NOVEL NEXT Chapter 23: Rarity
When Katherine stepped into the lobby of the resort, the very first thing that she saw was the sea. The lobby was designed to greet the guests with a spectacular view of the blue waters that seemed to invite her in for a dip. It made her instantly forget that she was there for work.
Damien noticed that she was distracted but he allowed her to observe and react to however she wished so he kept his distance and just followed her as she walked down the stairs and headed towards the beachfront.
As soon as she stepped onto the ground that led towards the front part of the resort, she closed her eyes and inhaled the briny air that had the right amount of sea salt smell in it. For the last five years, she worked non stop yet she was still at the bottom of the society and this was the first time that she finally felt that relaxed.
She opened her eyes to the sound of the soothing soft waves that were rippling gently through the shore. The sky was like a curtain of blue and white where fluffy clouds slowly drifted past. 'Ahh… perfect.' She smiled to herself.
Noticing the presence next to her, she turned her head and saw her boss watching her with a curious look. She was still a bit mad at him about the whole shopping hullabaloo and the look that he had at this moment was making it difficult for her to snark.
How could he look gentle one second, flirty next and then bossy after? Also, can he not casually compliment her like what he did earlier? Katherine bit her tongue to keep herself from blushing when she recalled him telling her that she's beautiful.
"Are you still mad about what happened earlier?" He asked when he noticed her expression.
At first, she only thought of the many personalities he has but now, can he read minds too?
"I'm not mad." She put on her poker face and diverted her gaze as if she was scanning the surroundings. 'I'm just annoyed.'
A smirk threatened to appear on his face as he walked past her and headed towards the deck.
Katherine followed him behind and as soon as they arrived, there were already eight other people on the platform.
"Good morning, Mr. Park," they greeted and Damien returned with a nod.
"Is everything ready for the opening?" Damien asked.
"Most of the changes are already in the works. There are still a few that we are yet to start but we are positive that we can finish them in two weeks time," said Mr. Lim, the man who stood in the middle and had a General Manager title on his nameplate.
"That's great." Damien turned to Katherine then announced: "This is Katherine Miller. She'll be providing us with some information about our experience when we visited the Wu Hotel."
Nodding, she stood tall and just like what Damien told her in the car, she described everything in detail from the moment that they entered up until they left with the help of the notes that she wrote earlier; sparing the part about the woman coming onto Damien while they were at the bar.
"No wonder that hotel is about to close," said Mr. Lim. "Thank you for your input, Ms. Miller."
"Give your notes to Mr. Lim before we leave later," Damien instructed Katherine. Noticing the confused expression on Katherine, he added: "Mr. Wu's hotel has been in this area for a decade and his hotel is the primary choice of guests; however, as what we have experienced, there were a lot of factors that are clearly neglected in his hotel. Actually, even without knowing his mishaps, our resort is more than enough to shake him already. But, why stop there when we can do more? What we're going to do is to make sure we highlight the areas that he was lacking to draw in customers."
Katherine thought about it for a second and recalled what she disliked about the amenities.
Damien continued, "Their restaurant is great and whatever's great, well…"
"We take it…" Mr. Lim finished Damien's sentence with a knowing smile.
Katherine raised a brow at them. Their smiles have a different meaning behind it but she couldn't place her finger into it. "Take?" she probed.
"Mr. Lim, you're confusing her. How could we just take it?" Damien chuckled as he glanced at Katherine.
He walked closer and the corners of his mouth pulled upwards. A devilish smile formed on his handsome face as he shamelessly told her, "We steal them."
"S-steal?" Katherine's eyes widened. She was even more confused than before. 'How? Why? Isn't that bad?'
Mr. Lim and the rest of the employees snickered at their big boss's words. They were already used to his ways but seeing how he played the woman like that, she must be special. They have seen him with a few women before but the way he looked and treated Katherine the entire time was totally different. He was always nice to those women but he never paid attention to them the same way that he does to her.
Damien stared into her eyes. He wanted to see her reaction as he said, "Ms. Miller, staying at the top of this industry requires you to be ruthless. Being mild will only take you to the surface and when your competitors see you there, they will destroy you and won't even give you a chance. The only way to avoid that is to crush them."
Katherine could only marvel at the way Damien told her these things. Indeed, the higher the aim, the dirtier the game. This is true to many businessmen. She didn't know why but she liked this side of him that it made her heart throb.
What she didn't know was that Damien wasn't like this before, but he learned the hard way after being betrayed back when he had just started his business.
Damien saw the glint in her eyes as if she was looking at her idol. He had expected her to flinch or back away from his words but she actually showed interest.
She looked docile, a sight that he had seen only a few times. He was used to seeing Katherine's different facade each time but it still surprised him nevertheless. The Katherine now was like a little animal making him want to take care of her.
Turning his face to Mr. Lim, Damien asked, "How's the Chef?"
"Just like what you had predicted. He had been wanting to leave the Wu Hotel for so many years but couldn't. After your offer, he's more than willing to work in our resort." Mr. Lim proudly said.
"You… pirated the chef from Wu Hotel?" The news surprised Katherine. "Why? Is he really that good? I mean…" Couldn't they find another chef that they really have to 'steal'?
Damien tilted his head as he answered, "Wu Hotel's restaurant is a cash cow but Mr. Wu failed to take care of his people."
Catching Katherine's attention again, Mr. Lim added, "Bringing the chef in will bring the competitor down. Besides, we are actually saving his career since Mr. Wu is neglecting him. We take care of people, Ms. Miller. We see potentials and we don't let go. We see opportunities so we grab them. If we see people in need, we help them."
This atmosphere was totally new to Katherine. Was it always like this behind the scenes of powerful businessmen? She never knew as she had only been a commoner. Just as she wondered, a voice rang from behind.
"It's not even ten in the morning yet and you're already scheming," said the man in a grey suit as he walked towards them.
Damien turned and was about to respond when Katherine called the man first, "Caleb?"
"Mhmm. Good morning, Katherine. You look nice," he complimented without restraint when he saw her appearance.
Hearing them call each other by their first names, Damien couldn't help but raise a brow. "You two knew each other?"
Knowing Damien all his life, Caleb noticed the tone of his voice and he could only chuckle. This friend of his finally showed jealousy over a woman. 'How rare,' he said inwardly. Caleb wondered what would Damien do if he acted on his jealousy.