Patience and Pressure

Lingling's day had spiraled into chaos from the moment she walked into the office. A crucial project deadline loomed, her phone buzzed nonstop with questions, and meetings stacked on top of meetings left her with barely enough time to breathe.

Her usual icy composure cracked under the pressure. By the time she returned to her office, her assistant hesitated before handing over the next report. "Ms. Kwong, there's a slight delay with—"

"Fix it," Lingling snapped, her tone sharper than intended.

The assistant flinched and scurried away, leaving Lingling alone. She rubbed her temples, the stress pounding against her skull.

Her phone buzzed on the desk. A message from Orm lit up the screen.

Orm: Hey, clingy CEO. Did you eat yet? Don't make me come over there.

Normally, Lingling would've smiled at the teasing tone, but today it grated against her frayed nerves. She stared at the message for a moment before typing back a curt reply.

Lingling: I'm busy.

Later that evening, Orm arrived at the penthouse with a bag of takeout, having decided to surprise Lingling with dinner. She let herself in with the spare key Lingling had given her, calling out as she stepped inside.

"Ling? I brought food. Thought you might need a break."

Lingling emerged from her office, her face a stormcloud. "Orm, what are you doing here?"

Orm blinked, holding up the bag. "Dinner? You didn't answer my last message, so I figured—"

"Orm, I don't have time for this," Lingling cut in, her voice tight. "I'm drowning in work right now. I don't need distractions."

Orm's smile faltered, her heart sinking slightly. "I'm just trying to help. You've been—"

"I don't need help," Lingling snapped, cutting her off again. She exhaled sharply, running a hand through her hair. "I'm sorry, but I can't do this right now."

The room fell into a heavy silence.

Orm set the bag of food down on the counter, her usual playfulness gone. "I get it, Ling. You're stressed. But snapping at me isn't going to make things better."

Lingling crossed her arms, her jaw tightening. "I didn't ask you to come here."

Orm nodded slowly, her tone calm. "I know. But I came because I care about you. You don't have to handle everything alone, you know."

Lingling's defenses wavered for a moment, but her pride pushed through. "Orm, I appreciate it, but I really need to focus. Maybe you should go."

Orm's heart ached at the cold dismissal, but she held her ground. "Okay," she said softly. "I'll go. But before I do, eat something. Even CEOs need to eat."

She turned to leave, her steps slow and deliberate, giving Lingling one last chance to stop her.

As the door clicked shut behind Orm, Lingling stood frozen in place. The weight of the day pressed heavier than before, the sharpness of her words replaying in her mind. She stared at the bag of takeout on the counter, untouched.

Sinking onto a stool, she buried her face in her hands. "What is wrong with me?"

Back at Blooming Beans, Orm tried to shake off the sting of Lingling's words. Becky noticed her uncharacteristic quietness and nudged her. "Hey, what's up? Trouble in CEO paradise?"

Orm managed a weak smile. "She's just... stressed. Work stuff."

Becky crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes. "And she took it out on you, didn't she?"

Orm sighed, shrugging. "She's human, Becks. Everyone has bad days. I just wish she'd let me in instead of pushing me away."

Lingling's day wasn't going any better. Meetings ran over schedule, emails flooded her inbox, and every decision seemed to lead to another complication.

She barely registered the time until her assistant knocked on the door, holding up a takeout bag. "Ms. Kwong, this was delivered for you. From Blooming Beans."

Lingling looked up, startled. "What?"

"It's lunch," the assistant explained, placing the bag on her desk. "Courtesy of Orm."

Lingling stared at the bag, her emotions conflicting. She wanted to feel grateful, but guilt twisted in her chest instead. She hadn't spoken to Orm properly in days, and every interaction had been clipped and distant.

Her phone buzzed with a new message.

Orm: Don't forget to eat.

Lingling's grip on the phone tightened. She didn't reply.

Orm sat at the café after closing, the lights dimmed as she went through inventory. But her mind wasn't on the numbers. It was on Lingling.

Becky plopped down in the seat across from her, breaking the silence. "You're stewing."

Orm glanced up, her eyes tired. "What do you want me to do, Becks? Call her and demand she talk to me? That's not how Ling works."

Becky shrugged. "No, but sitting here and bottling it up isn't going to help either. She needs to know how this is affecting you."

Orm sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I know. I just... don't want to make things worse."

Becky leaned forward, her tone unusually serious. "And what happens if you keep letting her shut you out? Lingling might be stressed, but that doesn't mean she gets to ignore your feelings. Relationships don't work like that."

That evening, Orm decided she couldn't let the distance linger. With a resolve born of frustration and care, she headed to Lingling's office.

When she arrived, the receptionist's eyes widened. "Oh, Ms. Kornnaphat. Ms. Kwong is in a meeting."

"I'll wait," Orm said firmly, settling into one of the sleek lobby chairs.

Thirty minutes later, Lingling emerged from her meeting, her brow furrowed and her phone in hand. She barely noticed Orm until she was right in front of her.

"Orm?" Lingling's voice was laced with surprise and a hint of irritation. "What are you doing here?"

Orm stood, her jaw tightening. "We need to talk."

Lingling sighed, glancing at her watch. "I don't have time for this right now."

"Make time," Orm shot back, her tone sharper than usual. "You've been brushing me off for days, Ling. I'm trying to be understanding and -"

Lingling's eyes narrowed, her voice icy. "I didn't ask you to come here."

"And I didn't ask for you to shut me out!" Orm retorted, her voice rising slightly. "I get that you're under a lot of pressure but that doesn't mean you get to treat me like an afterthought."

Lingling's chest tightened at the accusation, but her pride refused to let her back down. "I'm not treating you like an afterthought. I'm handling work. That's what I do."

"Yeah, well, work isn't all you are," Orm said, her voice softer but no less firm. "And if you think I'm just going to sit around and wait for you to remember that I exist, then you don't know me at all."

With that, Orm turned on her heel and walked out of Lingling's office, leaving the air heavy with tension. Lingling didn't call after her, too stunned to process what had just happened. She simply stood there, staring at the door as it clicked shut.

That night, for the first time since they'd been together, Orm didn't send her a goodnight message.

Lingling sat alone in her office, the silence deafening. For all her focus on her project, one thing was clear—she had pushed Orm too far.