Chapter 11

• Happy Reading
• ***
• Poppy followed Harvey into the office and quickly prepared coffee and bread for him. She wasn't sure why Harvey had come in so early, especially since his schedule didn't show any morning meetings. After placing her bag on her desk, she rushed to make coffee for Harvey.
• Harvey watched Poppy head towards the pantry, knowing that she intended to make coffee for him.
• "Poppy," he called.
• "Yes, sir," Poppy replied.
• Harvey took a moment to appreciate Poppy's appearance. As usual, she looked very attractive with her mature attire. She knew how to dress well. Her face was pleasing to the eye, with subtle makeup that didn't overdo it. Harvey remembered how they had shared passionate, wet, and intense kisses. He longed to kiss those lips again.
• "I'd like to have brunch outside, and I want you to accompany me," Harvey said calmly.
• "Sure, sir. Now or later?" Poppy inquired.
• Harvey glanced at his circular watch, which showed 8:30 AM. "In half an hour. I have a lunch meeting with a business associate."
• "Alright, sir."
• "For the document signing, bring them to my desk."
• "Of course, sir," Poppy responded.
• Poppy watched as Harvey entered his office. She then went to her desk, took a folder containing various documents from different departments, and double-checked them. She had already reviewed these reports one by one the previous day, but she wanted to make sure there were no mistakes. She was quite meticulous about this.
• Afterward, she entered Harvey's office and saw him sitting at his desk. They locked eyes for a moment, and Poppy smiled as she handed him the folder.
• "Here are the documents, sir."
• "Have you checked them?"
• "Yes, sir, I have."
• Harvey took the documents from the folder, grabbed a pen, and began signing them. Once he was finished, he handed them back to Poppy. She returned to her own office, carrying the signed documents.
• As she sat at her desk, she heard a knock on the door and saw Bella outside. She gave her best smile to her friend, who was wearing a black pencil skirt and a white blouse, and then Bella took a seat.
• "These are the documents for Mr. Harvey."
• "Should he sign them now?"
• "It's fine if he does it tomorrow," Bella replied, looking at her friend.
• "How's the boss's mood?"
• "Eh, he's just normal. He's going for brunch in a bit."
• "Unusual. He usually has breakfast at the office. Did he invite you too?" Bella asked.
• "Yeah, not sure why. Do you have a lot of work?" Poppy inquired.
• "It's decent. Who are you having lunch with later?"
• "I'll be on my own. Mr. Harvey has a lunch meeting with a business associate."
• "Alright, let's have lunch together then. We rarely have lunch together."
• Bella got up from her chair. "Alright, I'll head back now. It's not good to linger here with the boss around."
• Poppy smiled, "Sure."
• Poppy watched Bella leave and then put Bella's documents into a folder. A few minutes later, she noticed Harvey standing at the door to his office. She instinctively grabbed her bag and checked her circular watch, which showed 9:00 AM. Time had passed quickly.
• Harvey looked at Poppy, who was already standing beside him. "Ready?"
• "Yes, sir."
• "Where would you like to have brunch?"
• "What's nearby, sir?" Poppy asked, recalling that the bread she had bought earlier was still in the paper bag, and it would be a shame not to eat it.
• "Let's go to Pasola."
• "Alright, sir."
• Poppy and Harvey walked to the elevator, which took them to the basement floor. They used a car to get there, as it wasn't too far away. Poppy observed Harvey, who remained silent. She liked Harvey because he was very cool. Even when he was quiet like this, it made her heart race. She suddenly remembered Nathan's words about wanting to get engaged. She would have to discuss this with her parents later, as Nathan intended to propose to her.
• ***
• A few minutes later, they were sitting at an empty table in the restaurant. The atmosphere was contemporary, elegant, and exclusive. It wasn't too crowded, but most of the tables were occupied, possibly because the tables were spaced far apart, giving the appearance of spaciousness.
• Poppy admired the views of SCBD, which she found magnificent. They ordered the wood-smoked wagyu beef brisket from the catered menu. According to their server, the meat was cooked for 8 hours and marinated with a rub of coffee, black honey, and Indonesian fruit salad seasoning. The beef was said to be incredibly tender. They also ordered the signature mango mille-feuille and coffee for both of them.
• Harvey picked up his glass of mineral water and took a sip, all the while gazing at Poppy in front of him. Soon, their coffee arrived. He took a deep breath, added a bit of sugar to his coffee, and observed Poppy's expression.
• As he grew older, he found himself less inclined to engage in small talk. He preferred a direct and to-the-point approach. It was either take it or leave it. If Poppy felt uncomfortable with their kisses, she could have distanced herself. Yet, she remained by his side.
• "You look beautiful today," Harvey said, voicing his thoughts.
• "Thank you."
• Harvey took a slow sip of his coffee and continued to watch Poppy. "What do your parents do?" he asked, curious about Poppy's background, considering she didn't seem like an ordinary girl to him.
• "They own a fabric shop in Tanah Abang."
• "Sounds like a promising business," Harvey commented, now aware that Poppy's parents were entrepreneurs.
• "Why don't you help with the family business?" he asked.
• "I work with you because I want to learn how to improve and grow a business. After working with you, I plan to help with the family business. I won't be your secretary forever."
• "As long as you work with me, you've done a great job. I like your work."
• Poppy smiled. "Thank you, sir."
• "May I ask a question?"
• "What would you like to ask, sir?"