The half–light at dawn seeped into her room, and the dawn chorus of melodic morning breeze drifted in. Waking up that morning felt like a duty. Well, that’s the feeling Sapphire gets every day except for weekends when she would have to rest. The morning was bright and fair as usual.

About twenty minutes after waking, Sapphire was ready to go to school. She brushed her shoulder-length, red-brown hair, sticking at the back of her ears with tiny, black pins. On her was a beautiful, fashion blouse made of silk and a white pencil skirt that brought out her slim curves. She looked at her reflection in the standing mirror.

“Well, I’m good at going.” She said to herself with a cute smile.

In an instant, her eyes caught the list she hung by the side of the mirror. On it were; a purse, phone, keys, and wallet. Sapphire glued this to her mirror just in case, so she won’t forget anything behind. After reading, Sapphire grabbed her purse and took her keys and phone. Remembering she was already getting late, she glared at her wristwatch.

“Oh, no! I’m late.” Just then, she remembered.

Sapphire knew the public bus would arrive at the bus stop soon, so she rushed out. Her guts told her that she had left something behind, but she couldn’t figure it out. Before leaving, her eyes searched the room like an idiot.

“Come on! You forgot nothing!” Another voice muttered in her head as she rushed to the door side and put on her pink high heels before locking the door. Running like a rat that wants to escape death, something pushed her again.

“My phone!” Sapphire cried and turned back.

These were frustrating, seriously. She’s not married, but her life is this messed up. Sapphire quickly unlocked the door and grabbed her phone.

“OMG! It’s already 8:00 a.m.!” She hung her bag across the chest, running as fast as her legs could carry. Some passersby gave her awkward glances as she ran. The ‘know-kwos’ sound of her 3-foot heels was audible enough to wake up a dead person, but who cares? Finally, she got to the bus stop but... The bus was already leaving.

“Wait! Please wait!” Sapphire called after the moving bus. Yet, the driver sped up. He probably didn’t hear her.

“Oh, God! What am I going to do now?” She wandered on the street, staring at the little money in her wallet.

At BB Hotel...

An annoying look was on his daring face.
“What’s wrong with you all? This is a crucial time!” Jade fired.

Miss Barbara, Mr. George, and Mr. Tim stared at him with blank faces, not knowing what to say or how to reply.

‘Working with this set of people was more than frustrating for me. They just pile up reasons for me to complain about.’ he pondered.

“This is the perfect time for us to get falsely accused of insider trading! Ugh!” Jade threw a file on the table and abruptly jerked off his chair.

“Umm... Sir. How about this time we do it according to the chairman’s rules, via red call?” Mr. Tim suggested.

“The Chairman?” He turned to him with red eyes.

“Y…yes.” Mr. Tim wore a blank smile, exposing the upper part of his teeth.

“It’s as if you think with your teeth! If not, you’ll be aware of who the fucking owner is here, Mr. Tim!” He fired.

The poor manager replied to him with a scared look as he gently nibbled on his lips, which made Jade’s anger boil the more.

“I’m the owner of this fucking hotel! Who the fuck is the Chairman? Do you not even know what your position is here? It’s been ages since the hotel split up! Do you still think that you’re the chief secretary at Blue Birds Company?!”

Speechless, Mr. Tim buried his head on the table, looking so confused.

Ring! Ring!

Ring! Ring!

The annoying buzz of the telephone distracted his conversation.

“Should I destroy that thing first or what?” Jade gritted his teeth as if the words were difficult to say.

His attitude was just unbearable. The co-workers seated in front of him took in deep breaths as a million thoughts ran through their minds.

Ring! Ring!

Ring! Ring!

It vibrated again.

Jade stared at Miss Barbara as if he would divert his anger to her. Poor lady, she quickly went to answer the call to find out who it was.

“Yes, Attorney Lucas.” She muttered as she picked up the call.

The CEO stared at her with fire in his eyes. Same, his mind went wild.
‘How can Lucas call me? Is he fucking dead or handicapped?' Jade cursed in his mind.

“This is a special call that’s connected to Blue Bird’s office at BB Company.” Miss Barbara reported.

“How dare he use the red call to contact us when he’s a mere attorney?”

“He’s one of the c...chairman’s closest confidants. It would be best for you too, umm… pick up, sir.” Mr. Tim tried to explain.

“...But who fucking cares?! This is my hotel, and I’m the one in charge!” Jade fired at him.

He snatched the phone from Barbara, like a toy he wasn’t willing to share.

“This is Jade Alejandro! I’m sure that an attorney for BB Company has no business with our hotel.” Jade blurted.

After hearing Lucas’s explanations, Jade let out a deep breath.

“Okay, I’ll head there. Let’s talk in person.” He muttered in a low voice.

After the call, he turned towards his workers. The three of them, like stray cats, were staring at him. Immediately, his gaze caught theirs. They quickly bowed their heads to the ground.

Jade huffed and shook his head at their nonchalant attitude.

“I’ll be gone for two hours. Take care of the issue regarding the new hotel to be built in Hawaii and the opening ceremony at our hotel here in California. We will start a meeting as soon as I get back.” Jade announced before taking his leave.

The three of them stole glances at him till he walked out.

“Ugh, finally!” Mr. Tim clamored as Jade walked out.
“He might as we tell us not to breathe!” He added before taking a seat.

“That asshole!” Barbara hissed. “He’s just so full of himself just because he was born into a wealthy home.”

The door unexpectedly flung open and the three of them froze in their seats. Jade came back to take his jacket from the handle of his executive chair. With the cold glare on his face, it was obvious that he must have heard them. The three of them stood up, bowing a thousand times in a second, but he didn’t even turn to them.

Leaving them in a shocked state, Jade walked out of the hotel when he bumped into a lady in Sapphire in a white kimono. She almost fell when he quickly wrapped his hands around her waist, holding her back in support. She froze in shock. He woke up to reality almost immediately, so he let go.

“Are you alright? Are you hurt?” He asked out of concern.

“Umm...I’m fine. I should have been more careful. I’m sorry.” She apologized.

Ring! Ring!

Her phone rang, so she swiftly grabbed it from the side of her handbag and answered the call.

“Hello mum, I’m here already. I’m at the Bluebird Hotel.”

“Okay, fine. I’ll do great.” She muttered and cut the call.

Meanwhile, Jade studied her confused face for a while.
“Can I help you with anything?” He asked calmly. How he usually does to his customers.

“Umm… where’s the bathroom?” she asked.

“The bathroom is over there,” he pointed upwards. “It’s by the third door to the right. And the coffee shop is this way.” Jade explained further to her.

“Oh, thank you,” Sapphire answered with a smile and walked away in the direction of the bathroom.

“She’s here for a marriage meeting,” Jade muttered. His mysterious eyes raked over her slim body.

“Wow!” They trained their staff

Jade heard her say as she walked away in the opposite direction.