"I'll be heading home now. Reschedule everything for the rest of the day," Mr. Xavier said firmly in front of Celine's desk.
Nice.
"Yes, sir." Celine's professional smile appeared as she rose from her chair, bowing politely.
She lifted her gaze to the man who embodied the phrase aged like fine wine. Mr. Xavier Leonidas—his black hair perfectly framing features chiseled with precision: a sharp jawline, aquiline nose, piercing blue eyes. His tall, commanding frame fit flawlessly into a tailored black suit, exuding an aura that screamed untouchable. A god in a suit.
But no matter how striking Xavier Leonidas looked, to Celine, the man was still the devil.
The moment he disappeared into the elevator with Christian and a line of bodyguards, her polite smile collapsed. Celine's eyes fell miserably on her computer screen and the stack of files piled beside her keyboard.
His early departure meant her workload had just doubled—an entire schedule needing to be rearranged from scratch. God! If it weren't for the paycheck, I'd resign right this second.
"It's okay, Celine. It's okay!" she muttered under her breath, suppressing the urge to scream. Complaining wouldn't change a thing.
The sooner she started, the sooner she could finish. That was the mantra.
Her eyes, however, caught on the paper bag sitting neatly on her desk—the one left earlier by the new employee. Right on cue, her stomach growled, reminding her she hadn't had a proper lunch.
Okay… maybe today isn't a total disaster. At least I still have dinner.
Reaching for the bag, Celine whispered to herself, "It's just a bad day, not a bad life."
All she needed to do was breathe.
***
LEONIDAS Mansion, Queens, New York City—USA
"How's work, son?" Xavier's deep voice carried across the garden gazebo of the mansion.
Aaron sat at the round table with his parents, Aurora and Xavier. On the table lay porcelain teacups, a silver teapot filled with the finest brew, and an assortment of delicate pastries. The scent of roses, carried on the evening breeze, mixed with the fading warmth of the sun.
"Ex–ee–vie!" Aurora's refined voice scolded sharply. Dressed in an elegant white spring dress, her hair styled in a neat chignon, she waved her hand at her husband. "How many times have I told you not to bring up work when we're together as a family?"
Aaron hid a smile at his mother's tone.
"I was only—"
"No need to defend yourself," Aurora cut him off. "I know your head is full of world domination plans. But can't you pause them for one moment? Show a little care for your son instead."
"I am asking because I care!" Xavier protested. "So, boy—how is it there? I still don't understand. You could have any position you want. You could even take over mine tomorrow if you wished. Why must you be so stubborn?"
Aaron smiled softly. "It's fine, Dad. Doesn't everyone start from the bottom?"
"You are not everyone!" Xavier snapped.
"X. If you came home just to nag our son, you may as well go back to your office." Aurora's sharp look shifted into tenderness when her eyes landed on Aaron. "And I don't see anything wrong with his choice. He wants to grow on his own. What's the harm in that?"
"Yes, yes, always defending him," Xavier muttered. "In your eyes, I'm always wrong. If it came down to it, you'd choose Aaron, Axelion, Adrianna, even that troublemaker Alistair—over me."
Aurora gave Aaron a teasing smile. "Darling, do you think it's dignified for a man his age to sulk like this?"
Aaron only shook his head with a grin.
"Fine, fine. I'll shut up," Xavier huffed. "But listen, boy. If you change your mind—or when something becomes too difficult—don't waste your time. Come to me or to Christian. Don't bother with trivial chores. That's what Arthur is for."
Aaron nodded politely. Trivial chores? He almost laughed. If his father ever found out he'd spent the day making photocopies, there'd be bloodshed in the department.
Luckily, Christian appeared, interrupting before the conversation could spiral back to business. Stopping just behind Xavier, he bowed slightly.
"Ms. Celine is waiting outside, sir. If you allow, she'd like to come in for your signature on an urgent file."
Xavier's sharp blue eyes flicked to Aurora. Only when she nodded did he answer, "Fine. Let her in."
Aaron stiffened.
Celine. Celine. Celine.
He choked on his croissant.
"Boy, careful," Aurora urged, motioning for the maid to refill his tea.
Aaron grabbed the cup, gulped quickly—and ended up choking again.
"Aaron…" Aurora half-rose from her seat, but Aaron was already standing. I need to leave. Now.
Too late.
The doors opened, and there she was—Celine, walking briskly into the gazebo.
Aaron froze. She caught sight of him immediately. He grimaced, spinning toward his parents, trying desperately to play it off.
"My deepest apologies, sir!" he blurted, bowing low to Xavier. "I'll report this mistake to my supervisor right away and make sure it's corrected."
Xavier frowned, glancing at Aurora in confusion, while Aaron's mind raced for an escape. Beside him now, Celine tilted her head, eyes questioning. She mouthed a single word: Why?
Aaron gave her a helpless look before lowering his gaze again.
Xavier cleared his throat, shifting the focus. "You're here, Celine?"
"Yes, sir." Celine stepped forward, handing him the folder she carried. "This file requires your immediate signature."
Taking the folder, Xavier dismissed Aaron with a stern look. "You may leave. Tell your supervisor to bring matters like this to me directly, instead of sending incompetent staff."
Relief washed through Aaron. He bowed again. "Understood, sir. My apologies once more."
As he turned to leave, Celine glanced at him, lips forming silent words: Wait for me. I want to talk.
Aaron gave a discreet nod before retreating. He bowed lightly toward Aurora in farewell. Thankfully, his mother only nodded back—instead of bursting into laughter.
***
LEONIDAS Mansion, Queens, New York City — 7:25 PM
Just as Celine had asked, Aaron waited for her.
He sat at one end of the massive gray circular sofa in the Leonidas mansion's waiting room—a space reserved for employees or company executives coming to see Xavier. Towering gold-accented pillars, a golden ring-shaped chandelier on the ceiling, walls lined with priceless paintings, and marble angel statues at every corner… Aaron took in the details of a room he almost never visited.
There wasn't much to look at. Even the family portraits were limited to just one—taken when he and his younger siblings, Axelion, Alistair, and Adrianna, were still children. But to Aaron, that was an advantage. The fewer reminders of his identity, the easier it was for him to move unseen—even at Leonidas International. Including by Celine.
"Caden…"
That voice. A voice already etched into his mind, even though he'd only heard it a handful of times.
Celine.
Aaron stood immediately and walked toward her.
"Have you been waiting long?" she asked.
He shook his head, suppressing the urge to say that no matter how long she asked him to wait, he wouldn't mind.
"In that case, let's walk together. I'll talk while we go," she said, and Aaron quickly agreed.
They walked side by side down a long, seven-meter-wide corridor—one of the employee-only halls Aaron had never set foot in before. White dominated everything, with tall white pillars and massive framed paintings on either side. Boring.
So, he looked at Celine instead.
Delicate face. Smooth, fair skin. Straight nose. Long black hair that he could almost feel between his fingers. And her lips—thin, painted with nude lipstick. The longer his eyes lingered on them, the harder his chest pounded. His mind betrayed him with shameless thoughts of what her real lip color looked like, how they might taste.
Fuck.
He snapped his gaze to the paintings the instant she glanced his way. His hand clenched at his side. Guilt gnawed at him—for nearly imagining himself pinning her against the wall, kissing that lipstick off.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Celine asked.
Aaron smiled, meeting her eyes again. "Impressive," he said. You, not the strange painting someone decided belonged here, he added silently.
"Let's get straight to it, Caden." Celine's eyes sharpened. "I don't know if you're just clueless or what, but do you realize you're being bullied?"
"Bullied?"
She let out a sharp sigh. "Don't you think it's strange? A newbie like you being ordered to deliver files directly to the boss? At his mansion, no less? And from what I overheard earlier, what you gave him had mistakes?"
Aaron frowned, then gave a small nod. It was true. In the office, things like this happened all the time.
"Next time, don't just say yes to every order your seniors throw at you. It could be a trap. Not everyone at work is your friend. You were lucky today—Mr. X was in a good mood. Otherwise, he could've fired you on the spot. Is that what you want?"
Aaron only gave a faint smile and nodded again. The truth? He had once wished his father would fire him, so he could go back to traveling and charity work. But now… now he'd met Celine. And suddenly, he wanted to stay longer.
Not because he wanted to run his hands through her glossy hair, kiss cheeks soft as mochi, or claim those lips that haunted him.
Damn!
The thoughts made him feel guilty, but they wouldn't stop.
"My Uber's waiting outside. I have to head back to the office," Celine said. "Where are you going? If you're heading there too, you might as well ride with me."
He had planned to go up to his room and sleep. But because it was Celine… suddenly, he wanted to go back to the office.
"Don't get the wrong idea," she added quickly. "I'm just trying to save company money. I'm charging it to expenses, so this way we save fifty-eight dollars—the cheapest rate available, by the way. Or did you drive yourself here?"
Aaron shook his head. "I'll come with you. Thanks."
"Never mind that. Let's go—don't be shy," she said briskly.
They quickened their pace toward the front drive, where a metallic gray SUV waited. One glance at the model, and the peeling tint on the windows, told Aaron this car had seen at least four years of service. The weary face of the middle-aged driver confirmed it.
Seriously? We're riding in this? Am I even going to survive this trip?
Despite the urge to bolt from the stale-smelling vehicle, Aaron slid into the seat beside Celine.
He thought he'd hear her voice during the ride, but no—Celine buried herself in her files and iPad again, leaving him trapped in silence, every bump of the cheap seat torturing him.
How is she not dizzy? How can she still stare at the screen? Meanwhile, Aaron was already fighting nausea.
"What time will you finish work?" he asked, partly to distract himself, partly because he was curious.
"I don't know. Mr. X left early today, so I need to rearrange the rest of his schedule."
Aaron's eyes widened. He turned quickly toward the window, grimacing.
"What?" she asked.
"Nothing." He forced out a dry chuckle. "Just thinking… what a coincidence. I've got overtime tonight too."
"You're not secretly planning to save another dollar by sharing a ride home with me, are you?"
Her words blindsided him.
"Huh?" He blinked, confused.
"I'm kidding! Oh my god, you're so innocent. No wonder they mess with you all the time." Celine laughed, amused by his clueless expression. "But seriously—if you were thinking that, don't. I take the subway home. Unless we're going the same way, we can't go together. And you'll need your own MetroCard. I don't expense personal rides."
One thought crossed Aaron's mind: MetroCard? Could I just… use my black card instead?
He wanted to ask, but that would sound insane. So instead, he asked, "Where are you headed?"
Celine rattled off a subway route. Aaron caught only the word Brooklyn.
"That's perfect," he blurted. "I live nearby too. How about we go home together?"
He'd probably just embarrassed himself again, but Aaron didn't care.
"Sure. Just text me when you're done," Celine said simply.
Aaron nodded, grinning wide. Just a promise to ride home together, but his heart pounded as if it were a first date.
Still, he had a problem. One Arthur could solve.
The moment they parted ways in the main lobby, Aaron shot a message to his bodyguard.
Aaron:Arthur, what's a MetroCard?
Aaron:Never mind. Forget it. Just get me one. I need it in thirty minutes.
Arthur:MetroCard? Why would you need that, Young Master?
Aaron:None of your business.
Arthur:Apologies. I'll need to ask Madam's permission first 🙏
Aaron:Arthur!