Under The Cherry Blossoms – Chapter 5: Pink-Haired Lady

"So, this is Polaris — our not-so-finished AI marvel that can distinguish between two different entities in an image. It's remarkable, don't you think?" Ethan begins, showcasing the slide on the projection board.

Lily, her eyes wide with intrigue, nods as she scribbles down notes, "Incredible indeed. But from what you've explained so far, doesn't it already possess all the capabilities required for the Raviga project?"

Days turn into weeks, with Lily continuing her training under Ethan's mentorship. He familiarizes her with all the products developed by Mystique Holdings, detailing their uses and applications. He also shares more information about her project, Raviga. Throughout these sessions, she finds herself increasingly attracted to the charismatic Ethan.

Simultaneously, she notices a peculiar phenomenon. Almost every day upon arriving at the office, she sees a pink-haired lady standing outside the building. At first, she assumes the woman must be a local resident, so she decides to overlook her presence.

“Raviga is a large company, so they're expecting a fully developed product. As Polaris is new and still in development, we can't showcase it yet.” Ethan replies.

“But what if we…” Lily begins, outlining her idea to Ethan who listens attentively, a small smile playing on his lips. “With this approach, I doubt they will reject us.” She finishes her proposal confidently.

“This is impressive, Lily, but we don’t have a sufficient budget to implement this on such a large scale,” Ethan tells her.

“Given that Raviga is a major company, if the tech team somehow manages to develop this before the deadline, I think you guys can negotiate a higher fee, considering there's nothing like this in the market.” Lily suggests. She continues, “Also, I've examined the project and product reports you shared with me in the previous sessions. There are several projects where we're spending more budget than necessary. I could come up with a revised budget report that might be more efficient and help us manage the Raviga project.”

Ethan smiles again, saying, “I must admit, this seems like a creative solution. Alright, Lily, present your report to me tomorrow and I'll see if we can implement it.”

Lily nods and returns his smile.

"Alright Lily, I have a meeting in about..." Ethan glances at his Rolex watch, his brow furrowing in confusion. "Oh wow, it seems like I do have a bit of time."

Lily silently chuckles at this and asks, "Ethan, may I ask a question?"

Ethan shifts his gaze to her and replies, "Of course, Lily. What's on your mind?"

"You're always busy, aren't you?" Lily inquires, prompting Ethan to respond with a bemused "Hm?"

"What I mean is," Lily continues, "you're the owner and manager of such a significant company. You must be overwhelmed with meetings and other responsibilities."

Ethan nods and admits, "That's true. My schedule is usually packed."

With that in mind, Lily can't help but wonder, "Then why do you still take time out for these training sessions?" Realizing her question might sound impertinent, she quickly adds, "Couldn't someone else in the company take over that role?"

Ethan regards her for a moment, and Lily worries she may have upset him. But then he smiles and begins to explain. "It's a bit of a long story," he starts. "When I first founded this company, we didn't have many people. In fact, we barely had anyone at all, only Frederick and Viktor. But as time passed, we started to grow. People like Jessica, Melissa, and so on joined the team. You probably met most of them at your welcome party."

"I remember," Lily chimes in, her mind failing to summon images of Viktor or Jessica from the party. Yet, the figure of the tall, imposing Frederick does emerge distinctly from her memories. She decides to hold her tongue, quietly absorbing the rest of Ethan's story.

"I was the one who trained and mentored them in the early days," Ethan continues. "As we started developing various products, I began to feel that, as the creator of these products, it was my responsibility to instruct the employees about them."

He pauses, reflecting on the journey of his company. "As the company grew, we had people join and leave, but no matter what, every single employee has been trained by me at the start of their journey here. I might not be able to supervise everyone all the time, but at least in the beginning..." He trails off, realizing he might have shared more than necessary.

Listening to Ethan, Lily finds herself filled with respect for him. "That's amazing," she murmurs, not quite realizing she's voiced her thoughts aloud.

"Thank you," Ethan replies, his gaze meeting hers.

Ethan and Lily shared an intense moment of eye contact before both simultaneously realize the closeness. Ethan stammers, stepping back and fumbling over his words. "Well okay, Miss Andrew," he straightens himself up, managing to force a professional demeanor. "I will see you later, have a good day ahead."

"You too, Ethan," Lily replies, holding his gaze for just a moment longer. As he leaves, she's left alone with her thoughts, her curiosity and admiration for Ethan blossoming into a deeper attraction.

As the days go by, Lily throws herself into her work, delivering a stellar budget report for the Raviga project that impresses even Ethan. Her dedication doesn't go unnoticed, and she finds herself becoming part of the work family, sharing lunches and laughs with Layla, Melissa, and Liam.

However, she couldn't help but notice the recurrent appearance of the pink-haired woman outside the office building. Her curiosity piqued, Lily decided to bring it up with Layla one day.

"Layla, who is this pink-haired lady?" Lily asks curiously.

"Oh, that's the landlady," Layla replies.

"The landlady?" Lily repeats, surprised.

"Yes, she's the owner of the building," Layla explains, pondering the situation.

"Huh, she looks so young, maybe a bit older than you," Lily expresses her astonishment.

"Haha, I don't know. I've never spoken to her, but this town certainly has talented young people," Layla chuckles.

"Well, I see her here every day at this time," Lily mentions.

"Oh yes, she's always here at this time. I think she checks on her building, but I don't really know," Layla responds.

"Oh, okay. That seems weird, but sure," Lily says, still feeling a bit confused.

"Don't worry too much about it," Layla reassures her.

"Do you know her name, though?" Lily asks, hoping for more information.

"Hmm, I can't really remember," Layla ponders.

"Aren't you the receptionist of this place and still don't know the name of the landlady?" Lily smirks playfully.

"Oh, shush. I'm trying to remember. I think it's Miss Hayes or something," Layla tries to recall.

"Miss Hayes, I see," Lily finds it intriguing.

Just then, Melissa appears and says, "I'd be careful if I were you, Lily."

"Huh? I'm sorry, Miss Stone?" Lily is confused by Melissa's warning.

"I'm just saying, it's better if you stay away from that pink witch. It won't lead to any good," Melissa bluntly advises.

"Umm..." Lily becomes even more perplexed by Melissa's words.

"Just remember what I said," Melissa concludes and heads to her office.

"What was that all about?" Lily asks Layla, seeking some clarity.

"Even I don't know what's up with grumpy," Layla replies, equally puzzled by Melissa's behavior.

Lily eventually returns to her desk, where Liam greets her. After a brief conversation, Lily makes her way to the conference room for the training session, where Ethan continues to impart knowledge and guide her through the intricacies of their project Raviga. The session proceeds smoothly, with Lily absorbing the information eagerly and asking thoughtful questions. Her enthusiasm and dedication impress Ethan, who commends her progress and encourages her to keep up the good work

Ethan finished the training and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes a bit before looking at Lily. "So, are you enjoying your new workplace, Lily?" He asked, the corners of his mouth lifting in a faint smile.

Lily blinked in surprise, as Ethan usually didn’t do small talk. After a moment's pause, she replied, "Yes, I actually really like it here. I'm learning a lot of new things every day."

"I'm glad, Lily." Ethan responded, his voice calm and sincere. He nodded in appreciation, and Lily couldn't help but return the smile.

She tilted her head slightly, her eyes twinkling with playful curiosity. "So, another meeting today?"

Ethan laughed - a deep, hearty sound - and shook his head. "Unfortunately, yes." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's difficult to find free time with so many meetings."

"I don’t think you actually would have free time anyway." Lily teased, a hint of laughter in her voice.

Ethan feigned shock at her comment, his eyes widening theatrically. "That's not true! I do get free time." He insisted, chuckling.

Lily bit her lip, hesitating for a moment. "So, if you don’t mind, can I ask another question?"

"Sure, Lily. And don’t be so formal." Ethan responded, gesturing for her to continue.

She inhaled, gathering her thoughts. "Does your work actually leave you with time for anything outside work?" Lily asked, her tone more serious.

Ethan paused, caught off guard by her straightforward question. He blinked a couple of times, then chuckled awkwardly, "Umm... ehh?"

Realizing she might have crossed a line, Lily quickly clarified, "I mean, a hobby." She frowned, thinking to herself, "Hobby, who the hell even asks about hobbies these days?”

“Do you have any hobbies or anything?" She blurted out, instantly regretting her word choice.

Unfortunately, Ethan didn't have an answer to either of Lily's questions. Except for work, he didn’t really do anything else. He paused, his brow furrowing as he wracked his brain for a suitable response. When nothing immediately came to mind, he glanced down at his watch and swiftly stood up.

“Oh, I have to call Mr. Raymond. I'm sorry, Lily, but let's continue our conversation some other time? You did well in the training today. I'll see you soon." His words rushed out in a hasty tumble.

With that, Ethan turned on his heel and strode towards the door, leaving Lily alone in the conference room. She stared at his retreating back, a look of confusion etched on her face as she wondered whether she had crossed a line.

To Be Continued on chapter 6