GIANNA'S POV
I practically inhaled the bottle of mineral water Gael handed me, my nerves were so shot. "Why do you look like you've seen a freakin' ghost?" she asked, totally confused. I took a deep breath, trying to get a grip.
"Is Sir... gay?" The question just blurted out, and my cousin's eyes went wide as saucers. "Hey, are you trying to get us both fired? What are you even saying? Someone could hear you! Seriously!" She made a grab for my mouth, but I dodged her and just sank into a chair, defeated. "It's just..." I couldn't bring myself to say it out loud.
"Just what?" Gael pressed, her eyes glued to mine.
"Well, earlier... I got a call..."
"A call? From who?"
"Uh... a guy... and then..."
"Come on, Gianna! Spit it out already, you're killing me here!" she said, her voice tight with impatience. "Okay, okay! So, earlier, this guy calls, and his voice was all... you know... seductive, and he said..."
"Said what? Hurry up!"
"He said, 'I'm wet.'"
Her eyes practically popped out of her head. "What?! No way, for real? Hey, you better not be making this up, girl," she said, shaking her head in disbelief. "I'm not making it up, I swear! And just now, I was about to hop in the elevator, and when the doors opened, I saw Sir and some guy practically all over each other! I'm not kidding, I think they were getting down to business in there..." I bit my fingernail, the image still playing in my head.
"Damn... no way... I don't even want to think about it, ha..." my cousin muttered, looking seriously disturbed. I couldn't shake the image from the elevator. It was probably the same guy who called earlier. Crap, Gianna, I think I totally interrupted them earlier. What a mess!
"Who are you two whispering about?"
"Jeez, Ate Lux, you scared the crap out of us!" We both jumped, startled by the sudden appearance of Ate Lux, the cleaning lady, behind us. She was in charge of keeping the 30th floor spotless. "Oh, nothing," I said quickly, hoping to shut down the conversation before it went any further. I didn't need rumors about Francis spreading around the office.
"Don't give me that. I heard you, you're gossiping about the Boss" she said, her eyes narrowed. Here it comes... "Ouch!" I pinched my cousin's arm hard, hoping to shut her up before she said something stupid.
"Hey! I was just asking a question. Chill out," Gael protested, rubbing her arm. I shot her a warning glare, but she just ignored me.
"Gael," I hissed, trying to get her to stop.
"Ate Lux, have you ever noticed anything... weird about Mr. Locan?" my cousin asked, her voice dripping with curiosity. That mouth of hers was going to get me in serious trouble one day.
"Weird? How do you mean?"
"You know... like, does he ever bring anyone up to his office alone? Like, a girl? Or, you know, maybe a guy?" she asked, practically winking.
"Are you saying Mr. Locan brings men up here? You think he's... gay?" Lux asked, her eyes wide with surprise. "Hey, I didn't say that! I'm not saying anything, Ate," Gael said, putting on her best innocent act.
"Actually... I've noticed it too... there's always some guy hanging around his office, and the way they hug, it's... well, you know..." Ate Lux said, leaving the rest unsaid. Gael gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth, turning to me with wide, excited eyes.
"Just don't you dare say you heard any of this from me, okay? I'm not saying Sir's gay or anything, it just... looks that way," she said, before hurrying off, clearly itching to spread the juicy gossip.
"Well, this is getting interesting," my cousin said with a sly grin.
I didn't know what to think. I had a bad feeling about where this was going. Was Francis really gay? What a waste... I mean, it's his life, right? There's nothing wrong with being gay, is there?
"Such a shame. He's so damn hot, though," my cousin added, sighing dramatically as we walked towards Francis's office. "Oh, and Lola Lourdes called me. She was asking about you and why you haven't been answering your phone," she said, changing the subject. Oh, shoot! I totally forgot to load up my phone earlier. That's why I'd only been getting missed calls from her.
"I'll load it up later, I promise. Okay, see ya," I said, turning away as we reached his office door.