Chapter 52 - Idle Gossip

Lucy shut down her laptop when she finished working few minutes to closing hour and picked up the documents she needed to return to her secretary. She knew she could easily call her secretary over to pick them up, but she needed to be sure the staff in her unit were all doing their job and not slacking off simply because she was not around to monitor them.

She stopped outside the office door when she heard the conversations going on inside. 

"Do you think perhaps the boss likes her? I mean she just got here and is already working at the CEO's office. Isn't that a bit strange?" A feminine voice asked. 

"Or perhaps she is being punished for something? Who knows?" Another asked. 

"Whatever it is, I really hope she is okay. The CEO is such a weirdo and I can't even imagine what he looks like to be hiding his identity this way. I've been here for three years, and never once have I spied him coming in or leaving," She heard her secretary say. 

"You never can tell, maybe he is very handsome," another excited female voice guessed. 

"Three years? I've been here for five years. I heard he has his own private elevator in his office. Only the board of directors and some of their secretaries have seen him, I heard he isn't bad looking," the first lady said.

"Hmm. Do you know if Miss Perry has seen him yet?" Someone asked her secretary.

"I suppose so? I don't know. You know I can't ask her that. We are not that close yet," her secretary said.

Lucy decided she had heard enough, and pushed open the office door, startling everyone of them who had gathered around her secretary's desk. They all looked startled to see her and then each of them scurried off to their desks leaving only her secretary, who was wondering whether or not she had heard their conversation, to face her.

"Here," Lucy said and dropped the documents on her desk before turning to look at the others who were now pretending to be focused on their work. They all knew she was a workaholic, and they guessed she probably expected the same zeal from them, "I haven't seen him yet. But I'd rather you all spend the work hours doing the job you're being paid to do rather than engaging in such idle gossips," Lucy said calmly before walking away. 

They all heaved a sigh of relief once the door closed behind them, and they remained quiet for some time until they were sure she was out of earshot. "Was that really Miss Perry?" One of the guys asked in disbelief.

"She looks like a completely different person," Another guy commented.

"I would look different too if I was to work as the CEO's personal assistant," one of the ladies said with a naughty smile. 

"I know, right?" Another said with a knowing smile. 

"This new look suits her more. She looks more beautiful and less rigid," one of the guys said, and the other guy nodded in agreement. 

Meanwhile, outside the office, Tom had an impressed smile on his face when he saw Lucy approaching the car. He liked that she had come out earlier than the others, "It's not closing hour yet," Tom reminded her once she got into the car. 

She gave him a nod, "Yeah. Mr. Harry said I should leave once I was done with my assignments for the day. The CEO apparently doesn't love people hanging around the office doing nothing," Lucy said dryly as she buckled her seatbelt before turning to Tom.

"Not bad. Do you have something to eat at home or should I order something for us?" Tom asked as he turned on the car's ignition and drove out of the parking lot. 

Lucy paused for a moment. Dinner with him? They were going to hang out in either of their apartments seeing a movie anyway, so there was no reason not to have dinner while at it, she reasoned. 

"Let's order pizza. That's what I'm craving right now," Lucy said, and then remembered the medical test, "You're certain I don't need to get that test? There is still time for me to get it done."

"You don't need it," Tom said without sparing her a glance.

Although she was still curious to know why he said she didn't need the test, she was just going to wait and ask him later. For now, she allowed herself to relax, since she was relieved by Tom's assurance.

"So, how was work today?" Tom asked, wanting to keep their conversations light and easy. 

"Not bad. Thanks for lunch by the way. Thanks to you I don't skip meals much anymore. My parents are going to love to know I have a neighbor like you," Lucy said with a small smile.

"Really? I suppose they worry about your eating habits too?" Tom asked, curious to know more about her parents.

"Yeah. Especially after I was hospitalized due to severe ulcer pains," Lucy said with a sad smile, not wanting to think about that time. 

"The ulcer is that serious? Yet you don't eat? Why?" 

"I don't know. Maybe I just love to keep my mind busy at every point in time so other important things seem to escape my mind. I only remember I haven't eaten when I start feeling the pangs of hunger," she said with a dismissive shrug.

Tom narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. Keeping her mind busy all the time had to mean she was trying not to think about something. What could that be? What was troubling her so much? He wondered.

"I guess I have to make sure I remind you to eat all the time. I don't want to have to rush you to the hospital," Tom said, and she smiled. 

"So what about you? Did you see your lady crush today?" Lucy asked curiously.

"Sure. During lunchtime," Tom said with a crooked smile. 

"Really? Did you approach her? Did she notice you?" Lucy asked, and he could hear the excitement in her voice. 

"I didn't approach her, and I'm not sure she noticed me yet. What do you think I should do to make her notice me? Should I just approach her directly?" Tom asked, turning to spare her a glance. 

Lucy pursed her lips with a thoughtful expression on her face as she considered his question, "Maybe you should start by just saying hello to her when you see her. You could do that for say, two or three days, and then on the fourth day don't do anything. Allow her to approach you and say hello to you. That works," Lucy said with a nod. 

"You mean I should ignore her?" Tom asked thoughtfully.

"You don't have to ignore her. Just allow her to initiate the greeting and conversation," Lucy explained. 

Tom scratched the back of his head, "What if she doesn't bother to say hi, and just walks past me?" 

"She wouldn't. Initiating the hellos for those first three days is you trying to get her to be familiar with you. When she sees you on the fourth day she would naturally want to say hello whether consciously or unconsciously," Lucy explained. 

"And when she says hello, what do I do?" Tom asked with a slightly raised brow. 

"You could ignore her and pretend like you didn't see her unless she walks up to you. And it would be best if you are around another lady at that time, so you could just be casual with your greeting. I'm sure you won't have any problem being with another lady," Lucy added dryly. 

"Thanks.. I think this tip might just be very helpful," Tom said with a smirk as he thought of ways he could use the tip against her.