Chapter 1 Meet Again

Tell me this is a dream, God. This isn't real, is it?

Savannah Willow Cove seemed to need more time than she had expected to truly comprehend the unfolding events. But how long was it supposed to take? Even after five minutes had passed, Vanny still showed no sign of closing her gaping mouth. Oh dear. Was she waiting for a fly to enter?

No. This couldn't be happening. It couldn't be-

Or maybe it was just what Vanny thought. Because if this was all just a hallucination, why did that smile seem so real?

Could it be that I skipped breakfast a little too much today? Oh dear, Van. I warned you. One bowl of salad and two boiled eggs isn't enough for you. See what it's done to you now? Your body is running out of energy, and as a result, your brain is thinking strange thoughts.

That was the only scapegoat Vanny could find in such a short time. Exactly. Not having enough for breakfast. It was not enough to meet her daily needs. Eventually, she found that her unfocused brain was causing these hallucinations. In the form of a scene that made her heartbeat weaker and weaker inside.

B-But wait a minute.

Vanny swallowed her saliva, realizing that it was not just that charming smile that looked so real in her eyes. There was something else.

For when that tall figure walked, Vanny felt a change in her heart. If earlier this vital organ had seemed unwilling to beat again, now it was quite the opposite. It beat loudly in her chest. In sync with the footsteps of the man approaching her. Getting closer. Closing the gap. And then tilting his face slightly in front of Vanny, who was frozen in her seat.

The handsome face kept an appropriate distance from Vanny. Not too close, but not too far either. In fact, Vanny could vaguely feel the man's warm breath, which made her shiver. Hot and cold sensations, as if she was suffering from malaria.

But that was not all. In the next moment, Vanny found both of the guy's hands landing on the armrest of her chair, and her metabolism system went haywire. She had to do something.

Vanny tried to get some distance by pulling her body away. Unfortunately, the back of the chair did not give her many options. She felt cornered even though there was no corner. She was under pressure even though there was no pressure. For all that existed was a pair of hands, which then bent slightly on the armrest, giving the owner the opportunity to lean towards Vanny.

Two pairs of eyes met. They locked eyes for a few moments, as if trying to read each other's thoughts.

There was silence for a moment, until a few seconds later, Vanny seemed to snap out of her reverie. She regained her composure and quickly raised her defenses.

A masculine scent, reminiscent of wild forests and tall trees, wafted around Vanny, penetrating her senses, and forcing her to quickly hold her breath to preserve her limited sanity.

But it seemed to be too late for Vanny. Because in the next moment she did not just see the smile, she did not just smell the aroma, but she also heard a voice.

"We meet again, Vanny."

At that moment it felt as if life was leaving Vanny's body!

*

"EcoScape Constructors is a domestic construction company. It was founded in 1973 on the idea of William Corbyn. So far, EcoScape Constructors has..."

Vanny shook her head several times, interrupting her own words. Then she cursed.

"I don't care about the history of this company. Uh... the CEO! Yes! Where's the CEO?"

Vanny's hand quickly scrolled the mouse in her right hand. On and on... until her middle finger stopped moving. Just as her eyes caught the name on her laptop screen.

"Ha-Haris..." Vanny read hesitantly. "Corbyn?"

Vanny doubted her eyesight. So, she quickly refreshed the page. Once. Then she looked at the CEO's name column again, but it did not change.

Twice. Vanny tried again. But it still did not change. Until Vanny grimaced and made the strangest sound she had ever heard with her own ears.

But that was not enough. Vanny refreshed the page again and again. Countless times, her index finger pressed the same button. And the result? Nothing changed, of course. What was there was exactly the same as what she had read the first time.

"Oh... my... God."

Hope was just hope. Hope would not become reality. No matter how many times Vanny refreshed the page, the information and the reality would never change. They would not become what she wanted.

Vanny groaned in a desperate voice, as if unable to face the undeniable fact that filled her laptop screen.

"Aaargh!"

Both of Vanny's hands went up and landed on her head with an extremely dramatic and confused expression. Her eyes were still fixed on the list of names.

"I-is this for real? Haris? Haris, who's afraid of spiders, is the CEO?"

Vanny asked herself and could not believe what she saw. Not even after reloading the page several times. Now she rubbed her eyes. But even after her eyes looked red and watery, the name on the screen did not change at all.

"My God. What kind of fate is this? How could I end up working with my ex?"

It was truly a life scenario Vanny had never imagined. When she was forced to get a job as soon as possible for the sake of her survival on earth, the job God gave her was to be her ex-boyfriend's second secretary.

Of course, the horrible image quickly flashed in Vanny's mind. Being a secretary meant being close to the boss. Even if she was lucky-or unlucky, in her case-the position of a secretary required Vanny to follow Haris wherever he went. To various gatherings, meetings, or perhaps business trips. Something most secretaries enjoy. But it was guaranteed not to be pleasant for Vanny.

"I have to be close to Haris? My ex-boyfriend? Because of work?"

Even in her worst nightmares, Vanny had never thought about getting back in touch with her ex. And this time? God not only wrote her destiny to meet and reconnect with Haris, but also made her work with him.

What? Work with an ex-boyfriend?

Vanny shook her head in frustration. She was a mess. She was in shock. And she screamed loudly.

"No!"

*