I left Chak's office and headed over to Pim, who was waiting at her desk.
"Did he tell you you'll be his secretary for a week?" she asked.
"Yeah, he just told me. I have no idea what I did to deserve this,"
I lied and looked at her with worry.
"Don't worry," she said reassuringly.
"You'll do fine. Everything you need to know is in these folders."
She handed me not one, but five colorful, thick folders.
I stared at her in disbelief. "What's in these folders?" I asked, slightly shocked.
"In the yellow one, you'll find the boss's schedules: daily, weekly, monthly, even for years ahead. Every morning, before he arrives, you need to give him a copy of that day's schedule."
"In the red one, there are all the meetings and events he needs to attend. You'll go with him unless he says otherwise. And if anyone calls to schedule something, you write it down on this sheet." She showed me a white sheet with lines.
"In the green folder are all the certificates and documents for Love Food and LF Lab. You'll need them if anyone asks or if the boss needs them."
She opened the folder and pulled out a dark green subfolder. "This one is for when you go to LF Food. It has product data, sales prices… Don't forget to bring it."
"In the blue folder, you'll find all the important phone numbers—employees and partner companies."
"And in the brown folder, you have the most important stuff everything about the boss. That means how he likes his coffee, what time to bring it to him, when he's available, what he doesn't like... Every day, you have to make sure he has everything he needs for work. That means cleaning his desk, adding paper if needed, organizing his folders, checking if he has spare clothes and shoes. And at 4 PM sharp, you must bring him a plate of sliced fruit every piece must be exactly the same size. Most importantly, refill his bowls with his favorite candies and chocolates under the desk. If you forget you're fired on the spot."
Pim looked at me and added
"You'll manage."
I looked at her nervously and asked, "You know all this what's written in all those folders?"
"Yeah, I know it all. I've worked as his secretary at LF Lab since the beginning. When his father passed and Chak took over Love Food, I continued here. Everything in the brown folder those are my notes, what I learned about him over time,"
Pim explained.
"Now this desk is yours, for one week. Good luck."
She patted my shoulder with a smile.
I sat down and took a deep breath. Then I heard the phone ring. I picked it up.
"Where is my coffee?" Chak asked in a cold voice.
"On the way, sir," I replied and hung up.
I went to get his coffee, knocked on his office door, and stepped inside. I placed the cup on his desk.
"Thank you," Chak said coolly, then looked up at me.
"Did Pim tell you what you need to do?"
"Yeah, she did," I said. "I had no idea there was so much work. And everything's written down so she doesn't forget anything."
"That's why she deserves a vacation," Chak replied and continue
"Pim is a loyal coworker. If you can handle her job for a week… there'll be a reward waiting for you."
"What kind of reward?" I asked curiously.
He stood up and walked over to me. He leaned in and looked at me closely.
"I think that you already know ?" he asked, giving me a wink.
"I think I do," I replied, my cheeks flushing.
He straightened up, leaned against the desk, and pulled me toward him so our bodies were touching. With his left hand, he gently ran his fingers through my hair, while I traced his face with my hand and stopped at his neck. I leaned in to kiss him…
But just then, we heard the sound of women's heels approaching.
I quickly stepped aside, fixed my hair, and walked toward the door. Amara entered at that moment, closed the door behind her, and said,
"Boss, you need to review these documents."
"Alright," Chak replied.
I left his office and sat down at the desk. I was still under the spell of his charisma. He always managed to surprise me just when I thought he couldn't anymore.
I opened the brown folder and looked through what Pim had written about him.
"He likes dark chocolate and chewing gum. He doesn't like pistachios."
" When he is nervous he walks down and up and he need chewing gums "
As I was reading her notes, the phone rang.
"Chak," his voice came through, "in five minutes, we're heading to LF Lab. Get ready."
I took the dark green folder from the green file, grabbed a few sheets, a pen and a pencil, and packed everything into my backpack.
Chak walked out of his office and nodded at me. I stood up and followed him. We didn't exchange a single word as we walked down the street toward LF Lab.
While walking, I asked him,
"Why don't you keep anything sweet in your kitchen, like the candies or chocolates you eat at work?"
With a calm voice, Chak replied,
"I used to have a whole drawer full of sweets. But before you moved in with me, I gave them all to Kit, who shared them with the employees at LF Lab as a thank you for their hard work."
"But why? Why didn't you just keep them?"
"If I had kept them, you would've found them and thought badly of me like I don't live healthily."
I smiled and said,
"Balance is important. Just like the body needs nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, sometimes it also needs something sweet. Even chocolate can lift your mood."
Chak smiled slightly and tousled my hair again.
On the sidewalk, I noticed a small stone shaped like a heart. I picked it up and was about to show it to Chak when suddenly from out of nowhere a cyclist came speeding toward us…