Unwanted Attentions
She arrived at the lounge a few minutes early, hoping the quiet would help her steady herself. She wanted to gather composure before facing him.
But he was already there.
Seated, focused, laptop open, sleeves slightly rolled up. She hesitated, then couldn’t help but notice-again-how smart and handsome he looked, even in stillness.
When he sensed her presence, he looked up and gestured to the chair opposite him.
“I was told you weren’t feeling well.”
Sharon straightened slightly. “Angela assumed that,” she said. “I didn’t correct her.”
Kelvin watched her for a moment. “So you’re not sick.”
“No, sir.”
Silence followed-not heavy, just deliberate.
“Then why weren’t you at dinner?” he asked.
She hesitated. “I just didn’t feel like going,” she said quietly. “So I excused myself.”
His eyes narrowed slightly, not in anger-assessment.
“You didn’t feel like going?” he asked.
She took a breath. “I….sir please don’t ask.. It’s personal.”
“Personal,” he repeated.
“Yes, sir.”
He leaned back slightly. “Why are you avoiding me, Sharon?”
Her head snapped up, taken off guard at the direct question. “I’m not, sir.”
“You are,” he said calmly. “You didn’t correct a false excuse. You removed yourself from a group setting. And this isn’t the first time.”
She swallowed. “I wasn’t avoiding you, I just prefer to be by myself.”
“Really?”
“This summit wasn’t organized for you to be by yourself- when you return back, you can continue being by yourself. But as long as you are here, you have to network. Am I understood?”
“Yes sir.”
His gaze held hers. “So now why are you avoiding me?”
She lowered her eyes. “I felt avoiding you, means avoiding trouble.”
“So I’m trouble now?”
“That's not what i meant sir”
“Okay, what did you mean”
She didn’t answer immediately. Then, softly, she said “I noticed Miss Lillian doesn’t like me, so I try my best to stay away from anything she’s involved in.”
That earned a pause.
Kelvin studied her for a moment, longer this time. Not searching-measuring.
“Lillian’s opinions don’t determine your conduct,” he said eventually. “Or your place here.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You don’t manage workplace dynamics by shrinking,” he continued. “You manage them by being present.”
She nodded, but her fingers tightened slightly at her side. He is so wise, she thought. Always advising her at every turn.
“You assumed avoiding me would keep things simple,” he said.
“Yes, sir.”
“It doesn’t,” he replied. “It complicates them.”
She glanced up briefly, then looked away again.
“I don’t like unresolved gaps in communication,” he added. “They lead to mistakes.”
“I understand.”
“And I don’t enjoy having to guess why someone on my team is withdrawing,” he said evenly.
That made her look at him again.
“I wasn’t trying to be difficult,” she said quickly. “I just didn’t want to be in the middle of… anything.”
“You’re not in the middle of anything,” he said. “You’re part of the team. That’s all.”
She absorbed that in silence.
“Have I treated you unfairly since we got here?” he asked.
“No, sir,” she answered immediately.
“Then don’t assign meanings I haven’t given,” he said. “It distracts you from your work.”
“Yes, sir.”
Another pause settled between them, quieter now.
“You’re observant,” he said after a moment. “That’s not a weakness. But don’t let observation turn into withdrawal.”
She nodded. “I’ll do better.”
“I expect you to,” he said simply.
He glanced at his watch, then back at her.
“We have a full schedule tomorrow. I need you to be focused.”
“I will be, sir.”
He stood. “Good.”
As he turned to leave, he stopped briefly.
“And Sharon?”
“Yes, sir?”
“Have you done any shopping since we arrived?”
She shook her head. “No, sir.”
“You’ll need time before we return,” he said. “When do you want to go?”
“I’m fine,” she replied too quickly. “You don’t need to worry about me.”
“I wasn’t asking if you’re fine,” he said calmly. “I asked for a time.”
She hesitated, then exhaled. “Anytime is fine, sir.”
“Tomorrow evening,” he said, standing. “After dinner. Meet me here.”
He didn’t wait for a response. He simply walked away.
Sharon remained seated, her thoughts tangled.
She stood slowly, her heart beating faster than logic allowed.
He didn’t accuse me. He didn’t dismiss me. He just… corrected me.
As she turned to leave, a small smile crept onto her lips-uninvited, faint, and unsettling.
She frowned at herself, lowering her head.
This doesn’t mean anything.
Yet her chest felt lighter than it had in days.
He was not what she expected at all
And that, more than anything, confused her.
****
She later joined the others for dinner, but her body was present while her mind was far away. No matter how hard she tried, the smile refused to leave her face.
“You’ve been all smiles and blushes since you came back from your meeting,” Angela teased, raising an eyebrow. “What did he say?”
Lillian’s ears perked up immediately, her attention snapping in Sharon’s direction, curiosity flashing in her eyes.
“Nothing really,” Sharon replied casually, forcing her expression to settle. “He just confirmed if I was really sick and whether I had taken treatment.”
Lillian studied her for a brief moment, as if searching for cracks in her answer, before looking away.
But Sharon knew the truth- Whatever that meeting was, it was far from nothing.
“And he couldn’t ask any of us?” Lillian scoffed, her lips curling with disdain. “He had to call you personally to enquire? Like you’re someone special.”
The words were sharp, soaked in anger.
Sharon froze for a second, then something inside her snapped. She slowly placed her cutlery down and looked straight at Lillian.
“Come,” she said, her voice steady but hard. “What exactly is your problem with me? Stop beating around the bush and face me squarely.”
Lillian laughed dryly. “Me? Have issues with you? You really think highly of yourself, don’t you?” She leaned back in her chair. “Just because the CEO called you once, you’re already imagining things.”
“I’m not imagining anything,” Sharon shot back. “You’re the one reading meanings into every little thing. I answered a question that was asked. That’s all.”
“Is it?” Lillian’s eyes flashed. “You walk into his office uninvited, get selected for the summit, get called aside personally, and now you want to pretend you don’t see the pattern?”
“What pattern?” Sharon asked sharply. “That I keep minding my business and you keep finding reasons to come for me?”
Angela shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “Okay, maybe we should all calm down-”
“No,” Sharon interrupted, not taking her eyes off Lillian. “She’s made it clear she has a problem with me, and I want to know why.”
Lillian’s smile was cold. “You like playing innocent, but girls like you are the most dangerous. Acting quiet, acting uninterested, while drawing attention without even trying.”
Sharon let out a short, humorless laugh. “If you feel threatened, just say it. Don’t project your fears on me.”
That did it.
Lillian’s face hardened. Without another word, she dropped her cutleries onto the plate with a loud clatter, pushed her chair back, and stood up.
She shot Sharon a furious look before turning and storming out of the dining area.
An uneasy silence settled over the table.