CHAPTER 7 - FLIRTING WITH THE CEO

I attempted to contact Liam, but his phone was also unreachable.I continued reading the comments section after massaging my temple. My name was mentioned a lot, and I was praised for being courageous enough to write something against Lance Salcedo.
I should be happy, but no, I wasn't, and I felt bad about it!
I felt bad for Lance, and I sighed when something seemed to bother me continuously. To calm my nerves, I went out to get a cup of coffee, but having a visitor so early in the morning was unexpected.
“Good morning, Ma,” I smiled at the middle-aged woman as I greeted my mother, who was busy preparing a cup for her visitor, too.
“You must be Alexa, right?” The visitor asked, and I could only smile at her.
With my mother around us, I couldn’t be rude to the other woman. “Yeah, that’s right,” I replied.
“You must be shocked to find me here early in the morning,” she said.
“Not really,” I lied.
“I'm from Salcedo’s Public Relations Department, and I'd like to have a private discussion about something important.” She expressed her thoughts.
I arched my brows at the woman when she mentioned the company where she was working, and then I smiled at my mom. She heard us talking and fairly understood that the conversation would be private and confidential.
I was astounded by how quickly his company mobilized its resources to contain the damage, and it was a little frightening! “How did you find out that I live here?” I was terrified to find out that anyone knew my personal address. What if they would retaliate and hurt my mother in the process?
She replied, "I got it from the Chairman."
It was terrifying even more if Lance himself had leaked the information! “Would you please excuse us for a moment, Ma? This won't take long,” I assured my mother, who nodded in agreement.
I confidently faced the scary woman as soon as my mother left us alone to discuss over coffee. “Should I be apprehensive about your arrival?” I didn't sugarcoat the words that came out of my mouth, and she was taken aback by my candor.
“I didn't mean any harm to you, Miss Manrique. The chairman asked if I could persuade you to remove the article because, as you are aware, it has caused significant damage to the company, and thousands of people have lost money.” She explained why, and I understood because I was also interested in stock investing.
“Did it fall by a significant amount?” I asked about their stock prices.
She replied, “It's significant enough to worry the shareholders,” without giving me the full details.
“I'm just a journalist, Ma'am, and I'm sure you won't hold it against me if the company’s stock prices drop after the article made the news,” I emphasized that I had to carry out my responsibilities regardless of the consequences. I couldn't be swayed by the fact that several people would be affected. The consequences were just normal, weren’t they?
“I see your point, but the problem is that you wrote it intending to cause harm to our company, and we are not going to take it at face value!” She made an announcement. “If you remove the article, we will not pursue legal action against you.” She went on to say
“Seriously, but on what grounds? We have photos proving that Lance was different,” I tried to reason with the woman, but she just laughed, which irritated me to no end!
“Are you sure that it's the chairman?” She inquired and arched her perfect brows. “Have you checked to see if the photos have been manipulated or altered in any way? What about the origin of the information? Is it a trustworthy source?”
I was almost convinced that Layla had duped me for some unknown reason as I listened to her rapid questioning, but I kept my doubts to myself and kept them hidden from the other woman. She was so convinced of something that it made me feel bad about me, and I didn't particularly appreciate talking to her any longer. “Instruct your chairman to contact me, and I will only speak with him and no one else. Understand?” In front of the experienced woman, whose intent gazes made me uneasy, I tried to keep my cool.
“All right, I'll inform him.” Before our meeting came to an end, she made a promise.
My phone rang five minutes after the woman had left, and it was an unregistered number. Could it be Lance Salcedo? Impossible! He couldn’t be so fast, could he? “Hello?” I picked up the phone and answered it.
“It's me,” he said on the other line.
I stood still as I listened to his husky voice, and I was transported back to five years ago when he would call me late at night regularly. I couldn't bring myself to say his name, so I stammered, “H-hi. A-are you okay?” ” I regretted asking him as soon as the question was asked.
“How about you? What are your thoughts on this?” He inquired, and I could tell he was tired and beaten by his tone.
The negative publicity had to have taken its toll on him, and I suddenly felt compelled to console him. “I'm sorry,” I said, even though I didn't have to.
“Alexa, do it face to face. Let's meet tonight at 7:00 pm,” he stated. “Are you going to work today?” He asked.
I could barely keep myself calm and cleared my throat before I replied, "No, today is my day off."
He ended the call by saying, "Good, then I'll see you tonight."
I remained motionless on my spot, staring at my phone, even though he had disconnected the call a few minutes ago. Then I looked up and pouted my lips, realizing that I hadn't been allowed to decline his invitation. The man hung up on me, leaving me to ponder whether or not I should be available in the evening.
“Do you think you're in serious trouble?”
My mother's voice brought me back to the present, and I gave her a friendly smile. “Why do you think that, exactly?” The last thing I wanted was for my mother to be concerned about my well-being. She had already gone through a lot in her life, and I didn't want to add to her suffering.
“You appear to be concerned,” she observed.
“I have a date tonight, and I'm not sure what to wear,” I explained, and she smiled. Her nagging about my dating status had been going on for a while, and I could tell from her expression that she liked the idea of her daughter going out on a date.
“A date? With whom are you going to be spending your time? I'm guessing it's not your boss, Alexa,” she said.
My mother has always been outspoken about her dislike for Dimitri. “Ma, Dimitri is a nice guy, and I don't understand why you can't be nice to him.” I'd previously told her that Dimitri and I were just good friends and that dating was out of the question because it'd never happen.
“Alexa, I'm not sure about that guy. Just be cautious around him, okay? So, who invited you out on a date tonight? ” She inquired eagerly, and I didn't want to disappoint her. I wanted to tell her the truth, but she would be hurt and disappointed for sure.
I lied and said, "Someone I met on the field," and she nodded.
“You should bring him here for your second date,” she suggested, almost making me spit out my coffee.
“Mama!” I exclaimed.
“What's the matter with it? Of course, I'm interested in meeting him as well!” She went on to explain.
Before I refilled my coffee cup, I told her, "All right, but let me survive our first date tonight." I needed more to be fully awake because I needed to discuss the article with Dimitri. I was afraid Layla was attempting to dupe me into writing something false and untrue about Lance Salcedo.
“Did I mention that I'm heading to the province right now?” When she was on her way to the kitchen to prepare our breakfast, she announced, "I need to visit your father's grave."
I had forgotten about it, so I bit my lower lip. “Excuse me, Ma, but may I accompany you the next time?” I apologize to my mother for having to travel by herself.
“If you're truly sorry, you can take me to the bus station later,” she said, and of course, I agreed to drive her to the bus station.
After breakfast, I attempted to call my Boss but was unable to do so; instead, I sent him a text message. I waited for a response but did not receive one. I tried once more, but the result was the same.
“Are we getting ready to leave right now?” ” I asked my mother when I saw her emerge from her bedroom with a backpack, and her outfit amused me because it was so stylish. “You're a sultry mama!” I joked, and she threw one of her slippers at me, but I avoided it.
“I don't think I'll be able to get home tonight, so please, dear, behave yourself and don't do anything stupid on your first date!” ” She cautioned me, and I reassured her that everything would be fine.
“You've told me countless times that I should get you a grandchild, so perhaps tonight will be my chance to do so.” Of course, I was joking, but she took it seriously and scowled at me the entire way to the parking lot.
When we were on our way to the bus terminal, the traffic was manageable, and as soon as we arrived, I dropped my mother off at the entrance and waved at her before making a U-turn.
However, an hour ago, the traffic situation was completely different, and I was on the verge of losing my cool because it was so congested. I'm not sure what happened, but I was stuck in Mango Avenue for more than an hour, and when I got home, I slumped into the sofa to sleep.
I fell asleep on the sofa, and when I woke up, it was almost four o'clock in the afternoon. My body felt relaxed, but I was a little nervous when I heard the clock ticking. I walked like a zombie to the kitchen to make something to eat, but I was too tired to cook, so I settled for a cup of noodles.
My meal was ready in less than five minutes, and before I started eating, I checked my phone to see if I had received any messages from Layla or Dimitri. There wasn't any, unfortunately!
I had just gotten out of the shower when my phone rang, and I rushed up to answer it without checking the caller ID. “Dimitri!” I assumed it was Dimitri because I had been waiting all day for his call.
“It's me,” he explained.
I checked the screen as soon as I heard his voice, and it was definitely not Dimitri's name! “Yes, how may I help you, sir?” I jested.
Before disconnecting the call, he said, "Open the door."