This Crazy Rich Boy

For some reason, the idea of actually working with Michelle has fired her up. Claire remembers her last encounter with Michelle, here at the office as Bella, and Michelle seemed to like her. It must be a strange twist of fate. And if Michelle indeed arrives tomorrow, then it's going to be interesting to see how that plays out.

Now, first things first. Claire must start learning the ropes with this company. Gabriel said he's opening the path for her learning. It's only a matter of formal training. Claire's smart, anyway; she could easily learn about the business. It's also the first time Claire realizes maybe she has a long-term future in the company, after her initial 30-day contract with Gabriel. Maybe. Gabriel's issuing a memo later this afternoon, informing Claudia's team to "adopt" Claire as an intern. "But not an intern 'intern'," Gabriel clarified. "You'll be acting as my representative, so I'll remind Claudia to treat you very nicely."

Hmm. She'll be working with Mary. That sounds exciting. Claire scans the faces of everyone else; at least the ones whose heads she can still see in their respective cubicles. Maybe this place is rich with untold stories. Maybe there are many people here, like Mary, who have suffered from wrongs that must be made right. So Claire hunkers down on her computer and starts typing her plans. She's so intent on working that she doesn't realize a couple of hours have already passed. It's almost nearly lunch. Gabriel's still in his room. Should she ask him if he wants a "working lunch" with her, to discuss the plans? But as she mulls it over, her desk phone rings.

It's Miguel, his voice seemingly excited for some reason. "Hey, how are things over there? Is everything good between you and Gabriel?"

"Yeah," she says, but in a low voice, to keep anyone else from hearing her. "Why should you ask? Is anything the matter?"

She hears him laughing on the other end of the line.

"Are you for real?" Miguel says. "You slapped him last night, remember? I sure as hell remember."

"Well," she says, "I've gotten past that. I'm here just to work."

But Miguel continues to giggle. "You should have seen Gabriel's face when you left. He looked like he'd seen a ghost. He was so stunned."

Even Claire has to giggle at that. "Really?"

"Aw come on," Miguel says. "You know Gabriel has never been slapped."

It is only now that Claire realizes the magnitude of what she did last night. "Oh, my God, are you serious?"

"Yeah," Miguel says. "That's why I was sooooo surprised. I wasn't even sure how Gabriel would react. I thought he would lose his temper and be angry at you. I thought he would run after you and fire you on the spot or something that a normal boss would do. But then again, he isn't really a 'normal' boss, is he?"

Claire ignores the last line. "So how did he actually react?"

"Well, he had his hand on the cheek you slapped, and he was like that for a long time. Like, for several minutes. As if the cheek was about to fall off and he was just trying to stop it from falling to the ground."

Claire laughs, despite the supposed seriousness of the situation. "And then?"

"I asked him, 'did you really kiss her?' Because I couldn't believe he would kiss you when you were officially my date, you know."

Claire ignores the mention of the kiss. "And then?"

"He stormed away in the direction opposite yours. I was left standing there. I ate all the corndogs. The corndog proprietor talked my ears off with his stories."

They are both giggling and laughing. Then gradually, Miguel falls silent on the other end. "Claire," he mutters. "You didn't deny or confirm the kiss. Did Gabriel really kiss you? You even said he was kissing you all night long."

Claire answers with a high-pitch laugh, like there's a bee up her knickers. "Oh, no, I only said that because I was angry. Imagine, my mouth was on fire, then he tried to 'resuscitate' me by giving me a wet kiss? What was he thinking?"

"You mean, he didn't kiss you before that?"

Claire hesitates for a split-second. "No, of course, not," she lies. As a lady, Claire wouldn't kiss and tell, so this little white lie should be forgivable. Whatever happened between her and Gabriel last night should only be between her and Gabriel; Miguel doesn't have to know the truth. She even over-compensates. "Why would I let him kiss me? He's my boss. That would be totally inappropriate. And besides, I can't fall in love with the person I work for."

"Are you sure?" Miguel's voice. "Because you sounded like really, really angry last night."

While this phone call is happening, Gabriel is getting ready for lunch. He's starving. He'd been here since very early in the morning, bullying the IT Department to issuing him the iPhone and iPad for Claire right then and there. Normally, there's a process that must be followed, which could take weeks. Which means Claire could get the devices long after she's no longer in Gabriel's employ, and he won't have that, of course. "I own every single fiber of carpet, even the air you breathe, in this entire building," Gabriel hissed. "If I want a phone and tablet pulled out for whatever special project I need them for, I want them pronto."

Gabriel didn't have to do that. But knowing Gabriel Tan with his ego and temper and his frequent need for validation, he came upon the IT Supervisor so heavy-handedly that the poor chap handed to him the devices quickly still in their utterly pristine sealed boxes, with trembling hands.

It's also important to note at this point that the TXCI Building is so tall and huge and houses so many tech companies that the structure is considered a full-fledged IT Park, even if it looks like just another building on the block.

And now Gabriel's starving. The news from his CFO didn't help. He was so ready to fire a lot of people, but reason won; Gabriel realized he'd be in a better position if he retains by his side his most trusted men, especially if such men are the august members of his finance and legal departments.

Gabriel peeps out of his room to check on Claire, intending to ask her out for lunch, but he freezes in place. Claire is speaking with someone on the phone, and the last line he hears is: "Why would I let him kiss me? He's my boss. That would be totally inappropriate. And besides, I can't fall in love with the person I work for."

Claire giggles. To Gabriel's eyes, Claire looks like she's flirting. Gabriel correctly ȧssumes it's Miguel on the other end. His face darkens. He steps out of his office, and intentionally slams the door so hard that it almost falls off its hinges.

"Oh, my God," Claire exclaims in shock. "I thought a bomb exploded!"

"Don't chitchat on the phone during office hours, will you?" Gabriel snaps at her, then he storms off, leaving Claire pale as sheet.