Hearts System: 1000 Ways to Tell CEO I Love You-Chapter 9: Interesting

The maiden decided not to bother him. She spotted another room with the same gimmick as the ensuite. The false wall opened to a hotel kitchen, erm, the pantry. However, there was an induction stove, so Luellen figured it was a real kitchen. She walked inside and looked into the cupboards. It didn’t seem to have food aside from the premium tea leaves and coffee beans stored on one side.

"Ms Piper...?"

Luellen heard Leander call her. She hurried to the door and smiled at the CEO, who was looking around for her. "Yes, Mr Leander? What can I do for you?"

Leander brought his face back to his computer. "I’m working through lunch. Ask Houston for the restaurant flyers and pick out food."

"On it, Mr Leander!"

The maiden hurried to the inner office’s main door and left. She quickly found Houston on his desk. The outer office only had four desks despite its ample space. It even looked like each station could be treated as a full office with its allotment. Luellen walked to Houston and waited for him to acknowledge her with the slightest of glances.

She said softly, "Mr Houston, Mr Leander said he’s working through lunch. He wants me to pick food for him from the flyers you have, I think. Does he have a favorite?"

"Not much. Let me look for them." Houston spun his chair to look through the drawers behind him. He didn’t even realize when Galaxy got up from her chair.

"Leander!" Galaxy called out when she opened the door, ignoring Luellen’s gaze. She walked in after closing the door behind her. "I heard you’re working through lunch. That’s not good for you. Let’s go out, instead!"

The closed door obscured the rest of their conversation. Luellen only watched the inner door, which stayed unmoving for a few seconds. She turned to Houston when she heard him snort in derision. The maiden could only receive the flyers in her hands and looked through them as if Galaxy hadn’t convinced Leander to eat out with her.

Before Luellen could start a conversation about Leander’s orders, the door behind her opened. Everyone saw Galaxy leaving with a smile, grabbing her exquisite coat from her chair. Leander followed her, fiddling with something in his hand.

"Houston, drive." Leander only said a few words, but everyone knew what they meant. Houston didn’t hide his sigh and grabbed his coat from the side.

"Watch over Sydney." Houston reminded Luellen before he chased Leander and Galaxy out of the office. He didn’t even miss the helpless sigh Shirley made. However, he had no time for the real nobody.

In a second, the office grew quiet again. Luellen only kept the flyers and walked to the inner office to join Sydney.

"Ms Piper, you can’t stay there without Leander." Madam Henny called out, making Luellen turn to her. The old woman gestured at Houston’s desk. "Let Sydney out and just sit there. Unless we’re cleaning, no one is allowed inside if he’s not around. It’s a precautionary measure for everyone."

"Thanks for the reminder, Madam." Luellen still walked inside. She picked up Sydney and the two bags before closing the door behind her.

Sydney slept the morning off on the cozy couch in the outer office. Her tote bag was next to her as if she needed to wear it.

Luellen kept her bag to herself. She only sat on Houston’s chair, staring at his computer’s black screen. Even if she was not running around, she still didn’t do anything connected to a job. She was supposed to be interning, but Luellen felt like she was still being treated like a helper.

That was when she caught her phone ping for a message. She fished it out of her bag and saw a message from Shirley. It was through the app where they had a group chat. Other employees also used this app to place orders at Luellen yesterday.

[It’s almost twelve. Aren’t you going for the lunch run? I think Chicken Parmigiana from Nadina should be good for today. I’ll pay you after you return.]

Luellen looked up from the computer screen, catching Shirley looking at her with a vicious smile. The maiden only stared at her before leaving her bag on the floor. Luellen got up from her seat and went to Madam Henny. She smiled at the old woman, who quickly acknowledged her.

"Madam, do you want me to get you something for a takeaway?" Luellen didn’t even smile maliciously.

"Not really... Where are you planning to buy food from? Can’t we just get one for delivery?" Madam Henny reached for her phone.

"Nadina. It’s just a few blocks from here."

Madam Henny looked up and glanced down at her phone. "That pizzeria, huh? Let’s see. What do you recommend?"

Luellen glanced at Shirley behind her. She turned to Madam Henny again. "Chicken Parmigiana. It should be good for today."

"Hm, all right. Get me one of those... and a few Mozzarella sticks. Thanks." Madam Henny waved her phone. "Give me your MoMo. I’ll pay for my order. Let me know if it’s not enough."

"Sure." Luellen smiled and received money from Madam Henny. Instead of speaking to Shirley, Luellen just left the office to make her lunch run.

Yes, she would buy others lunch. No, Shirley wasn’t one of them.

...

When Leander, Houston, and Galaxy returned to the office, two desks were vacant. Madam Henny was eating at her desk, keeping her workspace clean. Luellen was on the couch, not gambling with Houston’s desk. Sydney was on the floor, balling up beside her empty food and water bowl. Shirley had to leave because Luellen didn’t buy her food.

The air didn’t feel fresh and free from tension. Houston easily picked up on it, but he just walked to his desk to finish up work. Galaxy went to her desk in a bad mood, ignoring the strange atmosphere. Only Leander stood around as if watching something.

"Is something wrong, Leander?" Madam Henny asked after noticing the man gawking in Luellen’s direction.

"What are you eating?" Leander asked as soon as Luellen looked up at him. He frowned a little. "I’ve never seen that container before."

"This is from Nadina. A lot of girls from Sales ordered food from there." Luellen smiled at him. She didn’t see a flyer from the mid-tier pizzeria in the flyers Houston gave her. "Do you eat chicken? It’s Chicken Parmigiana."

To Galaxy’s horror, Leander balled his coat and sat beside Luellen on the couch. The maiden flinched in shock, but she still scooted to give him more space. Luellen had to lend him her fork. The CEO couldn’t possibly use his hand because of the white cheese sauce. No one knew who watched the scene most intently.

Leander used Luellen’s fork for a small slice. His expression didn’t seem to change. He gave the fork back before getting up. "Interesting."

"T... They have other bestsellers. Is there a certain taste that you like?" Luellen didn’t even know how silly she sounded. All she knew was that Leander didn’t bother using a fork that she had put in her mouth.

Should she even use it again?