I'm afraid of the dark

The following day, Manager Lauren convened a meeting for her team to discuss the upcoming project, which took place immediately.

On the other hand, Natalie was paying attention to everything that was going on, particularly what Manager Lauren was wearing.

'Yes, Manager Lauren is absolutely stunning, but what did Kenzo see in her that I couldn't see? I'm more attractive than this woman! What am I thinking, and why am I feeling it? Natalie, have you gone completely insane? What is it about that man that has you thinking of him?' That's what was going through Natalie's head as her brows wrinkled in concentration.

"Is everything okay with you, Natalie? Since you first saw Manager Lauren, you've been staring at her intently." Natalie, who was sitting beside Jessica in the chair, heard Jessica say something to Natalie about their manager's strange stare. Jessica then whispered something to Natalie.

This caused Natalie to look away from Manager Lauren and respond, "I'm fine, thank you! Or it could be that I'm just a little nervous because this is the first project I'll be working on with this company."

Jessica responded with a nod and the words, "Is that so? Please don't be nervous because I am confident that we will succeed! I'm only here to help you if you have any questions or are having a difficult time."

"Thank you so much, Jessica!" Natalie exclaimed, a sweet smile on her face.

When Manager Lauren began to speak about their upcoming project, the room fell into silence.

"Hello and good morning! I'm sure you're already aware of the exciting new project we're embarking on. Please tell me your name, and I'd like to know who you are. Isn't it true that you're the newest architect in our department?" Manager Lauren inquired, her gaze falling on Natalie.

Natalie greeted Manager Lauren with a nod and a small smile before responding, "Hello, my name is Natalie Lewis, and I am the new architect in this department."

"Can we rely on you to create the designs for the building that we're planning to construct? I understand you're new to the company, but we're counting on you to give your all to the designs you'll be working on, and I'll need that on Thursday." Manager Lauren said this while raising an irate brow.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of everything so that I can come up with a neat and beautiful design for the building that will be constructed," Natalie said with a small smile on her face.

"In that case, let's get started on this new project," Manager Lauren said something and then left the room.

To calm herself down, Natalie took a deep breath. Jessica was concerned about her and inquired, "Is it possible for you to finish the designs by Thursday? If you are unable to do so, we can ask Manager Lauren to assist us."

When Jessica inquired, Natalie responded with a shaky head and the words, "Everything will be fine as well, and I'll be able to finish that on Thursday, so don't worry about me."

"I'm just here for you," Jessica said as she took Natalie's hand in hers.

"Thank you so much!" The words came out of Natalie's mouth with a smile on her face.

The days passed, and Natalie worked tirelessly to meet the deadline, often above and beyond her job and having a lot of overtime at work.

"Is it likely that you'll be required to work overtime again? You may become ill as a result of your excessive workload," Jessica inquired, her face tinged with concern in her eyes.

Natalie responded with a tired smile and the words, "I'm going to have to work extra hours to finish these designs. Don't be concerned because I'm in good physical shape and eating at the appropriate times."

"Have some coffee first, so you can wake up," Jessica said as she placed a glass of coffee on the table.

Roasting and boiling a specific type of moss from a local source results in a refreshing coffee cup with a salty flavor, a candy flavor, and a strong aftertaste.

It has an opaque appearance, is a soft champagne color, has a silky texture, and produces a thick foam that lasts even after the liquid has been used up, ultimately. Served hot, it is best enjoyed, and when purchased in restaurants or bars, it is expensive and served in a small cup, as is typical of the genre. Large amounts of a substance can induce energy bursts.

"Thank you so much, Jessica, for the coffee!" Jessica's eyes shone as Natalie expressed her sincerity to her.

"You should take a deep breath before doing your work again," Jessica said, "I need to return home, and my parents may already be on the lookout for me. Natalie, please do not hesitate to contact me whenever you require assistance."

The response from Natalie was a nod, followed by the words, "Be careful when you go home."

Unfortunately, Natalie fell asleep because she was exhausted after a while, and the guard turned off all the lights in the building. When she awoke, the guard had turned off all the lights and had locked her in her office.

"What's going on... why is it so dark here? What time is it exactly?" Natalie pondered this as she fumbled around in the dark.

Natalie's whole body began to shiver as she realized that she was scared of the darkness. During Natalie's early childhood, she was diagnosed with a condition known as Nyctophobia.

"Is there... is there anyone there? Is there anyone there? Help! Please help me!"

Every time the clock struck, it appeared to be her tears as well. "Please help me!"

Natalie walked into the darkness, but it seemed to have no end, and she couldn't find her way out. "No, no, and no! Get me out of here as soon as possible!"

Her body is shivering violently, and she appears to be going insane because she has no idea where she is going. She is also sweating profusely.

"Please... please... please... let me go! I don't want to be in the dark... I don't want to be in the dark!"

"I have to get out of here! I have to get out of here!"

To avoid being in the dark, Natalie immediately searched for her phone and dialed Manager Lauren's phone number, but unfortunately, she didn't answer her call. She decided to call Kenzo.

"Hello, who is this?" He exclaimed in response to Natalie's phone call.

When Natalie heard Kenzo's voice for the first time, she took a deep breath and said, "Hello…this…this is Natalie. I…I wanted to ask for your assistance because… I was trapped inside the company and I tried… to call Miss Lauren, but she didn't… respond to my calls-"

As Natalie was about to say something, Kenzo abruptly ended the phone call and disconnected the line.

However, Kenzo instructed his driver that they should return to the company.

After some time had passed, they finally arrived at the company. Kenzo hurriedly returned to the office and unlocked the door.

When Kenzo saw Natalie, he immediately saw that she was shaking and seemed to be drenched because of her tears.

What happened to Natalie? Did something bad happen while I was not here? That's what was on Kenzo's mind as he worriedly looked at Natalie.

"Kenzo..." Natalie sobbed as she wrapped her arms around Kenzo. Even though Kenzo was taken aback, he hugged her nonetheless.

He told her that she was shaking and cold, so he immediately asked her.

"Are you okay? Why are you shaking, did something happen to you?" Kenzo asked her as he frowned.

When Natalie regained consciousness, she immediately released Kenzo's embrace and wiped away the tears.

"Thank you so much for your help! I… I'm afraid of darkness." Natalie said this as she continued to wipe away tears from her eyes.

"What happened to you?" Kenzo inquired, raising his brow at Natalie's response.

Natalie took a long breath to get herself to a state of serenity before responding, "Thank you so much for your help! I… I'm afraid of darkness."

Natalie continued to wipe away her tears. "I worked extra hours today… and then I didn't realize it till later that... I fell asleep, because of tiredness, but when I woke up… it was already dark and the door was also locked."

Kenzo raised his brow, "Are you okay now?"

"Yes."

"Okay, let's go." Kenzo stand up and walked away.

Natalie didn't say anything and took her bag in her chair, she just followed him into the elevator without a word.

Natalie was deafeningly quiet as she secretly observed Kenzo. She was taken aback by Kenzo's posture, and she thought he was pretty handsome. Kenzo is a favorite of many of her office-mates.

"He is really has a handsome face. I never thought that we will meet again and be my boss."

Natalie was under the impression that the obnoxious man would be her boss, and she added that something had already happened to them, but it appeared that Kenzo didn't notice or care, so she didn't bring it up.

"His lips, his touched; I remembered all of it. That night that we share together." Natalie said to herself.

"What are you thinking?" Kenzo inquired of Natalie after noticing that she appeared to be an idiot.

"There's nothing." Natalie answered.

Kenzo is not one to accept deception, so he presses the elevator's button to bring the elevator to a halt.

 "Why you stop it?" Natalie frowned and asked him.

Natalie was taken aback when the elevator came to a complete stop, and she lost her balance. Kenzo caught her immediately, and they exchanged glances. When Natalie realized that her boss was standing in front of her, she was so nervous.

"What are you thinking?" Kenzo inquired of Natalie once more, and he trapped her with both of his arms around her.

Natalie responded with a stutter and a lie, saying, "I wish I hadn't just worked overtime so that I wouldn't have been trapped here."

On the other hand, Kenzo didn't believe her because he knew that Natalie was lying.

"I didn't believe you. You are lying," he said as his face drew closer to hers.

The moment Kenzo approached Natalie, Natalie barely moved. Their faces were only about 2 inches apart, and she could smell his sweet breath.

What is it that makes me feel this way? What is causing my heart to beat so quickly? Is it possible that I have heart disease? I'm not sure what it is about being near him that makes me feel protected. What exactly is it that I'm thinking about? What is it about those eyes that are so appealing? That was the thought going through Natalie's head as she peered into Kenzo's eyes.

They were so close together it made it easy for Natalie to feel her heart beating quickly and her body heated. Natalie was also aware that her cheek was flushed at those moments.

"No, I'm just -"

She didn't finish what she wants to say because Kenzo's lips was pressing against her.

"Oh, no. Not again." Natalie's mind is want to argue about was happening.

Kenzo deeply kissed her on her lips and she was shocked. She wanted to push him away but he was so strong.

Kenzo smiled and said, "If you lied to me again, I will punish you more than that."

"Wh-What?" Natalie was still shocked and what she heard from Kenzo.

Then Kenzo pressed the button once more, and the elevator began to function correctly once more. After that, Kenzo walked out of the elevator. While Natalie walked out slowly, her gaze fixed on Kenzo as he walked away. 

"He kissed me again."

Natalie said while watching Kenzo's back as he continued to walk away from her. Her heart beat was so fast, and she felt like she was floating in the air. Her hands slowly touched her lips as she still felt his warm kiss.