Chapter 13

• Fuck, I should've never asked that question. I feel my hands getting clammy all of a sudden when I don't even have clammy hands and my armpit feels like sweating underneath this blazer. Damn it.
• I pull my shit together as I look at him and his eyes makes me lose it. His eyes can't let me focus. His answer still bothers me but I have to act like he's not making me blush from my cheeks up to ears. God, can Benedict see me getting red from where he's sitting?
• I gulped.
• Act professional Thea. I scolded myself.
• "How do you..." I paused then clear my throat, I feel like the need of having small placards on my hand to keep myself busy with it but I'm not holding anything but my stupid phone.
• I look up to him and his grinning as he placed that forefinger under his nostrils.
• "How do... Ummm... you.... chill out... after a busy schedule or... Uhhh... after a tiring day?" I stammer on my words.
• He smile. "I've already answered that."
• "Right." I shyly speak.
• Oh geez he's making me blush even more. Damn this guy he loves to see me squirm on my seat. Damn it. Damn him.
• Focus Thea. Focus.
• I exhale heavily.
• "Any other activities you do when you chill out?" I ask.
• "I don't really get myself into short vacations and such. My mum would advice me to go with them but I can't just slack around. Fifty thousand people needs me for such kind of a responsibility. I can't let them down." He answers, at least a decent one this time.
• I nod. "You're such a workaholic. I think your mom is right, sometimes people needs to chill out. Get on a quick vacation just to relax for a little bit."
• The corner of his lips quirks as he slightly smiles. "Thanks for the advice, I'll take that into consideration."
• I smiled back at him.
• "How about you Miss Thibault, what things do you do to chill out? If I may ask." He pressed his long forefinger against his lips.
• I gulped.
• "Me?" I pointed at myself.
• He nods. "Yes, you. Surprise me."
• I laugh softly through my nostrils and smiled shyly. "There's nothing that'll surprise you when it comes to me."
• "I think there might be." He speaks with his deep voice. Argh, it sounds so soothing to the ears.
• "Well...." I nervously say. "Nothing similar to your very exquisitely richly hobbies and definitely I can't book myself a short vacation. I don't have money for it." I shyly laughed at myself.
• I looked at him to expect him laughing with me but he wasn't. He's just looking at me impassively so I looked away.
• "My kind of a chill out day would probably be just staying inside, invite my friends over for pizza, camping and beer maybe, or have some coffee, or going to the orphanage. The kids there makes me happy." I continued.
• I watch him as he briefly bites his upper lip while he sets his eyes at me. Fuck.
• He nods at me.
• "Let's talk more about you." I snapped and smiled at him but he just looked at me impassively again.
• I clear my throat before asking the next question, "Your father invested into farming technologies even way before, and you're improving them. Why did you want to expand it?"
• "We have many people in this world who has no food. We can't eat money. That's why we go back to the basic, we plant so we eat what we sow." He answers.
• "I'm impressed. Truly am. Other people would neglect the thought of farming nowadays. It's all about technology and computer programming." I tell him.
• "Technologies isn't gonna last forever Miss Thibault. Computers can't feed us with food. I am very proud that my father came to such wonderful idea. It helps the countries that are striving for food, that's why Saintclare Enterprises invests in so much for farming technologies." He answers, poker-faced.
• "That sounded very philanthropic."
• He didn't commented on that so I continued to move along with the next questions. "You were diagnosed with TBI when you were seven. Do you still remember how things happened during that phase of your life?"
• "That part of my life, I might consider it as the darkest. I could remember how my mom worried so much about me and my dad helped me through with it too. I was glad my second father, Mr. Landon Thompson never left mom. I'm glad things are better now."
• Everybody has a dark past. I thought.
• I nod at him. "You mentioned Mr. Thompson, she married him first right?"
• "Correct." He answered.
• "They got divorced and after a while your mother remarried and this time it was your real father. How much do you think that shaped the way you are now?"
• "That's already a matter of public record. You can easily see things online, haven't you googled it?" His tone goes cold and uninterested about this topic.
• I looked away from him as I tuck my hair behind my ear. I guess he doesn't wanna discuss about his family history.
• "I've read other things online too, things like it's only for publicity to make you look like a manwhore because you're..." I trailed off, biting my tongue.
• Should I ask?
• He cocked his head to the side. "Go on Miss Thibault. Continue."
• I gulped. "because you're gay?"
• He keeps an impassive look on his face and I can hardly tell if he didn't like the question about his sexuality. Instead he kept his lower lip in between his teeth.
• "No, Thea. I'm not gay." He said, impassively.
• He said my name for the first time. He didn't call me by my last name. I love how his tongue roll around my name.
• Argh! Stop having dirty thoughts about him Thea! Focus! I scolded myself again.
• There's a knock at the door and as I look pass my shoulder, Coral appears.
• "Mr. Saintclare, forgive me for interrupting but your next meeting is in three minutes." She speaks with formality.
• Time's up? Already? It's already been an hour? I quickly stared at my watch and I didn't even notice that it really has been an hour since I talked with him.