CHAPTER 13

“How could you?” Mom? Kris turns his head to the door that was slightly cracked open. Curiosity crept onto his back at the sound of his mother's voice and her question. He walked closer towards the door. “How could I what?” He heard his father's voice and he froze in my place.

He heard fast past paced footsteps before there came a slap, its sound echoing through the air. “I gave you everything! Everything! How could you cheat on me?!” his mother cried out and once again, walked. He peeked through the crack of the door and saw her standing before his father, tears streaming down her beautiful face. A cry broke out, that of a young boy. His eyes shot wide when she turned towards his direction and ran towards him.

He stood frozen in his place but she only walks past him. Kris turns his head and saw a familiar young boy, crying and his mother embraces him in comfort. “Yi Fan... don't cry” she coos at the young boy.

Wait... Yi Fan?

Gasp. Kris opened his eyes. Pant. Pant. He sat up in bed, burying his head in his palms as his legs crouched. He steadied his heavy breathing, cold sweat trickling down his forehead and the side of his face. His nightmares have once again returned just when he thought that they have finally disappeared. The room was still dark and his digital clock glowing in the blackness of the room said that it was still far from dawn.

He lied back down and stared at the ceiling.

He reached over to the side of the bed and the lamp; he turned back to the other side and pulled the alpaca closer towards him. “Ace...” he breathed “Papa had a nightmare... it means that something is wrong”

He shifted in his bed, he sat and leaned back on the headboard of his bed, placing the alpaca on his lap. “Remember papa's weird PA, Ace?” he pauses and looks at the alpaca “She's acting weirder... why is it bothering papa?” he let out a sigh.

Tsk. Kris set aside the stuffed animal and walked to the bathroom where he washed his face. A heavy sigh escaped his perfect lips as he stared as the water on the sink slowly went down the drain. What's wrong with you, Kris? He questioned himself before lifting his head and looked at himself in the mirror. He looked pale, tired and stressed out. What time is it? He wondered and walked out of the bathroom, not bothering to wipe off the wetness from his face as he checked the clock beside the lamp on his bedside table.

2:06 AM; Sigh. He lied back down and hauled the covers over the bottom half of his body and tried to put himself to sleep once again but failed rather miserably. His eyes drifted to the side where he found his phone and reached for it.

No texts. No calls. Nothing. He opened his inbox and saw Hana's name under Tao's, she was the last one who had sent him a text before Tao did. He ran a hand through his hair and tapped on the space below to type a reply; Ugh. A throaty groan escaped his lips as he draped his arm over his eyes.

I hate this. If I had known she would confuse me this much, I never would've hired her in the first place.

Kris placed his phone back where he found it and got out of bed once again. He walked to his little home office and switched on the lights before taking his seat behind the desk and opened his laptop, having decided to finish his speeches to pass the time.

Hana.

Someone once told me...

Whatever happens, keep smiling because a smile is the only curve in the world that sets everything straight.

I made my way inside Wu Enterprise; a cup of coffee in hand and my files and bag on the other hand. I walk up to the elevator and press a button then patiently wait for it to open. Once it has, I step inside and press for the 30th floor. As the doors were about to close, a hand emerges and I feel my heart stop for a moment.

Gulp. My lips quiver for a moment but then curve upwards “Good morning, Mr. Wu”

Kris steps in holding a black bag in his hand and mumbles a “Morning...” and we both fall in silence as he presses the button for his own floor. I take occasional sips of my coffee and ignore the bad feeling in my stomach. Calm down, Hana. I breathe; I suddenly feel like the ride is taking forever and find myself silently praying that it would go much faster.

“Ms. Kim...” I almost jumped when he called my name. “Yes, sir?” my cheeks suddenly go numb when I saw him looking at me through the glass of the elevator walls. His eyes piercingly deadly as usual. “I need you to stay late tonight, I want some numbers organized for this month's stock prices and market values”

I nod my head with a small smile and the elevator doors open. I walk past him and immediately got inside my office; I close the door and lean back on it.

You'll be fine, Hana. I breathe. You'll be fine. Just smile. And my lips curve up as I nod my head; I will get through this.

Ring. Ring. Ring. I take long strides towards my desk, setting down my bags and folders then picked up the phone. “Hello?” I brightly chime as I take a sip of my coffee. “Ms. Kim, you have a call waiting for you, should I let it through” I blink my eyes in wonder and tell the person on the other line to let it through.

“H-Hello? M-Ms. Kim Hana?” came the voice of a girl. “Yes?” I walk around my desk and sit down. I open my drawer and found a folder that Xiumin gave me some days ago. “T-This is Stephanie Wu” my eyes shot wide open.

“Oh! Stephanie-ssi!” a bright smile appears on my face as I remember her. “Yes. It's me... uhm... M-Minseok-oppa told me to contact you...” I nod my head and set my coffee aside after taking a sip. I open the folder and saw the check inside as well as Xiumin's requests. “That's right; I've already found a home for you, it's small but it's convenient and also I've found a decent job for you at a small coffee shop”

“R-Really?” I smiled as I answered her “Yes Ms. Wu; You'll also be able to continue with school and everything's nearby so you won't be having much trouble. You're in the last year of high school, right?” I close the folder. “Yes, that's right... I... I don't know how to thank you”

I bit my lower lip. “It's okay Ms. Wu, I'm happy to help you”

“Does Yi Fan know?” I raise a brow at the name and realize she was pertaining to Kris “Oh, no... I haven't informed him yet” I heard her breath skip on the other line “Pl-please don't tell him! I don't want to bother him!” I could sense some kind of fear in her voice as she spoke those words and a sad smile makes it way to my face.

“Ms. Wu...” I begin “Would you like to tell me why?”

Kris.

It's been three days and Hana's acting quite different. Not that I'm bothered by it or anything, I just noticed.

I no longer receive sticky notes from her, she's always in a hurry to leave my office, she doesn't make any other forms of conversation with me, and her smiles look like they've been forced. She's also been out of the building often, busying herself with the necessities of the party and when she gets back, busies herself with so many things that she barely talks.

Tsk. I never even knew that I noticed so much. Sigh. I've finished my speeches and I have to deliver one of them at the charity event happening later in the afternoon.

I got up from my seat and grabbed a bottle of beer from the mini bar; I'm trying to stop these drinking habits of mine, believe me, but I really need to calm my nerves at the moment. I fish my personal phone out of my pocket and call my PA's phone. “Yes sir?”

“Get my speech printed out for this afternoon, Ms. Kim. I've already e-mailed the file to you” I take a sip of the beer and sit down on my leather throne. “Yes sir... will that be all?”

Sigh. “We'll be leaving at five o'clock later, Ms. Kim; I expect you to be free by then” she was quiet on the other line for a moment then spoke “Yes, Mr. Wu” and I hang up. A knock came on my door and came in Chen; he, along with everyone else, were also gonna be at the charity event since this is after all, made possible by the company. He was smiling at me, one of those mischievous smiles that just irritates me.

“How are you?” he asks and I raise a brow at him; he pockets his hands as he stands infront of my desk and continues to smile. “Don't you have any people to blackmail today?” I ask him and he snorts out a laugh at me and my brows knit together. I was not really in the mood for fun and games today. Chen gives me a sigh “Blackmail is such a big word... I prefer 'troll'” he said holding up two fingers of each hands to quote the last word. I finished the whole bottle of beer and placed the empty clear glass on one side. “What are you doing here anyway?” I ask him with an irritated tone in my voice yet he doesn't seem offended.

They're used to it. Chen looks around my office and then back at me “Well...” he starts “I just wanted to ask you something”

“What?”

“I'm planning on asking Hana-ssi to be my date for that party the company's throwing for the investors; you think she'll say yes?”

My mind suddenly goes blank for no reason and for the very first time in my life... I'm at a loss for words. Kris 'ing powerful' Wu is at a loss for words. Speechless. Tongue-tied. Mute. Inarticulate.

Chen quietly stands with a questioning smile on his face as he waits for Kris's answer to his question. How he wanted to laugh; inside his mind he counted just how many seconds were passing by in silence. three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine... “Ms. Kim is no one's date” Ah, nine full seconds of Kris Wu silence. World record! Chen hysterically laughs inside his thoughts. He puffs out a breath “I was asking you if you think she would say yes if I ask her, I was not asking for your permissions, Kris” he stated as a matter-of-fact, putting on his best facial facade of bluntness.

“Even if you asked her, she is no one's date” Kris states quite bitterly and Chen emits a sigh of defeat. “Geez, calm down Kris. I was just asking, anyway... since you've said so, I guess I'll be looking for another date” he shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly and turns on his heel “I'll take my leave now, see you later at the charity event and good luck on your speech” Chen flashes him one more smile before exiting his office.

As soon as Chen was out of the door, he took out his phone and dialled a number before pressing the small rectangular object against his ear. “How did it go?” Chen chuckled at Chanyeol's eager voice.

“Quite well...” he enters the elevator. “I honestly think you have the upper-hand on the bet, Yeol”

“How so?” Chen could picture the man on the other line with a proud wide grin on his face; Chen smirks “Because it took him nine seconds to respond to my question; I think our little Kris is inlove” Chen sniggers at the thought.

He imagined Kris always smiling, saying sweet words and other that crappy love .

“Nah... he's not inlove” Chanyeol states. Chen raises a brow “Are you admitting defeat?” he questions and Chanyeol gives him a sigh “No, I'm just saying that he's not inlove yet. Before he does fall into that deep , he will feel confused” Chen snorts a sarcastic laugh “Since when are you an expert on love?”

Chanyeol rolls his eyes from the other line “Since Kai taught me all there is to know; the guy has had so many relationships”

“Yeol, I don't think he's called a Casanova for nothing... idiot. Kai may have had countless relationships but it doesn't necessarily make him an expert on this ” Chen steps out of the elevator as he reaches the ground floor and gives a passing female employee a playful wink and smile making the girl drop the folders in her hands and Chen chuckled in satisfaction. “Either way, Kai has some things he knows about... So, I say... Kris will get confused before he falls inlove”

Chen exits the front doors of the buildings and walks down the steps, reaching his car. “If you insist on it... anyway, I'll see you later at the charity event”

“Yeah sure” Chen smirked “And before I forget, you owe me a girl's number for testing Kris for you”

Ofcourse, there just had to be an arrangement because Chen never does something for someone without an exchange. It's business, after all.

Hana.

“Yi Fan... is just hurt; I understand why he's like that towards me... he just hasn't forgiven me yet; he finds it hard to forgive and forget”

Stephanie Wu, half-sister of Kris Wu Yi Fan, has given me an understanding of why Kris is so cold.

“It's like his defense mechanism. He doesn't let people get close to him because that way, they can't hurt him”

I never knew some people preferred to live in isolation. No one wants to get hurt but how is it possible for someone to go as far as close their hearts and build huge brick walls around them to keep others from stepping into their lives? Sure, one would not get hurt but one would feel misery.

“Ms. Kim?” I snap out of my daze and get back to reality. I was already at the venue, where the charity event was going to be taking place; prior to the original plans, Kris had made me go on ahead just in case there would be some announcements therefore I can take notes for him. I am his PA after all.

Sigh. Just his PA.

“Mr. Wu is here, he's in the lounge waiting for you” one of the organizers of the event informs me and I thank him before making my way out of the ball room. I quietly walk to the lounge where I saw Kris exchanging conversations with older men in suits. He looks so professional... CEO perfectly suits him as a title.

I walk towards Kris and he pauses from the conversation to turn to me “Oh... there you are” he says bluntly with a blank look on his face. Smile Hana. I do what I told myself and smile, bowing to him and to the other highly respectable men. “Good afternoon, sir”

“Ah, I see you've gotten yourself a PA, Mr. Wu” one of the men said; he looked like the oldest yet he looked just as equally powerful and intimidating as Kris. “How long has she been working for you? Three days?” the other asks and they all laugh as if it was all a joke. I suppress the frown as I was honestly feeling a bit insulted for Kris. “Actually sir...” I breathe and take a glance at Kris, who gave me a look of warning with his eyes as he kept his poker face on. “I've been working for Mr. Wu for almost two months now” I smile.

Silence befalls upon them and an announcement is made by an organizer, asking for everyone to proceed inside the ball room for the program was about to start. “We will see you around, Mr. Wu” one of them smiles at Kris and leave.

As soon as they left, Kris walked past me but for some reason, I had found myself grabbing onto his arm making him stop. I bit my lower lip and he turns around; “Sorry about that, sir” I apologize. I knew very well that he didn't like me jumping into conversations and voicing out on things that really don't concern me.

“I... I know I'm just a PA” I mumbled. Kris looks at me blankly before he breathes out a sigh “You're not just a PA, Ms. Kim...”

W-what? I feel my eyes widen and my cheeks go numb as he says those words. He turns around and walks again; on instinct, I follow him. “You're technically the Head of Finance, too”

That's not what I wanted to hear. Budump. Budump. I blink my eyes rapidly and continue to walk behind him; silence followed and as we walk inside the ballroom, he holds out a hand to me then asks for his speech which I quickly hand over to him. I spot my name on another table and turn to Kris and inform him “I'll be going to my seat now, sir”

I give a bow and was about to leave when he calls me back “Ms. Kim...”

I stop and turn back around “Yes sir?”

“You'll be sitting next to me; I need you close incase I need something” I never intended to give it a double meaning but the way he said was just... I can't even begin to explain it. Gulp. I nod my head in understanding and follow him.

So, here I am... at the presidential table next to my boss. CEO Kris Wu.

I sincerely apologize for the delay of this chapter. I won't be asking for any ransom on the next two chapters; It's 12:43 AM here in the Philippines and I'm working on  a scaled model that I have to pass for a professional subject class in Architecture tomorrow at 8 AM but... I couldn't keep Kris off my mind so I finished this chapter.

P.S. I did not have time to read it over for grammar and spell check. I'll edit the neccessities in a few hours when I wake up again.

Thank you to all the subscribers and for all the comments you are continuously and generously giving :)

To the people who have upvoted this story: kanamehinata, mariangel, YennyAigoo, Jae-I and Eunki23, thank you guys. I'm sorry if I can't link you all one by one because I still have to get back to work. I'm halfway done with this project. Semestral break is fast approaching. just bear with the little delays for awhile and I will feed all your frustrations soon :)

Kamsahamnida <3