It had been over two months since Evan had become the GM of this hotel. There had been no significant change from every effort Grace put into breaking his cold demeanor. What happened was that her workload increased. System overhaul and staff changes were also carried out. Inevitably, Grace was forced to work and became too tired to keep up with it. Despite his desire to advance the hotel, Evan had another goal: to keep Grace away from him. For the last few years, his efforts had been quite successful. He was quite happy. Nevertheless, seeing Grace frequently go home with a man who seemed to be close to her, somehow caused a strange feeling in Evan's heart. Because the Grace he knew didn't get along that close with any men. Before he had gone to England, he had been the only man who could be so close to her. Standing from a distance, Evan saw Grace walking limply out of the building. As usual, she was waiting to be picked up, either by an online taxi or by Anthony. Similarly, Evan
“Stop the car.” Grace's emotions rose when Evan didn't give an answer. “I said stop!”Evan ignored what she said. He kept the car running.“You said we can't be friends anymore like we used to, so please stop the car. I'm getting off," Grace insisted. Nevertheless, her stomach felt very churning so she chose to speak in a low voice. “Please, Evan.”Evan stopped the car, but he centrally locked all the car doors so they couldn't be opened.After Grace unbuckled her seatbelt, she tried to open the door but couldn't. "Unlock it," she ordered."Grace. Listen. We really can't be like we used to be. But that doesn't mean I can let a girl walk alone at night," Evan told her, feeling annoyed. “What kind of man do you think I am?”Grace turned her body so that she was fully facing Evan. "A man who broke his promise, who broke up a friendship for no reason," she answered sarcastically.Evan was silent. He would never tell the real reason."Okay. I guess you won't tell me why. Then I won't stop b
Every day, there were many things Grace did in order to carry out her 'Operation Disturbing Evan'. Starting from small things like taking over the office clerk's job to bring drinks for Evan, to taking care of everything in the HR department that required contact with the GM.Many rumors began to emerge regarding Grace's actions. Among them was licking the GM’s boots to get a promotion. While the subject of the conversation, Evan, ignored her, her closest colleague, Nita, had been nagging her for the past hour."Don't worry, Nita. Everything will be fine. When I feel cornered and have to do something about it, then I will tell them that Evan is my best friend." Grace replied casually.Nita put on a straight face while letting out a sigh. "You're really stubborn, aren't you?" she said, pinching Grace's arm a little.Since the pinch left no pain, Grace just chuckled. "Nita, there are more important things for me to do than just think about what people say about my actions," she said calm
"Grace, you still look unwell." Indah looked worried to see her daughter was still weak.During the weekend, Grace spent most of her time in her room. Or, she would sit on the terrace of her house doing nothing. She tried to recover from the bad memories that plagued her mind. She needed to focus on her work, especially in the last three months before the year ended."I'm fine, Mom. See, I can smile this wide, can't I?" Grace bared a row of her neat teeth.Indah shook her head in surprise at Grace's persistence. She knew very well that her daughter never wanted to worry her. But surprisingly, she did prove it. The sadness she was experiencing passed quickly and the wide smile would return, just like this time."Okay. But you better go home with Anthony. Every afternoon he passes by your workplace,” said Indah.Grace sighed and said, “Mom…don't make Anthony do it. Since you asked him for help, he must feel bad to say no. He could be home earlier, but unfortunately has to wait for me abo
“Grace really doesn't know her place. Not to mention, how rude she was for calling Mr. Williams by his first name." "Right. Does she think Mr. Williams would fall for her? Having just been given a chance to speak up, she acts as if she can do as she pleases.” “What a lowly woman. She is completely out of Mr. Williams' league who is an Oxford graduate." The mean words grew fiercer in the next few days. They were not only spoken behind Grace’s back anymore but also right in front of her. She was getting sick of being bullied and almost exploded, distracting her focus. Fortunately, she could still restrain herself from proclaiming the truth that she was Evan's best friend. Luckily, Mario was a wise manager. Since the beginning, he had created a good atmosphere in the HR department. When there were bad rumors about Grace, her office was a safe place for her. The staff also didn’t carelessly judge and indulge in meaningless rumors. “Grace, can you come with me to my office?” Mario appr
“Grace, Anthony’s here.” Indah touched Grace who was lazily leaning on the couch. Even though it wasn’t a holiday or weekend, Grace finally made up her mind to take sick leave. Luckily, Mario granted her wish and considered that she could use the break. All night long Grace had shed so many tears inside her bedroom. Right when she woke up, later than usual around eight in the morning, she had a little breakfast and rested on the couch. The TV was turned on, but she didn’t even look at it. Grace turned to her mom. “Just tell him to come in, Mom. I don’t feel like moving a finger. It might be because I’m having my period,” she reasoned. In fact, she had finished her period three weeks ago. Indah believed that something wrong had happened. However, her daughter didn’t tell her anything but the reason behind her sick leave. She was sure Anthony knew something about it. Returning to the living room where Anthony was sitting, Indah didn’t ask him to come to meet Grace right away. She as
Returning to the office meant entering a battlefield. Grace armed herself with several ‘weapons’. Firstly, to tackle the harsh words spoken by some fellow employees. Secondly, to avoid getting involved with Evan. Grace made a request to Mario to let Nita replace her as the assistant manager for some period of time. It was initially burdensome for both Mario and Nita. Mario preferred to have Grace for having more experience and skills. Meanwhile, Nita felt more capable of working with a computer than standing in public. However, she pulled her best effort by giving some reasonable alibis until her request was finally granted. For approximately a month Grace successfully avoided Evan. Every time being asked to do something related to the GM, there was an excuse she could come up with to escape. She even left her place only when she had to go to the restroom or pantry, once a day. Not to mention how she made sure that she would finish work and leave the office on time. This proved that
The advice from the strange woman made Grace deep in thought. Logically, Evan and she were just best friends, nothing more. However, the hidden feelings and hopes for Evan's return in her heart made her doubt. She knew there was something more to it than just being friends. Nonetheless, Grace thought it might only be a one-sided thing. Otherwise, Evan would have acted differently toward her. As a matter of fact, he had the heart to stay aloof from her. Grace’s mind had been all about Evan all this time. She even felt more restless after he’d come back compared to when he was absent. She thought that it was time to open her heart for another chance. ‘Then find something else to focus on, in order to forget him. Could be another man, or a new hobby.’ The stranger’s voice rang in her ears again. “Another man? The closest and possible one is definitely Anthony. But … I’m not ready.” Grace was talking to herself while sitting at her desk inside her bedroom. Before her, laid a personal j