar voice on the phone startled her a bit.

"At my office." She replied. Her usual blunt voice has gone down a little.

"Still didn't have dinner?" He asked her again.

"Yes." She answered his exact question, no more or no less.

"When will you go home?" It was Aiden's third question within a minute.

"Maybe after two hours." She was a little patient than all their encounters before.

"Okay." Aiden ended the call.

Hazel was bewildered. Did he called her to ask her only those questions? She thought that he would insist to come to her. But he didn't.

--- --- ---

Aiden ended the call with a smile. He was sitting at Lucas's office at Blues Publishing. His curious friend stared at him with an amazed face.

"Hey! Who is that?" Lucas asked his friend.

"Someone." Aiden simply answered him.

It makes Lucas more curious. "Just tell me. Who is this 'someone' who makes you smile like an idiot?" He confronted him.

Aiden grabbed his jacket and rose from his seat. He put on his jacket and prepared to leave. He didn't pay attention to his curious friend at all.

"Where are you going?" Lucas asked him again. He seems to be displeased as his best friend completely ignored him.

"To the restaurant." Aiden stormed out of his friend's office, leaving his curious friend completely bewildered.

--- --- ---

After one hour

Hazel was still working all alone in her office. She wants to know all the detail conditions of her company within a week. So she spent almost all her time reading the previous reports and visiting the factories personally.

While she was fully concentrated in her work, someone knocked her office door. She was a bit startled as it was already late and all her employees were supposed to leave work at this hour.

"Come in." She responded after a bit of hesitation.

Much to her surprise, a delivery woman came in with some foods in her basket. "I'm here for the delivery." The woman said with a friendly smile and put many sorts of delicious foods in her table.

"I think you have the wrong address. I didn't order anything." Hazel said to the delivery woman. A little amazement can be seen on her face.

"Someone ordered it for you and all the bills are already paid. Please enjoy." The woman answered her and leave right away.

Hazel just stared at all the foods in her table. The fact that shocked her the most is that all of them are her favorites.

Once again, her phone went off and as soon as she saw the caller ID, she understands the situation right away.

She picked up the call and before she could say anything; the familiar friendly voice echoed in her ears again.

"Did you receive my gift?" Aiden asked excitedly.

"So it's you again. How did you know that these are my favorites?" Hazel said with curiosity.

"I asked your friendly brother. How come you're so different? Marcus is very friendly and caring; but you're so detach. I think you're really hopeless." He teased her.

"What? Hopeless?! Did you just say I'm hopeless?" She blurted out. She can't help but roll her eyes at his words.

"Yes. You're hopeless. Anyways, thanks to your loving brother that I got to know your favorite foods. I doubt that you will tell me." He said again. He really loves to make her lose her calmness.

"I won't let him get away with it. Don't play unfair." She responded in a serious tone.

"Fine. I will remember. But next time, my gift will not be only foods. I'll come along with it. You can consider me as a free gift." He told her.

Hazel opened her mouth to answer him, but Aiden's hang up the call; which makes her really furious.

"What?! Did he just hang up on me? Did he enjoy playing with me? Just wait! You and Marcus won't get away with it!" Hazel put down her phone and sit still with a displeased face.

But after just a moment, her hunger defeated her and she finished all the foods that Aiden sent to her.....