Sophia arrived at the MYG News building in the morning, scanning the room for her friends before heading toward their cubicles. As she walked through the office, she noticed a strange tension in the air; everyone seemed incredibly nervous. Spotting her friends sitting together in the distance, she quickly jogged over to them.
"Hey, why are you so late?" asked one of her friends.
"I slept in a little."
"Dude. It's a good thing the boss is busy today. Otherwise, you'd be done for. Reporters like us don't have the luxury of sleep, Sophie," another friend chided.
"That's not it," Sophia said, dropping into her office chair. "Why is everyone running around like crazy? Is the big boss coming in today or something?"
"Hmm. I don't know if we'll actually get to see him today," Abigail said, her voice filled with excitement that quickly turned sour. "He's so handsome, just like the rumors say. I really want to see him. But he never shows up when he says he will. And even if he does, we'll probably be out chasing news stories."
"Handsome? What good is being handsome if he's terrifying?" another friend chimed in. "He's a very angry person. That's why we probably won't even see our Mr. Adams today. Adams has been checking everything since this morning to make sure he can't find a single mistake. He's terrified the boss will catch him slipping up."
Everyone laughed at the friend's observation.
"I'm sure the boss won't come today, either," Sophia said dismissively. "Look, I've been working here for two years, and I haven't seen the boss once. Not even a photo. He hates publicity."
"Why do you sound so sad about it?" Matthew asked, looking at Sophia jokingly.
"W-what? No! Why would you ask that?"
"I don't know, I just noticed a shift in your mood ever since Abi called him handsome," Matthew teased, laughing.
"Matthew!!" Sophia shouted.
"Why?" Matthew feigned innocence.
Sophia stared at him for a moment before shaking her head from side to side in exasperation. "I'm done with you guys. I'm going to get some breakfast. If you're coming, come on."
Sophia bowed her head and quickly stood up, walking briskly toward the exit. But she didn't get far. Walking with her head down, she suddenly halted because someone had stopped directly in her path.
Sophia found herself staring at a pair of polished, expensive shoes. Slowly, her gaze traveled up from the shoes until she locked eyes with their owner. The person was looking right back at her.
Sophia stared at the handsome man in front of her for several moments, completely entranced. She didn't even realize that her supervisor, Mr. Adams, had been shouting at her.
"Sophia! Sophia Harris!! I'm going to fire you right now!"
Startled by Mr. Adams's booming voice, Sophia snapped out of her trance and looked at her boss, who was glaring at her.
"Sorry, Mr. Lewis! I'll fire her right now," Mr. Adams stammered, addressing the man Sophia had bumped into.
Sophia's eyes went wide. She realized that the person standing in front of her was none other than the CEO of MYG News, Michael Lewis. Horrified, she apologized profusely, bowing her head as she quickly scurried past them to join her friends, who were watching the scene unfold from a distance.
Mr. Lewis walked toward his office without a word. Mr. Adams followed close behind, head bowed respectfully as he updated him on company matters. They both entered the CEO's cabin.
"Mr. Lewis, as I told you, we have our reporters covering every corner of the country. If something special happens, we will get the information immediately. And we have also interviewed new news anchors. I am sure that MYG News will be the best channel this year-"
"What is her name?"
"Huh?" Mr. Adams blinked, confused.
"What is her name? That person who just crossed my path."
"Ah... She is a reporter. But not for long, sir. I will fire her immediately. She showed no respect-"
"I asked for her name," Mr. Lewis interrupted, his tone urgent.
"S-Sophia Harris, sir."
"Hmm. What department is she in?"
"My department, sir. Don't worry, sir. I'll get her fired-"
"No need."
"Excuse me?"
"I said, no need!"
"Ah, s-sorry, sir."
"Hmm. You can go now."
"But-" Mr. Adams started to speak, but stopped immediately when Mr. Lewis raised his hand, motioning for him to leave. Confused, Mr. Adams bowed his head and exited the room.
Meanwhile, Sophia was terrified. She was afraid that her dream of becoming a reporter, a dream she had worked so hard to achieve, was about to be ruined by one clumsy incident.
"Don't worry. Even if you can't stay here, you can become a reporter at another company," Abigail said, trying to comfort her.
"B-but this is the best one. If I get fired from here, I won't get hired by any other institution," Sophia's voice trembled.
It wasn't just Sophia; her friends were also scared for her job, knowing that Mr. Lewis had a reputation for being ruthless.
"Here comes Mr. Adams. He looks like he's in trouble," a friend whispered.
Everyone's attention turned to Mr. Adams, who was walking toward them, shaking his head and frowning deeply. Sophia ducked her head in fear.
"Sophia, come here for a moment," Mr. Adams called out.
Trembling, Sophia walked toward him.
"Do you have any acquaintance with Mr. Lewis?"
"N-no, sir. W-why?" Sophia asked, utterly confused.
"No, it's nothing." Saying that, Mr. Adams walked away, leaving Sophia standing there, unable to make sense of the situation.
Later, when Sophia learned from a reporter in another department that she hadn't been fired, she literally jumped for joy.
"That's still very unusual," Matthew said, frowning thoughtfully.
"Why?" Sophia asked.
"Well, think about it. You're the only one who has ever escaped a situation like that with Mr. Lewis. Usually, even for a small incident less important than this, he would fire the person without thinking twice. Even if Mr. Adams begged him not to. Do you actually know your boss?" Matthew asked suspiciously.
"No. I just saw him for the first time today."
"Hmm... Oh my. Strange," Matthew sighed.
• • • • •
Meanwhile, Mr. Lewis left his office and drove to the headquarters of the Vante Group to see his childhood friend. He parked his car in the garage and entered the building, pressing the button for the top floor. He walked straight to the CEO's cabin and knocked on the door.
"Come in."
When Michael, Mr. Lewis, entered the office, he saw his friend standing by the floor-to-ceiling window with his back turned, looking out over the city.
"What are you thinking about, Mr. Brown?"
Mr. Brown turned around as soon as he heard Michael's voice.
"There's no one here, Michael, so call me Ronan." Ronan sat down in his swivel chair, motioning for Michael to take the seat opposite him.
"Okay, Ronan. Tell me, what's wrong today? Are you still having that bad dream?"
When Michael asked this, Ronan recalled the same dream that had haunted him since the beginning.
"Son!! Son!!"
"Mom...!!" A woman screamed from inside a swirling, circular portal. The little boy stared at it and began to cry.
"D-don't cry, son. Be strong. Y-you have to live. Find the blue gem. Y-you have to save our kingdom somehow."
Just then, the portal closed and vanished.
"Mommy...!!!!" The little boy cried out, left all alone in the forest.
"Ronan Brown!!"
Ronan jumped at Michael's shout, snapping back to reality to look at him.
"H-huh?"
Michael took a deep breath. "I asked if you were still having that nightmare."
"No, it wasn't a nightmare. That dream just... bothered me," Ronan said, frowning.
"That's not it. What's actually going on here? Did you go to your company today?"
As soon as Michael mentioned the company, Ronan noticed his friend drift into deep thought. Ronan stared at Michael for a few minutes before breaking the silence.
"Who is she?" Ronan asked.
"Huh?"
"I asked who she was. Is she beautiful enough to get you this lost in thought?"
Michael, surprised by how easily Ronan understood him, sighed. "Hmm, yes. I think she's beautiful. How did you know?"
"Very simple. Anyone can understand it when they see you, someone who never smiles properly, smiling to yourself. She must be a lucky girl."
"Yeah."
"Wow! Today seems to be something special. The CEO of MYG News, Mr. Lewis, has fallen for a girl," Ronan said with a rare, soft smile.
"Ha, Mr. Brown, you know how to joke now, don't you? If something special is happening, it's not because of me, but because of your smile. I think I'm the only one who has seen that in all these years. And that's rare."
Ronan sighed at Michael's words.
It was true; Ronan was someone who didn't know how to smile. He felt he never had a reason to. Growing up in an orphanage in Liverpool for as long as he could remember, Ronan had never received a shred of affection from parents. Michael was also a child from the same orphanage. In fact, Michael used to be even ruder than Ronan is now. But even though Michael was older, he never treated Ronan badly. That was just their dynamic.
Despite being an orphan, that hardship had driven him to his current position as CEO. He was still a young man, only twenty-six years old. Yet, no matter how much money he possessed, he felt a massive emptiness and weakness in his life.
"What time do you get off today?" Michael asked.
"Around ten tonight. I have some work to finish. Shit, the drivers are on leave today. I'll have to drive home alone," Ronan replied.
"Hmm. I have to go home now, too. I have work to do at the company," Michael said. They talked for a while longer before Michael left the office.
• • • • •
It was 9:50 PM. Ronan finished his tasks and prepared to go home. He packed his things into his briefcase and walked straight to the car park, ignoring the employees who bowed and greeted him along the way. Ronan got into his luxury car, drove away from the Vante building, and headed toward his home.
About fifteen minutes passed. Ronan turned onto a secondary main road that led toward his estate. The road wasn't very crowded; since it was late at night, only a few cars passed by occasionally.
Suddenly, Ronan felt a strange change in his body.
It began as a surge of energy, a raw power coursing through his veins like electricity. It intensified rapidly, reaching a point where he couldn't control it.
"Shit, what's happening to me?!" Ronan screamed, squeezing his eyes shut to block out the sensation.
A blinding pain struck him, feeling as though his head were about to explode. Despite the air-conditioned interior, sweat dripped down his forehead. He gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. He couldn't drive anymore. The electricity coursing through him was paralyzing, so much so that he couldn't even lift his foot to stop the car.
Ronan, trapped in the driver's seat of the moving vehicle, screamed and struggled against the power. In his thrashing, he unknowingly slammed his foot down on the gas pedal.
The car lunged forward, accelerating wildly. He had lost all control.
Luckily, there were no other cars on the road at that moment. But...
In the next second, through his blurry vision, Ronan saw a girl standing directly in front of the car.
"No!!! No!!"
Ronan shouted at the top of his lungs and slammed on the brakes, but he was too late.
His speeding car struck the figure with a sickening thud, dragging the cute girl a few yards across the asphalt, leaving her lying in a pool of blood.
Yes, that cute girl was none other than the fragile girl we spoke of earlier, Liora Miller.
How could Liora, who was so weak that simple tasks exhausted her, survive such a massive accident?
No, absolutely not!