ELLA.

"Hello Ella!"

The familiar voice pulled me out of my thoughts instantly. I blinked twice and raised my head from the computer screen, only to find Micheal standing in front of the desk with a faint smile resting on his face.

I hadn’t even noticed his presence.

I had been too focused on compiling the files into the system, using work as a distraction from everything clouding my mind—especially Leonard.

Just remembering his attitude earlier irritated me again—the coldness and the indifference. The way he kept avoiding my gaze while Bella clung to him as though she had already won something.

I pushed the thoughts aside quickly before they could ruin my mood completely.

"Hi Micheal," I said after taking a slow breath, trying to sound normal.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked politely, flashing me another easy smile.

For a brief second, I hesitated, normally, I would have refused immediately. I wasn’t exactly in the mood for company but after speaking with him earlier, the strange unease I initially felt around him had faded.

Maybe I had only been overwhelmed earlier.

Or perhaps the child in my belly was making me overly sensitive to everything around me lately.

I almost scoffed at my own thoughts.

Pregnancy was clearly messing with my emotions.

I quickly replaced the expression on my face with a small smile before gesturing toward the seat opposite me.

"I don’t mind actually," I replied softly.

Micheal nodded slightly before taking the seat.

The surroundings grew quiet again for a few seconds.

I returned my attention to the screen, pretending to focus on the files even though I could still feel his presence nearby.

Then he spoke again. "I hope the boss wasn’t too harsh on you."

The question immediately made heat crawl up my face, embarrassment washed over me instantly.

Geez.

Lawrence’s behavior earlier had truly been ridiculous.

The memory of him pinning me against the elevator wall flashed through my head again, and I nearly groaned inwardly.

I wondered what the employees must be thinking now if they had seen us, that I was probably sleeping with my boss already.

Or worse...that I was using my looks to gain favor.

I clenched my fingers slightly around the mouse.

"No," I answered quickly, refusing to meet Micheal’s eyes as I buried my attention deeper into the computer screen. "He wasn’t."

Even to my own ears, the response sounded awkward because how exactly was I supposed to explain what happened earlier?

That Lawrence suddenly lost control because I had lunch with another man?

The whole situation still felt absurd.

Micheal leaned back slightly in the chair, clearly sensing my discomfort.

"Well," he said lightly after a while, "if it makes you feel any better, everyone already knows the bosses are overly protective."

I finally glanced at him briefly.

"Overly protective?" I repeated quietly.

He chuckled softly.

"Trust me," he said. "Everyone in this company notices how they treat their possession."

My stomach tightened slightly at his words.

I hope I wasn’t the possession he was talking about, because I didn’t even know whether that would be a good thing or a bad thing because lately, every moment around the triplets felt more complicated than the last.

"Actually, Ella..." Micheal began slowly, his voice softer this time. "Like I said earlier, I’m a new intern, and I really don’t know most people here yet, but I kind of got along with you well..."

His words trailed off briefly.

I unconsciously raised my head slightly from the screen, only to meet Micheal’s deep blue eyes fixed directly on me.

There was something strangely sincere in his gaze, honesty.

"...I want to be your friend," he finished finally, flashing me a small smile.

I swallowed hard instantly.

Friend?

Such a simple word, yet suddenly it felt heavier than it should because honestly, I did want friends. I was tired of constantly being trapped in my own thoughts.

Tired of walking around feeling alone despite always being surrounded by people.

But at the same time...Fear settled quietly inside me.

What if people started prying into my personal life?

What if they began asking questions I couldn’t answer?

Sooner or later, my stomach would begin to show.

And then what?

How exactly was I supposed to explain carrying a child while living with three overprotective men that everyone already seemed to misunderstand my relationship with?

The whole thing sounded messy even in my own head.

"What do you think, Ella?"

Micheal’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts again.

I blinked quickly.

He was still staring at me patiently, waiting for an answer.

And somehow, looking at him now, I realized maybe it wouldn’t be such a terrible thing to have someone around who wasn’t constantly suffocating me emotionally. Someone normal and someone easy to talk to.

This company was huge and lately, everything around me had started feeling overwhelming.

Maybe having a friend wouldn’t hurt after all. I took a slow breath before finally nodding my head slightly.

"Well..." I began softly. "It’s not bad being friends."

A smile slowly formed on my face as I spoke.

"Friends," I repeated louder this time before stretching my hand toward him dramatically for a handshake.

Micheal stared at my hand for a second before bursting into a grin.

Then he shook it firmly.

"Friends," he echoed with amusement in his voice.

The entire thing felt so awkward and overly dramatic that I couldn’t help it anymore.

A laugh escaped my lips suddenly, a real laugh, I mean it wasn’t forced nor pretentious, just natural.

Micheal immediately started laughing too, shaking his head slightly.

"You make friendship agreements seriously," he teased lightly.

I rolled my eyes playfully.

"Well, this is a professional contract now," I replied jokingly.

That only made him laugh harder and strangely...I found myself relaxing completely.

The tension that had weighed heavily on my chest throughout the day eased little by little.

For the first time in what felt like forever, I didn’t feel trapped inside my own mind and only then did I realize how long it had truly been since I had felt this comfortable around someone.

"Do you stay around here?" Micheal asked casually after our laughter slowly died down.

A faint smile still lingered on my lips as I adjusted the files on the desk.

"Not really..." I started to answer.

But before I could finish speaking, Micheal immediately waved his hand lightly.

"There’s no need," he said quickly with an amused smile. "It doesn’t matter anyway."

I blinked slightly in confusion.

Then he added almost immediately...

"How about you give me your number instead?"

For a second, I hesitated, not because I didn’t want to but because it had honestly been such a long time since I had interacted normally with someone.

And strangely, I liked it.

I found myself smiling again before pulling out my phone.

"Sure," I replied softly.

The excitement in his face was almost amusing as we exchanged numbers quickly.

I didn’t even realize how relaxed I had become while speaking with him. Somehow, the stress from earlier had completely faded into the background.

I was so lost in the conversation that I failed to notice another presence nearby until a familiar voice suddenly echoed beside me.

"Ella, I need you to prepare a document for me."

The voice instantly pulled me back to reality and my heart skipped slightly.

I slowly turned my head and swallowed hard the moment my eyes landed on Lurgard.

He stood there beside the desk with his usual cold expression but his eyes...his eyes had darkened dangerously.

And suddenly, the atmosphere around me changed completely. The ease I had been feeling moments ago vanished instantly.

Luckily, Lurgard wasn’t as impulsive or emotionally reckless as Lawrence, at least not openly but that didn’t make him any less intimidating.

Especially with the way he was currently staring at Micheal.

Or rather...

Glowering at him.

"Yes sir," I responded immediately, standing up so quickly my chair almost shifted backward.

I hurriedly gathered the files and my things from the desk. The last thing I wanted was another unnecessary scene, especially not in front of everyone again.

Micheal glanced between the both of us awkwardly before clearing his throat slightly.

"I’ll see you later then," he said carefully.

I nodded quickly.

"Yeah," I replied softly.

But before I could say anything else, Lurgard spoke again.

"Follow me." His tone was calm and somehow that made things even worse.

I tightened my grip slightly around the files in my arms as I followed behind him quietly because deep down, I already knew something was wrong.

Because technically—I wasn’t even supposed to be attending to anything related to Lurgard today.

That had been the arrangement earlier. They had already agreed to it which could only mean one thing.

There was no document, no urgent work and definitely nothing important at all.

And from the stiff tension radiating off him, I could already tell I was definitely about to deal with another difficult conversation.