Anna walked toward the clinic, deep in thought.
Her mind was busy rehearsing how she would ask permission to leave early. She kept repeating lines to herself, trying to sound convincing.
"Ms. Kate, I'm sick… I feel nauseated… I think I should go home now," she whispered under her breath.
She paused.
"No… that sounds fake," she muttered, shaking her head.
She tried again.
"Ms. Kate, I need to undertime now. No need to worry about HR—I am the heir of this company."
She suddenly stopped.
A laugh escaped her.
"How would I even say that?" she asked herself.
She sighed and shook her head again.
"No, no, no… that's rude."
She tried another tone.
"Ms. Kate… whether you like it or not, I'm going home now."
She froze.
"Haist… I'm crazy," she whispered, scratching her head.
When she finally opened the clinic door, she saw Ms. Kate sitting at her desk, calmly filling out paperwork.
"You came," Kate noticed.
Then, suddenly—
"By the way…" Kate said, looking up. "Wow. How did you know he was hypoglycemic?"
Anna blinked.
"His symptoms," she answered softly. "He had the same signs as my patient before… so I thought…"
Kate nodded slowly, impressed.
"Well, you did a good job, Anna," she said. "You saved his life."
Anna smiled shyly and nodded.
"Ms. Kate…" Anna hesitated. "I… I know I'm new, but—"
"But what?" Kate asked while continuing to write.
"Can I undertime now? I—"
"Undertime?" Kate repeated, finally looking at her.
Anna nodded quickly, pleading silently.
Kate studied her for a moment.
"Okay," she said. "Since today is your first day, I'll just tell them it's your orientation. No problem."
Anna's eyes widened.
"But tomorrow, I will not tolerate that," Kate added firmly.
"Oh my goodness—thank you, Ms. Kate!" Anna suddenly hugged her. "I promise, I'll make it up next time!"
Without wasting another second, Anna placed the BP apparatus, stethoscope, and glucometer back into the drawer and rushed out.
She hurried into the elevator, then stepped out on the ground floor.
She looked left and right cautiously.
No one noticed her.
4:30 PM.
She checked her wristwatch.
A deep breath escaped her lips as she stepped out of the building.
Freedom.
But then—
"Hello."
A voice stopped her.
Anna turned.
A tall young man stood in front of her—charming, fair-skinned, with freshly cut wavy black hair and a sharp, confident posture.
"Undertime?" he asked casually. "Too early to leave, don't you think?"
Anna assumed he was from the admin department.
She straightened slightly.
"I already asked permission from my senior, sir. Today is only my orientation," she answered politely.
"Orientatione?" he repeated with a small chuckle. "You're new?"
"Yes, sir," she replied quickly.
He tilted his head slightly.
"Ah… so you don't know me?"
Anna shook her head.
"From admin department?" she guessed.
He smirked slightly.
"I'm Daniel Yang."
Anna paused.
Then she stepped closer, studying him carefully.
Her eyes narrowed slightly as if assessing a stranger trying to fool her.
She gave a small, confident chuckle.
"No," she said firmly.
Daniel blinked. "No?"
Anna shook her head again.
"Sir Daniel is in Massachusetts. Still studying in Harvard," she said confidently. "And my friend told me Daniel Yang is a charming guy."
She looked him up and down.
Then shook her head again.
"You?" she said. "No."
Daniel raised an eyebrow, surprised.
"Am I not charming?" he asked seriously.
"Not literally," Anna replied without hesitation.
She continued, mimicking what she had heard earlier.
"My friend said if he looks into your eyes, you'll feel like you're in a fairy tale… and you'll blush… and your underwear would basically fall down because of his cuteness."
She paused.
Then added proudly,
"I think she exaggerated."
Daniel suddenly laughed loudly.
"Oh my goodness… seriously?" he said, touching his chin in amusement.
Anna stepped back slightly.
"I'm sorry if you think you can fool me," she said confidently. "I am new, but not naive."
Daniel chuckled again, clearly entertained.
"Chao!" Anna said quickly.
Then she turned and walked away without looking back.
Daniel stood there, still smiling to himself.
"Cute," he murmured before heading toward the elevator.
Anna clicked her tongue as she walked.
"Tsk. That guy… claiming to be Daniel Yang," she muttered. "Of course he's not. He's just trying to fool me because I'm new."
She shook her head.
"Bullying is still common in society," she sighed dramatically. "So lucky me… I am wise."
She chuckled proudly to herself.
Then continued walking toward the train station.
*****************
TOM'S POV
While waiting for 5 o'clock in the afternoon—the time he would send Anna home—Tom began preparing to leave. He packed his things slowly, cleaned his desk, and turned off his computer.
A knock interrupted the silence.
He paused.
"Come in," he said, slipping on his blazer.
The door opened.
"Wahaha!" Daniel entered the room laughing.
Tom's eyes widened.
"Oh my goodness!" he said in surprise, immediately stepping toward him.
The two men hugged tightly like long-time brothers finally reunited.
"How's the newly engaged one?" Daniel asked, clearly amused.
"Good… good!" Tom answered proudly. "You didn't even tell me you were coming."
They both sat on the couch.
"I didn't want to bother you," Daniel replied casually.
Tom smiled. "Finally, you made it."
He leaned back slightly, crossing his legs. "So… what does Lolo say?"
"I did it… even though he doesn't like it," Daniel said.
"Bravo!" Tom laughed. "Don't worry. Someday he will accept her."
"Yeah… someday," Daniel agreed quietly.
Tom checked his wristwatch.
4:55 PM.
"By the way," Tom suddenly said, "he found his best friend's granddaughter."
"Really?" Daniel looked surprised.
"That's good for him. Have you met her?"
"Yes, I did," Tom replied as he stood up. "And one day, you will meet her too."
Daniel chuckled. "So how was she? Is she pretty?"
Tom paused slightly.
"Hm… average. Not really," he said honestly.
Daniel raised an eyebrow. "Hmm… then I'm not interested anymore."
Tom laughed. "Wait. She's still the precious girl of Chairman Yang."
Daniel shook his head.
"And now I'm going to send her home," Tom added.
"What?" Daniel reacted instantly. "Seriously, Tom? Are you her driver or her lover?" he teased.
Tom shrugged. "Maybe I'm her VVIP driver," he laughed.
Daniel frowned slightly. "What's so special about her? Why would Lolo act like that?"
"Want to send her instead? I'm going to the airport anyway," Tom teased.
"Hell no," Daniel immediately refused.
Tom chuckled. "Don't worry. She's kind."
"Hmm… 1/10 interesting," Daniel said sarcastically.
Tom shook his head. "I'm telling you the truth."
"Hm… something fishy," Daniel teased.
"Whatever," Tom said, grabbing his things. "I need to go. I have to send her home before Chairman Yang kicks my ass."
He walked toward the door.
"Oh, and you should meet him in his office," he added.
Daniel laughed. "Good luck, bro."
LATER
Tom drove to the parking area and waited near the coffee shop in his car.
He checked his watch again.
Still no Anna.
Then he noticed Kate and Nancy walking along the driveway.
He immediately honked.
Beep!
The two women turned toward him.
Tom rolled down the window.
"Have you seen Anna?" he asked.
Kate and Nancy approached the car.
"She went home early this afternoon, sir," Kate replied.
"She went home?" Tom repeated, surprised.
"Yes, sir," Kate confirmed, nodding.
Tom sighed. "Alright. Thank you."
He drove off immediately.
AT THE AIRPORT
Later that day, Tom dropped off his fiancée, Mildred.
They stood close, holding hands tightly.
"Babe… one month is such a long time," Mildred said softly.
Tom kissed her hand.
"I know… I just can't wait anymore. I want to stay beside you every minute… every second."
Mildred smiled, clearly touched, and hugged him tightly.
"I'm going to miss you, babe."
"I'll miss you too," he said, kissing her shoulder.
"While I'm away working, I'll also plan our fancy wedding," she said excitedly.
"Alright," Tom nodded. "Just call me every time, okay?"
"Of course, babe."
She pulled away slightly. "Okay, I need to go."
They shared one last kiss.
"I love you," Tom said, not wanting to let go.
"I love you too," she replied. "Let go."
They both laughed softly.
"Stay a little longer," he pleaded.
Mildred laughed again, kissed him once more, then finally stepped back.
"Don't worry. I'll call you when I arrive."
"Okay," Tom nodded. "Bon voyage."
She waved at him.
"Go inside first," he insisted.
"Okay. Bye!" she said, sending him a final kiss.
"I love you," he said one last time.
Mildred smiled and walked inside the airport.
Tom stayed there for a moment… before finally driving away.
***************************************************************
When she opened the main door, she saw her parents sitting on the couch, watching the news on the television.
"Hi," she greeted them softly.
"Oh!" they both responded at the same time.
Anna immediately walked toward them and hugged them tightly, kissing them on the cheek.
"How was your flight, Ma?" she asked.
"Fine," they both answered.
Her mother looked at her. "How's your work?"
"Good," Anna replied with a small smile. "I brought ice cream."
She walked to the dining table and placed the bags carefully.
"You have ice cream for me, bro!" Sarah asked excitedly.
"Uh-huh," Anna replied, winking at her. "I was scared of you, so I bought it."
She laughed. "Here's your keto ice cream."
She handed her a pint-sized container. Then she pointed to another tub.
"This one's for us," she said. "Avocado flavor."
"Bleeeh!" Sarah stuck her tongue out but quickly grabbed it. "Thank you, bro!"
"Yahoo! Yummy!" she said, licking her lips.
Anna grabbed spoons and cups, scooped ice cream, and served her parents.
"What's our viand today, Pa?" she asked as she sat between them.
"I brought turkey meat," her father answered. "I roasted it myself."
"Wow… I miss that," Anna said, licking her lips.
Her mother hugged her tightly and kissed her on the head.
"You're so slim. You need to eat more," her mother said, studying her face. "Are you stressed?"
"No," Anna answered quickly.
But deep inside, she knew she was.
Her father gently messed up her hair.
"Tsk," Anna complained softly, but she was smiling. "I missed you both."
She hugged them again.
"Where are Tessa, Kian, and Marco?" she asked, looking around.
"They're upstairs," her mother replied.
"Hey!" Anna called loudly—but no one answered.
"Let's eat first," she said, holding her stomach. "I'm hungry."
"I'll just change and call them," she added before running upstairs.
She went straight to Marco's room.
"Hey!" she called.
All three turned around.
Anna immediately hugged them and kissed them.
"I missed you guys."
"Same here… pretty, sexy," Tessa replied teasingly.
"Ewww!" everyone chorused, laughing.
Anna sat beside Tessa.
Marco was the fifth child, followed by Tessa, and Kian was the youngest.
Marco would be a freshman in college this coming June. He was the most naughty but independent and wise among them. Tessa was the prettiest, most talented, and intelligent; she was still in high school and would graduate next year. Kian, the youngest, was kind, quiet, and an otaku—also surprisingly more good-looking than Marco. He would be a freshman in high school this coming enrollment.
"So, what do you think of your new room?" Anna asked Marco.
"It's fine," he replied casually.
"So, what course are you taking up?" she asked again. "Have you decided?"
"Nautical," he answered confidently.
"Hmm… alright. Are you ready?" she asked.
"Of course," he said, tapping his chin proudly.
"By the way, there's ice cream downstairs," Anna added casually.
"Really?" they all reacted at once.
And in seconds, they all rushed downstairs.
Anna quickly changed her clothes and joined them again.
After a few minutes, her elder sister arrived as well.
They prepared the dining table together. Sarah and Anna placed the plates, while their father brought the roasted turkey from the oven and placed it at the center.
They all gathered around the oval table and prayed to Almighty God.
"Itadakimasu," Kian said softly.
"Thank You, Lord," their father murmured.
Then they began eating.
The house was filled with warmth.
For a moment, everything felt complete.
They laughed, talked, and shared stories about work, school, and everyday life.
And Anna listened—smiling—finally feeling like she was home again.
************************
Stay tuned for chapter 16: superstitious belief
Happy Valentine's Day to all, love ❤️!
Stay positive in life and negative to COVID-19
Stay safe and keep healthy!
Love you all