“Ugh! You need a salon, older guy. How can you say I look like the Joker? I look more like an ace card. Deadly!” Caramel strutted confidently toward Carlo, swaying her hips like she was on a catwalk.
“Why do you need a salon?”
Caramel frowned. “Because I want to look pretty when I see you, obviously.”
“I know women go to salons to look pretty. I mean, why does it have to be like this? Your hair looks like someone spilled spinach juice on it!”
Caramel immediately touched the ends of her green hair. “It looks good, right?”
Carlo let out a quiet breath. “Did you come to my office, or are you trying to be an August 17th Independence Day banner?”
Caramel giggled. “It suits me. Your office is way too serious. I came to liven things up.”
“My office atmosphere is perfectly fine.”
“No, it’s not.” Caramel walked closer again, swinging her little purse. “It’s way too stiff. Everyone walks so fast, their faces are all tense, and they’re dressed entirely in monochrome. I was almost afraid security would ticket me because they’d mistake my outfit for a zoo-themed public minibus.”
Carlo rubbed his temple for a moment. “It does look like one.”
“But you like it, right?”
Without waiting for Carlo’s answer—which he clearly had no intention of giving—Caramel pulled out the chair in front of the handsome man’s desk and sat down casually. She crossed her legs and propped her chin on her hand.
Carlo reopened his document and went back to working on it. “I mean, what business do you have here?”
Caramel smiled. “Because I missed you!”
The hand holding Carlo’s pen stopped at once.
Caramel quickly changed her expression to something more serious. “I mean, my foot still hasn’t been treated, you know. It still hurts.”
Carlo looked at Caramel’s foot. “You walked in here normally.”
Caramel immediately shifted in her seat. “That’s called an illness.”
“An illness?” Carlo furrowed his brow.
Caramel smiled broadly. “The illness of pretending to be strong in front of the person you like.”
Carlo stared at her for a few seconds. It seemed the man was gathering up the patience scattered throughout every corner of his body.
“If your foot hurts, I’ll have a doctor come here later.”
Caramel shook her head immediately. “Don’t.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re here. Doctors hate seeing a closed pharmacy.”
Carlo fell silent. “A closed pharmacy?”
“Yeah. You’re like a closed pharmacy. A pharmacy is closed because it has no medicine, right? And you’re so handsome, it’s almost criminal.”
Carlo exhaled in frustration and looked back at his document. “So you’re not sick.”
“I am sick, Mr. Carlo.”
“You’re able to joke around.”
“Sick people have the right to be happy too.”
“You look a little too happy.”
“Because I’m with you.” Caramel giggled.
Carlo looked up. Caramel immediately gave him a sweet smile and blinked rapidly like a short-circuiting lightbulb.
“You should go home. I’m trying to focus on work.”
“Aren’t you tired?” Caramel asked.
“Tired of what?”
“You’ve been spinning around in my thoughts and my heart all day.”
Carlo exhaled yet again, as if he wanted to recite Ayat Kursi. Caramel giggled and leaned back in her chair.
“Mr. Carlo, answer my question,” Caramel babbled.
“What question?”
“Andi has five cats, then Tini borrows two. After that, Budi comes along and gives him three more.”
There was a brief silence.
Carlo said, “The answer is definitely a trap.”
“Wait, I haven’t even asked the question yet.”
“Then what’s the question?”
“The question is…” Caramel drew the word out dramatically. “Mr. Carlo, do you love me?”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake… I’m going to lose my mind!” Carlo slapped his own forehead. Caramel burst out laughing instead.
“You’re always so serious, huh?”
“Am I supposed to laugh all the time?”
“No. But if you smiled, I think this office would be brighter.”
“The lights are bright enough.”
Caramel immediately laughed. “Oh my God, my pickup line got a technical response.”
Carlo merely shrugged and turned his attention back to his work. Caramel watched him for a while. The more Carlo ignored her, the more curious she became.
“Mr. Carlo.”
“Hmm?”
“If you had a wife, would she never get mad at you?”
Carlo stopped reading. “Why do you ask?”
“I’m curious.”
“You’re so nosy.”
“Not nosy, Mr. Carlo. This is research.”
“Research for what?”
“Researching a potential partner.”
Carlo sighed. “Caramel, we just met.”
“Exactly. So let’s get to know each other.”
“We already know each other.”
“Not deeply enough.”
“How deep do you want to go?”
Caramel immediately propped both elbows on the desk.
“Until I know your shoe size, favorite foods, birthday, zodiac sign, blood type, exes, type of woman, and, if possible, your ring size.”
Carlo gave her a flat stare.
“What do you need my ring size for?”
“Well, if we’re a good match, we can just buy one.”
“Who says we’re a good match?”
Caramel pointed to herself. “I do.”
“Based on what?”
“I’m pretty.”
“That’s subjective.”
“I’m smart.”
“That’s not a reason.”
“I’m funny.”
“Sometimes.”
Caramel’s eyes flew wide. “Sometimes?”
“Forget it.” Carlo actually looked relaxed.
Caramel was silent for a moment, then smiled. “I don’t give up easily, you know, Mr. Carlo.”
“That’s exactly what worries me.”
Caramel chuckled. “So you’re starting to think about me.”
“I’m thinking about how to get you to leave as quickly as possible.”
“So you’re still thinking about me.”
Carlo shook his head.
Caramel then stood up and walked around the desk. Carlo, who had been focused on his document, finally looked up again.
“What are you doing?” Carlo shuddered.
Caramel stopped beside his chair. “I just want to look.”
“Look at what?”
“At you, Mr. Carlo.”
“I’ve been right in front of you this whole time.”
“Well, I can’t look at you from on top of me, can I? We’re not married yet.”
Carlo shook his head and shifted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable.
“It’s not clear enough from across the desk.”
Caramel bent down slightly to examine Carlo’s face from closer up.
Carlo immediately leaned back. “Don’t get so close.”
“Why not? If we stay far apart, that’s called a long-distance relationship, you know.”
“You’re distracting.”
“Distracting your concentration?”
“Yes.”
“Aha!” Caramel smiled in satisfaction.
“What?” Carlo frowned again. At this rate, he was getting older by the second—his forehead was always wrinkled!
“So I have an effect on you.”
“Yes. The effect of being annoying.”
“An effect is an effect. Like a TikTok filter—even if it makes you look ugly, people still go looking for it.”
Caramel moved even closer. Then she straightened the collar of Carlo’s suit, which was already perfectly neat. “This is crooked, Mr. Carlo.”
“Leave it.” Carlo brushed Caramel’s hand away.
“No, it’s not allowed. CEOs have to look handsome.” Caramel reached for the collar of Carlo’s shirt again.
“I don’t need you to fix it.”
“I know.” Caramel smiled, still holding his collar. “But I want to. Think of it as practice for becoming your wife.”
Carlo looked at the girl’s hand still resting on his suit collar, then at Caramel’s face.
“Let go.”
“Just a second.”
“Caramel…”
“What?”
“Do you enjoy looking for trouble?”
Caramel smiled broadly. “No. I just like looking for your attention, Mr. Carlo.”
Carlo had just started to pull his hand away from Caramel when she suddenly grabbed his arm and rested her head on his shoulder.
Carlo went rigid. “Caramel, please…”
“Hmm?”
“Let go.”
“Just a second. I’m experiencing heaven on earth.”
“Let go. Now.”
“Five seconds.”
“Don’t.”
“Four, then.”
“Caramel.”
“Three.”
The office door suddenly opened.
“Mr. Carlo, the files from earlier—” Meyna’s voice cut off immediately.
Caramel, still leaning against Carlo’s shoulder, slowly turned her head. Carlo turned too.
Meyna stood in the doorway, holding several folders in her hands. Her eyes shifted from Carlo to Caramel, then back to Carlo.
Carlo let out a long sigh. “Meyna, this isn’t what you think.”