I had just reached my desk when I suddenly heard,
"NIRAN!"
Amara and Non were heading straight toward me, both looking visibly excited.
"I can't believe it," Amara said, barely containing her voice. "She's actually Chak's sister!"
"I know," I replied, trying to sound surprised. "I can't believe it either."
In truth, I had to make sure I sounded convincing. I'd known it from the very beginning.
Non raised an eyebrow. "Did you see how Chak's mother doesn't like her?"
"I saw," I said, nodding slightly. "But… why doesn't she like her?"
Amara crossed her arms, leaning against the desk with a small frown.
"I didn't even know our boss had a girlfriend. And now he's getting married! This is going to be the wedding of the century," she said, giggling.
The word married hit me like a quiet punch in the chest. It sounded too real. Too painful.
"His fiancée looks like she comes from a rich, spoiled family," Non added.
"She's arrogant," I said — maybe a little too quickly.
I hurried to continue, "No wonder she gets along so well with the boss. He's the same — cold, arrogant, and thinks the world revolves around him."
If only they knew how much warmth hides beneath all that coldness…
Amara laughed. "I think we've got a new romance brewing."
"Who?" Non asked.
"Vikran and Chak's sister," Amara said, eyes sparkling. "They'd make such a beautiful couple."
Non turned to me. "Niran, you've spent the most time with her. What's she like?"
"Mhm," I said thoughtfully. "She's got a similar personality to the boss — but she's much kinder."
"And protective," Amara added.
I nodded. "Yeah, exactly."
And more genuine than anyone would guess,I thought. But that'll stay my little secret — for now.
Amara leaned closer, lowering her voice but not her excitement.
"Did you see the way he grabbed her?" she said. "It looked like something straight out of a drama."
Non chuckled. "You watch too many dramas."
Amara frowned slightly, crossing her arms. "No, I don't," she shot back.
Wanting to ease the tension — or maybe hide the sudden tightness in my chest — I said,
"I don't like Phalin. She acts like this company belongs to her. Once the boss gets married, I bet she'll be here every single day."
Amara smirked. "Wouldn't surprise me. Women like her always find a reason to show up."
I forced a laugh, but inside, something twisted. Every day, I repeated silently. If she's around him every day… where will that leave me?
The door to Chak's office suddenly opened.
He stepped out, his sharp eyes immediately landing on us.
"You three again," he said, his voice calm but laced with authority. "Gossiping at work… What did I tell you the last time I caught you doing that?"
Amara and Non instantly straightened up, pretending to look busy.
Then his gaze settled on me — steady, unreadable.
I felt the weight of it. My mind went blank for a moment before I finally muttered,
"We'll… work overtime with you, Boss."
For a second, I thought I saw the corner of his lips twitch, like he was fighting a smile, but he quickly turned away.
Then Chak's eyes shifted to me again, his expression unreadable.
"For now," he said, "go home. All of you."
"Yes, Boss," Non said quickly.
As he turned away, his gaze lingered on me for a brief second — long enough for my heart to skip a beat.
"Good. Then go," he said before walking off.
"Luckily, we got away without punishment today," Non said with a sigh of relief.
"Yeah, lucky," I replied. "Let's just go home separately before he catches us again," I added, grabbing my things.
"You're right," Non agreed. "See you tomorrow."
"See you," Amara echoed as the two of them walked off together.
I quickly gathered my stuff, slipped my laptop into my bag, grabbed the paper bag from under my desk, and headed out.
I already knew I'd be in trouble — Chak didn't like when I was late.
By the time I reached the same place as this morning, he was already there, waiting — leaning casually against his car, arms crossed, that look on his face that always made me nervous.
I hurriedly opened the door and stepped inside.
"You're late, artist," Chak said, his tone calm but sharp.
"I'm not that late," I told him. "Just seven minutes. That's nothing."
Chak's lips curved slightly. "Let's go," he said.
As we drove down the main road, the car was wrapped in that familiar silence — the kind that hung heavy between us when we both knew we should say something, but neither of us did.
The streetlights painted soft reflections across Chak's face, and as the car slowed at a red light, I glanced out the window — just for a second — and froze.
Amara and Non were in the car next to us.
"Oh no…" I muttered and quickly sank lower in my seat, trying to hide.
Chak arched a brow, glancing at me. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing," I whispered, avoiding his eyes.
From the corner of my vision, I saw Amara already waving enthusiastically at him, with Non joining right in, grinning like they'd just spotted their favorite celebrity.
Chak calmly lifted a hand and waved back, his expression perfectly composed.
"Great," I thought. "Now they're both going to think he drives me home every day."
"Why are you hiding?" he asked in that low, suspicious tone of his, eyes still on the road.
"Because… they'd tease me about it for the rest of the week," I muttered, sitting up a little straighter, though I still hoped they hadn't actually seen me.
He glanced at me, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
"Stop hiding," he said softly, his voice low. "You're my boyfriend. Own it."
I felt my cheeks heat up. "I know… but if they see us like this, they'll get suspicious," I whispered, glancing nervously toward the other car.
His smirk deepened as he glanced my way again, and before I could say anything else, he reached over and ran a hand through my hair, softly ruffling it.
"Too late," he murmured, voice low, "I think they already did."
He looked ahead again, the corner of his mouth curving slightly.
"You know," he said, eyes flicking to me, "you actually look kind of cute when you're hiding like that."
I froze, staring at him in disbelief. "Cute?" I repeated, my voice coming out higher than I intended.
He gave a short laugh — quiet but genuine — and the sound made my face grow even warmer.
I turned to look out the window, hoping the air might cool me down.
"Stop smiling like that," I muttered.
"I'm not smiling," he said, clearly smiling.
The light turned green, and the car eased forward again. I straightened in my seat, trying to act like nothing had happened, but my heartbeat betrayed me — quick, restless, and loud in my chest.
Why did three simple words from him make me feel like this?
When I glanced at him again, his expression was back to that calm, unreadable mask… but the corners of his lips were still slightly curved.
And damn it — I couldn't stop mine from doing the same.
When we arrived at the parking garage, Chak parked in a private spot — clearly reserved for him.
Without a word, he stepped out, and I followed, still not sure where we were going.
The elevator took us to the top floor, silence thick between us — tense, but strangely familiar.
When he unlocked the door, the apartment opened before me — spacious, elegant… and cold.
Dark shades of gray, black, and deep blue dominated the space.
It was minimal, clean, but with a kind of quiet intensity that made it unmistakably him.
"This place is yours?" I asked, running my fingers along the smooth edge of the dining table.
"I keep this apartment a secret," he said quietly, almost like he wasn't supposed to say it aloud. "For peace."
"A secret?" I raised a brow. "How many properties do you even have, Chak?"
He didn't even blink. "Five."
I almost choked. "Five? You're kidding."
He looked up, that familiar half-smile playing on his lips — the one that always managed to both irritate and disarm me.
"What can I say? I like… options."
I sighed and dropped down onto the couch. It was soft, but cool — just like everything else around me.
"Well, at least you're not humble," I muttered.
"Never claimed to be," he replied, leaning casually against the counter.
A few quiet seconds passed before I looked up at him again.
The silence stretched between us, heavy but charged — like there was something he wasn't saying, something he was hiding just behind those calm eyes.
"Tell me more about you and Phalin," I said finally.
He froze — just for a moment — then slowly stepped closer, his hands sliding into his pockets.
"Are you sure you want to hear that?" he asked.
"I am," I said softly. "I want to understand."
His gaze softened for a moment before he finally spoke.