And Then It Rained (Sequel to Rain Again; Stand Alone Book) (Completed)

Chapter Seven: Meeting Kate

"That was supposed to be me!" Julie shrieked in a low voice from somewhere.

Victoria cleared her throat, shifting her feet uncomfortably. Noticing that Victor was staring at the button and the hair absolutely flabbergasted, she quickly closed her hand and hid it behind her body. As his narrowed eyes now settled upon her, she bit her lip, anxious.

She had ruined his outfit. And the way he looked at her and clenched his fists, he looked pretty pissed off by that.

"You—" Victor began to say indignantly.

But she cut in defensively, "I tore my own hair, too."

Ben walked around her to stand in front of Victor. He intricately examined Victor's shirt where the button earlier was, and now only a thread poked out. 

"No need to worry, young man. It's nothing that can't be fixed in two minutes," Ben said with an air of authority. "Bring me a needle and thread, you useless people! How dare you all gawk at a model's disgrace like this? Camera lady," he looked straight at Victoria. "Don't you know how important it is for a model to look absolutely flawless with their skin and attire? You very well know that since you're a photographer, you still did this to him!"

Victoria rolled her eyes and pressed her lips into a thin line. "He's a CEO, not a model."

"Exactly, you should have—" suddenly, it clicked into his mind halfway. He looked shocked. "He isn't a model?" Turning around with wide eyes, he asked Victor, "You aren't?"

Victor confirmed, "I'm not."

"Well, then," Ben put his fists on his hips. "Then why are you making such a fuss about a simple button when you're not a model? Go, do your stuff. I've got an important interview. I think I've arrived too early for it in excitement," he commented, looking at the time on his wristwatch.

"Seriously!" Victor dragged a hand down his face as Ben left with a blank look. 

Taking the chance as Victor's concentration diverted, Victoria also slid away. 

She peeked out from the very end of the line of cubicles. Quietly straightening his coat and that shirt minus a button, he walked into Orland's office. 

"Orland is having a meeting with him regarding the advertisement topic that was fixed," Julie's voice behind her suddenly made Victoria jump. She turned around to find Julie crouching like her, too, although she couldn't tell why. 

Julie sighed. "What happened back there—" 

"Embarrassing, I know," Victoria completed with a groan.

Julie tilted her head. "The end bit, yes. You could have turned into a romantic one. Don't you use conditioner for your hair, girl? Imagine what would have happened had your hair crashed into his face. He would have fallen for you after inhaling the sweet scent of your shampoo." 

The jealous curve to her tone didn't go unnoticed by Victoria. But she noticed it was harmless from the corner of her eyes. Julie just had an innocent crush on Victor, she figured. It would surely go away with time.

Wait. Why would the quality or longevity of Julie's crush on Victor matter to her at all? 

"I didn't get to shower last night or this morning," Victoria commented, putting a leash on her haywire thoughts and expectations.

Julie scrunched her nose, leaning away from her. "Why? You're at the prime of your youth, and Mr. right would collide with you anytime. Why would you want to risk the first impression you would give him by being so careless like this!"