ELLA.

I was still feeling sleepy, the weight of exhaustion clinging stubbornly to my body, but I had never been one to be late, especially not for something important.

And this...

This was my first day at work.

No matter how everything had unfolded, no matter how I had been practically forced into it, I couldn’t deny the truth. I had always dreamed of working in a company as big as this. The opportunity alone was something many would fight for, and I wasn’t about to ruin it by showing up late.

With that thought pushing me forward, I forced myself out of bed and hurried into the bathroom.

Everything that followed was rushed.

I brushed my teeth quickly, barely sparing a second glance at my reflection, then stepped into the shower, letting the water run over me just long enough to wake me up. The cool sensation helped clear the lingering fog in my mind, grounding me slightly.

Within minutes, I was done.

I stepped out, wrapping myself in my bathrobe as I dried my hair lightly with a towel. My mind was already running through what I needed to do next, calculating how much time I had left...

And then I froze.

There, sitting comfortably on my bed as though he owned the place, was a figure.

Lawrence.

My heart skipped in shock before my expression hardened instantly.

What the hell?

I clearly remembered locking my door.

"How did you get in here, Lawrence?" I asked, regaining my composure almost immediately as I fixed him with a sharp, deadly glare.

"I have a spare key, Theresa," he replied, pausing briefly as he scratched the back of his head, looking oddly... awkward. "I knocked, but you didn’t answer, so I panicked. I thought you might be in danger."

I stared at him for a moment, unimpressed.

"Seriously?" I raised my brows slightly, the annoyance clear in my tone. "So that’s your excuse?"

He lowered his head almost immediately.

"I’m sorry, Theresa."

I blinked.

Geez.

Why did he always apologize so quickly?

It was almost frustrating.

"Whatever," I muttered, rolling my eyes as I tried to brush it off. Honestly, I didn’t have the energy to argue this early in the morning.

"But you should start going," I added, folding my arms loosely as I looked at him. "Or do you want to watch me get changed in front of you?"

The effect was immediate.

He swallowed hard, his posture stiffening slightly.

"I... I mean..." he stammered, quickly standing up from the bed as if the thought alone had caught him off guard.

"I only came to tell you we’re taking you to work ourselves," he said, trying to recover, though his gaze still lingered for a brief second before shifting away. "We’ll be waiting downstairs."

I watched him for a moment, my expression unreadable, as he stood there awkwardly.

And just like that, the tension in the room shifted again, leaving me both irritated...and oddly aware.

Lawrence moved toward the door slowly, almost as if each step weighed him down. There was a reluctance in his movement, something subtle yet obvious enough for me to notice. He kept turning back from time to time, his gaze lingering on me longer than necessary, like he was trying to memorize the sight.

It was... unsettling.

"Wait!" I called out suddenly, my voice cutting through the silence of the room.

He stopped instantly.

Almost too quickly.

He turned back to face me, and the expression on his face shifted in a way that caught me off guard, his eyes lighting up with a kind of excitement that made me raise a brow slightly.

"Can I stay and help you?" he asked eagerly, taking a step forward as though he was already expecting me to agree.

What?

I blinked, momentarily taken aback.

Good thing I stopped him.

Because there was absolutely no way I was taking that kind of risk.

"Give me the spare key," I said instead, my voice calm, my face completely devoid of emotion.

The excitement on his face faded almost instantly.

He froze.

For a brief second, he just stood there, as if trying to process what I had just said. Then, slowly, he reached into his pocket, pulling out the key. Without saying anything, he stepped closer and placed it gently on my palm.

I closed my fingers around it without hesitation.

"See you downstairs," I added, this time with a small, polite smile.

That seemed to snap him out of whatever thoughts he had been caught in.

He nodded slightly before finally turning and leaving the room, the door shutting softly behind him.

The moment he was gone, I let out a deep breath I didn’t realize I had been holding.

I turned toward my wardrobe, pulling it open as I scanned through the clothes inside. But almost immediately, my brows furrowed slightly.

These weren’t my style.

Or... maybe they were.

Just not the current me.

Perhaps they belonged to the version of me I couldn’t fully remember yet.

I sighed softly and began searching through them, pushing aside pieces that felt too bold, too revealing, or simply not what I wanted for today. After a bit of effort, I finally settled on something manageable, a white long-sleeved top paired with a brown mini skirt.

And honestly, it was the longest skirt I could find in there.

After getting dressed, I did a bit of light makeup, just enough to look presentable. Then I grabbed my bag, took one last glance at myself, and headed downstairs.

The moment I stepped into the living area, I felt it.

Their eyes.

All three of them.

The triplets were staring at me, their gazes fixed and unwavering, as though I had just walked in wearing something outrageous.

I paused slightly.

"No way, Theresa!" they echoed in unison.

I blinked.

"There is no way you are wearing something this... alluring to the office."

I stared at them, completely unimpressed.

"Excuse me?" I said, raising a brow. "But this was placed in my wardrobe by you all, I guess."

They turned to look at each other, clearly caught off guard.

It was subtle, but noticeable.

A brief flicker of confusion passed between them, like neither of them had expected the question, or maybe hadn’t prepared an answer for it. For a second, they just stood there, exchanging looks, and then, almost awkwardly, they both shook their heads.

That alone made my brows knit slightly.

"Your legs are..." Leonard started, his voice trailing off as he took a deep breath, like he was trying to steady himself, to find the right words.

Or maybe the least offensive ones.

"...people need to concentrate at work, Theresa." He paused briefly, just long enough for the words to settle, before finishing firmly. "Change it."

The finality in his tone didn’t go unnoticed, because it clearly wasn’t a suggestion,It was a directive.

I stood there, staring at them, my expression unreadable as I tried to decide how exactly I was supposed to react.

Annoyed?

Amused?

Somewhere in between?

Because as ridiculous as it sounded, he had said it with so much seriousness that it almost made me question if he actually believed it.

After a while, I simply turned, no argument, no protest. Without saying a word, I walked away from them and headed upstairs.

’People need to concentrate at work.’

The words didn’t just fade after he said them, they lingered echoing in my head with every step I took as I climbed the stairs back to my room.

Each step felt heavier than the last, not because of the distance, but because of the meaning behind his words.

People?

What people exactly?

My mind circled around it, picking it apart, replaying his tone, his expression, the way he had said it like it was something obvious, like it made perfect sense.

I scoffed quietly under my breath, reaching my door and pushing it open.

What does he even mean by that?

The question lingered, unanswered and irritating.

I stepped inside and shut the door behind me, the soft click echoing faintly in the room. For a moment, I just stood there, leaning back against it, my brows furrowed as the annoyance settled more clearly.

Because the more I thought about it, the more ridiculous it sounded.

It was more as if my presence alone was enough to distract an entire office.

As if I was the problem.

My gaze drifted down to the outfit I was wearing, the white sleeve top paired with the brown mini skirt. It wasn’t like I had gone out of my way to wear something inappropriate. If anything, this was one of the more decent options I had found in that wardrobe.

Or maybe... it was the old me’s style.

I let out a soft huff and walked further into the room before dropping onto the bed. My mind refused to settle. Instead, it replayed everything that had happened downstairs, the way all three of them stared at me, the way they spoke in unison, and most especially, the way Leonard had singled out my outfit like it was some kind of offense.

I folded my arms across my chest.

So what exactly do they want me to wear now? Something worse? Or maybe something completely ridiculous?

I shook my head, frustration building up again.

Honestly, at this rate, I might as well just not go.

I stretched out slightly on the bed, staring up at the ceiling as I let that thought settle in. It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. After all, this job wasn’t exactly something I fought for. I was practically forced into it. Missing the first day wouldn’t kill anyone.

Right?

I had barely spent a few minutes lying there when a knock suddenly sounded on the door, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Ma’am! The dresses are here."

I blinked twice, momentarily confused.

The dresses?

Without wasting another second, I pushed myself off the bed and hurried toward the door. Pulling it open, I was met with a lady standing there, holding a set of neatly packed clothes. She stepped in quietly, placed them inside, and left just as quickly without another word.

I stared after her for a second before closing the door again.

Well... that was fast.

Curiosity immediately took over as I turned toward the clothes. Walking over, I began going through them one after the other. And the moment I realized what they were, I couldn’t help it, I burst out laughing.

"Seriously?"

Most of them were corporate trousers. Not just one or two, almost all of them. Paired with neatly pressed shirts, modest, simple, and completely... professional.

So this was their solution?

I shook my head, still laughing softly to myself as I picked one of the outfits. It was simple, yes, but at least it wouldn’t earn me another lecture about distracting "people."

After changing into one of the outfits and doing a quick check of my appearance, I grabbed my bag and headed downstairs.

The moment I stepped into the living area, their eyes were on me again.

All three of them.

But this time, instead of objections or synchronized protests, they simply nodded.

Approval.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

Without another word, we made our way out and got into the car. The drive itself was quiet, almost too quiet, but I didn’t bother breaking the silence. I simply stared out the window until we finally arrived.

And when we did, I couldn’t help the slight gasp that escaped my lips.

The Ironclad Group.

It was... massive. Elegant. Intimidating, even. Everything about the building screamed power and influence. For a moment, I forgot about everything else, the tension, the arguments, even them and simply took it all in.

It was beautiful.

"You would stay in my office, Theresa." Leonard’s voice pulled me back instantly.

It wasn’t loud, but there was something about the way he said it, calm, controlled, almost detached, that made it impossible to ignore.

I turned to look at him, expecting... something or anything but he didn’t even glance in my direction.

His expression remained neutral, almost distant, like the words he had just spoken carried no weight at all, like they didn’t concern me personally.

And that was when I noticed it again—that subtle shift. Ever since the hospital, something about him had changed, not drastically, and not really in a way that anyone else might easily point out.

But he was colder now and more reserved, more... withdrawn like he had built a wall somewhere I couldn’t quite reach anymore.

But strangely...I didn’t mind or at least... I told myself I didn’t.

"No way, Leonard. She is staying with me."

The moment the words left his mouth, everything shifted again.

Before I could even react, Lawrence stepped forward, closing the distance between us in a second. His hand wrapped around mine, firm and certain, and he pulled me slightly toward him.

The movement was sudden, possessive and decisive.

My breath caught slightly, not from fear, but from how quickly things had escalated without my input.

I glanced around to ensure we weren’t getting attention from passerbys.

"I have more workload currently. I will be needing Theresa’s assistance." Lurgard’s voice cut in immediately.

There was no hesitation in it, no room left for argument as his eyes remained fixed ahead, not even sparing me a glance.

And just like that, it started again—The tension, the silent clash.

I stood there between them, my hand still in Lawrence’s grip, my body slightly angled from being pulled, and yet... I said nothing.

Because somehow, I already knew how this would go.

The air grew heavier with each passing second, thick with unspoken rivalry, with control, with something deeper neither of them was willing to voice out loud.

And in the middle of it all...there was me, caught between their decisions, watching and waiting.