Marcus exhaled a sigh of frustration and shoved away the documents in front of him as he sat in his executive office chair. He couldn't stop thinking about Nina after the horrible call with her early in the morning.
He rolled down the chair backward a little and a few minutes later, he rolled it up. He was restless.
"What do I do?" he mumbled inwardly, tapping his fingertips on the arm of the chair. However, he quickly composed himself when he heard a knock on the door.
"Yes, come in," he blurted out, adjusting his loose tie and buttoning his shirt.
The door swung open, and Lucas walked in. "Good morning, Alpha Marcus," he greeted, bowing in courtesy.
"Good morning, Lucas. What news do you have for me?"
"The secretary told me you have been unreachable by phone. She said she called several times but..."
"Yeah, I know. I intentionally didn't want to accept those calls," Marcus replied, taking a deep breath and relaxing in his chair. "Did you inquire from her why she's been disturbing me with those incessant phone calls?" he asked, scrutinizing him.
"She mentioned that she wanted to inform you that Mr. Philip rescheduled his visit. According to him, he wants to show the interior designer the project he has for her," Lucas replied honestly.
Marcus' forehead creased at the mention of the interior designer. Could it be a coincidence? He wanted to ignore his instincts, but he couldn't. It must be because of her that Philip rescheduled his appointment.
He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, contemplating what to do.
"You know what, tell her to inform Philip that we're on our way to give him a surprise visit, so he can't say no," he stated, rising from his seat and preparing some papers while Lucas left the office to deliver the message.
*
Meanwhile, in Nina's house, she just finished dressing and was staring at her reflection in the mirror.
A few seconds later, she nodded with satisfaction. She was pleased with her look. She was wearing a black paparazzi pants, a white shirt, and a black blazer, with her brown hair in a ponytail.
Just then, Kiara barged into her room. "Breakfast is ready, hun," she said to Nina.
"Thank you so much, dear," Nina appreciated and went to the dining area to eat while Kiara went to her room.
When Nina finished eating, Kiara was dressed. She sat in the living room, waiting for her friend to finish her meal. She was wearing a similar outfit but in different colors – blue paparazzi pants, a white shirt, and a blue blazer.
When Nina finished eating and was about to leave the house, she was surprised to see Kiara dressed up.
"You didn't tell me you had an appointment too. Are you visiting a friend?" She asked with a surprised expression.
"Not at all. I decided to go with you for the job since you might start work right away after he entrusts the work to you."
"Really?" Nina's eyelids raised in astonishment.
"Of course. As your friend and colleague, I shouldn't stay at home doing nothing and let you do all the work alone," Kiara stated, her face beaming with a smile.
"Well, if you insist," Nina agreed, and they set off for the address on the business card.
The drive didn't take long, and they arrived at a tall blue building with a beautifully designed signpost reading "Philips Enterprises."
They alighted and went to the gate. The security man in charge of entry immediately let them in as he had been informed about their visit.
The company was newly built, so there wasn't much activity going on, and they couldn't tell what they specialized in.
Upon entering the reception, the receptionist directed them to Philip's office, where they waited in his messenger's section.
Philip's messenger brought them chilled juice and glassware as part of her work ethic.
She was about to serve them when Nina insisted they serve themselves. After some back and forth, the lady agreed.
As they sipped the juice, the lady left to seek permission from her boss Philip before letting them into his main office.
"You can go in, please," she said to them as she exited Philip's main office. By then, they had finished their drinks.
Nina and Kiara were excited, especially Nina. Securing a contract here would definitely boost their bank account and give them more exposure. They were thrilled.
However, upon stepping into Philip's main office, their excitement faded, replaced by frowns and displeasure.
Inside the office sat Philip, Marcus, and Lucas.
"What is happening here?" Nina couldn't help but blurt out.
Marcus let out a devilish grin, crossing his legs as he watched her struggle with her thoughts.
"Wait, you? I thought I told my secretary to cancel our appointment because of this emergency meeting with Mr. Marcus?"
Philip was also uncomfortable and was about to ask for his secretary when Marcus stopped him.
"I asked her not to," he said confidently, as if he ran the organization.
"Welcome, ladies," Marcus said. His expression made it clear that he had orchestrated this himself.
Nina's feelings at the moment were indescribable. If looks could kill, Marcus would have been dead for that statement.
She swallowed hard and was about to speak, but Philip interrupted her.
"I think we should reschedule since it has turned out this way." He knew that if he let Nina speak, it might not end well, given the evident personal issues between her and Marcus.
"I'm really sorry, Mr. Philip, but I think we should reschedule," Nina remarked, her voice devoid of emotion.
"No, Philip. Don't reschedule your appointment with her. We won't be here long. Just a few minutes before I leave," Marcus interjected, causing Nina to cast a disdainful glance at him, but he didn't seem to care.
"What is actually going on here, Mr. Marcus? She's here because of me, so we can reschedule our meeting at a more convenient time."