Windows of the Heart

Chapter Eleven Confused and Heartbroken

She was devastated and heartbroken. She finally realized there was no way she would stand a chance for Hyun-Ki's affection because it was Cynthia whom he cared about and spent with all this time.

Rielle came to her office early, wanting to finish the bulk of her paperwork, nothing to waste, for they would be leaving for Cebu tonight. She was too absorbed in her work that she did not notice Hyun-Ki standing behind her. Hyun-Ki laid the bouquet of red roses on her table to get her attention, and when she turned, her face almost got caught with his when he was bent behind her back to place the bouquet beside her. She was taken aback and baffled.

Amused, he said, "good morning; I just want to thank you." Before she could speak, he hurriedly scurried away and simultaneously reminded her of their flight to Cebu at 10 pm.

A meeting with the Division Heads began at 9 am and was over at noon. Hyun-Ki returned to his office with Rielle following behind him and thinking of inviting Rielle for lunch before taking her home to pack her things for Cebu. He was surprised to see Cynthia sitting behind his desk.

"Hello, Sweetheart," in a soft, tender greeting.

"I learned that you were in a meeting, so I patiently waited for you here. I brought a souvenir for you from Italy."

She went close to him with the souvenir in her hands, placed it on his palm, and tenderly begged him to open it now.

"I want to see how you would react," Hyun-Ki opened it to find a costly watch.

"You shouldn't have bothered because I have many of them, "he said formally.

"Are you not happy with my gift? Oh, come on, don't make me sad, Hyun. Anyway, I came because I want to be with you today; how about spending time together, to catch up from where we left, hmm?"

She grabbed his arm in full tenderness and clung to it as she pulled him out of his office. Hyun-Ki cannot refuse her persistence, and he obliged, thus forgetting his plan to invite Rielle for lunch. While waiting for the elevator, Rielle and her staff came about to go down to the cafeteria to eat. When she saw them together, she pretended not to be affected by the show of tenderness Cynthia made to Hyun-Ki. She smirked, feeling insecure when Hyun-Ki glanced at Rielle; she made a hangdog look and tightened her grip on Hyun-Ki.

Both went to the hotel where Cynthia was staying, where she wanted to be with him. As Hyun-Ki was pre-occupied and quiet, Cynthia poured some red wine into their glasses and handed one to him, and while sipping together, Cynthia gazed straight into Hyun's eyes, making eye contact, then asked:

"Do you miss me?" coming closer to kiss him, brushing her lips to his and giving him a sudden French kiss. Hyun-Ki reciprocated, and their tongues extended to each other's lips, feeling lost in time. He places his hands gently on her waist as he feels the warmth of her intense kisses and hugs. Only the silence of the room bears witness to their intimate love-making.

Hyun-Ki was roused by

The ringing on his cell phone and Rielle's voice reminded him of the time and that she still had to go home to pack for their trip to Cebu.

Overheard Cynthia's voice, Rielle suspected he had been with her all that time. She was disappointed and devastated, and she finally realized there was no way she would stand a chance for Hyun-Ki's affection because it was Cynthia all along.

In the same way, Hyun-Ki panicked, for he only got a few hours left, also thinking of his struggle with traffic. Cynthia wanted to know in passing where he was going seeing him in a panic state. He said he's going to Cebu to meet with the managers there. She got interested in that trip that she wanted to come on with him. He refused, telling her she had no business being there; he would take some important things to resolve and be there only a few days.

Convinced, she offered her car for him to use but again declined since he thought of taking a cab. He took a brief shower, picked up his keys, looked for his wallet, put on his clothes then pressed them with his hands to make them look spotless and neat.

Before running to the door, he paused for a moment, turned to her, kissed Cynthia on the forehead, and then left. He made a phone call while in haste to his driver on a stand-by and said to be ready for him and Rielle in the office building.

Hyun-Ki arrived in the office and caught Rielle pacing impatiently down the floor, clutching her handbag as she waited for him. Timidly greeted Rielle with a smile, walked over to his table to reach out his suitcase, and rashly took her hand and ran to the elevator in much of a hurry.

"I'm sorry for having missed the time. I'll bring you home to pack your clothes, and I'll wait for you in the car," he said apologetically.

"But how about your clothes, sir?" asked with concern.

"No worries, I have some in my guest house," he explained.

Rielle was already preparing her luggage for the Cebu trip; her mom asked her how many days she would be there, and she responded that maybe around three to five days at the most. She assured her mom everything would be all right, and they must learn to trust her boss just as much as she trusted him.

She also mentioned that her boss was waiting in the car and that her mom rushed quickly to where he was and asked him to come inside the house while he waited for her daughter.

Hyun-Ki said he didn't mind waiting in the car, but the mom insisted.

"You better come inside, or the mosquitoes will finish you off. And it is bad manners to keep a CEO waiting for his daughter in the car."

To please her, and without much ado, he gave in. When inside, Mrs. Calma served him orange juice and some butter biscuits and then asked:

"From where in Korea are you residing?"

"I was born in Gangbuk, the northern part of the city of Gangnam, ma'am.

And Mrs. Calma abruptly asked, "I learned that it is one of the richest neighborhoods in that part of Gangnam, isn't it?"

"I guess so, to ma'am," he spoke humbly. We grew up here in the Philippines with my siblings because my dad wanted us to learn good English. After all, it is also good for the business."

"Are you in a relationship with Rielle?" she frankly asked, then out of the blue came Rielle, cutting her off.

"Mom, it is not appropriate to ask such silly questions. He is my boss, mom, my boss, okay?" both relieved, Rielle bid her mom goodbye while Hyun-Ki bowed with respect and aided Rielle in carrying her luggage.

Both burst into laughter in the car, and Rielle breathed a sigh of relief for coming in on time to save him from her mom's inquisitiveness. Junie, their driver, advised them that they were near approaching the airport.

Since they arrived early than expected, Hyun-Ki offered Rielle something to eat. And when they heard the name of their destination from the voice-over, they got on the Business Class plane. Rielle was overwhelmed because it was her first time boarding a business class flight, and Hyun-Ki was amused. Rielle was so excited to see the outside view of the plane, feeling nervous.

"First time to board a plane, your first time to fly?" Hyun-Ki asked.

"Well, Rielle, you will be used to flying because we'll be making flights most of the time and maybe outside the country, too."

Rielle became delighted and interested in what her boss implied. Rielle later got tired of viewing by the window, so she settled her head on her seat and fell asleep. Hyun-Ki looked at her and gently placed her head on his shoulder to keep her head from drooping.

Their flight lasted an hour and a half, landing at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport. As soon as they entered Terminal One, Hyun-Ki was on the lookout for his chauffer and caretaker of his guest house when he saw him waving at them, giving the signal "over here."

Ben led them to the parking lot, but as he picked up Rielle's luggage, he could not stop looking at her and hesitated for a moment. She seemed familiar with her but dismissed the thought, thinking maybe he was mistaken.

"Sir, your guest, is so beautiful!" he exclaimed admiringly.

"Yes, she is beautiful and quite attractive, isn't she?"

"Is she your fiancée, sir?" he continued to ask, wanting to know if his suspicion at the back of his mind was correct. he said,

"No, she is my Executive Assistant, but someone special to me." Somehow amused.

The chauffeur went in the driver's seat, thinking deeply with wrinkled eyebrows considering Rielle's familiar face.