Chapter 23: Chapter 23

NELINA

As I made my way to the guest room where Ms. Lita had prepared for me, I was reluctant about setting my foot inside it. I stared at the door for a while until I decided to get close to it and twist open the bronze doorknob. The smell of lavender lingers in the air, pleasant and enticing to my smelling senses. The room was spacious; it had a floral sofa on the left side near the bed and a bronze frame mirror beside the closet. I closed the door behind me, put my things in the closet, and sat on the bed.

Royce made sure that I got everything I needed for the night, especially sleepwear. Ms. Lita handed me sets of sleepwear that I could choose from. She was so polite to offer to come with me to my room and help me fix everything, but I said no. They've already cleaned the room anyway; I'm not a child who needs assistance getting ready for bed.

I was about to dial Marica's number when a knock came on my door; I jolted to the sharp reversal. "What is it?" My voice raised in a few decibels for me to be heard outside.

"It's me. Can I come in?" The voice was soft and low. It came from no other than Royce.

Could I say no even if this is his house? I rolled my eyes, thinking that we would be in the same room again; I felt suffocated having him in one room. "Yes, come in."

In seconds I heard the click of the doorknob twist and open; Royce appeared wearing his gentle smile. "Hi, I just wanted to check on you," he said, closing the door behind him, leaving it unlocked.

"Thanks, I'm fine. You don't have to."

"No, I want to check your room myself." Royce walked to the comfort room, opened the door, and entered, his hands inside his pockets. I paced near him to see what was in the comfort room of a classic house. Royce is taller than me, so I stood in front of him to better view the comfort room.

"Beautiful," I said as I focused on the golden motif from the toilet bowl to the bathroom, including the bathtub.

"I'm glad you liked it. The toilet bowl and the bathtub are made of ceramics and were customized in golden colors to fit the Mediterranean style of the house.

I nodded in response and stepped back to the living room. However, before I could get to the living room, both Royce's hands held my arms.

"Do you want someone with you tonight?" His hands were warm to my skin.

I swallowed a lump in my throat. My heart was racing to the thought of Royce; his skin touched mine. He slowly gripped my arms and swayed me to face him. My sight hits his broad chest, only wearing a sleeveless shirt. He lifted my chin to meet my eyes. I looked at his face, wanting to get rid of his wicked smirk.

"So?" he leaned over, making our faces an inch closer. His breath fanned on my face; we breathed each other's breath. He smells good as always, which made me feel anxious about my breath since I hadn't brushed my teeth since I arrived at their ancestral house.

"I'm good," I said as I looked away, avoiding his eyes and keeping him from smelling my breath. When did I start to please this man? I didn't show concern before but now? I shut my eyes, stepped back, then sat on the sofa. "Is there anything else that you want?"

"You."

I was impatient with his tease. I raised my head, checking his facial expressions; he still wore that evil smirk on his face that I wanted to get rid of. I glared at him, but it didn't seem to work. He chuckled, seeing me mad. This man is insane.

A few moments had passed before he spoke again. "Dinner is ready by now; let's have dinner together." His voice is soft.

I let out a long breath to be able to take it all in. After showing me that evil smirk on his face, Royce dares to talk like nothing happens. This idiot is insane.

"I'm sorry, Nelly. I wasn't serious, forgive me. I only want to tease you a bit and make you happy. Sometimes I don't know how to find the right timing," he said, his hands motioning up and down, whatever he meant. He tried to explain his side of madness.

When I looked at him again, he released a desperate sigh and combed a hand through his hair. Sadness clouded his features as he looked at me. It was a relief looking at him desperate; people who do it sincerely regret what they did. "Forget it, let's go," I said as I stood up.

I heard him sigh before he followed me. He softly put his hand on my waist as we headed to the door. He was on the verge of twisting the doorknob when my phone rang.

I paused and grabbed my phone in my pocket; the screen marked MARICA. "I need to take this call. You go ahead, I'll follow."

"It's okay; I'll wait; I'll cover my ears," Royce said as he slapped open his palms on his ears like a child.

Here we go again. I raised an eyebrow as I turned my back on him. I swiped the screen and placed it on my right ear. "Hello, Marie? I can't talk right now, besty. Can I call you back?" I paused and listened to the other end of the line. I understand how she wanted to talk to me. This is my first sleepover with a man we don't know much about.

"We'll have dinner, and then I'll call you back." Marica agreed as expected but commanded me not to forget to call her back.

"Don't worry, besty, I have to go; bye." I cut the call and then faced back to Royce, patiently waiting for me. His arms crossed on his chest as he leaned against the door, his back on it.

"Let's go?"

In the next 5 minutes, we were at the long and wide dining table. Dark woods, 22 wooden chairs, the table, and chairs were glossy, indicating that it has been carefully taken care of to maintain its glow. I sat opposite Royce, far from him, making me comfortable. The food was pleasing in my smelling senses like I could taste it even before putting it in my mouth. The household staff members left us alone as we arrived.

"Shall we?" he said as he pointed to the food on the table.

I nodded in response as my mouth salivated, gasping the aroma of the food. One I would be thankful to come to Royce's house is the mouth-watering food. I ate quietly until Royce broke the silence.

"Enjoy your food."

I raised my head to where he was and nodded. "Thank you, you too."

He lifted a corner of his lips and nodded in response.

"By the way, you haven't told me about the business expansion you did in your company. The one you're doing online?" I know I'm not into business; even dad and brother pushed me to be in the business world when I was in college. But it's just not me. However, to satisfy my curiosity, I asked him. What could a young man like him develop to innovate their company?

His face lit up hearing me bring back the topic. "Sure, I'm happy you reminded me. I focused on my strength as a millennial; I know that people are online most of the time. So, we target to expand online. We create our own products' websites and put stores online in shops. That's the first step."

"The second thing is we hired a team of social media beasts, experts in creating content and marketing it online. These are the people who boost our products by hiring brand ambassadors, social media influencers on different platforms fit for our products."

I was amazed by how sure he is at what he does. At his young age, it was impressive. My eyes were glued to Royce; I even stopped eating and listened closely to what he was about to say.

"And the last one is the products' distribution. It includes the facilities where we keep our products and the courier who will distribute them anywhere in the country. Since we are still in the starting phase, we have two factories, and then we deliver it to our stock place in Manila. From there, the courier will deliver to every consumer door to door." Royce finished and then sipped a glass of water.

"Impressive, I should commend you for doing this. You're innovating not just for your company but also for the people. Although existing companies promote organic products, yours is the most meticulous by far. The fact that you do everything from fertilizer, farming, creating products, and distributing it." I didn't hide my admiration as I think he is worthy of my praise.

He nodded yes and was mute for seconds. "Thank you. Nelly, would you mind coming to our company sometime? I'll show you around."

I wasn't expecting it; I was speechless. "We'll see if it works with my schedule. Where exactly are you taking me?"

"Our farms and fertilizer factories are in Tagaytay and Batangas, we also have our newly created products' factories near them. We have an extension office in Angeles City. We can visit the Angeles City office if it would be easier for you. We have our social media team and all the technical operations regarding our online expansion."

"I'll consider visiting the Angles City office."

Royce's widened. "You don't know how happy I am to hear that."