Meeting

Not wanting to get stuck in traffic that could hamper the trip for his first meeting, Ethan asked Hazel to prepare the car immediately.

The location of Senja Restaurant wasn't far. If the road was smooth, it could be reached in 10 minutes. But if it was blocked by traffic, it could take more than 20 minutes. As expected, today's roads were so congested that Ethan had to be patient as the vehicle he was riding in only moved little by little.

Hazel, who was sitting in the front, took the situation seriously. She occasionally opened her cell phone to look for information about the road she was currently traveling on. "Sir, there seems to have been an accident. The cars in front aren't even moving at all."

Then she turned to Ethan and asked worriedly. "What should we do, sir? If it continues like this, we'll be late. It's already been 15 minutes."

"Is there no other way?" asked Ethan.

He, who had been pensive, suddenly took notice of the surroundings, and only then did he realize that the surroundings were full of cars.

"There is another way, but now we're stuck. It might be difficult to get off the road." Hazel spontaneously looked at the driver for his opinion.

The driver nodded in agreement. "To get to that road, the path is ahead. If we can reach it soon, we can make it."

Ethan looked ahead. When he saw that the road was slightly free as the vehicle ahead started to move, he gave the order. "Keep following the car in front! Don't let other cars overtake and block our way!"

"Yes, sir." Fortunately, the driver with Ethan at this time was professional. He moved freely, taking advantage of the free roads and filling them up, until he finally managed to get out of the traffic jam.

Hazel breathed a sigh of relief as she leaned back. "Huft, it's a good thing there's still time left."

Ethan simply nodded and enjoyed the rest of the journey in peace.

Arriving at the restaurant at dusk, the two of them immediately walked to the upper floor, a place reserved for people who had made reservations. The atmosphere was very different from the first floor, where almost all the tables were occupied.

"Sir, over there!" Hazel pointed to a table with the number 6 located near the window.

Ethan quickly looked at the other tables and stepped over to them casually.

"Do you know his favorite food and drink?" Ethan asked after seating himself on one of the sofas.

Hazel, who was preparing documents on the sofa to his right, immediately turned her head. "I don't know much. But he loves tea, and I've heard he has a special room for it."

"Then order the most special tea here!" ordered Ethan.

"How about you?" Hazel asked back.

Ethan paused for a moment, then replied, "honey tea only."

Hazel immediately nodded and called for the waiters.

Right after that, a middle-aged man came hurrying in with a sexy woman. His steps stopped beside the table Ethan was occupying just to make sure. "Zenith Corp?"

Suddenly, Ethan and Hazel turned their heads. Both of them stood up, welcoming Mr. Liavin Oscar.

"I'm Ethan, CEO of Zenith Corp, and this is Hazel, my secretary."

Mr. Oscar's smile instantly broadened. He looked at Ethan and Hazel alternately with a head that did not stop nodding, then offered his hand, which was immediately well received.

"I'm Oscar, and my secretary is Margaret," he replied cheerfully.

Ethan returned his smile and invited everyone to sit down. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Oscar."

"I'm also pleased to meet you, the CEO of Zenith Corp, who is unknown to the public. I didn't expect you to be so handsome and young. I'm fascinated because you're completely beyond my expectations," Mr. Oscar said honestly, which was greeted with a small chuckle from Ethan.

"Do you think I'm an old man?" Seeing his relaxed response, Ethan tried to get the courage to interact more closely.

After all, he must soon be able to adapt in dealing with clients to become a real CEO figure.

"Hahaha, to be honest, yes. That's not without reason, either. Zenith Corp was the only new company that managed to become big in a short period of time. I thought that the leader was an old man who already had a lot of experience. But who would have thought it would be my son's age." Mr. Oscar laughed without hesitation and looked at Ethan admiringly, lighting the atmosphere.

Then Mr. Oscar's gaze shifted to Hazel, who continued to carve a graceful smile. "Miss Hazel, I apologize if I didn't recognize you earlier. It's been a long time since the first project was completed, we never met again."

"No problem, sir. You look refreshed from our last meeting. Have there been any good things lately?" Hazel responded warmly.

"Really?" Mr. Oscar held his face with a thin mustache and smiled broadly. "It must be because I'm so excited to meet Mr. Ethan. I've been looking forward to this day since yesterday."

"Sir, you flatter me too much. I can't take it. I'm afraid I won't be able to stand," Ethan joked.

Mr. Oscar's laughter immediately erupted. Ever since his arrival, the man had looked so happy, as if he had nothing to lose.

After a few moments of small talk, they started talking seriously.

"Mr. Ethan, this time, I would like to propose cooperation for the apartment project I just acquired. I want a more bold and eye-catching design, especially for the younger generation." Then Mr. Oscar took the iPad presented by Margaret and placed it in the middle of the table. "Here are some pictures we took. The structure of the building is already modern, so the project can go ahead without much renovation like the previous project."

Ethan terdiam dan mengamati setiap gambar dengan saksama. "Di mana apartemen ini?"

"Di depan Pasaraya Grant. Pemilik sebelumnya adalah teman saya. Katanya dalam dua tahun terakhir ini, apartemen ini mengalami penurunan, padahal sebelumnya sangat potensial. Pak Ethan, kalau Anda setuju, saya akan mengajak Anda untuk meninjau apartemen ini."

"Lokasinya sangat strategis, dan proyeknya terdengar sangat menarik. Apakah Anda punya tema yang lebih spesifik?" Ethan bertanya lagi sambil menyerahkan iPad kepada Hazel sambil menatap Tuan Oscar dengan serius.

"Saya bisa menerima ide apa pun yang Anda sampaikan. Namun, saya benar-benar ingin memberikan kesan segar dan modern," jawab Tn. Oscar.

Mendengar hal ini, Ethan mengambil iPad dan mencari sesuatu di dalamnya. Namun, ia kemudian bertanya, "Apa tenggat waktumu?"

"6 bulan."

Seketika, Ethan dan Hazel mendongak bersamaan. Mata mereka terbelalak kaget, tetapi ekspresi mereka tidak berubah. Margaret yang melihat itu menggigit bibirnya untuk menahan senyum karena ia merasa kedua orang itu cocok. Ia bahkan merasa mereka bukan bos dan sekretaris, melainkan sepasang kekasih.

"Saya akan melakukan survei lokasi terlebih dahulu, lalu kita akan membahas desainnya lagi. Kebetulan, desainnya sesuai dengan tren terkini yang sedang kita garap. Setelah ini, saya akan meminta Hazel untuk mengirimkan konsep awal yang mungkin sejalan dengan visi Anda," kata Ethan.