Amber’s POV

I wake up the next day with a pounding head. Must be from the vodka I had with Henry yesterday. I don’t remember I drank that much vodka. And I don’t remember how I get home after that. Aisshhhh this is why I don’t drink alcohol too much, I always acting up when I get drunk and put everyone in hard time everytime I get wasted. I bet Henry took care of me last night.

I get up from my bed and take a warm shower to reduce the headache. After that I have small breakfast so I can have an aspirin to remove this pain in my head. Then I go to the office. When I arrived, of course everybody already there because I’m way too late. It’s almost lunch break already. One of the perks of being CEO is you can go to your office whenever you want to. Because it’s you goddamn office! No one dare to scold if you come late or even not come to the office. But of course..I won’t do that intentionally. I want to be a wise and good leader to all my workers.

*Knock Knock*

“Come in” I said as soon as I heard knocking door. That’s Henry.

“Are you good? I thought you won’t come to the office.” He said.

“Oh please, don’t tell me I didn’t screw anything last night” I covered my face with my hands.

“Beside drank all the alcohol supplies in our office?? No, you didn’t” He said sarcastically.

“Did I drink that much??” I asked.

“As I remembered, yes. You did smell like an old bar yesterday.” He answered.

“Okay enough, thank you for the information” I said.

“That’s funny how I think I knew you as a person, then you showed a different side of yourself yesterday. I never saw you drunk and wasted like that when we were…you know…dating” He said.

“Yes, idiot! Of course you never saw me drunk before because back then, I was still a highschool student when we were dating!” I rolled my eyes.

“Ohhh riigghhhhtttt…now that’s make a sense. I dated a highschool student” He nodded in agreement, looked really stupid.

“Okay now it’s awkward….enough for the awkward nostalgia! Get back to your desk and do something useful, Lau!!” I shooed him away.

“Okay CEO Liu. I’ll be leaving now” He bowed himself several times before he get out. But he turned his body one time again facing me.

“You know, Am…I just want you to know..you don’t have pretend to be strong to look strong. Showing your true feeling doesn’t make you less strong” He said and left.

What was that mean?? Did I say or do something embarrassing last night?? But I can’t remember anything…whatever, maybe he’s just being…Henry.

******

*Knock knock*

Again, there is knocking sound when I was busy checking some papers. I shouted ‘come in’ and I immediately pull a wide smile as soon I as see who’s coming inside. It’s Clare and Yuri. As usual, they come here at least twice a week to get some music lesson from me as I promised to them. Yuri called me earlier and asked whether I’m busy or not so she won’t disturb my activity with her daughter.

“Hello Amber!!!” Clare ran and jumped to hug me.

“Ohhhhh….I can’t breathe!! Help!!” I pretend run out of breath in her embrace. And she giggling cutely.

“I hope you don’t mind doing this, Amber. I’m sorry to burden you” Yuri apologized.

“Yuri stop saying sorry…I told you so many times that I’d love to have her as my apprentice” I said frustrated.

“Yeah I know…it’s just…I could register her to a music course, but she is really introvert to people. She barely get comfortable with her social environment. School is enough pressuring for her. I don’t want to send her to the place where she feels uncomfortable. And weirdly, she got really open and comfy around you in the first time she met you. I’m afraid she’ll burden you but you’re too polite to refuse” She explained.

“I don’t see her as an introvert girl. She’s as bright as the sun” I said while I tickle Clare that makes her giggle.

“If you only know…” She gave a faint smile

“Well…if you don’t mind what’s make you think she’s an introvert?? Is there something happen to her??” I asked.

“Oh…it’s because something in our internal matter..I wish I can tell you but…” Before she finished her line, I cut her words.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to interfere in your personal life. Please, forget that..” I awkwardly said.

“No, that’s not what I meant. I want to share it with you, if I have enough time. But now, I got a catering service order and I need to prepare it. I have to go now before my fiancée got mad. I’ll pick Clare up once I finished the preparation. It just took 2-3 hours, do you okay with that?” She asked.

“Yeah, sure don’t worry” I said.

“Thank you, Amber” she thanked me.

“And you! Be good, okay?!! Don’t do anything silly to Amber, promise?? Mommy will pick you up hours later” Yuri said to her daughter.

“Okay mommy, I’ll be good. Bye mommy” Clare answered. And Yuri left my office.

“Okay now…shall we go to the studio?” I asked to Clare.

“Aye-Aye captain!” She shouted happily.

*******

We always do the lesson on the empty studio for an hour and half. I believe a long time lesson doesn’t work maximally for kids. I prefer short time lesson but focus. It’s more effective, because kids are easily get bored. So an hour and half is more than enough for her. It’s proven by how Clare can memorize the notes on the keyboard from our several meetings. She can play few easy songs and I’m really proud of her progress. Usually after she finished the lesson, she will help around the workers. Well…of course it’s not a big work. Only some kind of small works like help them by give each staff empty papers and other similar easy job. I know it sounds like I make her a slave or whatever…but I tried to forbid her and she insisted to help. I told her mom and Yuri seemed don’t mind with that. It’s funny to see her helping the staff with her little foot and her cute tiny fingers. So adorable!

Plus, she always delightful to help her favorite uncles, Jackson Key and Henry. Especially Henry, the two of them have an indescribable bond that I can’t tell. They’re naturally attached to each other. Maybe because Henry takes her like his own daughter. If Jessica gave birth to their child, she/he probably at the same age as Clare. But not only Henry, I also find myself lighten up around her. She gives this vibe you can feel when the morning sun touch your skin. Very heartwarming. Maybe because she’s so pure and innocent, so I can feel the positive energy she has.

“Okay enough for today! You doing great, Clare” I said to her.

“I’ll learn harder for our next meeting!” She said excited

“Don’t go too hard on yourself okay? Just learn it slowly but sure” I warned her.

“Okay, I won’t” She said.

“Oh it’s lunch break now. No wonder I’m hungry” I said.

“How about we go to my parent’s restaurant? You never have visit our restaurant, right??” She offered.

“Uhhmmmm…alright. It’s not far from here, and I can take you there so your mom don’t need to come here to pick you up.” I said.

“Yaayyyyy!! Come on let’s go” She grabbed my hand and pulled it.

She sits beside me that sit on the driver’s seat and singing happily following the song on the kids radio channel I put in my car. I can’t help to not look at the cute move she’s making while singing it. And I don’t know why but somehow she resembles Soojung a lot. Although they didn’t look alike, whenever I look at Clare, I see Soojung there. Like this time. Suddenly, my mind travel to Soojung again.

“Amber, why you sad?” Clare suddenly stop singing and asked that question.

“No. Why do you said that?” I tried to shake thought about Soojung.

“I don’t know. You don’t look like everybody else I met” She said.

“How do everybody you met look like then?” I asked back.

“They’re happy” She quickly said.

I’m taken back from that simple words. Is it too obvious that I look helpless until a 5ish year old girl could see that???? Am I showing too much pain that everybody can guess where it’s come from?? Do I really look that pathetic??

“What makes you think that I’m not?” I tried to hide that sudden heart attack I got earlier.

“I don’t know…your eyes look sad. This morning I met a new friend at the park. She had same eyes as you. We promised to meet at the park everyday after I finished school. I think you have to meet her. She is really pretty like a princess on my fairytale book” She said.

“So you want me to meet your new pretty little friend??” I asked

“Yes. But she’s a big girl. Like mom. Not a little girl” She shook her head.

“Big girl? Do you mean she’s an adult??” I raised my eyebrows.

“Uh huh. You can meet her on my ballet stage perform in my school. I’m going to ask her to come to that perform show. Now I’ll ask you…go to my stage perform next week please please pretty pleaseeeee” She put her hands together and pleaded at me.

“Uhh…why me?? I mean…it should be attended by your parents right?” I asked her

“Yes, but I know they have a catering service order at that day. I don’t want to tell them because they’ll cancel the order. My mom once said, that is how they pay the bills. I don’t want them cancel that.” She sadly said.

I’m a bit surprise from what I just heard. She’s smart girl. She knows her family condition and show her empathy. Her parents raised her really well because her age is only 5, but she already handle it wisely. When I was 5, all I did was just eating glue and playing in the sand box.

“Okay then. I’ll be there at your stage perform” I her hair.

“Whoaaa really?? Promise me you’ll be there??” She widen her eyes.

“I promise” I said to her.

“Thank you, Amber. Oh, there it is…our restaurant” She excitedly pointed through the window.

“Okay, let’s park here…” I parked the car on the side road, right in front of the restaurant.

Before I could say anything, Clare unbuckle her seat belt and get off from the car to run inside the restaurant. When I unbuckle my seatbelt, I see a catering van parking facing my car and the van is moving back to parking out from the side road. I can see the driver behind there. She wearing a big sunglass that not match from her small face. She looks very familiar to me, but I can’t see her clearly because of the dark tinted window of the van.

“Ambeerrrrrrrr!!!!!!” Clare shouted from the restaurant. Seriously that kid is really loud.

“Okay I’m comiiiing” I shouted back from the car even I know she wouldn’t hear me.

The van left passed me and I go inside the restaurant, try to ignore the weird feeling I have earlier.

Soooooo you think Clare will success to ask Soojung go to her perform show???

If she is, then Amber and Soojung will meet again gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa :DDDDDDDDD

Comment down belooowwwww!!!!!!