Chapter 14: Variable: Noel (Or, How to Fail Logistics in Two Hours)
The silence in the office was suffocating. Aika stood there, her brain short-circuiting as she looked from Noel's icy stare to Ren's expectant grin.
Internal Monologue: Wait, what? A choice? Since when do I get choices in this life? This is exactly like that one time I walked into the wrong lecture hall and the professor asked me to solve a theorem on the board. I haven't prepared for this! I haven't studied the "Brother Survival Guide"! If I pick Noel, I'll be bored to death or executed for a typo. If I pick Ren... well, he's a wild card.
As she stood there looking like a deer in headlights, Ren let out a soft laugh. He stood up smoothly and walked toward her, closing the distance before she could even stammer out a syllable.
"Okay, okay, don't think that much," Ren said, his voice breezy as he placed a hand near her shoulder, effectively cutting off her escape route. "It's not worth the brain power, Helena. You look like you're about to overheat."
He leaned in, his tone turning playfully firm. "You're working under me, okay? My office is way cooler anyway. Less 'corporate funeral' vibes, more 'actually enjoying life.' It's decided."
Aika blinked, her head tilting up to look at him. "I... I have to...?"
"Yes," Ren countered with a wink. "You're with me."
But the atmosphere in the room didn't lighten. From across the desk, the sound of a pen clicking shut echoed like a bone snapping. Noel hadn't moved, but his gaze was now fixed entirely on his brother.
"Ren," Noel said, his voice dangerously low. "You already have the Grandfather's reports to deal with this week. Along with the logistics merger and the private circuit meet tonight... are you sure you want to add 'supervising Helena' to that list?"
He finally looked at Aika, his eyes narrowing. "Or are you just trying to avoid actual work by bringing in a distraction?"
Internal Monologue: Ouch. 'A distraction.' Thanks, Noel. Nice to know I'm ranked somewhere between a shiny object and a structural hazard. But wait—if Ren is too busy, does that mean I'll actually have to... do things?
Aika looked between the two. Ren's grip on the back of the sofa tightened slightly, his smile not fading, but his eyes sharpening. The "Battle of the Twins" had officially moved from the boardroom to her desk assignment.
Ren raised both hands in the air—a classic gesture of surrender—though the mischievous glint in his eyes didn't fade for a second.
"Okay, okay, bro! Cool down," Ren laughed, stepping back from Aika as if dodging a physical blow from Noel's glare. "I'm not ditching any work. See? I'm going."
He snapped his fingers toward his assistant, who was already gathering his leather briefcase. "Kael, let's go. We've got a 'mountain of data' to move, apparently."
Ren paused at the door, turning back to give Aika a sympathetic, lopsided smile. It was the look of a soldier leaving a comrade behind on the battlefield. "And yeah... Helena? Sorry. I can't intervene further. As you know, when the 'Boss' gets like this, it's best to just let him simmer."
He winked at her, his voice dropping to a loud whisper that echoed in the quiet room. "But I promise I'll be back on time, okay? Don't forget—the circuit tonight. Be ready."
With that, the glass doors hissed shut behind him and Kael, leaving the office in a sudden, terrifying silence.
Internal Monologue: Wait. No. Ren! Don't leave me here! You can't just 'promise to come back' like you're going to the store for milk! He literally just fed me to the lions and then reminded the lion that we're going out for pizza later. This is bad. This is biologically, socially, and professionally catastrophic.
Aika stood rooted to the spot, the warmth of the office suddenly feeling like a desert heat. She slowly turned her head toward the executive desk. Noel hadn't moved. He was just sitting there, arms crossed, staring at her as if she were a complicated math equation he was about to delete.
The click of the door closing behind Ren felt like a judge's gavel. Aika didn't dare look at Noel directly; instead, she tilted her head just enough to peek at him with one eye, like a cat checking if the vacuum cleaner was still on.
"So..." she started, her voice sounding about three octaves higher than usual. She cleared her throat and tried again, forcing herself to use the professional tone she'd seen in movies. "So... like... what do I have to do? Any work... sir?"
Internal Monologue: 'Sir'? Really, Aika? Why did you call him 'Sir'? You sound like a Victorian orphan asking for more porridge. He's going to see right through this. He's going to give me a task like 'reorganize the entire global economy by lunch' just to watch me crumble. Be sturdy. Be a scientist. Scientists don't fear CEOs. They fear lack of funding and broken centrifuges. Focus!
Noel didn't respond immediately. He just watched her—that one squinted eye, the messy hair, the way she was practically vibrating with nervous energy. He looked down at the empty space on his desk, then back at her.
"Work?" Noel repeated the word as if it were a foreign concept coming from her. He leaned forward, the light from his laptop making his eyes look like polished flint. "You want to work, Helena? Or are you just waiting for the clock to hit 'bike circuit' time?"
Aika winced.
"I'm here for the internship," she muttered, finally opening both eyes to show a spark of her own defiance. "My systems are ready. Just... give me a manual or a spreadsheet. I can handle it."
Noel's eyebrows shot up a fraction of a millimeter. He reached into a drawer and pulled out a thick, leather-bound folder that hit the desk with a heavy thud.
"Fine," he said. "Analyze the discrepancies in the Q3 logistics report. I want a summary of the errors and a projected solution by the time the board arrives. Since you're so 'ready,' I assume two hours is plenty of time."
Internal Monologue: Two hours? Q3 logistics? I don't even know what Q1 or Q2 were! I am a chemistry student, not a wizard!