Bitter & Sweet
The Part 74

"Gosh! Geez!" Chloe was really surprised, until she stroked her own chest, when Matthew or perhaps Matteo, who had come out of nowhere, suddenly stood in front of Chloe.

Chloe wasn't sure if it was Matthew or Matteo, because the clothes the man was wearing, were different from what Matthew was wearing this afternoon

But for a moment, Chloe looked at him with a resentful feeling, then tried to avoid the man's obstacles.

However, Matthew or Matteo was actually moving left to right, so that Chloe could not pass through, saying, saying,

"Chelle! ... Are you not satisfied having fun yourself? ... Who brought you in? ... I don't think it's David."

After hearing the words spoken by the man, Chloe now became convinced, that the one in front of her was Matthew.

"Friends.." said Chloe soberly, unwilling to move in vain again, only to avoid Matthew. "Can you step aside? I have to change clothes, and want to get some rest."

"You seem to be quite popular with upper-class men" said Matthew, who sounded cynical. "You said you didn't dream of being Cinderella."

"I didn't plan it" said Chloe, flat. "Originally you know. I've been friends with him, since his first semester at university."

"Hm ... So, have you been hanging out with people from the upper class?"

According to Chloe, Matthew's question was as if he just wanted to tease Chloe, and was about to provoke a debate between the two of them.

Although feeling very upset, Chloe did not want to be eaten by Matthew's bait, and instead shifted the conversation, saying, saying,

"Why are you blocking me? ... Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Stop being stubborn!" matthew said, with a high voice.

Chloe let out a heavy sigh. "Actually, what do you want?"

"I want you! ... Do I have to repeat my words?" matthew said, furrowing his brows deeply.

"Yes, I've heard it" said Chloe, still trying to stay calm. "But for what?"

While maintaining his expression, Matthew fell silent.

"You've got a new assistant. And it feels like it won't take long, Miss Dawn must be ready to replace me to serve you....

... Plus, you also seem to have no difficulty interacting with others. Then for what, so you still want me?" continued Chloe, flat.

Instead of answering Chloe's question, Matthew asked. "Is that all you can think of?"

Chloe grunted rudely.

"You want to know all about me. What if I do the same?" chloe said, raising both eyebrows.

"Where have you been? Who are you with? What is your relationship with that person? What did you do with him? What are you thinking?"

Chloe blurted out her question in a flat voice, while observing Matthew, before she continued to say,

"What if I asked all those things? What you can, ... Uh! Would you like to tell me everything?"

Although Chloe waited for Matthew's response until a while later, the man was silent.

"If nothing else matters, I'll excuse you, sir!" chloe said, then walked past one side of Matthew, who was just standing there.

That night, Chloe no longer accompanied Matthew.

Chloe chose to sleep in the pavilion, which she thought, if adjusted to her work, then that was how it should be.

***

I don't know how many times Chloe's phone is placed on the nightstand, vibrating indicates that there is an incoming call there.

However, Chloe still felt reluctant to move from her bed.

Chloe, who was face down, buried her face in the pillow, and covered her ears with her hands.

It's not a habit for Chloe to laze around.

To this day, because of her bad mood, so even though she had woken up earlier, Chloe did not want to be bothered by anyone.

Tired of hearing the vibrations coming from her phone, Chloe finally got down from her bed, then turned off the phone power, without seeing who would contact her again.

Just washing her face and brushing her teeth, Chloe then enjoys an instant cup of coffee, while looking at the screen display of a tablet computer.

While paying attention to her work schedule and taking notes, Chloe puts together an initial assignment, which she can hand over to Amber.

Chloe, who was immersed in her work, was startled by a knock at the door.

In hopes that it wasn't Matthew who came to her, Chloe stood up from the sofa, and hurriedly opened the front door of the pavilion.

In line with Chloe's expectations.

It was not Matthew who stood behind the door, it was David.

"Hi, Chloe!" greet David, who was seen putting on an anxious look on his face. "Are you okay?"

"Hi, Sir!" Chloe said hello. "I'm doing fine. What's up?"

"I've been calling you over and over again. But you didn't take my call. Your phone was off when I tried to call you back. I thought something happened to you."

After saying the reason to worry about Chloe, David then hurriedly said, saying,

"Can I come in?"

"Hmmm...." Chloe's not actually meeting anyone, but....

Chloe then shifted slightly, giving David a chance to walk into the pavilion. "Please enter, Sir ... But it's a mess in here, 'cause I'm at work."

"It's okay ... Thank you!" david said, then took a seat on the sofa.

Chloe tidied up the papers she took notes on, and some files on the table, then shifted them to the edges.

"You want to drink something?" chloe asked, preparing to walk into the kitchen.

David looks at Chloe's coffee mug that's still on the table. "Coffee."

"Now! ... Wait a minute, sir!" Chloe then goes to make an instant cup of coffee for David.

"This, Sir!" After putting the coffee cup on the table, Chloe sat down on the sofa.

"I was going to Matthew's parents' house" David chirped, opening the conversation. "Matthew and Matteo were there, but I didn't see you."

"It's a party for the family. I'm not obligated to attend" said Chloe, then sip a little coffee.

"Are you really busy?" david asked, alternately looking at Chloe, and the objects on the edge of the table. "I want to take you on a trip."

Chloe did not answer immediately, and instead looked at her unfinished work.

"I guarantee you'll love the place we're going to" David said, apparently trying to convince Chloe to come with him.

Actually Chloe's job is not much, she does it just to spend time.

"Come on! ... I've been preparing for it for a long time." With a clear voice and face, David repeated his invitation.

David smiled widely, nodding his head in a quick motion. "No problem ... I'll wait for you."

***

After they stop for lunch at a restaurant, David takes Chloe to a hilly area far from the urban area, where Chloe has never been to the area before.

It's worth it if David asks Chloe to wear a jacket, because there it turns out the air temperature is still quite cold, even though it is summer.

"Let's go in!" David invites Chloe to enter a villa that stands majestically almost at the top of a hill.

"I bought this place 5 years ago" said David, revealing the contents of the villa. "What do you think? The renovation process is still 80 percent."

"Good!" chloe said, smiling broadly. "I like it."

"Initially, I wanted to make this place a family vacation home. But I changed my mind....

... I'm going to make this place a resort, and concentrate on managing it until it works" continued David, who looked straight ahead.

Perhaps he had been content to show Chloe, most of the contents of the villa, all the way to the additional building at the side to the back of the villa, David then takes Chloe for a walk in the outer courtyard around the villa.

Chloe who felt cold enough, then rubbed her palms together, to reduce the stabbing feeling that made her fingers feel stiff.

Without commenting, David took off his long jacket, then dressed it to Chloe.

"You don't feel cold?" chloe asked, looking at David who only wears a sweater, as a coating for his shirt.

"Cold ... But I can still hold it." David turned to Chloe, and looked at her, and then said,

"Chelle! ... Besides inviting you to look around here, I actually want to apologize to you as well...."

"For what? ... You didn't do anything wrong" said Chloe, puzzled.

"I've thought of everything. And I think I've been too selfish all this time, and just made things harder for you. I'm forcing my will so you don't move out of town....

... I'm sorry, Chloe ... I will not interfere with your decision. Especially until it blocks you. I will be supportive, whatever and wherever you choose to work later" David said.

"I'm sure, if you make a decision, then it must be the best one for you" David continued, looking fixedly at Chloe, then smiling.

"Thank you, sir!" chloe said, smiling. "But you don't have to apologize. I understand, if you must have your own reasons. Because I am too...."

From the look on his face, David looked curious after hearing Chloe's words, but he did not immediately comment on them.

David invites Chloe to sit next to him, on a bench overlooking the hillside.

"In addition to Matthew's attitude making things difficult for you, do you still have another reason?" david asked, folding both hands in front of his chest.

"I want to go to JT Corp, not because of Mister Matthew's rude attitude. I just want to try a new experience, by working in an open company....

... Which in my opinion, most likely there will be no conflict between family members. In addition, I am also interested in studying businesses engaged in retail" Chloe continued.

"Hm ... Retail business? ... Not because of Matthew?" david asked, looking astonished as he raised both eyebrows.

Chloe nodded. "Yes." Yeah."

"I can't work until I'm old. So, I want that someday, I can open my own business, even if only small," continued Chloe.

David smiled broadly. "Is it still normal for me to fall in love with you repeatedly?"

Chloe chuckled, shaking her head. "There are you here...."

"Hmmm...." David muttered, then suddenly seemed to flinch. "I just remembered! ... Gunther Corp! ... Have you heard of it?"

Before Chloe responded to her words, David had hurriedly continued saying,

"Gunther group just acquired Sunny Corp. Today, Sunny Corp is renamed Gunther Corp....

... I was offered to invest there, a few months ago. But I'm still considering it, because Sunny Corp's track record is pretty bad."

"I know the company, Sir ... In fact, I know quite well the chief commissioner at the company" Chloe said.

"Ugh? ... So you know him?" david asked, looking confused. "If it's not wrong, it's Harold. The sole heir of the Gunther group."

"Yes ... Harold was my classmate on campus" said Chloe. "I just met him last night, at a reunion."

David then looked mangosteen as if he understood. "What do you think? Is Harold a competent person?"

"I dare not make judgments. But what I do know, when I was in college, Harold was a persistent guy. He even graduated with the title Summa cumlaude—"

Chloe just stopped her words, because at that time, the phone that she had once switched on again, suddenly shook.

"... Live long!" chloe said, after looking at the phone screen that displays Harold's contacts who contacted him there.

Without any hesitation or objection, David invites Chloe to talk to Harold on his cell phone.

Harold, who invited Chloe to meet him, couldn't be promised anything by Chloe.

Chloe just tells Harold that Chloe will call her, if Chloe has time to spare.

"He wants to see you?" david asked, while Chloe put her phone in her jacket pocket.

"Yes ... He mentioned about the President at Gunther Corp ... I think he wants to talk about work" Chloe replied, to be honest.

"It looks like he's pretty close to you." - David, smiling.

"Hm ... Me and a few other colleagues, were indeed close friends with Harold. We only broke up contact with him after graduation. Because all of a sudden, Harold changed his phone number."

Actually, Chloe knew Harold's reason for having to change his contact number. But Chloe was uncomfortable, if she had to talk about Harold's personal affairs to David.

Although now it is only in the afternoon, and the sun is still visible, but the air temperature in the area has dropped dramatically.

In fact, the upholstered jacket that Chloe wears, is no longer able to withstand the cold.

David, who was looking at the hillside, seemed to start shivering, although he did not complain about the cold to Chloe.

Smiling, Chloe shook her head. "Do you still want to sit here?"

"Let's go!" david said, standing up hurriedly, and taking Chloe to walk with him.

When they head to the villa, David's cell phone suddenly goes off, attracting Chloe's attention.

David seemed reluctant to receive the incoming call on his phone, but his phone did not stop ringing, as if there was an urgent one across there.

"I'm sorry ... I'll take this call first!" david said, then walked away, after Chloe nodded in agreement.

For a while, David came back to Chloe, and said,

"Aren't you going to come with me to Matthew's parents' house?"

"Hmmm...." Chloe muttered hesitantly.

However, David seemed to want to convince Chloe to go with him, saying,

"We don't have to linger at the party. If you're bored, then I'll drive you home soon. The president of JT Corp will also be present there."