At Drakos Corp
The top floor of Drakos Corp was in a frenzy, employees practically swinging between tasks to suppress the aftermath of yesterday's incident. It had only been a day since the chaos of a lifetime descended upon them. Now, they were not only tasked with untangling the web of betrayal but also ensuring that none of it reached the board.
Meanwhile, inside the secretaries' office, Jane, John, and the others looked like walking zombies. Their eye bags seemed ready to kiss the ground, and the dark circles on their faces had migrated past their cheeks...at this rate, their entire faces might be consumed.
Jane nearly dozed off at her desk, her head bobbing every few seconds. She was tasked with covering the entire trail to ensure the real culprit didn't get wind of their internal digging.
As for John...
"All the finance statements are perfect... too perfect. Which itself raises a red flag. They've planned this meticulously," muttered Theron.
Snore...
What the ..
He turned his head toward the source of the sound, only to find John fast asleep in the middle of a paper-strewn floor.
"This fool," Theron sighed. "Not only can his brain not handle an all-nighter, but even his body gave up on him. Poor boy."
Still, he couldn't bring himself to scold them. At least they should catch a little rest. They were on the verge of losing their minds...and so was he.
Walking toward the secretary room, he was greeted by utter chaos. Files were scattered everywhere. Loose sheets fluttered from desks. Nearly everyone had a cool pad stuck to their forehead, trying to fight off the headaches.
What the...?
"Ahem," Theron cleared his throat.
In an instant, every head in the room turned toward him. Several employees jumped so hard they nearly toppled out of their chairs.
"B-b-boss!" one of them stammered.
Theron let out a long sigh.
"I know this is difficult... But I can't trust this job with anyone else. You're my trusted aides, and we all know what's at stake."
Everyone nodded solemnly, accepting the weight of that truth.
"Take a couple of hours to rest," he said after a pause. "Then get back at it."
And just like that, he turned and left.
For a full ten seconds, no one moved. Then someone whispered, "Is this a dream?"
Another pinched themselves.
"OMG… it's real!" someone cried.
"Yes! We finally got a break..."
THUD
before the sentence could be completed, the speaker had already slumped sideways into sleep.
They were stunned...not just by the fact that their boss had shown them mercy, but by the even rarer fact that he'd acknowledged them as his most trusted people.
Later, at Theron's Home
Theron could've just crashed at his office. He had a private suite with everything..bed, shower, even blackout curtains. But staying there would only keep the others on their toes. He wanted them to rest without worrying about his presence hovering.
Just as he stepped into his home to freshen up, his phone screen lit up.
Theo... that bastard.
Irritation was written all over his face as he answered the call.
"Hello? What do you want, Theo?"
"I told you I'm bringing Ethan with me."
"Yes, you told me. Then disappeared without a single call or text."
"Well, now I'm calling. It's not that late, is it?"
"Ughh... fine."
"Where are you?" Theo asked.
"At home."
"With all this chaos, you still have time to chill at home?"
One day I'm seriously going to kill this guy.
"I just got in."
"What....don't tell me you murdered your entire secretary team."
"Theo… shut up. I'm already losing patience with you."
"You think I'm feeling patient talking to you? Feeling's mutual. I'm bringing Ethan over in an hour."
Beep.
Call disconnected.
"That arrogant.....he always gets his way," Theron muttered before tossing his phone aside and heading in to freshen up.
Exactly an hour later...
Theodore's sleek black car pulled into the front porch of Theron's home.
Now, Theron's house wasn't some tacky, flashy display of wealth. It was modern European elegance... contemporary architecture, high ceilings, sharp lines softened by natural textures, warm lighting, imported stone.
The exterior was minimalist..gray stone and cedar wood cladding, full-length windows. Inside, soft hues of beige and charcoal dominated, with designer furniture placed like it belonged in a photoshoot.
Every corner whispered luxury...but not the loud kind. The kind that screamed old money and flawless taste.
From floor-to-ceiling bookshelves in the lounge to the hand-carved Italian marble fireplace and museum-worthy art on the walls—this wasn't a house. It was a quiet power statement.
Theron's POV
"Young master, Mr. Madoc and his guest have arrived," announced the butler.
"Hm," I nodded and headed for the living room.
There they were...two young men seated comfortably on the L-shaped sofa.
One of them...Theodore Madoc, as usual, was flirting with my maids.
This bastard.
I thought he was finally settled down. Guess not.
Then there was the other one.
He stood out...not just because he was quiet, but because he looked so... misplaced.
Baggy jeans, an oversized hoodie, wireless headphones hanging around his neck, and thick-rimmed glasses that screamed "NERD" in all caps.
But something didn't add up.
Wait...
Those were Balenciaga jeans. The hoodie? Limited edition Louis Vuitton x Supreme. The headphones? Custom Bang & Olufsen. Even the glasses... hold on, were they smart glasses with live recording?!
Wow.
And underneath all that Gen Z layering was a handsome man...sharp nose, green almond-shaped eyes, a toned athletic frame.
Yet unlike Theo, he didn't flirt, didn't talk, didn't even glance at the maids.
They were polar opposites.
How did they even become friends?
Walking toward them, I narrowed my gaze.
"It would be better if you stopped harassing my staff."
"Who asked you to hire beautiful women?" Theo smirked, raising his brows.
Just then, Ethan...yes, that must be him...turned to look at me.
Shock.
What the...?
Why does he look like he's seen a ghost?
Is it something about me? Am I that intimidating?
He narrowed his eyes, like he was judging me.
Who the hell is he to judge me?!
He leaned closer and whispered something into Theo's ear.
Theo straightened, alarmed.
Ethan said something again...his eyes locked on Theo like they were knives.
Theo paled. He whispered something back, clearly flustered.
Then Ethan eased a little, but I could still feel it.
That tension.
He didn't like me. I didn't know why.
What did I do to deserve this weird tension and unspoken drama?!
I shook my head, utterly done with this day.