PHB 17
On that afternoon, in the meeting room, Deasy appeared sulky. In the past few days, her mood had been fluctuating. It all started last weekend when she accidentally met Lucas at a restaurant.
At first, she was overjoyed. Ecstatic because, once again, fate had brought her together with the handsome prince, the love of her life.
However, just as she was about to approach Lucas, the atmosphere suddenly turned annoying and unpleasant. While they were engaged in conversation, another woman, equally beautiful and graceful, suddenly approached. She joined in, even unexpectedly getting close to Lucas with familiarity and intimacy.
Unfortunately, in Deasy’s eyes, the two of them looked so harmonious. One handsome, the other beautiful. A perfect match. My goodness, what kind of sight was this?
Initially, Deasy wanted to protest. After all, she was the one who met Lucas first and wanted to get closer to him. Why was there suddenly this unfamiliar woman who just squeezed in? But after finding out who the woman was, she felt like disappearing from the face of the earth. So embarrassed!
“Oh, I almost forgot to introduce her. This is Devina,” Lucas said, deliberately introducing the woman next to him to Deasy.
Keeping up the appearance of being friendly, polite, and perfect, even though her heart felt hot, Deasy extended her hand and gave the sweetest smile while introducing herself to the woman next to Lucas.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Deasy Winterborne.”
The woman in front of Deasy greeted her with a handshake and responded with a graceful smile. However, her next words instantly shocked Deasy to the core.
“Nice to meet you too. I’m Devina, Lucas’ fiancée.”
Hearing the word “fiancée” emphasized in her voice shattered Deasy’s heart into pieces. Earlier, before meeting Lucas, she had been boasting. She was so arrogant when she answered Veronica’s words not to give up and to try to win Lucas’ heart even if he already had a partner. Deasy’s life motto was never to give up until Lucas became hers.
Now, faced with the reality that Lucas indeed had a partner and she was directly confronting her, Deasy’s courage instantly vanished. Replaced by feelings of heat, heartbreak, utter devastation, and other misfortunes.
And on the way home, Veronica kept on provoking. Instead of calming her friend down, she intentionally fueled the fire, making Deasy’s emotions even more mixed with sadness, frustration, and confusion about what action to take.
“See, I told you so. Your handsome prince must already have a partner. I mean, just from the looks of him, he’s so good-looking. And he’s wealthy, a company executive to top it off. You can bet he already has a partner. And now what? My words have proven true, right?”
Deasy took a deep breath. She was unsure of how to respond to Veronica’s remarks, especially since her heart was still burning.
“Enough… maybe you should stop your madness, Des. There’s no benefit in chasing after a guy who clearly has a fiancée. Besides, it’s so weird how you’re chasing after him just because you think he slept with you. But, deep down, you’re still just speculating, right?”
Deasy turned to Veronica, pouting her lips, and finally responded to Veronica’s incessant lecturing.
“Ve… can you please be a little more empathetic towards this love-stricken soul of mine? At first, I chased Lucas to make sure if he was truly the last guy I was with. But as time went on, I realized I actually have genuine feelings for him. You know about love at first sight, right? I think I’m experiencing that.”
“Ugh, melodramatic!”
“I’m serious, no matter what. When I meet him, my heart beats strangely fast and strong.”
“You must have a heart condition or something,” Veronica teased mercilessly.
“Veronica, ugh! I’m serious, and you’re making jokes.”
Veronica rolled her eyes, sighing lazily. A moment later, she shook her head repeatedly while laughing at Deasy’s behavior, which she deemed so naive.
“You can like him all you want. The problem is, he doesn’t like you back, Deasy. Realize it, okay! Your boss already has a fiancée. So, don’t waste your time on something futile.”
“But, Veronica, Lucas is so incredibly handsome. I’ve never met a guy nearly as perfect as him. It would be such a waste not to end up with him. He’s a top-notch catch. And if we have kids, they’ll undoubtedly be good-looking.”
“It’s pointless to be handsome if you can’t be with someone. Whatever, relationship is about two people who like each other. If it’s just one-sided like yours, that’s called DELUSION. You’d better get rid of your feelings. Instead of wasting time chasing after someone uncertain, try finding someone else. Or how about dating the first guy you slept with? What’s his name?”Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.
Deasy immediately turned around. “Who? Are you talking about Lucas Orion?”
“Yeah, that’s the one. You said he was single and unattached, right?”
“Ugh, spare me!” Deasy showed a disgusted expression, as if Lucas Orion was a germ to be avoided at all costs. “I can’t even imagine being in a relationship with someone like him. Until now, I regret being stupid enough to sleep with Lucas Orion. Imagine, he’s my subordinate, Ve. What would the world think? Arghhhh!”
Deasy grumbled in frustration. She was annoyed with herself for the foolish act she had committed with Lucas Orion, who was clearly her subordinate.
“Who regrets something but then does it twice? Is that regret or addiction, Des? Besides, you yourself told me that even though you forgot the guy’s face at that time, you vividly remember how enjoyable it was in bed.”
Deasy glared. She felt embarrassed about her previous rambling. But when she thought about it again, the two times they were intimate, she only remembered the pleasure, pleasure, pleasure, and eventually being carried away.
Besides his face, she couldn’t forget how she was treated that night. His touch, his kisses, his hugs, his caresses. And, ah… goosebumps suddenly rose all over Deasy’s body for no reason.
Wait, what’s wrong with Deasy? Why is she daydreaming and remembering the recent incident of making out with Lucas?
Could it be that she’s addicted to the service Lucas provided her?
Deasy shook her head repeatedly, trying to reject what she was thinking.
“I’m not going to get into a relationship with Lucas Orion. Besides, why didn’t you support me from the beginning?”
“It’s not that I didn’t support you. I just wanted you to wake up from your dream.”
“Scrambled eggs, scrambled eggs. Fine, I’m aware I’m not attractive. So, it’s impossible for me to win Lucas Morales’s heart, who’s almost perfect. That’s what you meant, right? I’m like a mess but hoping to get a guy who’s top-notch.”
Deasy should have followed Veronica’s advice for the sake of her sanity and well-being. But for some reason, she still couldn’t accept it. Even now, after several days have passed, Deasy still feels heartbroken. This even affects her daily life at the office.
Indeed, in the past few days, she appeared gloomy. Lacking enthusiasm. She looked exactly like someone who was sick.
“Are you sure you’re okay, Ms. Deasy? Your face looks really pale.”
Della, who was also present in the meeting room that day, dared to ask. Seeing Deasy’s unusual behavior lately, and now with her pale and weak appearance, she couldn’t help but wonder. She was afraid that something worrisome might have happened to her boss.
“I’m fine,” Deasy replied casually.
Della, feeling unsatisfied with Deasy’s answer, stood up from her seat. She handed a bottle of mineral water to her boss.
“While waiting for Mr. Lucas, just drink some water, Ma’am. But seriously, are you not feeling well? You look so weak.”
Deasy accepted the offered mineral water from Della. In truth, she wasn’t thirsty at all. However, out of respect for her caring staff, she drank half of the water and then responded to Della’s curious expression.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m really fine. It’s probably just premenstrual syndrome. That’s why I’m experiencing mood swings and feeling weak.”
Deasy’s words held some truth. Most women often feel weak, pale, experience stomach cramps, and, above all, unpredictable emotions during PMS. Sometimes stable, sometimes dramatically low and melancholic. Sometimes they explode and are always prone to anger. Yes… perhaps Deasy was indeed going through that phase.
Fortunately, a few minutes later, Lucas arrived and the meeting began promptly. Since the discussion about work didn’t face many obstacles, the internal meeting was completed in just two hours.
“Mr. Lucas, this is the summary of all the deadlines you requested yesterday. Should I bring them now? Or what would you prefer?” Deasy asked as Lucas was about to leave the meeting room.
“That’s about seven to eight projects, right?”
Lucas stood up from his seat. He then asked Deasy to walk with him as they left the conference room.
“If there are a total of eight, could you please send the soft files through email? Tomorrow and the following days, I’ll be heading to Singapore, and it won’t be feasible to carry all the documents. It’s easier to read and evaluate via email.”
Deasy nodded in understanding and agreed to what Lucas requested. She thought it would be easier to submit her work through email.
“Alright, sir. After this, I’ll send all the files to your email.”
After concluding the work-related conversation, they arrived at the elevator together, along with the other staff, each heading back to their respective offices.
However, while waiting, Deasy showed unusual signs. Unexpectedly, she lost her balance and eventually passed out.
“Ms. Deasy!”
Lucas, who was taken aback, quickly caught Deasy’s body. The other staff members rushed over to help.
“It seems Ms. Deasy is indeed not feeling well, sir. Since she entered the meeting room, her face has been really pale,” Della said, describing Deasy’s condition to Lucas. She even helped support her boss’s body. “It’s better to take her to the hospital, just in case. Besides, our company clinic’s doctor is on leave.”
“In that case, please help me take her to my car. I’ll take her to the hospital right away.”
Della and the others then assisted in carrying Deasy’s body to Lucas’ car, which was parked in the lobby. They carefully placed her inside and laid her down gently.
“Should I accompany you, sir?” Della offered. “Or, we can take her to the hospital, me and the others. Perhaps you have urgent work that can’t be left behind.”
“No need. I’ll take her to the hospital myself. You all can continue with your work.”
Lucas swiftly drove Deasy to the hospital. Once they arrived, he immediately asked the medical staff to take care of her as she remained unconscious.
Lucas waited for almost thirty minutes. At first, he planned to leave Deasy since he had a prior business appointment. But before he could go, the doctor attending to Deasy came over and explained the reason behind her unconsciousness.
“Are you the husband of the patient named Deasy Winterborne?”
“Y-yes,” Lucas hesitated. He decided to answer the doctor’s question.
“So, the patient is in a state of anemia. Her hemoglobin levels are also low. This is what caused her to lose consciousness and faint.”
“But is it dangerous, doctor?”
The doctor shook his head. “As long as it’s properly handled, it won’t be dangerous. Besides, it’s a common occurrence in pregnant women. That’s why it needs to be given extra attention.”
Lucas was taken aback. One of the doctor’s recent remarks caught his attention immensely.
“W-what, doctor? Pregnant?”
“Yes. The patient is currently pregnant.”