New story!!! Yippee! well, i pray that you will enjoy this as much as you did with my first fic. Someone asked me if I write professionally...(blush)...haha. i dont. but thats what i wanna be. an author/writer. Thank you for the incredible number of reviews you guys gave me for my first one. i didnt think it will do that well (compared to some writers, that's few reviews. but for me, its MANY!)

Full Summary: As the owner of Li Corp., Syaoran is a cold, busy and a very serious man. He has no time for fun and games, thinking it's nothing but a waste of time. For him, everything has to be organized and correct. Even the rest of life is already-perfectly planned! But then he unexpectedly meets a nobody like Sakura. And his life sudenly became not-so-perfect anymore. Why!? Because love got in the way...

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Then She Happened

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It was just a regular day at Hong Kong. The streets were crowded with people, going to their offices, ready to tackle their jobs and problems of the day. It was sunny and the air's humidity can make someone so irritable in just a snap.

But one girl, one among hundreds stays cheerful in any day. She doesn't care if the hot sun's rays are specifically directed to her, she doesn't worry if the day would be good or one of the worse days that she'll have. Naturally, she doesn't care. She's just happy the way things are. She's earning money for her and her little brother and she's working with her bestfriend in the world.

Even though she's just a normal and humble office-cleaner...

"Hello, Sakura!" one of her co-workers greeted as she stepped in the warm room at the lowest level of such a huge building.

"Oh, good morning" the lady called Sakura smiled back as she continued her way to her own locker.

Once she reached it, locker 248, she immediately opened it and pushed in all her things, her bag and cap. She also took off her black shoes and substituted it with a battered, white rubber shoes.

Then she slammed her locker close and then continued walking on the huge room, full of people wearing the same thing that she is...pale blue straight dress with white shoes... all she needs is her apron to complete the outfit.

Yes...she is what we call a...maid.

As Sakura made her way, avoiding her fellow workers with stacks of towels on their hands and feather dusters, she can't help but utter a smile.

This is the place where she grew. This is like her family already. These people who always seem to be in a hurry, following orders from their bosses and these people who always seem to have an ugly and tired reaction on their faces has placed their own marks on Sakura's heart.

This is where she learned everything. It's low, being a cleaner but somehow, she feels that this will always be the point of her life where she will always look back.

She has a lot of friends here, she can relate to everyone. Sure, she would love it if she can be a higher someone in that huge corporation so that she doesn't have to work twice as hard for her little brother but this place, the lowest level of the building is the one she loves the most.

She had been working here for as long as she can remember... seven years to be exact. She started when she was just eighteen. And she grew here... she bloomed here.

Sakura just smiled as recollection of yesteryears came to her mind. The same halls, the same routine everyday, same old, familiar faces and same problems to encounter. Her goal is to complete her job...and that is to clean five rooms and serve same, five bosses every single day.

It's quite easy, actually. They are very nice to her. Just follow what they say and you are already safe from any yells and insults.

She haven't had any problems before. She's actually loving her work not like some people who keeps on grumbling about how pathetic being an office cleaner can be.

To Sakura, as long as it can give her money for her little brother, then she is fine with it. And of course, she won't forget the fact that her bestfriend works with her too, Tomoyo Daidoji.

Sakura's train of thoughts were interrupted as she started hearing laughter and whispering around her.

She then felt a soft tap on the back from people, saying 'congratulations' and 'you're so lucky'. Then one of her closest friend, Ellen gave her an 'I'm so happy for you... you can really use the money for little Touya'

And that's it. She was already confused and baffled on what's going on. Why does she always have to know the newest things last?

She then finally reached the apron window, after the long walk from her locker and the hallways.

"Here you go, my dear" a middle aged woman with gray hair handed Sakura her sized apron.

"Thanks, Nana" Sakura warmly said, expertly putting it on.

"Oh!" the woman gasped. "I need to tell you something. Come here, child. Quick"

Sakura entered the door and sat on the little chair in front of a table. She fondly thought of this place as 'Nana's office' since she likes coming in here, although the place is just packed with tons of aprons.

"Sakura, I have wonderful news for you" Nana started.

"What is it?" she curiously replied.

"Well, I know how much you need money, dear"

Sakura nodded.

"I heard that one of our maids was fired by none other than our president. Therefore, he needs a new, experienced one to fully keep an eye on his office and sort out his materials. And I recommended you and he approved" Nana continued.

"That's great!" Sakura exclaimed, her mind already racing with the things that she can buy Touya with the extra money that she can earn.

"Now, you don't have to serve the five treasurers of this corporation. You'll be serving the president himself" Nana joked.

But her joke unexpectedly scared Sakura.

She heard about him...Li Syaoran. The owner and president of Li Corporation. She had heard rumors about him on how young and handsome he is. She heard that he is worth drooling over. She hasn't seen him yet...

But Sakura didn't care about that.

What frightened her is the rumor that he is cold and scary. And he fires cleaners of his office if they accidentally mess up his things although he's the one who made mistakes in dictating his commands.

Her innocent, green eyes grew huge. Somehow, the thought of the five treasurers is more appealing. At least they are nice. Less money but she won't get fired and won't be scared out of her daylights by yells and shouts.

"Something wrong, Sakura dear?" Nana asked.

"Uhh–Nana? Why did you recommended me?" she gulped.

"Well I do know that you really need the money"

"And so did the others..." she defiantly talked back, her voice worried.

"But they are not experienced, Sakura and they will end up being fired. I don't want them to go through that. It will be dear old Nana's fault if they lose their job. You on the other hand have been working here for seven straight years. I do trust you too. I know you can keep this job, don't worry" she explained.

'Nana is so sweet' Sakura thought. 'But she could have just picked another person' she desperately thought.

"Instead of your daily wager of five dollars per hour, you will now have seven, making your entire day's salary seventy dollars. Isn't that just nice?"

"Yes... its so—erm...nice" she awkwardly agreed.

"Well, Mr. Li is waiting for you upstairs. And when I say upstairs, it on the 20 floor" she once again joked.

Sakura took in a huge breath. She smiled nicely, not wanting to think that Nana's good deed was unappreciated. She stood up and gave her a hug.

"Thank you so much. Touya will be so happy and I could really use the extra money"

"Anytime, deary" she waved as Sakura stepped out of the little 'office'.

Her heart is thumping. She's nervous, of course! Not only will she meet the almighty Li Syaoran, she will have to work for him, follow his every orders and take in all his future shameless insults or else she'll be fired. Touya will have nothing to eat.

Sakura was so busy in thought that she didn't see the other cleaners/maids that looks at her and sigh with envy.

"She's going to work for Mr. Li. I saw him before and he was a hunk!"

But Sakura did hear one comment from one person she never grew to like:

"She' so lucky. I wonder what she did so that Li will approve of her. She probably did something really sneaky. That hoe. I wish I could work for Mr. President. Maybe he will like me and marry me and I will be his wife." she sniggered.

"I won't be a wretched cleaner anymore" she whispered on another teenage girl who was nodding her head in agreement.

Sakura just rolled her eyes. Ming... her name is Ming. She thinks she's everything just because her face is decent enough and her body has curves. But who will even look at that? Her attitude alone is enough to make someone vomit.

Sakura then spotted her long-haired friend, Tomoyo on her locker.

"Tomoyo!" she almost screamed.

'Tomoyo is the one true person who can make sense out of this things...'

She them jumped on her and gave her a hug.

"I know that it's Monday, Sakura and we haven't seen each other on the weekend. But tell me, did you miss me that much?" she teased.

"No silly! It's just that I really, really need your help right now"

Tomoyo's face then showed concern.

"Why? What happened?" she worriedly questioned the pale Sakura in front of her.

Sakura then pulled Tomoyo in a quiet corner.

"I never knew anything about this and I just found out today but Nana just recommended me to be the new cleaner of Mr. Li's office and he approved! Now I'm scared to death on what I'm going to do since Mr. Li is capable of firing me anytime he feels like it!" Sakura spoke in one breath that Tomoyo barely understood what she just said.

"You got promoted!" Tomoyo squealed.

"Yes. But I don't like it" Sakura loudly answered back.

"Calm down!" she quietly ordered.

"Okay..." Sakura nodded her head.

"You are making a big deal out of this. Nothing wrong will happen. You have been cleaning offices for seven years. What difference will it make?" Tomoyo slowly reminded her.

"I know! But the last maid that he fired lost her job because she did something that Mr. Li told her to do" Sakrura breathed out.

"Well it's not the maid's fault then. Why in the world did he fire her?" Tomoyo mused.

"Exactly!"

"So it does make a difference to work with this corporation's president"

"Thanks a lot" Sakura sarcastically told her friend.

"Well the only thing that you can really do is just try to do things slowly so that you won't mess up on his orders. Calm yourself or else you'll be shaking when you lay eyes on him. Don't get scared or he might fire you because you are afraid of him"

"Aren't you supposed to make me feel better?" Sakura grumbled.

Tomoyo just laughed.

"Well, good luck. The morning bell will start in two minutes and the bosses upstairs would start bossing us around so you might as well make a move now. Remember you have a long way to go 'till you reach the 20th floor"

Sakura just nodded her head. This is nerve-wrecking...

On the elevator, she tried to straighten the already straightened black apron and she tried to practice what she's going to say.

On the back of her mind, she can't help but laugh at how she's making too much of a fuss over such small things. But she defended her other side by thinking that she will meet, talk with and work for the genius man who had this company working well in so many years.

She will see face to face the man that everyone highly respects. She will lay eyes on the man who fire people just because they had done so little wrong. That's what creeps her out the most...to get fired.

DING

The elevator sound blared on Sakura's ears as the sign 20 blinked on top of the elevator door. It opened and Sakura walked out, her breathing uneven.

She stood in front of a wooden door, perfectly carved into some sort of abstract art. She gulped in a large amount of air and raised her hand to knock.

KNOCK KNOCK

Her knuckles touched the door. She waited for an answer and it finally came.

"Come in" a masculine voice called out.

'This is it' she thought.

She twisted the doorknob and found herself in a room, large enough for her and her little brother to live in.

Her eyes was transfixed on the full, glass window behind the mahogany table where it overlooked the crowded streets below. But since Sakura can't really see the roads, her eyes was glued on the clouds on the sky, clearly visible on the see-through window.

"Wow" she muttered to herself.

"Are you done gaping at my office?" a cold voice then spoke.

Sakura woke up from her trance and her eyes snapped on the direction of the male's voice.

She hoped against hope that the man didn't see her eyes bulge out as she looked at the president's features. His handsome, fine-chiseled face with that artistically messed-up look with his hair, his bangs slightly covering parts of his forehead.

"Wow" again was all she can say.

"Kinomoto, right? The new cleaner?" his sharp voice brought goose bumps on her arms. Scary...

"Y-yes sir" she bowed her head.

"Well for the weekend, no one really was able to clean the stock room because that last maid was fired. You might as well start on that one..."

And when he didn't see Sakura budge, he stared at her. "right now"

"Yes sir"

"Stock room's the left door" he quickly added, the same icy tone evident on his voice.

Sakura then spotted two wooden doors on the office. One on top says "Li Meilin" and the left one did say 'Stock Room".

Sakura entered the room only to find that it is a mess. Piles of papers were scattered everywhere and receipts of some sort of huge money dealings were all over the place.

Sakura started cleaning them, trying to classify each to their own section. But what does she know about this? She doesn't even know how to fix these stupid papers lying around.

Does she need to make a pile for Outgoing Mails or Ingoing Mails? What about for Calls and Delivered Messages?

Sakura shook her head. First day promoted and she has no clue on what to do.

The thought of the five treasurers suddenly came to her mind. They don't ask her to work on papers that they know she doesn't understand anything about.

Well, she's a fast-learner and she's sure that she will be able to know what to do if... IF her new boss explained it to her...but did he say anything?... no!

"He could have told me what to do with all these dumb papers that are just flying everywhere" she bitterly mumbled under her breath.

"You're right" someone spoke, making Sakura jump out of her skin. He was standing on the door frame, his dark amber eyes boring on her.

"I did forget to tell you instructions on how to do these things. It is after all your first day. I apologize" he talked to her, his deep voice freaking Sakura out.

'Oh God! He heard me. Please don't let him fire me, please don't let him fire me' she repeatedly prayed.

But Sakura thought that he's actually apologizing. That's nice...

Then he moved closer to her, getting handfuls of paper.

"I mean, what could someone like you understand anything from these important things?" he lowly commented.

Sakura was taken aback. Okay...maybe she spoke too soon about the nice issue.

"I should get used to people like you. I'm surrounded with stupid commoners anyway who don't even know what to do with papers"

Sakura's eyes watered. She's not used to this... she haven't experienced this kind of things. She haven't even been insulted yet. But she knows that she have to take it all in. Just hear it on the left ear and let it flow out of the other.

As Li explained all the things she needs to know, she can't help but feel hurt. That was just one comment. That was just one insult. What more will come as the days continue? Maybe she has to quit this job.

She's too weak for emotional battles. She doesn't like her feelings being hurt.

"Are you even listening, you little maid?" he then turned to her direction, finally looking at her eyes since he first saw her.

"Uhh—yes sir"

"Good. Because I don't like repeating myself. That's just a waste of my time. One warning. Don't mess up what I told you to do. You know what can happen"

And he walked out of the room, thinking that the task he just left for Sakura to do is so easy when Sakura herself didn't even get a word that he let go.

---

"Done" she sighed and sat herself on the carpeted floor.

"That sure was tough" and she glanced at a digital clock on the room and noticed that five more minutes and lunch break will come and save her.

She tried to relax and lean on the cold wall when she heard a call.

"Kinomoto"

She immediately stood up and opened the door.

"Sir?"

"Get me a cup of coffee before you go to your break"

And when he saw Sakura not moving again, he added "right now"

Sakura walked out of the room and went to the other end of the hall just to get her boss a cup of coffee.

But as she's doing it, she just realized that Mr. Li didn't even say what kind he wanted. Black? With creamer or what?

Sakura sighed. 'Black coffee suited Mr. Li the most. So might as well do that'

She clutched the cup of hot coffee and entered the room again. She placed it on the table and luckily, before Li can take a sip, the lunch bell rang and Sakura bowed deeply and ran off to meet Tomoyo.

---

"So how was it?" her bestfriend excitedly asked.

"I was glad that I locked myself in the room. He's really freaky"

"Sakura... you are such a coward" Tomoyo stated. "Why do you always have to be afraid of everything?"

"I don't know" was her only reply.

The lunch break was unexpectedly faster and Sakura had to go back to the 20th floor...

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The day was spent mostly of Li teaching Sakura what to do. But for Sakura, it's not teaching... it's insulting.

"This drawer is full of signed contracts with the estate owners that bought lands from Li Corp." he opened the drawer.

"It's alphabetized and at the same time in order according to dates. I hope your little brains won't forget that"

Li can't keep his mouth shut when it comes to how stupid people like Sakura can be and Sakura's eyes are watering badly that she doesn't know how to restrain them from dropping down.

Unknown to Li, Meilin's door, is cracked open and she can hear every single word that he says and how he acts so coldly and mean towards the new cleaner.

Meilin's eyes were sympathetic as she stood up and closed her door.

She slowly shook her head. "When will my cousin come back to his old self?"

"It's sad how he thinks that life is nothing since he lost Keira when it's truly so beautiful. If only he can realize that"

---

Sakura glanced at her watch for the thousandth time. She can't wait but go home, the cozy and comfortable house that she longs to be in.

Finally, 4:57 flashed on her watch...

She slowly got up from her position and started to put back everything that she started doing. She also noticed that Li did the same thing. At five, Li will leave and she'll be able to clean up the whole office. Fifteen minutes probably...and then she could go home.

'The thought of home was never this pleasant' she sighed.

Finally, 5:00

"Kinomoto" the icy tone once again floated in the air.

"Sir?"

Throw these papers away. I don't need them" he ordered as he almost got out of the room, dropping a big box by the door.

"Are you sure, sir?" Sakura wanted to confirm. She doesn't trust his commands.

"Of course I'm sure! I'm the boss around here!" he snapped.

"R-right. I'm so sorry" she apologized, bowing her head.

"Next time, think first what you want to say before spitting it out!"

Then SLAM. The door was closed, leaving Sakura there all by herself.

"I hate this!" she stomped her foot. "Why do I have to get this stupid job. Why didn't they choose Ellen or–or that Ming"

"Aaargh!"

After ten minutes of intense cleaning, she was finally done. Her anger for her new boss made her work faster, trying her hardest to get out of this horrible place.

She submitted her apron and walked home carrying the big box of papers that Mr. Li told her to dispose.

"I'm not going to dispose this thing! In case he made a mistake, I want to make sure that I still have it and to make sure that I'm not going to be fired!" she angrily talked to herself.

"Hello, Sakura" Touya, her 7 year old brother, cutely greeted her as she madly entered the house.

But her eyes softened as she saw her little brother playing with his broken toys that has been on his possession more than a year already.

'With the money...I'm going to buy you new toys, Touya' she kissed him on his forehead as she put down the heavy box she carried all the way home.

She made dinner... but because of their budget, dinner is just vegetable soup with loaves of bread. But at least they eat happily right?...

They were just having a hearty meal when a car honked loudly outside their little house.

She got up and went straight to the door and opened it to reveal Mr. Li standing, obviously mad about something. She was shocked.

"Kinomoto! Tell me you didn't throw away the whole box of those papers!" he said. "Tell me you didn't!"

"I-I didn't" Sakura responded, thanking God that the brilliant idea of keeping the box came to her.

"Well, where the hell is it!?" he demanded, hitting the wall outside.

"I have it, sir. Just a minute" and she went back inside to get the whole box. Li was impatiently waiting outside the door.

She handed it to him.

"You better be thankful to yourself that you didn't throw this thing away! Or else I could have killed you! This box is so important with all those money proofs!" and with that, he went back inside his car.

"Hurry up, Edward! I can't be late for that meeting! GO! NOW!" he carelessly yelled at his driver.

"Yeah, Mr. Li. You are so welcome" Sakura whispered to herself.

Sakura sadly looked at the disappearing figure of the car. Her eyes full of hatred...but at the same time, pity.

"Those kind of people need help. They think everything belongs to them just because they have all the money in the world" she deeply pondered.

"Who was that, Sakura?" Touya asked, clutching the bread on his hand.

"Oh no one, Touya. Just promise me one thing. That you will never be like Mr. Li"

"Okay" he nodded, not really understanding what he just agreed on.

"I pity him. He doesn't feel anything for this world. He seems so cold and bad towards everything. I only worked for him in a day and somehow, I already know. If only he can appreciate the good things in life" she murmured, sitting back to her seat and resuming on eating.

"What happened to him?" Touya asked again.

"I have no clue. But whatever caused him to be that cold to everyone must be something really hurtful"

But unknown to her, there will be something that will change the lifestyles of this man. Someone that will break his barriers and someone will take off his cold exterior mask. There is someone that will really melt down his heart and crumble all his walls.

But as for now, she doesn't have any idea... as a matter of fact, she dislikes him at this moment. But soon, that lady will find herself changing the entirety of that cold Mr. Li Syaoran...

Who, you may ask?

Her name is Sakura Kinomoto...

...nothing but a lowly office-cleaner...

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ok! here we go again with the same routine! lol. hope ur not sick and tired of it. do you want me to shorten the chapters? i wanna please you guys... so im asking. long or short?

what do you think of the story!? if you're thinking that 'yeah...its good but the plot is already used so many times' then all i can say is that i wish you guys will be patient enough to see and read the twists and turns of the story. have a little faith.

remember at 'It's Never Too Late'?... the plot is common but it turned out to be one of the stories you didn't think it will be... see ya next chappie. i hope you guys have my back on this one.

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