When I reached my desk, I sat down with a faint smile still lingering on my lips, one I couldn't quite hide even if I tried.
"What happened?" Pim asked immediately, narrowing her eyes at me with curiosity.
I leaned slightly toward her, lowering my voice just enough so no one else could hear.
"You'll see when he calls me," I whispered.
And right on cue—
not even thirty seconds later—
the office phone rang.
I didn't even try to hide my smile as I pressed the button.
Chak's voice cut through the line, cold, sharp, carrying across the office just enough for others to hear.
"NIRAN. My office. Now."
To anyone else, it sounded like a warning.
Like trouble.
But I knew better.
I pulled the phone away, glancing at Pim with a small, satisfied look.
"Told you," I said simply.
Her eyes widened slightly. "What did you do, Niran?"
"I'll tell you later," I replied, already standing up.
I didn't rush.
But I didn't take my time either.
I walked toward his office, aware—just barely—of the curious glances following me.
Then I knocked once and stepped inside.
Chak was already looking at me.
He stood near his desk, the document I had given him earlier held in his hand, his expression controlled—but his eyes…
sharp.
"What game are you playing, Niran?" he asked.
I didn't answer.
I didn't need to.
Instead, I tilted my head slightly, watching him.
He turned the page toward himself again and began reading out loud, his tone calm—but edged with something deeper.
"Clause one: You must stay at least ten centimeters away from her."
A pause.
"Clause two: You are not allowed to touch her."
His eyes flicked up to mine briefly before continuing.
"Clause three: You must keep me in your thoughts at all times."
Another pause.
Softer now—
but more dangerous.
"Clause four: You will wear my perfume, because I want you to smell like me."
My lips twitched.
He noticed.
"Clause five: You are not allowed to kiss her first… because you're only allowed to kiss me."
His voice dropped just slightly on that one.
Barely noticeable.
Unless you were listening closely.
"Clause six: Whenever I call you, you answer."
"Clause seven: When you come home, you wipe your lips in front of me… and then wash them."
Now his gaze stayed on me.
Steady.
Unmoving.
"Clause eight: Every time you're with her, you look at me… even if it's in secret."
"Clause nine: Whenever I want your closeness, your kiss, or your embrace… you give it to me. Even if it's in the middle of a meeting."
There it was again—
that shift in the air.
Subtle.
But undeniable.
"Clause ten: Everything you buy for her… you buy for me too."
A breath.
Then—
"Clause eleven: If you follow all of this… there will be a reward."
A small pause.
His eyes darkened just slightly.
"Guess what it is."
Slowly, he turned the paper toward me.
"Look."
My gaze dropped to the page.
The small, drawn heart in the corner.
And underneath it—
One kiss.
A soft smile spread across my lips before I looked back at him.
"So," I said lightly, my voice carrying a quiet tease, "are you going to follow the contract?"
For a second, neither of us moved.
Then Chak stepped forward.
Closing the distance.
Stopping just a few centimeters away from me.
Close enough for me to feel his presence without him even touching me.
"I don't know if you've forgotten," he said quietly, his voice low, controlled, "but I'm the CEO."
His gaze held mine.
"I make the rules."
I didn't step back.
Didn't break eye contact.
"Maybe you are the CEO," I replied just as calmly, just as softly, "but I'm the owner of your heart."
A small pause.
"And that gives me more influence over you than you have over me."
For a brief second—
something in his expression shifted.
Then he smiled.
Slow.
Dangerous.
"I could fire you," he said. "For writing inappropriate content that doesn't belong in a workplace."
I tilted my head slightly, stepping just a little closer.
"Do you dare?" I asked, giving him a small wink.
The space between us disappeared.
Our lips only millimeters apart.
Close enough to feel each other's breath.
"Tell me," he murmured, his voice lower now, almost thoughtful, "what happens if I don't sign this contract?"
My smile didn't fade.
"If you don't sign it…"
I leaned in just a fraction more, my voice dropping to match his—
"I'll make you."
A pause.
"How?" he asked.
Instead of answering, I pulled back.
Just enough.
Then turned away from him completely.
Casually.
Like none of this affected me at all.
I walked past him, toward the couch in his office, and sat down, crossing one leg over the other as I leaned back slightly, my gaze lifting to meet his again.
"You'll see," I said softly
For a moment, he didn't move.
He just stood there, watching me, his gaze steady, calculating—like he was trying to decide whether I was bluffing… or already two steps ahead of him.
The silence stretched between us, thick, charged, filled with something that felt dangerously close to breaking.
Then—
he moved.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
Each step toward me unhurried, controlled, as if he had all the time in the world—yet the tension in the room tightened with every inch he closed between us.
"You're getting bold," Chak said quietly.
I leaned back a little further into the couch, resting my arm along the backrest, letting my posture stay relaxed, almost careless.
"Am I?" I replied, tilting my head slightly. "Or are you just letting me?"
That made him pause.
Just for a second.
But I saw it.
That flicker.
Then he reached me.
Close enough now that I could feel the shift in the air around him again, that familiar weight of his presence pressing in without him even touching me.
His hand came up, slow, deliberate—
and then stopped just short of my face.
Hovering.
Not quite there.
"Careful," he murmured, his voice low. "You might start thinking you're in control."
I smiled faintly.
"I don't think," I said softly.
A small pause.
"I know."
That did it.
In one smooth movement, his hand closed the distance, fingers brushing against my jaw before sliding slightly to my chin, lifting it just enough so I had no choice but to look directly at him.
Up close like this—
he was impossible to ignore.
"Is that so?" he asked.
I didn't answer.
I didn't need to.
Instead, my gaze flicked briefly to his lips—
then back to his eyes.
Intentional.
Clear.
His grip tightened just slightly.
Not enough to hurt.
Just enough to warn.
"Then explain something to me," he continued, his voice quieter now, but heavier. "Why would you write a contract… that gives me everything I want?"
My lips curved just a little.
"Because it doesn't," I said.
A pause.
"It gives you what you think you want."
That made his eyes narrow.
"And what do I actually want?" he asked.
I held his gaze.
Didn't look away.
"You want me to choose you," I said simply.
The words landed between us.
No teasing.
No playfulness.
Just truth.
For the first time since I walked in—
he went completely still.
His hand didn't move.
His gaze didn't waver.
But something shifted.
Deep.
Subtle.
Real.
"And you think this," he said slowly, almost carefully, "will make that happen?"
I let out a quiet breath.
"Not think," I corrected softly.
"Know."
Another silence.
This one different.
Less sharp.
More… dangerous.
Because now—
we both understood what was really being said.
Chak's thumb moved slightly against my jaw, a small, almost unconscious motion, like he was grounding himself in the moment.
"You're playing a risky game," he said.
"I learned from the best," I replied without missing a beat.
A flicker of something—amusement, maybe—passed through his expression.
Then, without warning—
he leaned in.
This time, there was no pause.
No hovering distance.
His lips brushed against mine—firm, controlled, but not rushed, not forceful—just enough to make my breath catch before he pulled back again almost immediately.
Too soon.
Way too soon.
"Careful what you offer as a reward," he murmured, his voice low, close.
"You might not be the only one claiming it."
I exhaled slowly, my heart beating just a little faster now despite myself.
"…You didn't sign it," I pointed out quietly.
His gaze dropped briefly to my lips before returning to my eyes.
"I didn't say I wouldn't follow it."
A small pause.
Then—
his hand left my face.
And just like that—
the distance returned.
But the tension didn't.
If anything—
it stayed.
Lingering.
Stronger.
"Get up," he said after a moment, his tone shifting back toward something more controlled, more professional—but not entirely.
I didn't move right away.
"Why?" I asked.
His eyes held mine.
"Because if you stay there any longer," he said calmly, "I won't stop at one kiss."
That was enough.
A soft huff escaped me as I pushed myself up from the couch, smoothing my shirt slightly, trying—and failing—to look unaffected.
"Noted," I said.
But I didn't step away.
Not completely.
He noticed.
For a brief second, neither of us spoke again.
Then he reached for the pen on his desk.
Picked up the paper.
And signed it.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
The sound of the pen against the paper felt louder than it should have.
Final.
He placed it back down, sliding it slightly in my direction.
"There," he said.
A pause.
"Happy?"
I stepped closer, picking it up, glancing at the signature for just a second before looking back at him.
"Very."
My fingers brushed lightly over the corner of the page—
right where the small heart was drawn.
Then I looked up at him again, a faint smile returning.
"You know what that means now, right?"
His expression didn't change.
But his eyes did.
"Say it," he said.
I leaned in just slightly.
Not enough to touch.
Just enough.
"You owe me," I whispered.
A beat of silence.
Then I turned—
and walked toward the door.
Calm.
Collected.
Like I hadn't just completely shifted the balance between us.
My hand reached for the handle—
but before I opened it—
"Next time," Chak's voice came from behind me, lower now, quieter, "don't hide it in a file."
I paused.
A small smile tugged at my lips.
Without turning around, I replied—
"Next time, I won't hide it at all."
And then I stepped out.