Chapter Five

Emily gets into the car with the help of the man who’s been patiently waiting for her outside. The car hits the road, and it takes Emily about two hours to finally reach the destination. 

When the car arrives in the dock of Mulle Loney, Emily is mesmerized by the scene. The night has started, and apart from the stars in the sky, the whole place has also been illuminated by the lights coming from the ships. She hasn’t gone out of the car yet, but she can already see just through the tinted windows all the luxurious restaurants along the shore, and the busy people that don’t look ordinary natives. 

“I didn’t know there are so many restaurants in this place,” Emily says out of amusement. 

“They are all five-star restaurants. Some are even so famous that even celebrities and members of political families visit to dine here,” the chauffeur answers just as he gets off the front seat to open the door for Emily. 

“In which of them is the boss waiting?” she asks again, her veins slowly getting cold because of the highly anticipated encounter with her employer. 

The chauffeur replies, “Oh, the boss, you ask? He’s not in any of those restaurants.” His eyes blink thrice before he proceeds saying, “Those are high-quality restaurants, yes, but those are just too crowded for him. He hates being surrounded by people.” 

“Where will I meet him, then?” 

The chauffeur laughs softly. “Isn’t it obvious? You are meeting him there!” he exclaims with excitement, pointing with his finger the yacht resting on the dock, surrounded by red and green bulbs and other ornaments. 

Anna covers her mouth in disbelief. “I did not expect it to be in an actual yacht.” 

“That’s one thing about the boss. He always goes with the modest and most expensive things,” the chauffeur says proudly. 

After their mini conversation, the chauffeur assists Emily in crossing the dock going to the yacht. “Unfortunately, this is the farthest I can assist you. I am not allowed to enter the private yacht because it’s only exclusive for the owner and their guests.” 

“Really?” Anna sighs, still anew of the feeling. “Then I’ll take it from here. Thanks for the assistance.” 

When the chauffeur leaves, Anna begins to enter the yacht, not knowing what exactly to expect. Inside, petals of roses line on the aisle, all the way from the entrance into a dinner table set inside. On the table, candles are lit, and a bouquet of flowers is set along with a bouquet of flowers made up of pink and white tulips. There is also instrumental music playing in the background.  However, there’s no one sitting at the table, so Anna takes the initiative to explore around the yacht. Anna first searches the cabin, as it is the closest one to her, and as well as the only room inside the yacht. 

But no one is there; all there ever were are barrels of beer and a winery filled with bottles of wines that are so many Anna has even lost count of them. 

“There’s no one here. Am I being pranked?” Anna asks herself, slowly losing hope. 

The instrumental music in the dining area fades out, and a sounding violin overlays. The melodic transition seem to come from the outside of the yacht and it brings Anna the idea of checking the exterior of the yacht. 

She follows where the sound is coming from and it leads her to the cockpit of the yacht outside, where a man is overlooking the sea and a violinist is playing beside him. He turns around as soon as he hears footsteps drawing in. 

“You’re here,” he says under his breath;  a hint of surprise is audible in his voice. 

Anna stares at him keenly, and diverts her gaze to the open-collar white polo shirt he is wearing. She then furrows her eyebrows as soon as she recognizes the face. “You’re the boss?!” she exclaims with a slight punch in her breath. 

“Oh, no. No, I’m not the boss.” Noah Scott walks away from the bars and faces Anna’s direction, prompting to move closer to her. “Although he sent me here on his behalf.” 

“Wa— wait. I don’t understand what’s going on here. Are you telling me that he is not available today, and so instead he sent you to me? Am I getting it right?!” Anna steps back, leaning to the entrance door of the cockpit. 

“Yeah, exactly. So unfortunate, don’t you think?” 

Anna nods her head. “Why? Where is he?” 

“There’s been an emergency company issue he needs to fix. It’s an urgent thing, nothing less than seeing you only to tell you the result of your application.” Noah Scott sighs heavily, and signals the violinist to pause his instrument. “Anyway, speaking of the result…. Follow me.” 

He walks past Emily and heads back inside the yacht. He makes his way to the dining area and sits down on the right side of the table. Meanwhile, the violinist follows, places his instrument on the cabin deck, and assists Anna to her seat opposite to Noah’s. 

On the table, between the candle and the napkin holder lies a red envelope; an exact same envelope that Anna had received earlier in the afternoon but only bigger.  

Noah Scott waits for Anna to be settled before he proceeds saying, “In front of you is the message coming from the CEO of the company that you applied for.” Noah Scott tries to hide a smile, but it's just so genuine to be hidden. “Open it, and read what it says.” 

Silent and nervous, Anna Scott picks up the envelope from the table, rips it open, and untucks the letter.  She unfolds the gold and black-colored paper and reads everything in it. Her fingers are unsteady; its rapid shaking is so immense that it can be seen even from where the violinist is standing. 

It only takes more than just a minute to finish reading the letter, but Anna takes more time because she reads the letter twice. She could not comprehend. Or she could, she just could not believe what had been written in it. 

Anna looks up to the man waiting in front of her.“God, no. Does this mean—” 

Noah Scott smiles, this time wider, and nods his head in approval. “Congratulations, Anna Jones. You are now officially hired as the newest personal assistant of THE SCENT REPUBLIC’s CEO, Henry Scott.” Noah’s hand promptly raises, as if trying to go for a handshake, but Anna is frozen in her seat and still couldn't take a grasp of what is happening, so he decides maybe it's not the time yet for the handshake. “All the details regarding your new job and the contract will be mailed in your given address no later than tomorrow afternoon. You're going to start working next Monday, immediately.” 

Anna's silence continues, and the absence of her words brings Noah into an awkward situation. 

“Anna? Are you okay? 

“Yes. I— I'm okay.”

“You don't seem happy. Are you not accepting the job offer?” 

Anna Jones comes back to her senses. “No, it's not like that.” She inhales deeply, eyes closed for a moment, and then exhales. “I just— I still can't believe it. Everything's happening so fast.” 

Noah Scott smirks. “Take your time. I know it's big news.”  

“It is.”

“While trying to digest everything, let's have a toast for your new job.” Noah grabs a multi-thousand dollar worth of wine rested in an ice bucket on the serving trolley beside him.  He uncorks the bottle and fills in the two glasses on the table. 

After which, he lifts his wine glass and offers a toast to Anna. “To your new job and new profound beginnings…” 

Anna lifts hers. “Cheers.”  

After both of them drink their wines, a brush of silence excuses itself, causing the two of them to temporarily be muted. 

Not until two minutes later, Noah mentions, “The boss has actually prepared dinner for you. The chef and the servers are on queue in the kitchen area. Are you hungry yet?” 

Anna avoids looking in the eyes of Noah. She puts her glass down on the table and says, “I appreciate everything. However, I need to get back home now and tell Emily about this great news. I can't stay any longer.” 

Noah’s shoulders drop down, as if it's a sad thing to know for him. “Are you sure?” he even asks again, hoping that the woman in front of her would change her mind. 

“Yeah, I'm sure.” Anna packs up her things and starts to get off her seat. 

She walks away from the table and goes to the direction of the exit when Noah’s cold voice suddenly halts her. “Allow me to drive you home. We're only neighbors anyway.” He clears his throat. “Plus, consider it as my act of reconciliation.” 

Anna turns around, her hair flips in the air like a dancing ghost. “Reconciliation? I haven't even forgiven you yet.” 

And those are the last words that reverberate in the closed area of the yacht. After that, Anna leaves the yacht, while Noah is left standing in the corner.