She kept her face unreadable the moment she stepped into the company building the next morning. Without breaking pace, she gave a slight nod to the receptionist who greeted her, then headed straight to her desk.
She wasn't supposed to come in today. But when she remembered the unfinished details for the upcoming anniversary celebration, she forced herself to get up. As expected, her eyes were swollen from crying the entire night. Her eyebags were darker than usual, so she slipped on a pair of sunglasses before leaving her condo. Thankfully, her makeup helped hide the exhaustion, at least on the surface.
Once seated, she opened her laptop and focused on finalizing the design layout for the venue. Then she made a quick call to the head chef to confirm the dinner menu. She personally handled the email invitations as well — to partners, investors, and special guests. Yes, that included Seymour, who responded almost immediately that he'd be attending.
When she glanced at the clock, it was already half past nine.
"Ms. Villegas," she called out to the new intern seated near the front desk.
The girl approached quickly, holding a clipboard.
"Make coffee for the CEO. Black. One sugar."
The intern nodded and immediately went to the pantry.
Good. Having an intern meant she no longer had to interact with Troy directly which worked in her favor.
A few minutes later, the intern returned with a cup of coffee. She nodded briefly as the intern moved toward Troy's office and knocked before entering. She returned to her work, unaware that the intern had also made coffee for her. She sipped from the cup absentmindedly as she skimmed through Troy's schedule. He had an 11 a.m. board call and a 2 p.m. legal briefing.
"Double-check the CEO's calendar," she said to the intern without looking up. "Remind him of his board call and the legal briefing."
"Should I message him directly, ma'am?"
"Yup. Use my template from last week, just personalize it. That's what I used to do."
After giving instructions, she stepped out to speak directly with the head of Finance. She needed the final budget breakdown for the event. She also passed by Marketing to confirm the content scheduled for release regarding their upcoming projects.
At 11:30, she handed the company card to the intern, who took it promptly.
"Order lunch for the CEO. Follow the menu I gave you and order from the restaurant listed there."
"Do I leave it in his office, ma'am? He's still in a meeting."
"Yes. Set it on the coffee table. Make sure it's clean, no papers underneath. Also, this will be your regular task from now on. Starting today, you'll handle all of his meals."
"Really, ma'am?" she asked, her voice lighting up with a bit of excitement.
She finally looked up, her expression still blank.
"I've got too much on my plate now. I won't be assigning you other admin tasks. Just do what I'm asking."
3:00 PM
"Ma'am, should I call the restaurant now for the pastries?" the intern asked, holding the company phone.
"No need," Maxine replied. "Just grab whatever's available from the cafeteria. Cookies, crackers — doesn't matter."
"Alright, ma'am. But what if he asks?"
"If he does, tell him we're supporting internal vendors now. Company-first mindset. Say it politely."
He won't notice anyway.
Her shoulders ached from the nonstop workload. She decided to leave early — Troy had already left the office by 3:45 PM, anyway.
She was on her way out when she noticed the door to Troy's office slightly ajar. Strange. It was unlikely he came back; she would've sensed it. Despite avoiding him, she still knew what it felt like when he was near.
Curious, she peeked inside. The lights were still on. She was about to switch them off when her eyes landed on the coffee mug placed on his table, the same one the intern delivered earlier.
Her lips parted in surprise. It was untouched, still full but the coffee had gone cold. She walked in and looked around. The lunch box was still there, neatly placed on the coffee table — unopened. The box of cookies beside it was also untouched.
He didn't eat?
That didn't make sense. She was the one who approved all external orders — if he had something delivered, she would've known. She checked his schedule again. No lunch meeting. No appointments outside the office.
How did he even eat?
She cleared her throat, annoyed at herself for caring.
Whatever. It's not my place to worry anymore.
She felt the onset of a headache so she decided to skip cooking and just get dinner from her favorite Japanese place nearby. She also needed to stop by the pharmacy, her throat was starting to feel sore, and her body was aching.
"I'll take three tablets," she told the pharmacy clerk. "And add something for sore throat, too."
After grabbing the meds, she headed back to her car. The sky had started to drizzle, so she moved quickly.
She drove off, praying under her breath. Please let there be parking… please…
It was rush hour, the restaurant was usually full by this time. But luck seemed to be on her side for once. Just as she pulled in, a car exited the spot nearest the entrance. She smiled faintly, parking with practiced ease. Her phone rang just as she turned off the engine. Danica.
She answered and put the call on speaker.
"BFF!" Danica practically screamed.
Maxine winced. "What now, Dani?"
"Oooh, someone's in a mood." Danica teased. "Rough day?"
"No. What do you want?" she replied, pressing her palm against her temple.
"Wow, are you saying I only call when I need something? How dare you," Danica feigned offense.
"Seriously, Danica. What is it—"
She didn't finish the sentence. Because through the glass wall of the restaurant, she saw them.
Troy and Trina.
Seated at a corner booth, facing each other — looking every bit like they were on a date.
She froze. Her stomach turned, and for a moment, she thought she might actually throw up.
You idiot, she thought.
Why did you even think he hadn't eaten? Why did you wonder if he was okay?
Why did you assume he was affected by what you said last night?
She laughed — not because it was funny, but because she realized just how pathetic she had become.
"Look at you," she whispered bitterly.
Still the one preparing everything, covering every damn base, like it still mattered.
And yet here he was — eating with the woman he chose over you, again.
You'll never really stopped choosing her, did you?