Let's Not Fall In Love

A woman wearing a suit and a black span skirt pressed the number 9 button in the elevator, which now took her to the floor where her room was.

The elevator doors reopened, and the woman began to walk out. Her long steps were accompanied by the sound of knocking from her 5-centimeter high heel.

Employees who had been sitting in their chairs began to rise from their seats one by one to greet the woman.

Park Irene is a woman in the highest position and the owner of a startup company that was previously managed by her father before he decided to manage it elsewhere.

Who doesn't know Irene? The female employees, especially the male employees, idolize the beautiful and friendly woman who works in her company.

However, behind the perfection that makes many people look at her with admiration, not a few of them talk about Irene's life behind her back.

In addition to her beauty and charm, Irene is known as a person who is very active in her work, as evidenced by her efforts to maintain and develop her father's company, which was nearly declared bankrupt a few years ago.

With her intelligence and tenacity, Irene can maintain the Company that is now under her control; it is no wonder that she has achieved great success.

However, having the title of workaholic makes Irene forget that she is getting older. She has nothing else to pursue or think about right now except her job.

Of course, at 30 years old, Irene is not uncommon to be the topic of her subordinates, which she frequently manages to hear even if it is vague. Some people are disappointed because, at 30 years old, Irene has everything except a life partner. Moreover, almost all of Irene's peers, especially her close friends, have been married for a long time. Some of them even have a child. Only Irene is still busy struggling behind the laptop screen and piles of work papers without thinking about a wedding.

Irene's steps now lead her into a large room with a table and a cupboard containing various important files. Yes, this is Irene's office in her company. A place for her to work, even late at night, and a place for her to rest for a few moments when it was time for recess.

Irene sat down on a chair and opened her laptop, pressing the power button. The clock on the wall read half past seven o'clock in the morning. Even though Irene is the Company's owner, she is very disciplined and follows the rules she establishes without ever acting arbitrarily. It has caused several of Irene's subordinates to idolize and look up to her.

When the cellphone at the end of the table rang, Irene's hand, which had been on the laptop keyboard, moved to take her cellphone and then pointed it to her ear.

'Yes, Mom, what's the matter?' When Irene saw her mother's name in an incoming call, she inquired.

'Have you had your breakfast?'

'Yes, I've had breakfast. You don't have to worry about that.'

'You know, you're still my baby, after all.'

Not long afterward, someone knocked on Irene's door from outside.

"Come in," Irene yelled as she paused her phone call with her mother.

'Have you arrived at the office yet?' asked the mother over the speaker.

'Yeah, I was just in the office a few minutes ago.'

'Do you always come this early every day?' her mother chuckled. 'Isn't your office close to where you live?'

After successfully pulling the door handle, a man who had previously knocked stepped inside.

'Mom, I'll call you later, okay?' Don't forget to eat breakfast if you haven't already.'

After hanging up the phone, Irene started to face the man sitting on a chair in front of her.

"Did you sign the contract yesterday?" asked the man with a straight face.

Irene remained silent before shaking her head slowly, "No, not yet. Do you think I should go ahead with it?"

"That is your right; I have no right to interfere. I'm just concerned about your current situation."

Irene was silent, as was a man sitting in front of her. His name is Lee Aaron. He was Irene's schoolmate when they were both in high school.

"I'm fine, don't worry. I'll give it another thought later." Irene said then.

Aaron, who nodded slowly, got up from his seat and walked out of the room.

Irene opened her desk drawer and pulled out a cooperation proposal she had received a few days ago.

Her face is unsure whether to sign or reject the cooperation of a well-known company in the same field.

***

Irene's phone rang while she was at work. The mother's name appears once more in an incoming call.

Irene paused her typing on the laptop keyboard and reached for her cellphone, which was nearby.

'Hello, Mom?' What's the matter?' After successfully touching the green circle with the phone icon in the center, Irene inquired.

She pressed the phone against her ear and right shoulder to free up her hands and fingers for typing.

'Are you free this week?'

'Of course, I always make time for you.' Irene continued to stare at the laptop screen.

'Then can you come with Mom and Dad this week?'

'Where are you going?' Irene inquired once more.

'My best friend invited us to have dinner with her. You should know that she has a handsome boy your age.'

Irene started to frown while stopping her typing activity, 'Mom, you're not trying to set me up, are you?' Irene asked probingly.

The mother's laughter filled the speaker room, 'Ah, apparently you know what I mean. So how? Are you ready?'

Irene chuckled, 'Mom, don't you know that I don't like matchmaking? I only want to marry the man of my choosing.'

'Sweetie, I don't want to interfere with your decision to find a life partner. It's just that I'm becoming increasingly concerned about your advancing age. Do you understand what I mean?'

Irene remained silent for a moment, obviously understanding the significance of her mother's words, who were concerned about her. If Irene were in her mother's shoes and saw her 30-year-old daughter, who is still single, she would be very concerned.

'Sweetie, are you still there? Did you hear what I said?'

'Yes, Mom. May I think about it first?' Irene asked later.

'Of course. Let me know as soon as possible!'

The call has ended. Irene looked at her phone's screen, which was locking. She could see her reflection on the screen when the screen was dark.

"Does an unmarried 30-year-old woman look so pitiful?" Irene sighed and took a deep breath.