“It’s her again, Miss Hwang, as scheduled.”

“Splendid. Thank you again, Sunny. You can have the rest of the day off. I know you’ve worked all night. I told you not to overwork yourself, you might get sick. Don’t worry; the guards will roam around the building as long as I’m here. They made sure that all the surveillance cameras have been fixed.”

“Gee, thanks Miss Hwang! I’ll fix all my unfinished paper works first. Only then will I leave, I assure you. I’ll double check those security precautionary measures too, to make sure you’re safe.”

“It’s fine, you can submit those tomorrow. Please stop worrying yourself, I can take care of this. I want my personal assistant to have fun once in a while.”

“We just want to ensure your safety, ma’am. The floor has now been vacated. She’s on her way up to the suite. Thank you again, Miss Hwang. I promise to leave once I’ve talked with the bodyguards.”

“Oh, Sunny, you never change. Fine, do that then. Enjoy your day off, Sunny!”

Tiffany smiles at how caring her assistant can be. She’s lucky to have found such a good worker, a loyal and trustworthy friend.

She shuts off the intercom and patiently waits for her guest again. But this time, she decided to talk with her inside the suite, just directly above the office. The suite was her place for leisure; it was her safe haven from the stress she gets in leading the company. It also served as a room for inviting guests over, for simple get-togethers, for chit-chats.

She was comfortable enough to let her new client enter her suite, unlike those other clients. This Jung Sooyeon was different. She felt different towards her, and she knew it.

“Nice suite, Miss Hwang.”

“It’s not much.”

“But it is! You have a great view here. And the furniture’s all designer-made. Who’s your interior designer? I’d love to have that person to design my newly bought house here, in the suburbs.”

“You have no office here in Seoul, right? You travel overseas all the time too. Why purchase a home here in Seoul?”

“I buy a house on all the places I expand my business into. It’s only a house, nothing like a home.”

“Ah, I see..” Tiffany didn’t quite get what her guest meant.

Their conversation went smoothly. They lingered over topics that didn’t really matter about the deal; it was like a casual talk from two old pals who haven’t seen each other for a while. They talked about the current situation of the stock market, a threat about another economic crisis, Obama’s re-election, even Psy’s Gangnam Style and Gentelman sudden success.

The client, although seemingly young like her, was experienced. It was obvious that she knew everything that she was talking about. It seemed like she has in this business for quite some time now, known the quirks, nooks and crannies. She was well-informed about the latest innovations of all the rivals of Tiffany’s company and its affiliates.

This Jung Sooyeon must not be underestimated. She could be a big alias to SN.

“I’m honored to be able to be part of your company, Miss Hwang. Let me treat you to dinner.”

“Sure, why not? I’ll just ask the guards to—“

“No need for back-up. I can take you there myself.”

Tiffany hesitated. She didn’t want to get in trouble again, not after what happened last year.

It was like any other day for her, meeting clients and all. She met with a client who proposed a deal for a local partnership. She refused to take the offer politely since she was unsure of the profit they would gain. The client stormed off the office, grumbling angrily. The next day, she met with the executives and told them what happened. They talked about the current problem their company was facing, relating to the economic crisis at that time. The plans of action and their business proposals were all thoroughly discussed that day. Little did they know, there was a spy that sneaked in their building and eavesdropped on their whole meeting. All those delicately planned career moves went down in the drain since their rival, YJ Enterprises, have used their planned proposals ahead of them, through the help of their spy. Tiffany tried to do some damage control and track down the spy in the company for the next few days after the leakage. She investigated all by herself. The spy turned out to have one last mission; to hold the CEO hostage. The spy successfully entered her office and trapped her there, leaving her no choice but to succumb to the spy’s directions. She was being forced into signing a contract that would materialize the local partnership proposed previously. Thank God for Sunny, who contacted the authorities immediately. Tiffany was saved and was spared from the threats. As soon as the police arrived, the spy committed suicide before they could interrogate him, leaving no evidence of YJ Enterprises’ crime. Justice was not served that night, it was never served.

Seeing Tiffany’s tense expression, the woman said, “Nevermind. Your guards can take us there. Maybe next time, we could have a night for ourselves.” Tiffany exhales. She didn’t notice that she held on to her breath as her guest hesitated.

“Thank you. I’ll call my bodyguard. Where are you taking me?”

“For a queen like you, you should be taken to the palace.”

“I’m not royalty. Seriously though, where are we going to have dinner?”

“Seriously, to the palace. There’s this place called The Palace. It’s new and I tried their bulgogi. It was fit for someone like you, for high standards. I definitely want the best for my boss.”

“You can treat me anywhere, honestly.  I’m not picky. You just lead the way.”

Tiffany called up her bodyguard and told her their destination. Then, they rode the elevator down and reached the lobby. Within perfect timing, a white limousine pulls in the driveway. The client walks first and offers her hand towards Tiffany.

“Shall we?”

***

I'm sorry it took me a while before I updated. The funniest thing happened.. I actually forgot my password. HAHA.

Will you guys forgive me? :c