“The president wants me to reach out to all the department heads and get familiar with their operations and workflow. I just got back from running around all day,” Yarrick explained.

“What? The president’s back already?” Michael looked surprised.

“No, not yet. She gave me the assignment over the phone,” he added.

“Oh, I see. Hey, you know what? During lunch, I went for a smoke at the stairwell and heard a rumor,” Michael said in a low voice.

Michael glanced at the door, then lowered his voice. “I heard the president gave her female secretary special treatment. Everyone suspects they were in a relationship.”

“Hmm? What kind of relationship?” Yarrick asked. He didn’t catch on right away. To him, it wasn’t strange for two women to be close friends. It made sense for Haley to take care of her secretary.

“They said they were in a romantic relationship—like, as a couple. But no one knows if it’s true,” Michael clarified. He looked around the office, and something seemed to click. “Take a look at this place. Isn’t it way too luxurious for a secretary’s office? I’ve been to Mr. Dawson’s office, and it doesn’t even come close to this one. Don’t you think this kind of treatment is a bit too much for just a secretary?”

Yarrick nodded. He agreed with the observation. Then again, if they were best friends, it was reasonable for the previous secretary to receive special treatment.

“Still, it might not be what you think. What if they really were just really good friends?” Yarrick said.

“Dude, it’s not that simple. But from what I’ve heard, their relationship wasn’t exactly normal. Then, they fought. Right after that, the secretary quit. That was when the president fell sick,” Michael added.

“Hmm…” Yarrick responded.

It was difficult to make sense of half-told stories. These rumors could only be confirmed by the people involved.

“That has nothing to do with me. I’ll just follow orders from my superior,” Yarrick said calmly.

“What? It has something to do with you!” Michael argued.

“Think about it. If the president doesn’t like men, you won’t stand a chance with her! But if you could get her to fall for you, you’d hit the jackpot, man!”

“No, that’s messed up. You’re letting your imagination run wild. Even if she does like men, who’s to say she’d like me?” Yarrick replied.

“You can never be sure! With your face, your body, your build—what woman wouldn’t want you? Especially women in their thirties or forties. Their desires are through the roof,” Michael claimed.

Yarrick couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Michael preferred going after older women, especially rich ones, more than he did.

“Even if she does like younger men, it’d be a fling at best. Marriage? That’s a long shot,” Yarrick added.

“Come on, you never know. With your build and skills, you could put on a performance so impressive that she’d completely fall for you. Then maybe, just maybe, she’d marry you,” Michael teased.

Hearing that, Yarrick cleared his throat and shook his head.

Secretly, Hailey’s face popped into his mind. He was looking forward to seeing her this weekend. He wondered what their meeting would be like.

The president, huh? I wonder, would she fall head over heels when she saw him in his tracksuit?

“Seriously, man, think about it. With your level of charisma, you could straighten her out,” Michael added, still pushing the idea.

“What a great idea,” Yarrick replied sarcastically, wrapping up the conversation.

“Yup! You should give it a try, my man!”

Yarrick was already married to Hailey, so he had no intention of making a move on Haley Jardon. He didn’t care about her looks or whether or not she liked women. It simply didn’t matter to him. What he wanted was to build a loving and lasting relationship with his wife, Hailey.

The week flew by, and Thursday came in the blink of an eye. He had managed to reach out to all the department heads and learned about their operations.

Since he was now the president’s secretary, all the department heads were extremely cooperative. No one gave him a hard time.

It was now time for him to call Haley’s phone number.

Having completed his assignment and spoken with every department head and the higher-ups, he decided to give her an update on his progress.

“Hello, Varrick,” Haley answered. Her voice remained calm with a subtle hint of amusement.

“Hello, Ms. Jardon. I’ve completed my assignment as per your request. I’ve reached out to all the department heads, spoken with them, and learned how the company operates,” he reported.

“You’ve already learned about the company’s operation?” she asked.

“Yes, Ms. Jardon. I didn’t have much time, but I learned the general gist of it,” he responded.

“Good, that’s great.”

She complimented him, and the smile in her voice became more prominent. She paused for a brief moment, and it seemed like someone was beside her.

“Varrick, why don’t you come meet me tomorrow morning? Let’s meet at 10:00 am. I’ll send you the address later.”

“Alright then. Thank you.”

The call ended quickly.

Yarrick stared at his cellphone, a strange feeling creeping over him. Haley shared a similar name to Hailey, but based on the way she acted on the phone, it was impossible that she was the same person he had married.

If she were Hailey, she wouldn’t have sounded nonchalant, especially after the kiss where she had kissed him back.

If they hadn’t been in the hospital that day, would they have done more than just kiss?

Just as that thought came to mind, his phone rang again. He picked it up and saw that it was his dad calling. “Hi, Dad.”

“Are you busy right now?”

“No, I’m not busy. Have you taken Mom to the general hospital in town?”

“Yes, we’re already here. We’ve been staying at the hospital for two days.”

“What happened?”

“Well—Mom underwent a minor surgery, and in two more days, we’ll be good to go.”

“Is there anything you need? I can send some money your way.”

Hearing that nothing serious was going on, Yarrick let out a quiet sigh of relief.

“No, no, it’s fine. I don’t think the bill will even reach a thousand dollars. Just take care of yourself out there. Call us if you need anything.”

“Alright, Dad. Take care.” The call ended.

“Hey, Yarrick! Remember that kid from your elementary school? Well, he’s already married!” Michael exclaimed.

Yarrick watched his friend and didn’t help but blush. His dad was nudging him to find a girlfriend.

Regarding Hailey, their relationship couldn’t be rushed. They needed to give it time until their relationship was more solid.