C13 Irresistible.

David hang up his phone and looked at Felix, who had been avoiding to look at him. He looked at the documents he was holding and felt his head throb in irritation.

“Aren’t I supposed to be mourning my wife? Why is there so much work?” David asked as he threw the towel he was using to dry his hair on the sofa.

“These all need your approval,” Felix explained as he placed the folders on the coffee table. David sat down, his damp hair sticking to the sides of his face and neck as he crossed one leg over the other one.

He picked up one of the folders and went through a few pages before throwing it on the floor. Felix felt like his heart was beating in his throat. If they were at the office, David could just reprimand the concerned parties. Now he was the only one here. He felt like he should prepare himself for a tongue lashing.

“Sit down,” David said when Felix started fidgeting. It was distracting him, and his mood wasn’t too good at the moment. Only 30% of the proposals brought out were approved.

“Tell everyone on management, that the next time I receive such substandard work, I’m going to deduct a third of their salary. Repeat it to them word for word,” David said as his sharp eyes pierced into Felix. Felix nodded his head and went forward to pick up the files that were approved.

When he turned to the ones on the floor, David snorted in irritation and he paused for a moment before he started picking them up as well.

“Get rid of them. Tell those who didn’t receive their proposals to do everything all over again. When I return to the office, I want to see new, not revised proposals on my desk. Am I clear?” David said, and Felix nodded again.

He finally relaxed after walking out of the villa, and he felt his muscles ache. If he had the same momentum as his boss, he would have gone to vent to those big wigs in the company. Unfortunately, he could only email them.

David sighed as he got up and went to his study. He slumped in his chair and started going through his emails. He had many people to contact, so it was inevitable that he lost track of time. When he finally came to, it was already 11 pm.

He decided to end there for the day as he turned off his computer and went to the living room. He picked up the phone he had left on the sofa and saw that there were three missed calls from Iris; they were all an hour from each other and looking at the last one; it seemed like it was made before she started her shift.

He sighed as he collapsed on the sofa and thought about what the two of them were doing. She was not a part of his plans. Especially because of what he had gone through with his wife, but she was so assertive and for some reason, he couldn’t help but be drawn to her. Even though he should have put a stop to everything, even now he had the urge to get dressed and go to Mist. He then went to his phone book and made a long-overdue call.

“Hello?” Felix’s voice sounded from the other side.

“Mmmh, I want you to find out more about Iris Mathis,” David said as he looked at his ceiling.

“Yes?” Felix responded, not believing his ears. From how familiar the two seemed, he thought they already knew each other from long ago.

“Just do as I say,” David ordered.

“Yes, I’ll bring you the results tomorrow,” Felix answered amidst his confusion.

“Mmmh,” David responded and cut the call. Felix did not know that David, his mighty and overbearing boss, had been swept away by Iris’s momentum. At least no one would try to be so obvious about their intentions so soon after he lost his wife.

David got up and picked up a piece of chicken as he went to his room. Even though he hadn’t planned to, he couldn’t resist the urge he had to go and see her.

*

Iris had submitted her resignation, and her shocked manager tried to negotiate with her. Although she was not very good with customer service, she was quite popular with the guests. A lot of them that used to stick into the private rooms got out because of her, so she was especially sad to hear that she was leaving.

“Can you stick around until we find your replacement?” she asked seriously and Iris nodded.

“I’d rather you didn’t take too long with that, I’ll formally be in the industry in a couple of months and I don’t want this baggage,” Iris said honestly and her manager nodded.

“I’ll find a replacement in two weeks. In the meantime, try to say goodbye to your regulars. They really like you,” her manager tried to persuade and Iris nodded.

“I will,” she answered, not really caring about it. She already paid off her rent and school fees because of their generosity. The least she could do was say goodbye.

The night was long, especially because she had to talk so much and also because Mr. Lyons was not around. By the time Iris’s shift was over, the last thing she wanted to do was talk to anyone. That was why she was so tongue-tied when she walked out of the club and came face to face with David.

“Get in,” he said, and opened the passenger’s side door for her. Iris opened and closed her mouth a few times before she got in the car. David closed the door once she was inside and he got in through the other side.

Iris watched him get in the car with a shallow smile on her face. Even though she was tired earlier, she suddenly felt quite refreshed and her fatigue was gone.