Love Until It Hurts (Monteverde Series 4)

3

            When Elaine texted me again saying they're ready for take off, I told her to take care of herself again and waited until I could see the Philippine Airlines flight sail into the sky, before I sped back to the office.

            "Good morning, ZM." My temporary secretary, Bernadette, smiled amicably as she straightened at the sight of me. "Sir, a certain Mr. Sasaki phoned a couple of minutes ago saying he needs to speak with you. I couldn't find his name on the contacts, so I just took his number and email address and told him I'll try to schedule him."

            She handed me a folded piece of paper with the caller's credentials which I eyed with confusion. My eyebrows furrowed.

            "I don't know anyone named Rodolfo Sasaki. Are you sure he's looking for me? Baka naman wrong number lang siya."

            "He mentioned your full name, sir."

            "I see. He must be a formal client that I don't remember. Sige, ako na ang bahalang tumawag sa kanya. Thank you, Ms. Del Carmen."

            As I sat on the swivel chair inside my office, I reached for the phone above the table and dialed the number Rodolfo Sasaki gave my secretary. It rang thrice before someone picked up the receiver.

            "Thank you for calling Smith-Anders Corporation. This is Danica, how may I help you?"

Nang marinig ko ang Smith-Anders Corporation ay nagkaroon na agad ako ng ideya kung sino ang Mr. Sasaki na ito. He may be the trusted staff Kervin was talking about a couple of days ago. Smith-Anders is the startup merchandising company he had built.

            "This is Zade Monteverde. May I speak to Mr. Sasaki, please?"

            "Sure, Mr. Monteverde. He's looking forward to speaking with you. Hold on." I heard the familiar transfer tune before someone picked up the phone. A gruff man's voice greeted me from the other line and it kind of reminded me of my father's voice, only this one sounded more heavy, more old.

            "Thank you for reaching out to me, Mr. Monteverde. I have important matters to discuss with you. I was told by my boss, Mr. Kuzma, to contact you for all approvals."

            "Alright."

            He paused. "Sir, we would have to request you to personally visit Ilocos to oversee the construction of the building expansion that Mr. Kuzma had been working on previously. We also need you to look at the proposed marketing campaigns and the budget allocation for this coming quarter."

            "Shouldn't those be his job?" tanong ko.

            "He said he trusts your decisions and expertise."

            "Well..." Humugot ako ng buntong hininga. "Your boss is crazy."

            He laughed awkwardly. It took me a couple of minutes of pure silence, before I called his attention back. "Alright. I'll see you all on Thursday. I'll have my secretary book me a ticket and accommodation and I'll let you know when I can meet the entire staff and the board.

            "That would be wonderful, Mr. Monteverde. I'll let our team know that you're flying here soon, so they can prepare for your arrival."

            "It's not necessary. Nothing grand, please."

            Once our conversation ended, I called Bernadette and had her make the arrangements for my temporary stay in Ilocos. Since I didn't know how many days I had to stay there, I instructed her to book me a one-way ticket for the meantime. Two hours later, she sent me the electronic ticket and receipt and I stared at the documents, wondering if there's anything good Ilocos can offer me other than the added responsibility Kervin put on my shoulders.