Special Chapter: Owen Builds (continuation) 5
Owen's POV
"Why, Miss Kara? Why do you want to spend your time with me?"
"Because -- because, Owen---"
She held my hand and then drag me toward the car but I stood still.
She was forced to face me again and answer me. "Because you are my assistant."
"Oh ok." That's all I could say. I don't know why I was so disappointed. Now it's clear, that she just sees me as her assistant, nothing more. I was expecting that at least, she sees me as a... Friend.
It was already lunch so she made me choose between eating in a restaurant or at her place.
I chose her place. "It's practical and cozy there."
"You mean, we'll eat a home-cooked meal?" She got sad, "I don't know how to cook. I don't even know how to fry."

She even looked sadder. "Aren't you going to tease me, to make fun of me? I'm an independent woman who doesn't know how to cook."
"What's so funny about that?" I put my arm around her shoulders and then started to walk towards her car. "By the way, I'm hesitant to say this, Miss kara. I've been bottling up this concern since this morning--"
"Yes. Owen?"
"Can you please-- ah nothing, Miss. Just ignore me."
”C'mon, Owen. It's alright, speak it up."
"Well, I just want to suggest, if it's ok with you, and if not, it's no problem too. But Boss, I think it's better for you not to wear such clothes."
I said it finally. I'm dying to tell her but I couldn't. I don't want her to think that I'm too meddling with her life.
"You don't like it? Am I not pretty with these kinds of clothes?"
I sighed. How could I tell her that she's too pretty and sexy with her body-fit jeans and thin shirt? Her busty chest and curvy hips were too attractive and I don't want any man to lust after her.
"No, Miss Kara. In fact, you're too hot. I can't take my eyes off you. It's distracting."
Ugh, that's brutally honest, I was embarrassed.
"If that's what my assistant says then I'll obey. You're my boss, Sir." She laughed so sweetly.
I told her to go to the supermarket and we bought ingredients for our lunch. I volunteered to cook and I will teach her how to cook.
I enjoyed teaching her, I know she enjoyed our cooking bonding too.
She asked me to stay till night and I asked her why. Assistants don't overstay in the bosses' apartment, right?
"I'm asking you to stay with me, not as a boss but as a friend. Okay?" She said. Alright if that's what my friend wants.
It was 3 p.m. when a delivery man brought a pack of beer in a can.
"What's this, Boss? You're drinking alcohol?" I asked frowning. I can't tell her directly that I don't want her to do it.
"We will drink these." She opened the two cans of beer and hand me one.
"I don't drink." I sternly turned down the beer she was offering me.
"Fine. Just let me, ok?" She drank almost half of it and still athirst for more.
"Maki is a drunkard, he goes home at the dawn, Cher often waits for him patiently just to be ignored or sometimes get hit by Maki. I pity her--"
"Cher, you're too worried about your sister. Not all people are violent when they're drunk." She finished the remaining beer in the can.
"My father is a good man until he started to drink..." I told her.
Miss Kara listened to me carefully.
"He beats me without any reason. I became numb to his beatings but it left a scar in my heart."
She started to drink another can of beer. "Sorry to hear that. Don't worry, I won't beat you. Another thing--" her eyes suddenly became dreamy. Maybe the spirit of alcohol is starting to creep in.
"Owen, you don't have the right to stop me from drinking. If you want to meddle with my life--"
She paused for a minute, looking pensively into my eyes. "Court me first. I will give you all the rights in the world to restrict me, I will follow whatever you will say."
I just laughed at it. "Miss, your alcohol tolerance is so low. You're already tipsy."
"No. Not yet. Two cans of beer have no effect on me. Owen, I want to ask you something." She rest her chin on her hand and closed her eyes. I think she's dizzy now.
"Owen, be honest, is there a girl you like in your school? Ah silly! Why did I ask that? Of course, you have. Men like your age have lots of girls." Then she laughed while her eyes are still closed.
I laughed too. "Miss Kara, honestly, I'm not interested in women. Because they're not interested in me either. Haha."
She opened her eyes and then drink another can of beer. She moved closer to my side and looked at me.
"Girls in your school probably are blind. They don't know what a man they miss." She said with eyes so sleepy while tracing my lips with her pointing finger and then sensuously yanking my hair. She must be so tipsy now.
She even rest her head on my chest and hugged me. "Well, it's good enough for me, let them be blind. You're just mine."
I was stunned by what she said but she was tipsy. How could I believe her? Ah no, she's not tipsy anymore, she's drunk already.
She has fallen asleep on my chest so I carried her and lay her in bed.
I left a note in the fridge before leaving her place.
I was already in the middle of my travel back to the dorm when I remember the files that I need to save from Miss Kara's desktop. I have to return to her condo.
But she's sleeping already, I guess I'll do it tomorrow since I have free time on Sundays.
But there's a voice in the back of my mind that's telling me that I should go back.
If that's what you called gut feeling then now I should listen to what my heart says because when I went back to her place, I rang the doorbell so many times, I really felt that something was off inside Miss Kara's unit.
I will not leave until she wakes up and sees with my very own eyes that she's alright.
Finally, the door opened. Josh was the one who opened it. He was so irritated. He was wearing pants and was topless. Miss Kara's unit is fully airconditioned, why would he take his shirts off?
"Hey, bug. What do you want? You need money?" He took his wallet out of his pocket and gave me a one thousand peso bill.
"Where's Miss Kara?" I asked while secretly calling the security department of the condo. I stretched out my neck to search for her but Josh tried to close the door.
"She's sleeping, don't disturb her. It's her rest day. Give her a break."
"I'll wait for her till she wakes up. It's important. She's the one who told me to come, she has something important she asked me to do." I lied.
"I told you she's sleeping. Get out!" Josh pushed me so hard and that was the moment that insisted to go inside.
I quickly went to her room but Josh caught the back of my shirt to stop me. This is it! I have to fight him. I already saw Miss Kara in her bed she was tied to the headboard and her mouth was sealed with duct tape.
It's infuriating to see her in that appearance. She was just wearing undergarments, almost naked.
She's struggling to get away from her bondage.
When Josh touched me, I can no longer hold my temper, I punched his face real hard, and thankfully before he could take a turn to punch me, I was able to dodge it.
And before he could try again, the security guards arrived just in time.
They pinned him to the ground to stop him. "Let me go! I will peacefully leave!" Josh yelled in desperation.
The guards set him free and he fixed himself. He did what he said; he voluntarily left. But he glared at me one last time as if telling me that we were not done yet.
I remembered Miss Kara, I ran towards her. I untied her knots and took the duct tape from her mouth.
I covered her too with a blanket. She was tremendously scared, she was crying while trembling. I pity her.
I can't help but embrace her and cover her in my arms.
It took her for a while to calm down. When she does, she fixed herself.
We went to the police station and reported it to the police.
The next day, Josh knew about it and ragingly rush through Miss Kara's place but he was already banned.
Miss Kara kept the record of CCTVs in her house, her strong evidence against Josh.
I knew then that Miss Kara already set up hidden cameras on every corner of her house before I suggested it.
Josh had no choice but to keep his distance from Miss Kara.
We could work with ease in the office now that there's no Josh's annoying presence.
When our work was done, Miss Kara stood in front of me while I was about to open the door.
"Thank you, Owen," she said.
She leaned against the door, I know she has a lot to say so I listen to her.
"I watched the happenings that were recorded in the CCTVs. When I got drunk --"
Ah, I see. Maybe the moment that I was looking at her while she was sleeping, it was taped.
"Thank you for everything. Thank you for protecting me. You're a trustworthy man. I'm glad that I found you, Owen. I'm forever grateful." She held my hands and smiled at me sincerely.
I smiled back at her and we went home together as usual.
The next day, Mr. Curtis knew about what happened. He fired Josh.
I was surprised to see him in Miss Kara's office.
Miss Kara introduced me to her dad and I was so nervous even though Mr. Curtis is a very nice man.
"Dad, he's Owen, my-- my personal assistant. He's the one I'm talking about." Miss Kara said.
"Oh, I see. So, I must thank this young man for saving you." Mr. Curtis said then looked at me smilingly. "Thank you, Owen. Since I owe you a lot, I must promote you. Do you want to work in my office?"
I was surprised, it's a great opportunity but working in his office means leaving Miss Kara and---"You're welcome, Sir. I'm grateful for your offer but no, thanks--"
"Dad, he's still studying. In fact, he will leave me in two months." Miss Kara interrupted.
"Well--" Mr. Curtis didn't insist. "Anyway, sweetheart, I had small talks with David yesterday. He told me he will return here to the Philippines next year to settle down. Maybe he will ask you to marry him. Oh, fina--"
I was surprised when I heard what Mr. Curtis said and the coffee I was serving him, accidentally slipped from my hand.
We were all motionless when the cup fell and the coffee spilled. I immediately apologize and clean the mess.
Mr. Curtis stayed cool, he wasn't angry at all. He then said goodbye to us. He has work to do and just dropped by to check on his daughter.
"David is just my childhood friend. I don't think he will ask me to marry him--" Miss Kara said when we were alone and the office seemed so silent.
Why is she explaining? She doesn't have to, I am just her personal assistant.
That's it, I'm just her assistant. It's breaking my heart to hear about David because I know I am no match for him. But what can I do? I'm just her assistant. I should know my place.
Since then, I became less close to her. I graciously turn down her invitations whenever she's in the mood to eat or stroll in the mall. Yes, I became so distant.
Our relationship is just boss-assistant, nothing more.
One time, I received a message from FB, it came from an anonymous sender. But then he introduced himself as Caleb when I clicked his message.
I really can't believe it at first but he sent me proof that he really is Caleb whom Cher was patiently waiting for.
He explained everything about how he found me and why he doesn't want to reveal himself to Cher.
I asked him if I could tell about him Miss Kara and he said that he wouldn't mind as long as she can keep it a secret from Cher.
Miss Kara was psyched to chat with her childhood friend and see what he looks like now. It's not hidden from me that Caleb was his first crush. And I'm a bit jealous. Just a little.
Good thing, Caleb was really into Cher. He has a life-changing surprise for her.
That's the time he asked me to arrange all Cher's and Leily's necessary legal documents. He also purchased two properties which gave me a very nice sales commission.
I think Caleb was my lucky charm, though I don't believe in luck for I believe everything comes and happens for a reason. But since Caleb came into the picture, a lot of clients were coming to me and I was able to reach my quota.
My work became harder and my time became tighter. I am in desperate need of an assistant if I want to continue studying while working. If I don't hire one, I have to sacrifice either my studies or my work but I want to keep them both.
I had no choice but to hire an assistant I told to Miss Kara and she agreed. She said that though she doesn't want the idea of me having an assistant if that's the way to keep me working for her, then so be it.
"My assistant needs an assistant. Fine, I hope you can find an efficient one." She said.
I easily got an assistant, she's Rene's younger sister who just graduated from a two-year secretarial course. Her name is Aimee.
She's so sweet and bubbly. We easily get along because of Rene. She often visits her brother in the dorm so I personally know her.
She's very efficient in her work. I have nothing to say against her. She's a big help to me.
So, I really don't know why Miss Kara fired her without any valid reasons. Aimee was crying in front of me because of the injustice she got.
I confronted Miss Kara to listen to her side. I was stunned to see her, sweetly smiling at me while sitting in her chair.
She dyed her reddish brown hair into charcoal black, her natural hair.
She looks so young, so pretty, and stunning. It seems that I was looking at an eleven-year-old Kara. I no longer wonder why Cher was so insecure about her when they were young.
I have a picture taken when she was eleven, I'm keeping it in my wallet.
I was bewitched that I almost forgot the reason why I came.
"I'm the boss here. I can do whatever I want." That's what she said. I can't believe how merciless she is.
"I don't get it, Boss. At least give her a valid reason, the ground for termination. It's against the law. She can file a complaint--'
"Go ahead." She just shrugged as if she didn't care and it wasn't a big deal.
The next morning, I went to her office and put my resignation letter on the top of her working table. She read it first. Her brows furrowed as she reads it.
Then she tore it apart. "Sorry, I can't accept your resignation. Your reason was 'for a personal reason'. It's unacceptable."
"After I give you my reason, there's nothing you can do to withhold my resignation. Listen carefully to me, Kara."
I leaned my face toward her and looked intently into her eyes. She seems rattled when I broke through her defenses.
"I hired Aimee besides that I need an assistant, I need her to divert my feelings that I devoted just for you. You're breaking my heart, Miss. I'm dying of jealousy. How can I compete with a man like Dave? I'm just a man with nothing to be proud of. I have to forget you as early as I can. I cannot work with you anymore. I love you, Kara but I'm not the man for you."
I have a lot of things to say but I know it's senseless, I'll be leaving her soon. I turned my back on her and when I opened the door, Mr. Curtis was about to enter.
His cheerful greeting was interrupted by the scene he witnessed.
I felt soft arms wrapped around my waist.
"Owen, don't leave me please." She's crying.
I'm trying to unclasp her embrace because Mr. Curtis was looking at us with astonishment. "Miss Kara, your Dad is here."
But she holds tighter to me instead. "Owen, I love you too. I'm willing to forsake everything, this company, my position, my money, I don't care, Owen. I won't exchange you with anything in this world."
Though Mr. Curtis was shocked by Miss Kara's confession, he said nothing. He just smiled at me.
What Miss Kara had said was too overwhelming the words could not sink in smoothly in my brain.
Did she just confess? Am I not dreaming? Did she say that she loves me too?
Yeah, everything that I heard was real.
Later, I formally asked her to court her. I asked Mr. Curtis as well and he permitted me.
I guess he really wants his daughter to get married.
Not for so long, Kara and I were in a relationship.
Mr. Curtis permitted Kara and me to go to Japan together to attend Cher's wedding.
Though she's already my girlfriend I used to call her 'Miss Kara'.
I know that she envied Cher a lot. She dreamt of a man like Caleb doing the same with her; from the romantic wedding proposal to the grandiose garden or church wedding.
So, after Cher and Caleb's wedding and they flew to the Philippines for their honeymoon, Kara and I stayed in Cher's house for one week.
The house seems so quiet. That was the first night that we will spend alone together. We're both nervous. Especially me, I was so tempted to make her mine that night. I have all the time and chance in the world to do so...
Before bedtime, I made her warm milk so she will not search for a can of beer. I noticed the emptiness in her eyes. I know she's sad.
She was about to go upstairs to sleep when I held her hand.
"Kara, I may not be as handsome, rich, and ideal as Caleb is... I don't have my own big house, fancy cars, I have nothing to be proud of, no ring to offer you and propose underneath the cherry blossom tree--"
My tears started to fall from my eyes and hers as well but she kept on listening to me.
"But I have my whole heart and soul that I could offer you, to love, care, and protect you, to understand you till the last beat of my heart--" I put our hands to my heart and continue talking. "Kara Curtis, please marry me."
She burst out crying and rest her head on my chest. No words came out of her lips, she just nodded repeatedly.
"Owen, yes. I will marry you. You don't have to be like Caleb. You're the greatest man in the world."
"Kara, do you know that the first time I saw your picture, I really find you cute? I knew then I already found the woman I will love for eternity. Maybe that's one of the reasons why I was eager to find you. Finally, God answered my prayer. I love you."
I became an architect. I bought the whole lot of Corner Lights Cabaret, hewn it down with a new house. That place was special to me, to Cher, and Caleb, for it was our home for many years. A lot of dreams and memories were built in this place.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's Note:
Again, I'm sorry for the story flow and I know it's very far from perfect but I should end Owen and Kara's story here. Thank you for supporting me.
Tips, please. Thank you. Please read the last chapter. It will be worth your time.