Love served in Plastic Plates.
Damien sat at his desk, eyes fixed on the screen, but his mind was elsewhere. He shut his eyes and let out a long breath. No matter how hard he tried to focus, he couldn't get Eva or that ridiculous little gift out of his head. It had thrown him off completely. He hadn't been able to concentrate all day. With a frustrated sigh, he massaged his temples just as Eric returned.
"Sir, I brought your lunch."
"About time," Damien muttered, rising from his chair and heading over.
But when he took a bite, he immediately spat it out into a napkin, his expression twisting in disgust.
"Where did you get this?" he demanded, his voice sharp.
Eric hesitated. "Sir, I did go to the restaurant like you asked. But on my way back, Miss Seraphina intercepted me. She insisted on cooking for you herself. And then your mom called, said her son shouldn't be eating takeout meals and that she'd sent Seraphina to prepare a proper home cooked dish. Well, I didn't know what else to do.
"So you let her?" Damien snapped, his eyes flashing with restrained fury
"I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again."
Damien closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, struggling to contain the growing storm inside him. Then, without another word, he kicked the food tray aside, the clang echoing through the room, and stormed back to his desk.
Everything about today was getting under his skin.
He was about to resume working when he realized his mind had gone completely blank. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't concentrate. With a frustrated sigh, he shut his eyes again, trying to center himself. Eric, watching him from the side, let out a small gasp of disbelief.
"Sir," Eric began carefully, "instead of torturing yourself like this, why not just check what's inside the bag and get it off your chest?"
"I don't need your advice, Eric. Just get out!" Damien snapped.
"I'll get something to clean the mess," Eric muttered and quickly exited the office.
But as he reached the hallway just outside, he stopped in his tracks.
To his surprise, Eva was there, pacing anxiously, wringing her hands and clearly distressed.
"Would he like it? What if he misunderstands? God, what if it actually makes him angry?" she mumbled to herself, barely noticing his approach.
When she finally spotted Eric, her eyes lit up with a mixture of hope and desperation. Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, she rushed toward him.
"Hi, Mr. Eric," Eva called out, her voice soft and a little shaky. "I.. I know this might not sound professional, but I just can't stay calm. Actually, I was wondering, do you think the boss liked my gift?"
Her big, doe-like eyes were full of anxious hope, searching his face for an answer.
Eric paused, momentarily caught off guard.
"Do you want the honest answer?" he asked gently.
"Yes please. The very truth," she replied eagerly.
Eric hesitated for a second, then said, "Your gift... it's lying in the trash can. Unopened."
The smile slowly faded from her face. She blinked, stunned, her lips parting slightly as if the words had struck her.
Eric gave her a sympathetic smile before excusing himself and heading back into Damien's office.
But when he walked in, his eyes widened. Damien_ his famously perfectionist, neat-freak obsessed emotionally closed-off boss_ actually went back to the trashcan to fetch the gift item, while, carefully unwrapping the very same gift he had thrown away earlier.
Eric couldn't hide the small smirk that tugged at his lips as he bent down to clean the mess on the floor.
"Unbelievable," he muttered to himself. "This man will never cease to amaze me."
When Eric finished cleaning, he glanced up to find Damien holding the unwrapped gift item in his hands, and couldn't help but smirk.
She had actually agotten him a crisp, white singlet. Simple, yet elegant.
"They look nice," Eric commented. "She must be quite thoughtful."
Damien scoffed, tightening his grip on the fabric. "Really? Is she trying to seduce me now? Getting cozy and buying me underwears? She's not even fit for that. Have her report to my office immediately!"
Eric raised a brow, unfazed. "I thought you were upset with her for treating you like you were insignificant, not fawning or flirting over you like the others. Now she makes a small gesture, and you're still angry?"
"You're out of your mind, Eric."
Damien snapped.
Eric folded his arms. "You know no one knows you better than I do, so here's a little advice, you're free to take it or toss it. If you like Eva for Eva, then you can slowly observe her, study her, carefully this time, no reckless moves, make sure all coast is clear then go for it. You have to be very much vigilant this time around , no impulse moves, to avoid issues like the previous encounter. You can't afford another mess."
He paused, letting his words sink in. "But if you're only drawn to her because she reminds you of Tyler, then maybe it's time you focused on Seraphina and the life your mother keeps pushing on you."
He turned to leave, but stopped at the door.
""And for the heads up, you don't necessarily have to berate the poor girl, just so you know, she's outside, practically dying of anxiety. I may have told her you tossed the gift into the bin without opening it.. so if you really don't want it, perhaps you could just throw it away again. But don't string her along, okay boss."
With a cool bow, Eric exited the office, leaving Damien alone, still clutching the singlet, his mind spinning with thoughts he couldn't quite control.
Eva realized that, for the first time since her promotion, she hadn't been assigned a single task all day. She'd spent most of her time idling at her desk, stretching out her sore muscles and finally recovering from the chaos of the day before.
Just as she was about to win a game on her phone, her desk phone rang. The boss was calling for her. Instantly, a wave of dread gripped her chest. Regret washed over her, why had she even bought that gift? This was exactly what happened whenever she acted on impulse. She wished she could disappear into the floor.
Ever since she'd accidentally spilled coffee on him and ruined his shirt, she'd been trying to find a replacement. But the type of shirt Damien wore was far beyond her budget. So she had gone for a simpler, more affordable option, though now, she feared that might have made things worse.
Ever since she'd accidentally spilled coffee on him and ruined his shirt, Eva had been determined to make it right, especially when she saw him threw away those nice shirts into the bin. So she searched everywhere for a replacement, but the kind of shirts Damien wore were outrageously expensive, far beyond her means. In the end, she settled for a more affordable option_a singlet_ although she made sure it was the best quality she could possibly afford.
At first, it seemed like a thoughtful gesture. But the more she reflected on it now, the more it felt very wrong, so she panicked. What if he misunderstood her intentions? The gift felt too personal, too intimate. She had nearly turned back to retrieve it, but by then, it was already too late.
Perhaps it was for the best that he tossed it away without even looking inside, she reasoned. Still, it stung. That money could've fed her and Bob for an entire month. But somehow.. it still felt worth it.
After all, we are talking about Damien.
The man to whom she owed the life of her entire family.
Eva gently straightened her blouse, took a deep breath, and made her way to Damien's office.
When she stepped in, she greeted him calmly, though her eyes kept flicking toward the tightly shut trash can. Of course, Damien noticed.
"You sent for me, sir?" she asked softly.
"Go up to the third floor and get their report for me," he replied casually, stifling a yawn. He looked unusually tired, and Eva couldn't help but wonder why.
"Erm, sir, about earlier, I'm really sorry.."
"Eva, you're always sorry."
Her gaze dropped instantly. She twisted her fingers nervously, and Damien let out a quiet sigh, watching her with something between irritation and curiosity.
"Actually, sir, I just wanted to say thank you," she began in a small voice. "For everything. For putting up with me even after I scalded you, ruined your clothes, made you drive me to the hospital, and even get those things for me. I didn't know what to do or what you might like, so I thought,"
"You thought?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow.
"I just wanted to make up for everything. If you didn't like the gift, I understand. But please, if there's ever anything you need help with, anything at all, I promise, I won't hesitate."
"I could never need your help, Eva," Damien said flatly.
But just then, a loud growl erupted from his stomach, cutting through the silence like a thunderclap. Eva blinked, and for a moment, the tension dissolved into something almost comical.
"Are you hungry?" Eva asked gently, her voice laced with nervous excitement. "I'm actually a really good cook. My dad used to say my meals were the best, honestly, I promise, I can make you something really delicious, if you'll let me."
She looked at Damien with her wide, hopeful eyes, like a child offering a gift from the heart. And for the first time in hours, Damien let out a small, reluctant simper.
The truth was, he was hungry_ very even. He hadn't eaten anything all day, and it was already edging toward evening. His head was beginning to throb from the emptiness, but he'd been pushing through, buried in work and frustration. Earlier, he had asked Eric to grab his usual lunch, but Seraphina had intercepted it and replaced it with her homemade dish, which he couldn't bring himself to eat. Damien was a picky eater with a very specific palate, and once a taste changed, even slightly, he always noticed. And rejected it.
He was about to wave Eva off with his usual cold dismissal when she suddenly rushed closer to his desk, her face full of urgency and anxiety.
"You can totally throw it away if you don't like it, I promise I won't be upset! But just try it, I really think you'll love it."
At that moment, Eric entered the office, holding a stack of files. He paused mid-step, taking in the unexpected scene between his boss and Eva. Before he could utter a word, Eva had already dashed over to him, her excitement bubbling over.
"Mr. Eric, please, can I get some cash? I need to rush to the market and buy a few things. I want to cook something perfect for the boss!" Eva said with bright enthusiasm, stretching her hands out in front of him like a child waiting for candy, her face full of excitement and hope.
Damien scoffed from behind his desk. Seriously? Hadn't she just said she wanted to "make up for everything"? Yet here she was, already asking someone else to foot the bill. The irony was almost laughable.
What he didn't know or maybe just refused to consider was that Eva was flat-out broke. Her mother's hospital bills had drained every penny she had left. The small amount she'd scraped together to buy that singlet, now resting somewhere in his trash, was supposed to last her and Bob the entire month. But she hadn't even hesitated to spend it on him. And now, here she was, still trying to give him her best.
She blinked sweetly, still smiling, still holding her hand out, too proud to beg but too determined to back down. After all, Damien was an elite, accustomed to only the finest, and she wasn't about to serve him just anything. But she also wasn't about to lose an arm while trying to impress this elite, either. So she just blinks like a little girl while still maintaining her smile and her hands still pointing before him.
Eric glanced at Damien, unsure how to respond. But Damien, with his usual unreadable expression, looked away wordlessly, no nod, no objection. Just silence. And somehow, that was answer enough.
Eric raised a brow, surprised. Did Damien just give his silent approval? He seriously doubted the man would actually eat whatever Eva cooked, but it was happening.
"Okay," Eric said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out Damien's sleek black card. He handed it to Eva, who lit up like Christmas morning. She gave a grateful bow, then hurried out the door like a woman on a mission.
Eric stared after her, then turned slowly back to Damien, pure disbelief written all over his face.
A few minutes later, Eva returned to Damien's office carrying a thermos. Eric, who helped her set up the table despite secretly betting a million that the food would end up in the trash, watched her leave with hopeful eyes before stepping out of the office himself.
An hour later, Eric reentered and froze. The table was empty. The food, all of it, was gone.
He blinked in disbelief. Damien had eaten everything.
That quantity of food? Damien hadn't touched that much in ages.
"So, turns out she's not just a firecracker," Eric said, raising a brow. "She's also a damn good cook. You practically inhaled it."
Damien didn't look up. "It tasted good. Have her report to my office."
Eric glanced at the clock. "It's past eight, sir. She's already signed out for the day."
There was a pause. Then Damien said, "Go to the kitchen. Pull up the security footage, I want to see exactly how she prepared that meal."
Eric stared. "Wait, it was that good?"
Damien finally looked up and gave a simple nod. "It was good."
"Wow," Eric muttered, genuinely stunned.