13 How the hell did he forget Helena?

The receptionist watched her with curiosity while she was on the phone, not realizing that the woman in front of her was actually telling the truth.

When she hung up the phone, the receptionist couldn't help but feel embarrassed as she looked at her.

"Miss, Sir Lucas will be coming to pick you up shortly. Would you mind waiting in the guest lounge while you wait for Sir Lucas?"

"No, he should be here in a moment. There's no need for that" she replied, still gazing intently in the direction Lucas might come from.

++++

On the other hand, Erwin couldn't seem to calm his nerves while in the elevator. He still had no idea what face would he present to Rina.

Despite the anger he felt towards her, he knew deep down that he had many shortcomings as her husband.

Upon reaching the ground floor, he quickly headed to the reception area.

Even from a distance, he immediately spotted Rina, who seemed to be waiting at the reception desk, her gaze fixed on something.

He furrowed his brow because she hadn't even bothered to sit and rest her thoughts.

It was evident she had been waiting for quite some time, and she was likely experiencing discomfort.

Without hesitation, he walked in her direction.

The receptionist and a few employees were taken aback when they saw their CEO approaching and heading toward the woman who was waiting intently in the reception area.

They had not expected this.

Rina, on the other hand, was surprised to see Erwin.

It had been a day since she last saw him, and she couldn't deny that he looked exceptionally handsome in his suit.

She couldn't help but wonder why Lucas wasn't by his side.

Wait, what? Where's Lucas? Wasn't Lucas the one I asked for? She wondered to herself.

"Why didn't you just call me?" Erwin immediately asked Rina as he approached her.

Rina briefly looked to her side, as if to check if she was the one being addressed.

But when she noticed that Erwin was looking directly at her.

"I don't have your number." She responded.

"The one I gave you before, why didn't you call that number to reach me?" Erwin asked, his tone somewhat chilly.

"I tried calling it several times, but there was no answer. I don't have your personal number or Lucas's," Rina explained.

"Why do you even need Lucas's number?" Erwin asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

Mentioning Lucas seemed to hit a nerve with him.

"Because he's your secretary, and he's the only one I know who is always with you. What else?" Rina replied casually.

Rina suddenly remembered that she had some papers to hand over.

"Uh, here are the files," she said, handing him an envelope.

Then she glanced at another package she had nearly forgotten about.

Victor looked at what she was holding.

"What's that?"

"Oh, this?" she said, raising the cellophane-wrapped dessert she had brought.

"It's for you and Lucas, a freshly baked strawberry dessert from my afternoon snack," she explained, handing it to Erwin.

"You went through the trouble, and I just ate," Erwin said, his stone still cold while glancing at the contents inside the cellophane.

"Then you can give it to Lucas, it's meant for both of you anyway," Rina replied.

Erwin looked at her intently, especially when she mentioned Lucas again.

"Why do you need to give it to Lucas? He's not even fond of sweets," he remarked coldly.

"Well, if no one's going to eat it, you can give it to someone else," Rina said, masking her disappointment that Erwin didn't appreciate her effort, especially since she had prepared strawberry dessert, which she knew he liked.

Erwin fixed her with an intense gaze, clutching the offering from Rina firmly.

"No, I won't be sharing this with anyone else. It's mine and mine alone," he firmly declared, swiftly avoiding direct eye contact with Rina.

"Very well then. I won't linger much longer. I merely dropped by to tend to those important documents". She responded.

And she was turning her away when Erwin suddenly reached out and gently held her arm, causing her to halt her departure.

"Why?" inquired Rina.

Erwin hesitated briefly before replying,

"Um, you could simply wait here for me after the meeting. I'll treat you as a token of appreciation for bringing those important files."

Rina found herself taken aback by his words and felt a surge of joy in her heart.

She looked at Erwin and, with a subtle smile.

"All right," though inside, she was positively delighted.

"Then you may wait here or, if you prefer, at the café outside. The meeting will start in a few minutes and should conclude within an hour." Erwin continued.

"Very well," Rina replied, her smile growing a touch warmer.

Meanwhile, the receptionist, who had been conversing with Rina earlier, stood dumbfounded.

She had not anticipated that her boss would personally attend to meet Rina, and she appeared somewhat apprehensive as Erwin gave her a pointed look and stated,

"Next time, promptly inform me if she arrives."

"Understood, sir," the receptionist promptly replied.

+++++

As Victor retraced his steps toward his office, he passed by the guest lounge situated adjacent to the reception area.

He didn't notice Helena sipping her coffee delicately, acquired from a high-end café she had instructed an employee she had encountered earlier while en route to the guest lounge.

Helena was also elegantly perusing a magazine, her discontentment evident due to the discourteous treatment she had encountered from the receptionist and Victor himself, who had declined to meet with her on this particular day.

'How could Victor do this to me? How important could his client possibly be that he refused to see me today?' Helena pondered, her irritation and impatience visible on her countenance.

She firmly grasped the handle of her coffee cup and placed the magazine down with a resounding thud, her gaze fixating on the entrance to the guest lounge.

She squinted momentarily to confirm whether it was indeed Victor who had recently passed by.

"Oh my, it's Victor," she exclaimed, promptly rising from her seat and hastening after him.

Meanwhile, Victor stood in anticipation of the elevator when someone abruptly clasped his arm.

"What the fuck! What on earth!—" he began to utter but ceased when he locked eyes with Helena, who wore a wide, enticing smile.

"Hello, darling. It's a pleasure to see you here. I thought you might have forgotten all about me. You even came down just to fetch me," she sweetly uttered to Victor, who was now mentally reproaching himself for not having realized earlier that Helena was also present at the company.

How the hell did he forget about Helena?

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