Chapter 19

Chapter 19
Anna had breakfast with Nanny, enjoying a quiet morning together. Fernandez, on the other hand, was already in his study room, sipping his coffee and watching Anna with growing suspicion.
As Anna finished her breakfast, she took a shower and dressed up for work. She wore a fitted white blouse, a flowy black skirt, and her hair was styled in loose waves. She looked stunning, but Nanny's facepalmed as she saw her.
"Oh no, Anna, what are you getting yourself into?" Nanny thought, winking at Anna and signaling for her to go back to her room. But Anna didn't understand the signal.
As Anna came downstairs, Fernandez's voice stopped her. "Anna, what's going on here? Why are you dressed like that? Where are you going?"
Anna's heart skipped a beat, but she quickly composed herself. "I'm just going to the garden to take some pictures of the flowers. I'm bored at home and need something to do."
Fernandez moved closer to her, his eyes narrowing. "Do you think that's believable?" he whispered, caging her against the wall.
Anna stepped on his toe with her heel. "Get away from me! If you don't believe me, that's your problem. I don't remember our relationship requiring you to be so concerned about my whereabouts. I don't meddle in your affairs, so don't meddle in mine."
Fernandez's face reddened with anger, but he controlled himself. "I'm your husband, Anna. I have every right to question you."
Nanny intervened, her voice firm. "Stop this, both of you! Fernandez, go to your office and leave Anna alone."
Fernandez glared at Anna, then turned and left the house, taking his car keys with him.
As the door closed behind him, Nanny sighed. "Anna, be careful. You're playing with fire."
Anna nodded in acknowledgement, thanking Nanny for her concern. "I'll be careful, Nanny. Don't worry about me."
She checked her time and gasped, realizing she was already thirty minutes late. She quickly bade bye to Nanny and flagged down a cab, arriving at Smith & Co. at 9:30 am.
As she entered the office, her colleagues turned to greet her. "Hey, Anna! Good morning! Why are you late?" one of them asked.
Anna smiled apologetically. "Traffic was terrible. I'm so sorry."
But one of the ladies, who had always been jealous of Anna's beauty, sneered. "Traffic? Please. You think you're so special, don't you, Anna? You're late because you took your time dressing up. You're not fooling anyone."
Anna ignored her, used to people hating her for no reason. She smiled politely and made her way to Alex's office, trying to shake off the negativity.
Anna greeted Alex with a warm smile. "Good morning, Alex."
"Good morning, Anna," Alex replied, his eyes scanning her face with concern. "You're late. I was worried about you. I was about to call you."
Anna's smile faltered for a moment before she regained her composure. "I'm so sorry, Alex. It's just traffic. I couldn't help it."
Alex nodded understandingly. "Okay, no problem. Let's get to work then."
Anna nodded and began to read out his schedule for the day. "You have a meeting with the marketing team at 10 am, followed by a conference call with the New York office at 11:30 am. You also have a lunch meeting with a potential client at 1 pm."
Alex listened intently, his eyes never leaving hers. "Okay, got it. Thanks, Anna."
As they worked, Anna couldn't help but feel a sense of comfort in Alex's presence. He was kind and understanding, and she appreciated his concern for her well-being. But she pushed the feeling aside, reminding herself that she couldn't get too close to him. She had to maintain a professional distance.
Alex leaned back in his chair, his eyes locked on Anna's. "Hey, I wanted to talk to you about what I said yesterday. I don't want things to be awkward between us because I confessed my feelings for you."
Anna nodded, her expression softening. "I appreciate that, Alex. I value our working relationship and our friendship."
Alex smiled, his face relaxing. "Good. I'm glad we're on the same page. Let's just forget about it for now and focus on work, okay?"
Anna nodded again, a small smile on her lips. "Okay. Sounds good to me."
They both turned back to their work, the tension in the room dissipating. Anna felt a sense of relief wash over her, grateful that they could move past the awkwardness.
As they worked, Alex occasionally glanced up at Anna, his eyes warm with affection. Anna tried to ignore his stare, focusing on the task at hand.
The employees of Fernandez's company were on edge, trying their best to avoid his wrath. He had been in a foul mood since he arrived at work, and his temper was getting shorter by the minute.
In the conference room, a meeting was underway to discuss proposals for a new project. But every idea presented was met with rejection and insults from Fernandez.
"This is pathetic," he sneered, tossing a proposal aside. "Can't you people think of anything original?"
One of the employees, a young woman, spoke up hesitantly. "I-I think we should consider..."
Fernandez cut her off, his voice dripping with disdain. "Consider? You think I pay you to consider? I pay you to deliver results!"
As the meeting dragged on, Fernandez's anger only grew. He couldn't shake off the memory of Anna's words from earlier that morning, and every time he thought about them, he felt a surge of offense.
"How dare she," he muttered under his breath. "How dare she question my authority."
The employees exchanged nervous glances, sensing their boss's growing ire.
"Let's just move on to the next proposal," one of them suggested, trying to steer the meeting back on track.
But Fernandez was having none of it. "No, let's not. Let's just end this meeting and get back to work. And maybe, just maybe, one of you will come up with something worth my time."
The meeting adjourned, and the employees breathed a collective sigh of relief as they filed out of the conference room. Fernandez remained seated, his anger still simmering just below the surface.