Chapter 184 - Frustrated

"You are not listening to me, are you?" The managing director of I-Global healthcare and pharmaceuticals asked with a wave of his right hand when Tom just kept staring at him with a puzzled frown on his face. 

The middle-aged man with a receding hairline had been surprised when he walked into the CEO's office and saw Tom looking completely different from what he knew him to be. Seeing how distracted the usually sharp-witted CEO was, he could tell that his mind was very far away from whatever was going on in the office. 

Tom blinked at the director when he waved a hand in front of him, "I'm sorry. What did you say?" Tom asked with a shake of his head, feeling slightly embarrassed that he had been caught in his distracted state. 

"If I'm not crossing the line, we could always leave the meeting for some other time. It's not something urgent, and I don't think you are in any state for a work-related conversation," The director suggested. 

"You are right. I'm sorry," Tom said, still feeling very apologetic. 

This was so unlike him. Before meeting Lucy he had been all about his business and making money. Not even Anita or the other ladies he had dated had captured his attention to the point of distraction in this manner. Lucy was really messing with his mind, Tom thought in frustration. 

The director smiled knowingly, "I know that look. Woman problem?" He asked curiously since the CEO wasn't known to be in a relationship with anyone. Not that they knew much about the CEO anyway. The CEO always kept to himself and in the four years since he had been working in the company he had only seen him a couple of times, as most of his meetings were usually with Harry, and the only time they saw the CEO was during board meetings. He had been surprised when he went to Harry's office for the meeting, and Harry's secretary informed him that he would be meeting with the CEO and not Harry. 

Tom looked at the director for a moment, "You are married with two girls, right?" Tom asked, and the man looked at him, a little taken aback that Tom knew that much about him.

"How did you know?" 

"Shouldn't I know that much about my directors?" Tom asked, and the man smiled at him. Pleased that although Tom wasn't a very present CEO, he at least cared enough about the directors of his company to know such details about their life. 

"If you don't mind me asking, how long have you been married?" Tom asked curiously.

"My wife and I dated for three years, and we have been married for fifteen years

So we've been together for eighteen years," the director responded with a proud smile. 

"That's nice. How do you resolve conflict with your wife?" Tom asked, and the director chuckled as he thought of his wife.

"I think it depends on the nature of the conflict. When I'm wrong, which according to general women psychology men are always in the wrong, I apologize to her and buy her expensive gifts that she likes. I take her out on dates and just try to make her butter her up," he said with a shrug. 

"But the most important thing is that you must talk about it. Unlike men, women love to talk about things and trash out issues. She might yell and cry and even hit you, but allow her vent. I think the first step in getting her to stop being mad at you is letting her exhaust all the anger inside her. When you know how she feels, you understand better how to fix whatever is wrong," the director added before standing up. 

Tom thought about it for a moment and gave him a nod, "I think that is very helpful. Thank you very much, and I'm sorry once again for not paying attention to all you said," Tom said with an apologetic smile. 

"Don't worry about it. I completely understand," the director assured him, "We can just reschedule. I hope things work out well with her," he said with a polite smile as he turned to leave.

"Thanks for your time," Tom said as he watched him leave. 

Once he was left alone in his office, Tom heaved a deep breath. This was bad. He had it really bad for Lucy. If she had decided not to talk to him he would have understood that. If she had also decided to take some time off work and not even come to the office he would have also understood that as well. But asking him to keep pretending to be her driver? That was something that he still couldn't understand no matter how much time he spent thinking about it. 

The only question he had been asking himself all morning was what Lucy had up her sleeves. 

Now that she was probably over most of her anger why couldn't she look at the bright side of things? Wasn't she supposed to be happy that her boyfriend wasn't actually a driver but a wealthy CEO? Why was she more particular about him remaining her driver? Did she have something against wealthy guys? How was his keeping up the pretense of being her driver going to help her in any way? What was she going to achieve from it? Or was this a sort of punishment? Probably her own way of getting back at him for deceiving her? Tom wondered as his eyes moved to the large wall clock in his office. 

He still had about thirty minutes before his second meeting of the day and he was yet to go through the email which Harry had sent. How was he supposed to concentrate on his job if Lucy was on his mind this way, Tom wondered with a worried frown on his face as he stared with unseeing eyes at the email which was displayed on his laptop's screen while still wondering what Lucy was up to. 

He couldn't reschedule all his meetings as he had just done now. He needed a clear mind to be able to attend the other meetings. And more than that he needed to resolve this issue with Lucy which was messing with his focus. Maybe it would be best if tried reasoning with her once more before his next appointment, he thought as he dialed Lucy's office line.

Lucy who was seated outside the office with a pen in hand as she tried to plot her next move concerning Tom's punishment as well as dealing with Anita, raised her head when her intercom buzzed. Lucy stood up at once and walked over to Tom's office door. She knocked on the office door softly and opened the door when he gave the go-ahead to come in. 

Lucy stepped into the office and stood by the door without shutting it, and to Tom's utter frustration she bowed her head as she had always done each time she walked into his office in the past as if she was scared to look at him. 

Oh, for christ's sake! "Lu..."

"You sent for me sir," Lucy cut him off, reminding him that he was her boss at the moment and not her driver, so he should address her appropriately.

Tom stood up and stepped away from his desk as he approached her, "Can't we just cut this out? Let's talk things over, please," Tom said in a pleading tone.

"Did you want something, SIR?" Lucy asked once again without meeting his gaze, indirectly asking him to stick to business.

Tom sighed. This was going to be very frustrating, "I have a meeting with the CEO of Happy Homes Interiors and the managing director of I-Global hotels and resorts. They should be here thirty minutes or less. Let them in when they get here," Tom said, and Lucy gave him a bow.

Although she was tempted to ask him why he was the one telling her about his schedule when she was his assistant, Lucy decided to take that up with Harry instead. She was certain he was the one who was responsible for the CEO's to-do list, so she was just going to ask him to send it to her. He wanted her to be his personal assistant, she was going to do a good job of it. 

"Is that all, sir?" Lucy asked politely as she raised her head to look at him.

"Can't we talk this over? We should be able to reach a sort of compromise. I'm not comfortable with the mustache or the hair. How about I just open up to the entire public and let everyone know what I look like?" Tom asked when he stopped in front of her. 

"If that is all I would like to return to what I was doing, sir," Lucy said with a polite bow and turned to walk out of the office but Tom grabbed her arm before she could leave. 

"I've said I'm sorry..."

"I have told you I'm in a relationship sir, and my boyfriend is not going to like that you're touching me this way," Lucy said with a straight face as though she wasn't listening to anything he was saying, making Tom wonder whether she was suffering from a case of multiple personality disorder. 

Wasn't he her boyfriend! Why was she acting like they were two different people? "I've told you that I'm sorry. You even said you understood my reasons for doing what I did, so why are you bent on frustrating me? What else should I do to make it up to you?" Tom asked desperately as she tried to shake off his hand.

"I don't know what you are talking about. And I've told you already that I'm not interested in you. Now if that's all I would like to return to my desk as I have...," 

"Ahem!"

The rest of Lucy's words trailed off when they heard the sound of someone clearing her throat outside the door, and she quickly spun around to see who it was.

Lucy's heart skipped a beat when she saw Anita standing by her desk, and she quickly snatched her arm from Tom's grip, "I have to get back to my desk sir," Lucy said with a bow as she quickly stepped out of the office and shut the door. 

How was she going to face Anita now? She wasn't ready for this yet, Lucy thought as she tried to mentally recall her conversation with Tom in her head to see if she had said anything wrong. 

"Hi!" She said, flashing Anita an awkward smile as she wondered just how much of their conversation Anita must have heard.