ELLA.

I sat down in front of the desk, my gaze settling on the intimidating pile of documents stacked neatly before me. They weren’t just a few files, they were a mountain, silently waiting for me to go through, assess, and arrange each one accordingly. For a moment, I simply stared at them, letting out a slow breath as reality sank in.

So this is what my life has come to.

After what felt like endless back and forth, the triplets had finally come to a conclusion....one that still made absolutely no sense to me. Today, I was to work in Lawrence’s office. Tomorrow, it will be Lurgard’s and the next day, Leonard’s.

A rotation.

I almost scoffed again at the thought.

Why can’t each of them just get their own assistant? Why do I have to be the one moving around like some shared responsibility?

Shaking my head lightly, I pushed those thoughts aside and reached for the first file. There was no point dwelling on it now. I had work to do.

I flipped through the pages slowly, my eyes scanning every line, every detail. The words blurred at first, but I forced myself to focus, trying to understand the structure, the system—everything. If I was going to survive this, I needed to get used to it quickly.

Lawrence wasn’t in the office at the moment. He had mentioned something about a board meeting before leaving, which meant I was completely on my own.

And that realization made me pause for a second.

How exactly was I supposed to keep up with three different schedules? Three different workloads? Three different personalities?

I exhaled softly, rubbing my temple before returning to the document in my hand.

"One step at a time, Ella." I told myself.

Just as I was getting slightly immersed in the work, a knock suddenly sounded on the door, pulling my attention away.

"Come in," I said, lifting my head slightly.

The door opened, and a man stepped in. The moment I saw his face, I recognized him instantly...it was the same person from earlier this morning. He had been staring at me in stop, as the triplets were thinking of a solution.

"Ma’am, I am here to drop a file, as instructed by my HOD," he said, his voice polite, but his eyes... his eyes lingered.

"Okay, give it to me," I replied, extending my hand toward him.

As he passed the file, our hands brushed slightly against each other. It was brief and yet almost insignificant but for some reason, it made me stiffen.

He didn’t say anything else. He simply turned and left the office immediately, the door closing softly behind him.

I stared at the file in my hand for a second longer than necessary.

That was... strange.

I couldn’t quite place what it was about him, but something felt off. The way he had looked at me, it wasn’t just normal curiosity. It lingered too long, too intensely.

Or maybe... I was just overthinking it.

Shaking my head, I forced myself to refocus. There was no time to get distracted over something so trivial. I placed the new file on the desk and buried myself back into the work.

Seconds passed.

Then minutes.

And before I knew it, hours had slipped by without me even realizing it.

By the time I finally leaned back slightly, my stomach let out a quiet protest.

Lunch time.

I blinked, glancing around the office briefly. Lawrence still wasn’t back. Letting out a small sigh, I stood up from the chair and grabbed my phone. There was no point waiting any longer, I was starving.

Stepping out of the office, I paused almost immediately.

Right.

I had no idea where I was going.

I looked down the hallway, then the other direction, completely unsure. Everything looked the same, clean, polished, and confusing.

Great.

I took a few hesitant steps forward, hoping I would somehow figure it out on my own, but it didn’t take long for me to realize I was, in fact, completely lost.

"You seem lost." The voice came from behind me, sudden enough to make me turn.

And there he was again.

The same man from earlier.

"Oh... yeah," I admitted, giving a small nod. "Can you please point out the direction to the cafeteria?" I asked, hoping this time he would just answer and leave.

"Sure! I’m also heading there at the moment," he said, flashing me a smile that lingered just a second too long. "You can tag along."

I hesitated for the briefest moment, but considering the fact that I was completely lost and my stomach was already protesting loudly, I nodded.

"Alright... thanks," I muttered.

We walked side by side toward the elevator, the silence between us stretching awkwardly as we stepped inside. The doors slid shut with a soft ding, enclosing us in the confined space. I kept my eyes forward, trying to focus on anything but the strange tension I felt standing next to him.

It was supposed to remain a quiet ride but of course, it didn’t.

"Hi, I’m Micheal," he suddenly said, turning toward me as he stretched out his hand. "I’m also a new intern, but I got here a few days ago."

I glanced at his hand for a second before taking it, forcing a polite smile onto my lips.

"I’m Ella," I replied. "Thanks for helping out."

Even as I said it, I couldn’t ignore the slight discomfort creeping in. The introduction felt... unnecessary. Forced, even. But I brushed it aside quickly. Maybe I was just overthinking things again.

The elevator doors opened shortly after, and I stepped out immediately, my eyes scanning the area. It didn’t take long before I spotted the cafeteria.

Finally. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Without waiting, I quickened my pace, my hunger now taking full control. I grabbed a tray and picked out what I needed as fast as I could, barely paying attention to anything else. Food first—everything else later.

Once I was done, I looked around and found an empty table. I walked over quickly and sat down, placing the tray in front of me.

Just as I was about to start eating...

"Mind if I join you?"

I looked up.

Micheal stood there, holding his own tray, his expression still carrying that same easy smile.

For a split second, I considered saying no.

But this was my first day, I didn’t need unnecessary tension or enemies, especially not this early.

"Sure, you can," I said, offering a smile that didn’t quite reach my eyes.

He sat down across from me, placing his tray on the table. At first, I focused on my food, trying to keep things simple and quiet. But slowly, conversation began to flow.

And surprisingly...It wasn’t bad.

Micheal turned out to be quite talkative. He cracked a few jokes here and there, some ridiculous, some actually funny. Before I knew it, I found myself letting out small laughs, shaking my head at some of his comments.

I had just taken another bite when a voice suddenly cut through the atmosphere like a blade.

"What are you doing here?" The tone was sharp, cold and unmistakably familiar.

My hand froze mid-air.

The brief sense of ease I had just found shattered instantly.