139 Request & Promise

My mother’s eyes widened as her hand flew to cover her mouth. She stared at Ace in shock before she turned to stare at me as if asking me for confirmation as well.

“I’m sure that all the gossip must have blown everything about our relationship out of proportion. The truth is, we started dating shortly after Karina became my secretary although we knew that it was against the company’s policy,” Ace announced quite proudly.

In my mind I could hear a cracking sound and the more that Ace spoke, the louder that cracking sound became. I looked around to see my whole world cracking up and then it all came crumbling down around me.

“It’s not like that, mother!” I cried out as I stood up from my seat.

historical

“Sit down, Rina...” my mother said sternly.

Her eyes narrowed at me, and it made me feel like a young girl again. My mother could be very strict sometimes, but she wasn’t unreasonable. Although she was shocked, she was still willing to listen to what Ace had to say. With a resigned sigh, I gave in and slowly sat back down in my seat. My mother’s eyes and attention shifted right back to focus on Ace.

“Rina’s not exactly wrong and neither am I. Our company has a rule in place that forbids romantic relationships between employees. I guess you could say that we’re sort of dating but not officially dating because no matter how many times I ask your daughter to be my girlfriend, she has refused...” Ace explained so smoothly that I was amazed.

He smiled charmingly at my mother once again before he turned to smile at me. Well, I had to admit that he wasn’t lying.

“So...what the news is saying is true? Rina?” my mother asked.

.....

“Well...yes...” I was forced to admit.

My mother seemed deep in thought for a moment before she looked at both of us as if she had made up her mind about something.

“Rina, can you leave us a lone for a moment? I want to talk to your boss,” my mother requested sternly.

I could tell that she was serious. With an acknowledging nod, I got up from my seat and headed for the bedroom to give the two of them some privacy. I glanced back at Ace with worry, but he just smiled reassuringly at me. With that, I went inside the bedroom and closed the door behind me.

...

After seeing that Karina had made her way into the bedroom, her mother’s eyes focused on the man sitting opposite her at the dining table. She smiled a little at him before she spoke.

“Thank you for coming all this way. I truly appreciate what you’ve done...” she said.

“That’s not a problem. It was the least that I could do in this situation,” Ace replied honestly.

“I don’t think my daughter told you this so I’m going to tell you now. I raised my daughter on my own and things were not always easy for us. Despite that, I tried my best to love her and take care of her. I’m sure that you can tell already that we don’t share the same background as you do at all. I apologize in advance for saying this, but I’ve seen many disturbing gossips about you. So...if you’re just playing around with my daughter, I would like to beg you to stop,” she said with a troubled look on her face.

Ace listened patiently to the older woman sitting opposite him. He waited for her to go on with what she wanted to say.

“Karina has been through my hardship already and I don’t want to see her get hurt. So, if you’re not serious about having a proper relationship with her then, please just leave her alone. Karina has always dreamt of working at your company ever since she was in school. I truly don’t want what has happened to ruin her career or take away her dream job from her...” she said as tears welled in her eyes.

Ace looked at the old woman in front of him with sympathy. He could tell that she truly loved her daughter, and he thought that Karina was lucky to have such a loving mother. A warm and loving family wasn’t something that he had, and perhaps in that sense, the older woman was right about him not having the same background as Karina did. Having a splendid financial background did not guarantee happiness and he happened to know that best from personal experience.

“I understand where you’re coming from; however, I really do care for Karina...” Ace said without much hesitation.

“Excuse me?” Karina’s mother said in blunt surprise.

“I’m serious about dating Karina. As I said, I’ve asked her more than a few times about it, but she’d always turned me down. Just like you, she probably thinks that I’m not serious about her either...” Ace said a little sadly.

“How can you be serious about dating her? Your company has a rule prohibiting you two from dating. You’re not just her colleague. You’re her boss and the CEO of the company...” Diana said as her frown deepened between her brows.

“You’re right. I’m not a big fan of being the CEO but I guess it’s becoming very bearable now, thanks to your daughter...” Ace said before smiling brightly.

“Then...” the woman mumbled.

“Words don’t mean much. They say talk is cheap, right? So how about I try to prove just how serious I am about your daughter,” Ace said with a confident smile.

“I don’t quite understand what you mean...” Karina’s mother said with a frown between her brows.

“I’ll make her dream come true. I guarantee it,” Ace stated with confidence and determination.

“Her...dream...?” she murmured.

...

This is driving me crazy.

What are those two talking about? Should I try to eavesdrop on them?

No, I shouldn’t do that. I agreed to give them some privacy.

What should I do? My curiosity is killing me.

I couldn’t help but wonder what my mother was talking to Ace about. She seemed so concern so I wouldn’t be surprised if she was telling him off right now.

–To be continued...