Chapter 5 Playing Innocent

"Rose, find out Mr. Yuchan's vacant time and set it as an appointment with me." Nica ordered her secretary as she is feeling mundane on her seat.

She simply watches every move of her secretary. Nica smirked as she held her cell phone instead of the landline phone. She returned to her seat when she saw that she had finished talking on the cellphone.

"Ma'am, I am told to ask you what the appointment is for?"

"A lunch invitation from me."

Rose swallowed her own saliva when her boss smiled at her. She is horrified at the kindness she shows to everyone. She is aware that she is actually a kind person, but she feels that she has an intention for acting that way now. She quickly erased the bad idea in her mind. Apart from anything, it is not her concern if the half-sisters grapple with each other. What matters to her was that she does her job. To earn money and give something to her boyfriend and her children.

"Mr. Yuchan does not have any vacant time for today, Ma'am. He also has an appointment with your sister around eleven A.M."

"You may go." She said while keeping herself from reading the report papers she was holding. She looked up when the door to her office closed. She checked her wristwatch, there is still time to primp herself.

She left quickly without letting her secretary know. She plans on going to a salon to make herself even more beautiful.

"What do we have for today?" Chrismith asked Janice politely as they crossed the road to the restaurant. Their meeting was sudden and she said they had something important to talk about.

"Can we discuss it after lunch?" She asked and gave him a beautiful smile.

Chris agreed to the lady's request. He is also hungry because he did not eat breakfast.

"I am tired working hard while my sister is just busy with her lifestyle." Janice spoke as they wait for the food they ordered.

Chris stopped reading messages on his cell phone and looked at Janice. She looks really tired and he feels sorry for her. He understands her not only because he is also a workaholic, he imagines how tiring it is to have a toxic person around you.

"I'm sorry I always tell you my complaints about my life." Janice felt awkward with Chris.

"Don't worry about it, I don't mind. Besides, it's comforting when you release your stresses."

He wanted to let her know that he understands and held her hand that is resting on the table.

"I can't bring up my grievances with my parents because I don't want them to get even angrier with my sister." She said with a sad expression before sighing.

"I understand." Chirs said and squeezed the back of her palm slightly.

"Thank you and I'm really sorry for bothering you." She still feels embarrassed. She wanted to say more, but someone suddenly spoke from behind.

"Hello, did I make you wait long?" Nica cheerfully greeted Chris and pretended not to see her sister. She wanted to laugh at the visible shock on the young man's face when he saw her.

"I am so sorry if I am late. It took me some time to look perfect for our first formal meeting." She explained to the young man, even though there is actually no need to explain it.

"Nica?" the word ‘surprised’ is readable on Janice's face when she saw her half-sister, "what are you doing here?"

"Oh!" Nica's small eyes widened when her eyes found Janice. "You are also here?"

Chris was just dumbfounded at Janice's sister's entrance. The shock was on her face when she recognized the person who is with him.

"We have a lunch meeting, how about you?" Janice asked her sister who she supposed intended to ruin her day.

"Oh, I think my secretary made a mistake in giving me your schedule, Mr. Yuchan," Nica apologized to the young man and ignored her sister. "You two can continue, I will just be there at the other table and wait for you to finish."

"Please sit with us," Chris stopped the young lady from turning her back. "We can save our time if we work this out simultaneously. You two are in the same company, after all." He thought he can help Janice reduce her problems.

"Are you sure?" Even Nica's eyes are smiling while looking at the young man.

Janice could not do anything when Chris called for a waiter to add a chair on their table. She felt her tiredness doubled when her half-sister smiled at her.

"I am so sorry Sister Mine, my secretary did not make it clear that you were meeting Mr. Yuchan at the time I wanted to set an appointment with him." Nica made her voice sound sad while playing with her newly-curled hair.

Though irritated, Janice smiled back at her sister. In the shortness of the mini skirt she wears, she knew that her long and white legs were clearly visible to the young man's eyes. Their table is originally for two persons, so Nica's seat is almost glued to Chris'.

Janice does not like the top she wears, too. Although the blazer covers her shoulders, her sleeveless top has a groove through the chest. She admits that her sister has a finer body shape than her.

Chris does not know how to act in front of the half-sisters. He suddenly wanted to regret inviting Nica to sit with them. He swallowed his own saliva and could not help but glance at her body.

"Excuse me for a while, Chris." Janice said.

Nica simply raised an eyebrow at her half-sister when she looked at her before taking the way to the restroom.

"Wear this," Chris did not wait for Nica to speak and laid his coat on her shoulder. "I know you're getting cold," he said in a baritone voice as her questioning eyes stared at him.

"Wear it properly," Chris said when she just stays stilled. He felt that she was not comfortable in what she is wearing when they were the only ones left.

"Why do I have to wear it?" She rudely asked and removed his jacket from her back.

She does not like it when someone shows concern for her because she feels afraid for herself. She is the type to quickly fall for a person's kindness, mayhap because she is always seeking for desirable attentions. She had been fooled many times for trusting someone she thought her friend and has a genuine care for her.

"Don't be hard-headed," Chris whispered irritably to her and insisted that she put on his coat.

"Don't make this a big deal, I'm just concerned about you because of your sister." He added to prevent her from receiving a different meaning of his concern for her. But it looks like he made a mistake because she angrily gave the coat back to him.

"I do not need your concern if that's because of that bitch!"

"I would not be surprised if you become damned for your stubbornness." He chuckled and stopped insisting that she should put on his coat. He just confirmed that Janice was right, that her sister is a little childish.

Nica gave him an angry squint. She did not bother to consider showing him politeness. She is aware that everyone who had interacted with her half-sister and stepmother only knew of her bad attitude.

Nica moved to Janice's seat so that they could face each other. She was also uncomfortable every time their skins made contact. "Anyway, I have been wanting to ask you this, did you accept our company's second proposal because of my sister?"

Chris gazes at Nica's face. He can tell that she looks serious.

"I just want to know if you just retaliated against me or what?" Nica asked bluntly when she noticed the doubt on the young man's face.

"Honestly, I did want to reject you at first because my father was really deeply hurt because of what you previously did." Chrismith gave her a blunt answer as well.

"I apologize for that!" Nica did not hesitate to apologize. She heard that his father is currently on a vacation and his health condition was affected by what she did.

"I hate to say this, but, your team's work was old-fashioned, compared to the design Janice made. I bet you have seen it already, so you should know what I mean." Chris expected the young lady to feel insulted, but he was surprised to see her smile. A happy smile that could be seen in a person who won a jackpot in a lottery.

"Thank you for your honesty." She is smiling ear-to-ear and her eyes are saying that it is a genuine one.

"You look happy?" He queried, thinking that he sees her reaction wrongly.

"Very happy!" the smile on her lips was still not erased. She is so shallow when it comes to appreciation, even though he is oblivious that she is the real owner of that design he compliments. But she quickly felt sad when she realized that her sister was the one that enjoys the praise that she should have received.

Chris could not help but shake his head because of the speed of the woman in front of him in switching her mood. But he enjoys watching the ever-changing expression seen on her face. He just smiled when she frowned because she noticed he was watching her.

"Anyway, I am still the one who has the biggest share in our company." She glared at the young man and reminded him who is more powerful between her and Janice. The tip of her lip twitched when he just shrugged at her.

Janice quickly approached the two when she saw that they were talking. She did not give her sister a chance to move back to her seat.

"I'm sorry if it took me so long to get back."

Nica wanted to laugh when she saw Janice's lipstick thicken. She was as if a lizard clung to Chris.

"It's okay, it's better that you stayed longer. I and Mr. Yuchan were able to talk properly." Nica still formally calls the young man.

"Mr. Philip called," Janice smiled at her sister who suddenly froze in her seat.