ELOISE'S POV

I ignored the fact that my office door was open. But as I try to do so, I could smell a strong rosy scent invading my nostril.

"Jesus! Did you pour the whole bottle on your body?" My eyes widen when I looked up from the things I indulge myself into. She looks totally different than the way she came to work to today.

"I'm going now since it's already 6 pm. I have a date with my husband." Ah, that's why she smells so .. alluring.

"Are you going home or staying at the office again?" Every day she asked the same question. But today my answer will be different. I looked at my desk and gave her a small smile.

"I'm going home. But before that, I want to visit the daycare center." Luna returns my smile.

"I'll make sure to inform your maids that reside here that you're going home." She excuses herself before closing the door behind her. I decided to clean up my desk and grab my phone and keys.

It's been a while since I visit the daycare center. I wonder if there's any new gossip? I walked passed Luna's office and waved at her. She waved back before continuing to clean up her own desk. I went to the elevator and pressed the button.

Once the door opened, I smile upon hearing the sound of kids playing around. It's 6:30 pm and their parents still working? Sometimes I feel sorry for them but then again, I'm sure their parents workin for the sake of this company.

"Chairwoman?!" Eliza looks like she seen a ghost.

"Eliza? You okay?" I asked.

"I'm great but, why are you here? Are we supposed to prepare something for you? I didn't get any notice from Madam Luna." Oh, they were worried about that? Geez!

"No. I'm just visiting, that's all." They heave a sigh of relief. I can't believe my presence made them this worried. I chuckled.

"THE WITCH!" That nickname, that's probably one of Rafaela's twins. Wait, she's still working?

"Hello there Elijah." Before I could do anything, someone already hitting my legs with a toy sword.

"Good to see you too Isaiah." I grabbed him by the shirt and smiled at him.

"NOOO! The witch caught Isa!" Elijah came running for me and hitting my legs with his little hands. It's comical to see him like this. Remind me of his father, who clearly being controlled by Rafaela.

"Eli, run!" I didn't expect Isaiah to bite my hand off. I almost let go of his shirt when the pain struck me.

"Little gremlins." Once I put him down on the floor, they both let out their tongue and ran away from me. The daycare workers were stifling their laughter upon seeing my redden hand.

"Do you need some ointment for that?" Eliza asked while trying not to laugh.

"No thank you." I looked around the daycare center before asking Eliza if they need anything else for the kids. We were just talking when I heard a little baby cry not far from where we are.

"A baby?" Eliza nodded.

"Her mother starts today. I believe she's working for Miss Maya." Oh, Claudette, the outstanding accountant that even Claire was praising earlier this morning.

It's been years I know that woman and not once I heard she praises someone as high as she praised Claudette.

I haven't take a look at her files yet but from what I heard, she's one of a kind. That's why even Rafaela hired her in a heartbeat. I still wonder how did Maya knew she's graduated in accounting and finance major though.

"She's been a good girl though. That's the first time I met a baby that doesn't miss her mother that much." She probably let someone taking care of her a lot while she works before.

"Whats her name?" I asked when Eliza holding her in her arms.

"Herminia. But we all call her Nia." She does resemble her mother so much.

"Sorry, I'm late! It's my first day and I have a lot of work thanks to the person before me." I turned around to see Claudette were out of breath. Did she run over here?

"Why are you sweating and out of breath? You do know that the daycare close at 10 PM right?" I asked. Her face tells me that she just realized it.

"I forgot. How was she? Did she cry a lot? I was so worried." Eliza chuckled.

"She's been a good girl all day." Her baby legit looks happy when she sees her mother.

"Eliza, is it true that the chairwoman of this corporation is a slave driver?" Say what now? Eliza was surprised by the question when she turned to me. I just smile.

"What? Where did you hear that?" She asked.

"Miss Maya told me." Maya did Huh? Maybe I should have a chat with that woman later on.

"Miss Maya? Why did she say that that chairwoman is a slave driver?" I asked. Claudette shrugged.

"All she told me that she's a witch that likes to make everyone work like a dog for her own gain. Miss Maya also mentioned that she's quite a slut." What the hell?! She's calling me a slut? She's the one who keeps on changing partner every now and then.

"But, Miss Maya also told me that the chairwoman has a heart of gold and no one could compare to her kindness. And I was like, if so, why would she say those things earlier." Claudette laughed it off.

"Maybe you should stop, Claudette." Eliza was worried I might explode in front of her.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was babbling am I?" I shake my head no.

"No, you were not. If you have any more gossip about the chairwoman, please do tell us. I would love to hear it." She shrugged.

"That's it. Before we could continue, her assistant called her for a meeting." Claudette seems so innocent. Maya shouldn't be taunting her innocence like that.

"Let's go home Herminia, daddy's waiting for us downstairs." She smiled before bidding us goodbye.

"Maybe I should visit Maya in her office. I'm sure she still working now that she's not seeing someone." I smiled at Eliza.

"Good luck Miss." Eliza and the rest of the daycare workers waved at me.

***

"El? What a surprise to see you here. Anything I can help you with?" Maya asked when she saw me walking in.

"Say, we've been friends for years right?" That was the first question that came out from my mouth.

"Since junior high. Us, Claire and Luna. We even entered the same university. Why'd you ask? Did you forget?" She looked up to me when I took a seat on the chair in front of her desk.

"Oh, nothing. I was just curious since I heard some rumors going on about me." Bingo! She's beginning to feel uneasy about something!

"What are you blabbering about?" She forces her laughter.

"Well, you know, how I am a slave driver." I was waiting for her to come clean. She finally sighs in defeat.

"How did you know that? Don't tell me she went to your office and tell about me." I wonder what did I ever do to her.

"No. I went to the daycare center and she asked Eliza about it, in front of me. She's so innocent yes?" Maya apologized.

"Whats the need to apologized? I'm a slave driver after all." I mocked. She repeatedly apologized to me but I ignore her. I looked at the time before looking up at her again.

"Wanna grab dinner together? Your treat. After all, you did just gossip about your superior." I smirked.

"But ... alright fine. What do you have in mind?" She asked while putting her phone in her handbag before grabbing her keys.

"Japanese, ramen to be exact." She stood up from her seat.

"Should we ask Claire to join us?" Maya asked when she closes her office door. She's still in the office?!

"Sure. Give her a call." Maya reached for her phone and give Claire a call while we entered the elevator. Once we reached the ground floor, she informed me that Claire's on her way home.

"For real? Well, having a fiancée does change a person. Oh, could you send me home later?" Maya nodded as we walked towards her car.

"So, how was your new worker? Are they doing a good job?" I asked when she started to drive.

"I need to train the other three a little bit more but Claudette, she's amazing! She knows what to do and how to handle things. I didn't have to explain a lot of things to her but she gets the job done. She even completed every single work that that bastard left her."

I am impressed. It's not every day I heard Maya praising her worker like this. She's a bitch among bitch when it comes to her underlings.

"That's good to hear then." I yawned as I said that.

"You haven't been home for some time huh? How about taking a break from work a day or two? You should just rest at home and sleep all day." I wish I could do that.

"Nah. Even if I stayed at home I'll be working my ass off." I looked outside the familiar neighborhood.

"It's weird." Huh?

"Whats weird?" I asked when she stopped at a red traffic light. She turned to me with a smile.

"Remember when you said that Luna, Claire and I are snobs that only expect everything from our rich parents?" I blushed. Why does she always reminded me of that day?

"Yes, and do you have to mention that every now and then." She chuckled.

"I'm not making you feel bad for saying so. It's just, those things you said to us, it's the thing that makes us want to try our best in school. We want to be someone not because of our parents but as an individual." Really?

"Now look at us, we actually did it without any of our parents' help. Of course, Luna's a different story since her parents offer their help to build the company. But, I'm sure you already pay them back for what they had done, right!" I nodded.

"A promise is a promise." I smiled.

"That's not the point. Do you remember how you wish to have our lifestyle? You said if I were born in your family, I would a make difference rather than laughing at stupid things." Seriously though, why does she have to remind me of the time I was too anti-social?

"Seriously Maya? What's the point of this conversation though?" I finally asked.

"Now that you're successful, you didn't do what you wish to do when we were in high school. You even made us eat at a place where common people ate." True that.

I made a difference in their lifestyle.

"Maya, are you trying to make me feel better by telling me these? If that's your plan, it's not working at all." Maya puffed her cheek before driving again.

"I was just reminiscing the past here. Don't be such a buzzkill." Maya parked her car at the roadside before we both walked out and went to our usual Japanese restaurant.

"There's a lot of expensive restaurants out there but this ... this is a legend among legend." I agreed with her this time.

We've been coming here since our high school day and it was Claire who introduced us this little restaurant to us. We bought our meal ticket from a machine and went to the free seat on the bar.

"Welcome." We both smiled and handed over our ticket. He pours two glass of tea for us to drink while we wait.

"This rooibos tea is amazing. I feel so tired today. Maybe I should go home after sending you." Maya heaves a sigh of relief while I took a sip of the tea. Wow.

"You're right." I took another sip and looked at the menu. Maybe I should order some sushi too.

"Hey El, do you ever think about marrying someone?" Eh, what's with this question.

"Of course. I'm a human being as well. There's a time where I thought about it. But then again, I don't think anyone would want someone who's a workaholic like I am." I laughed it off.

"Really? I bet there's a lot of women out there would love to be married to you. You know, so they can spend your money that it." She chuckled.

"If I have to pick, I want someone that understands my work. Someone who will never complain about my absence that is. Someone like Luna's husband perhaps?" Maya added.

Nathan, Luna husband allowed his wife to work for me so he took this opportunity to quit his own job and be a 'housewife' or should o say, househusband.

"Not everyone can be like Nathan though. He's such a caring man. Luna was lucky to have him." I smiled at the server.

"Thank you," I said to the person who sent our food.

"Well. Itadakimasu." We both said while bringing our hands together like Japanese people does before a meal.

***

I yawned when the elevator stopped on my floor. When the door open, a couple of my maids greeted me when I walked out straight towards my penthouse suite.

"Good to be home." I walked towards the living room and slumped my body on the couch while looking at the night view of the city.

"Do you need anything, Miss Eloise?" One of the maids asked.

"For now, no. I already had dinner with Maya. I think all of you can go on and rest for tonight. If I need anything I'll call for you." The head maid bows her head.

"Oh, before I retire for the night, there's a package for you. I placed it on top of your bed." A package? The head maid excuses herself before leaving me alone. I wonder what's in the package.

I gathered all of my energy and went to my bedroom. Like the maid said, there's a package for me on my bed. I wonder who it's from though.

"For Eloise, from Hatsu Ayame." Ayame? The Chief Administration Officer? I thought she's in Japan for one of the branch office meetings. When did she even have the time to do all this?

My eyes widen when I saw the content of this package. A stack of files and even a couple of external hard drives were included. I reach for a pink card and read the content.

"This is some of the proof that I manage to find while I'm here. There's no doubt, the current head of our Japanese branch office was using the money we provided for his own personal gain and selling few of our loyal clients to our rival company."

Oh, this is a breakthrough. I knew it that sending her wasn't a bad idea.

"In this package, it includes some of my pictures in swimsuits and sexy outfits. Do not forget about me while I'm working my ass off for you. With Love, Ayame."

This girl! But, these pictures though.

Pictures aside, this is a serious matter. Maybe I should go to Japan myself. I should check my schedule with Luna tomorrow. I removed the package from my bed and take off my jacket. I can just clean myself tomorrow morning before going to work.

Before I could even close my eyes, I heard my door creak. I want to ignore it but, the person who came in decided to jump on me.

"Mama Eloise! You came home!" He's not that little baby anymore, that's for sure!

"Jonathan?! When did you get so big?" I said before gasping for air. The head maid suddenly barged in and grabbed her son from on top of me.

"I'm sorry miss. I was about to tuck him in when he suddenly vanished from my sight. Please forgive us." I laughed.

"It's fine." She bow her head before went out from my room with her son. She closed the door behind her and finally, I manage to fall asleep like a log.

The next morning, I was awakened by a loud singing right next to my ear. When I turned to the person singing twinkle twinkle little star, he gave me a smile before continue to sing.

"I'm sorry miss, it's the only way to wake you. Also, breakfast is ready." The head maid smiled before she grabs her son and walked out from my room after opening the curtains.

I think my alarm clock was quite unique since it's a human being named Jonathan. I chuckled just thinking about before I got up from my bed and went to the bathroom. After I'm done cleaning myself, I went to the closet that attached from my bathroom.

Picking which clothes to wear is hard-work. Maybe I do need someone to take care of my needs. I yawned again after I'm done styling my hair. After making sure I look presentable enough, I went to the kitchen counter and took a seat next to Jonathan.

Looks like he started eating before me.

"Where are you going?" I asked the little boy.

"School." He said with his mouth full.

"Oh, do you have friends already?" I asked after I thanked his mother for the food.

"I do. They like me." I took a napkin and wiped his mouth before the syrup drip on his new clothes.

"I can take him if you're busy." The head maid shakes her head.

"There's no way I let my boss do that. I'll make sure to send him myself. Don't worry." She assured me.

"Nonsense. I have time before going to work. Where's his school again?" I asked. The head maid looks like she wants to protest but I insisted.

"Le Valley Elementary school." Oh, I know that place. I used to go there myself.

"Got it. I know the road too well. Eat up, Jonathan. Mama Eloise will be sending you to school today." He seems excited.

"Thank you, miss. I could just ask one of the maids who can drive to help me though." I waved it off. This is nothing. At least Jonathan here keeps my house cherry while I'm gone.

"Any news from your husband?" I asked after Jonathan went to his room to take his backpack.

"Nothing Miss. It's almost 3 months since our last call. But this is normal for us. He's in the army after all." She never fails to give me a smile even though she's probably worried about him.

"I can make some call if you wish to know his whereabouts." She immediately declines my offer.

"Really? It's not a big deal though. Miss Claire can help you since her father works at the ministry of defense." Again she declines.

"I'm sure he's just busy with his mission. Don't worry." But I feel bad for Jonathan since he never seen his father in person before.

"Alright. But if you wish for it, just tell me and I'll make the call. Jonathan such a lucky boy to have such a strong mother like you. Don't worry about picking him up later as well. I'll do it. And please, don't turn down my offer. I see him as my own son as well." I excuse myself before I call for him.

"Say goodbye to your mother." Jonathan did as told before he took my hand and we both went inside the elevator.