Here it is! Sorry for the later update than usual. First it was camping then I got grounded... but now it's here. Enjoy! Thank you btw, for the good people who reviewed the first one... i love you all! I'll try to update faster the next time ok!?

disclaimer: I dont own anything.

Then She Happened

"I was eating peacefully with Touya when all of a sudden, a loud honk blared outside and he banged on the door, as if attempting to break it and demanded for the stupid papers that he asked me to throw away!" Sakura animatedly told Tomoyo as they walked down the halls of the corporation on their way to their lockers.

Tomoyo laughed.

"That's not funny! What if I didn't think of saving it!? Then he could have fired me! And you think it's funny!?" Sakura irritably asked her friend.

Tomoyo just resumed on laughing.

"Why in the world are you laughing!?" Sakura finally blurted out.

"It's because you have been telling me the same thing over and over since I came to your house all the way here to our floor"

Sakura opened her mouth but nothing came out. Now that she's thinking of it, she had been telling Tomoyo the same thing.

"Well Sakura, there's nothing more I can tell you except that you have to be careful with his orders if you want to keep your job. Don't let your mind wander around when he's talking to you. Trust me, you are going to regret it"

Sakura sighed. "You're right. I have to be careful"

Then they quietly walked to Nana's office to get their aprons and soon, they will have to start working again.

Ever felt those feelings when you think you're always going to make a mistake? That creepy atmosphere surrounding you, that anytime someone will yell at you, criticizing your work? That's what Sakura's feeling now.

"Good morning, Sakura dear" Nana greeted sweetly as she saw the small figure of Sakura.

"Hello, Nana" she greeted back as she reached out for her apron.

"How was your first day yesterday, huh dear?" the old woman warmly questioned.

With this, Tomoyo just slipped on her apron, giggled and walked away.

"Well, let's just say that its...uhh— interesting" was Sakura's awkward reply.

"That's very nice" Nana commented and retreated back to her little office, leaving her all alone there.

She glanced at her watch and five more minutes, her time will start. She just then decided to go up on the 20th floor. She took in a deep breath and straightened her apron and nervously knocked on the door.

"Come in" was what she heard from the inside.

She opened the door and was greeted by Syaoran Li's handsome but cold face that Sakura's been trying to ignore.

"Kinomoto" he started as Sakura bowed a fraction of her head.

"Sir?"

"I know I made a mistake last night"

Sakura looked up, surprised.

"I know that I asked you to dispose of that box. It's a good thing that you didn't"

Sakura was slightly taken aback. Is he actually complimenting her quick thinking?

"And as much as I don't want to interact and mingle with people like you, much more to apologize, I must say that I'm sorry" he said so emotionlessly that Sakura even doubted if he knew what he's saying.

She didn't know what to say so she just nodded.

"For today, I want you to be in the stock room again and arrange the papers on the drawers on the right corner of the room. Those are the addresses and owners of the estates that Li Corp worked with. Clients as you might understand it. So don't miss anything"

And with that, Sakura just walked to the door and twisted the doorknob to find the familiar room that she stayed in yesterday. Syaoran watched as she urgently followed his command.

If it was someone else, he wouldn't apologize for what he did last night. He doesn't care, really. He won't care neither if the maid hates him. But he apologized. He doesn't even know why...

'Pathetic thing to worry yourself about, Syaoran' he told himself and dismissed the thought.

After hours of sorting out papers and arranging them as carefully as she can in the Stock room, Sakura was almost done when he heard the icy voice of her boss.

"Kinomoto"

She immediately put down what she's doing and emerged from the room.

"Sir?"

"Get me a cup of black coffee" he ordered, not even looking up from his paper work"

"Yes, sir" she murmured and stepped out of the room and walked silently on the corridor of the 20th floor.

'Well at least now, he told me what kind of coffee he wants' she talked to herself.

At the end of the hall, the coffee stand is there and as she's making it, she found herself smiling. She's quite pleased with herself. She had been doing fine that she didn't mess up on anything. So far, no insults yet.

She happily reentered the office, holding the cup with two hands. As she walked towards Li, she noticed that his eyebrows were screwed in concentration and his eyes were going left to right, following the movements of his pen.

'Wow... that paper that he's working on must be really important' she observed.

But as she walked towards the table to finally settle down the coffee, she didn't notice the slightly erected part of the small carpet where Li's wooden table stood. She felt her right toe got caught on the carpet, losing her balance and with a clatter, the cup flew on the table as the saucer fell with a soft thud on the Persian carpet.

Li, being surprised with the sudden commotion got up quickly and stared at the papers he had been working on for hours. A look of terror appeared on his face as he picked up the white sheet on it's tip and raised it for Sakura to see.

"Look at what you did..." he dangerously growled.

"Do you have any idea how long I was working with this freaking form!?"

Sakura stood up from the carpet and stepped back, getting scared by the second.

"I was almost finished but no..." he continued to lowly speak, apparently anger rising up.

"I-Im so sorry, sir" she quivered.

"How hard is it to put a cup of coffee in my freaking desk, huh!?" he yelled.

"Damn... you know what!? I have to start over just because of a stupid errand my pathetic cleaner wasn't able to accomplish properly!" he shouted.

"Get out! Get out of this room before I personally kick your ass out!"

And with that, Sakura just broke to a run and gladly walked in at the sanctuary of the elevator.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Sakura hit her forehead thrice.

"I was already there, just place the cup on his desk and I could get back to work on that stock room. But my mind was wandering off... stupidly wandering off! How dumb can I get!? I would get myself fired!" she screamed at herself

There was a loud ding and the elevator door flew open and Sakura quickly spotted Tomoyo on the ground floor and ran towards her.

"Sakura!? What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in Mr. Li's room?" Tomoyo inquired with her eyebrow arched.

Sakura didn't say anything.

"Hello? What happened?" Tomoyo insisted.

"I did it this time" was her only reply. Tomoyo got the message and started tapping her shoe as she put her hand on her hips.

"What did you do?"

"It was on accident! I didn't mean to pour coffee on his paper works"

"Oh, Sakura" Tomoyo sighed, exasperated. "What were you thinking about?"

"Nothing. I was just looking at his face then I tripped on that carpet and there! The cup flew to his table, wetting all the forms that he's talking about"

"Looking at his face?" Tomoyo suddenly perked up.

"Yes—I mean no...I was just uhh– trying to see what he's doing"

"Hmmm" Tomoyo smirked.

Sakura looked around to see the usual things that happens on that floor. People bustling with towels and feather dusters and she felt that she misses this. If only she can go back to her original work...

Her thoughts were interrupted when Nana's voice rang in the crowded halls, catching everyone's attention.

"Sakura! Sakura, dear!"

"Yes Nana?" Sakura waited for Nana to come closer but apparently, she didn't want to wait.

"Mr. Li is asking for you upstairs. And he emphasize that you do it fast"

Sakura just gulped as she once again went to the elevator. After a while, Sakura found herself in front of the huge door that will lead her to Mr. Li's office. She knocked.

"Come in" she heard again for the second time this day.

She bowed deeply as she stood there in front of him. She's saying a silent prayer as she awaits whatever Mr. Li would tell her.

For awhile, Li was just looking at Sakura and her moving lips, amusement arising in him. Surely, this is one different lady. First, she didn't try to flirt with him like lots of women did. In fact, she's scared half to death of him. She tries to do her work as hard as possible, not wanting to get fired and also not even paying attention to him like many maids did.

"She may be worth keeping...as a cleaner" he concluded as she stared at the bowing figure of Sakura.

"I'm not going to fire you" he coldy stated.

Sakura looked up with grateful eyes.

"Resume on your work in the stock room but before that, you might want to clean the mess that you did on the carpet"

Sakura looked at the Persian rug to find the cup that might have fell and teh saucer still lying there. She picked it up and brought it with her inside the room, making a mental note to bring it down later.

The lunch break hour came and Sakura stood up, finally done with her assignment. She got the cup and saucer once again and quietly walked to the door, battling inside if she should go apologize again. Caught up on her own thoughts, she didn't hear the footsteps behind her.

Before she opened the oak door, she finally decided to once again say sorry for what she did this morning. She then turn around.

But as she did, she found herself facing her boss almost just a feet away. Obviously, he's heading out of the room too. Well of course, he has a lunch break to attend too.

Sakura's standing there, a feet away from Li and soon, she was gazing at his intense amber eyes.

'Wow...' she thought.

Seconds passed and Sakura forgot what she was going to do as she continued to look at Li.

'His face...its so handsome and it looks so smooth'

She turned beet red at the thought that flooded her mind and snapped out of her trance.

"Did you forget anything?" Li suddenly spoke out, sounding irritated with the hold up.

"Oh— no, no, sir. I was just going to um---" she racked her brain to remember what she was going to do.

"Going to what!?" he once again asked, his voice rising.

"I-I was going to apologize" she then blurt out.

"Apologize" he repeated.

"Yes. Apologize for my clumsiness this morning, sir"

"I don't think that it's clumsiness. It's actually an action of stupidity. It was plain stupid that you didn't see that carpet. Just be thankful you still have your job"

"Now move out of the way. I need to eat before I continue to work on that form I should have finished ages ago... " he growled and glared as Sakura took a huge step from him.

'What was I thinking? Handsome? He has the worst attitude it the world' she angrily told herself, her little hand curling to a fist.

ooo

"Friday at last! This week has been so stressful. Not to mention it has been really scary" Sakura cheerfully told Tomoyo as they both put on their aprons, preparing for the work of the day.

Tomoyo giggled. "Sakura, you never grow up do you? Why do you always have to be scared of everything? Scared of ghosts, scared of men, scared of Mr. Li, scared of getting fired, scared for your father, scared of strangers. You're 24 years old. Get a grip"

"Life is just scary. Ghosts are my old problems. Men can cause you heartbreaks, Mr. Li is plain scary, if I get fired then Touya will have nothing to eat, strangers can hurt me..."

Then her eyes softened. "And of course I'm scared for my father... he's sick and me and Touya are not there with him at the farm"

"Who's helping him then?"

"I heard that a young man is aiding him right now. And also, the townspeople are chipping in when it comes to keeping the farm clean"

"That's good. Well, I'll see you later, Sakura. I have to go" she waved. "Good luck with Mr. Li by the way!"

"Grr...Tomoyo" she laughed inwardly.

She stepped inside the elevator and soon enough, she is once again standing in front of the oak doors.

She knocked...nothing happened. She knocked again but no sound came out. She once again tried it and still, no answer from the other side.

She meekly opened the door and shyly peeked her head in. She found no one. Thinking that Mr. Li could have went to someplace else, she just went in.

"This office is really beautiful..." she dreamily sighed.

"Maybe someday, I can work in an office like this and have my own servants bringing me coffee"

She continued to walk around the green-walled room. This is really the first time she had the chance to do this. The past days, she was too busy cleaning to appreciate the brilliance of this office. Besides, she can't dance around on the floor like she's doing now if Li is there.

She looked at the high tables near the window, observing everything, the figurines, the paintings, decorations of the room. Then a glass table where pictures are nicely put on frames caught her attention.

Sakura stared at them one by one. One picture is a girl, around Sakura's age with black hair, tied in two buns on her head. She noticed her eyes are intense ruby and saw the slight resemblance with her boss. Then when she saw the next one, her eyes grew larger, her face blushed and her heart clenched that she gave out a small gasp.

She looked around as if to check if anyone's watching and continued to gaze at the picture.

Syaoran Li, handsomely smiling on the picture that Sakura never saw him do since she ever laid eyes on him. Heck, she never even saw him crack a small smirk. But at the photo, his eyes are twinkly and cheerful... very unlike of his scary amber eyes right now. It's like he was surrounded of a very warm aura before..

"Oh God..." she murmured as her face turned deep red. "He is so ... attractive and— and appealing and all sorts of words combined..."

'Wow'

She resisted the urge to kiss the picture and stomped her feet as anger to herself mounted on her.

She had been feeling— weird these past few days. It all started when they had the face-to-face encounter. Since then, every time she sees Mr. Li, her cheeks grow hot and she is always lost for words and always too busy looking at his face. It's like a spell.

Sakura gripped the frame tighter. Whatever it is she's feeling, she doesn't like it. It's all mixed up. Sorry, she's too innocent for this. All her life, she had focused on raising Touya and earning money so how in the world can she have a clue on what's going on inside her?

There's only one thing she's sure of right now: she doesn't like this...it has to stop.

But when did feelings start listening to us, humans?...

She then placed the picture back on the table and saw that the third one is facing down. She checked if the coast is clear and lifted it up for her to see.

She was taken aback at what she saw... a girl, on Li's back, the couple with broad grins on their faces looks like they are having the time of their lives. She picked it up and stared at it. It's a close-up picture of the two. Syaoran's face is smiling and so is the girl, her arms wrapped around his neck.

Sakura thought that the girl is so beautiful. Sparkling blue eyes, fair skin and blonde hair.

'They must be together before...'

"What are you doing!?" a voice shocked her the Sakura dropped the picture.

She immediately picked it up and placed it face down like it was before and faced her boss.

"Answer the question"

"Umm— I-I was just looking at your pictures, sir"

"Who told you to do that!?"

"Well, you see...I-I...uhh. No one sir" she replied, defeated.

"Aren't you taught that maids are supposed to do only what they are told to do?"

"Well, yes but I just wanted to—"

"Still, I didn't give you permission, did I?" he superiorly talked to her.

"No, sir"

"Go to the stock room and empty the last drawer at the far left" was his quick order.

Sakura just followed him commands fuming.

'He can be the handsomest man in the world but he can be the biggest pain in the neck too' she madly thought before catching herself.

As she emptied the drawer, the face...the smiling face that she saw earlier on that picture kept popping on her mind. That perfectly-looking man, smiling on the lens of the camera... and she found herself smiling alone.

Sakura wished that she can one day see him smile... then she shook her head, thinking she's turning paranoid.

"Here Kinomoto" Li suddenly appeared on the door, carrying a big box.

"Here are the new papers that you have to sort out and put on that vacant drawer. You can also place the old papers at the same box after you're done" he swiftly commanded.

Sakura stood up to get the box of papers from him. She went closer so Li can hand it to her. Once again, her face turned red and the place suddenly became hot as his face was right above hers, grunting at the heavy material.

But Li stepped back. "No. I don't think you can carry this. It's too heavy"

Sakura was puzzled.

"I'll do it. Move" and Sakura did what she was told. She watched as Li carried the box to the far left of the relatively large stock room.

"Thank you sir" she shyly mumbled.

"Get to work" was his sharp reply.

ooo

Sakura was finally done and was almost ready to get out for her lunch break when she heard Mr. Li's voice, completely halting her.

"Kinomoto. Before you go, I want to ask for your help" he informed her. "Is that fine?"

"Um—my help?...of course, sir" she awkwardly answered.

"I'm busy filling up this paper and I need you to cut this forms for me... my secretary is out. This is her job but she left so damn early, I didn't get to tell her. I need it before I go out and eat"

Sakura was listening intently. She doesn't want to mess up on this one especially that Mr. Li himself is asking for her help.

"Here" he handed her a thin pile of hard paper. "That's the slogan project of Li. Corp and I need you to cut off the excess space in each slogan. Here's the cutter. Careful, its really sharp"

Sakura was amazed on how Li can be nice if he needs you. Sakura can't help but lighten up, laughing to herself that later, if she makes a mistake, countless insults will come her way.

She settled on the floor near the door for the stock room and got started. As she's doing it, she can feel the time pass by. Her lunch break will soon be gone...but its alright right? As long as Mr. Li won't be the mean, scary boss that he is even for just a moment...

'One more to go!' she excitedly thought.

She moved the cutter slowly, wincing on how hard it is to cut the paper—scratch that— the carton. It's no paper... its too hard and thick to be a paper. She cut the excess on the top, left and right. She put her left hand beside the paper to pin it on the floor.

'One more side...' two inches or more and the job is done. But in her hurry and addition to the hardship of cutting a carton, her right hand went out of place, causing the cutter to accidentally cut a small portion of her other hand.

"Ow!" she cried out. She hoped and prayed that Li didn't hear her but...he did. She heard footsteps. And Li saw the cut part of the hand, blood leaking out of the deep wound.

"What the hell did you do now, you senseless idiot?!" he asked. But Sakura heard a hint...of concern?

"I just cut myself, sir! It's no big deal. Besides, I did a good job on the assignment" she said looking down at her left hand, happiness evident on her voice.

Li looked around and saw that she indeed did a great job. Sakura looked up to meet his eyes, smiling radiantly, apparently proud of herself.

Amber and emerald met for the very first time. Li quickly saw the innocence in her green eyes. Not to mention the touch of pain that she just got. He noticed something he didn't see before too... she's quite beautiful...

He grabbed her hand, rather too harshly but Sakura didn't mind. She was too occupied thinking about her painful hand than to pay too much attention. He pulled her up and brought her to a section of the corner of the room.

Still clutching her hand, he opened a small drawer and pulled out a first-aid kit. He brought out a little liquid that whatever it's called, Sakura don't know.

"It's going to burn for awhile" he muttered, somewhat annoyed. He slowly poured it on the line of scratch on Sakura's hand.

"Eeee" she whispered at the burning sensation of the liquid. But she can't help but blush to the forgotten fact that her boss is holding her hand. She watched as he unwrapped a band-aid and expertly put it on her left hand.

As he did the final touches to the deep wound, she is just gazing at his handsome face. Surely, this is surreal? Her boss treating her like some kind of patient as he's the doctor.

"There" his cold voice spoke again, interrupting her daydreaming.

"T-thank you s-so much, Mr. Li"

Syaoran dropped her hand as if he was burned and just remained quiet, probably thinking of what to say.

For awhile, they just looked at each other... Sakura smiling at him, grateful and Syaoran gazing at her face, as usual emotionless.

"Thank you again, sir"

Syaoran found his voice. "Don't think much about it. I only did it because you are my cleaner and I can be held responsible if something happens to you. I don't want to dirty my name just because a half-wit cut herself"

Sakura was hurt but she chose to ignore this insult. "Still, you helped me sir"

"Just go take your lunch break. You can stay until 1:30 since I held you back" he icily told her.

Sakura walked to the door and before leaving, she bowed. "Thank you"

"Just get out!" Li burst out.

Sakura got out laughing. She really got on his nerves. She knows the key now: being nice. He hates it. Her laughter is still ringing on the corridor.

Inside the elevator, she glanced at her left hand, a band aid fairly visible on it.

'He was actually the one who helped me with this cut... he actually did it. Kinda hard to believe' she thought fondly.

She then looked up ever so sharply from the wound as worry closed in her eyes.

Five days...just five days. And she blushes when he's there, her cheeks get hot and red when her boss talks to her and looks at her, she smiles when she's thinking of him and she wishes that she can one day see him smile...

Uh-oh...

like it?! oh i hope so... thank you for all the support once again. thank you so much. right here...i cant put whats next cuz unlike 'it's never too late', this story is not planned at all...

well see ya guys. REVIEW REVIEW

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