3 PM, Melbourne
Kalix dropped Dariella off at her apartment, then headed back to his own residence.
Dariella glanced around her apartment for a moment before pulling out her phone to call her real estate agent. She had decided to sell the place and buy a house closer to the police station. She knew her mother would either follow her or send someone to drag her back. Living near the police station wouldn't guarantee her safety, but at least it would reduce the risk of any criminal attempts.
.
.
Two days later – 8 AM
BANG!
Kalix jerked in surprise when someone barged into his office.
"What the hell is this? You sick of working here already?" he snapped at Naka.
"S-sorry, boss," Naka panted, catching his breath.
"It's just… I got…"
"Speak clearly," Kalix growled, irritated by Naka's stammering.
"Kalix, HR told me they just got a resignation letter from Miss Dariella. Ugh, what now? I really don't feel like finding another one."
"What? Resigned?!" Kalix's eyes widened. "Why so sudden?"
"No idea. You can ask her yourself. But I went to her office earlier and she wasn't there. No clue where she went."
"Find her," Kalix said coldly.
Naka hurried off.
.
.
Thirty minutes later
Kalix stared sharply at the oddly dressed woman in front of him.
"Why are you resigning?" he asked bluntly.
"I'm going back to my hometown. I might be staying there for a long time," Dariella replied seriously.
"No. Did you not read your contract before working here? As far as I know, you signed a one-and-a-half-year agreement. You've only been here four months, which means you still have 1.1 years left. If you terminate it unilaterally, you'll have to pay the penalty." His voice was cold and flat.
Dariella froze. She had completely forgotten about that. She'd only been thinking about getting out of Kalix's company and finding a job somewhere with tighter security, closer to her new home.
"Why? I know that's not your real reason for resigning," Kalix pressed. "Is something making you uncomfortable?"
She stayed silent, her mind racing.
"Dariella!" His voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Y-yes?" she stammered.
"Go back to work. I'm not accepting your resignation. If you insist, you'll have to pay the penalty today."
She sighed heavily. Ah, what am I gonna do? I already bought the house.
Like it or not, she had to keep working. There was no way she could afford the penalty. It meant she'd have to endure the long commute every day.
"By the way, you're not living in your apartment anymore?" Kalix asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"How do you know that?" she frowned.
"Yesterday I just wanted to make sure no one was following you, and I noticed you were heading in a different direction. Why move so far from the office?"
"You followed me yesterday?"
"Don't misunderstand. I was just making sure my employee was safe," Kalix said.
Dariella scoffed. "Oh really? Your company has over 45,000 employees. I'm sure plenty of them have problems like stalkers. Do you follow each of them home to make sure they're safe?"
"Of course. For example—you," he said flatly.
"I'm talking about the others."
"You're really strange, you know. Many employees, including me, have had problems before, but you never paid this much attention. Even if you're the founder, employee safety is handled by others, right? It's weird for you to personally—"
"I told you—don't misunderstand!" he cut her off sharply, eyes narrowing. "I saw firsthand what happened to you, and I sympathized because you're a woman. What happened isn't something that can be brushed off."
"I'm just trying to be kind. Stop assuming the worst." His voice stayed cold.
"But as usual, you're too full of yourself. A little attention and you think someone's interested in you."
"Just because I've seen your real face doesn't mean I like you. Your face is nothing special to me, whether you hide it or not. There's nothing attractive about it," he added, his tone brutally sharp.
"Now leave and get back to work." He turned back to his computer without another glance.
Dariella stood, walked out without a word.
Kalix glanced toward the door, running a hand over his face.
"Shit."
Outside Kalix's office
"What the hell is wrong with that guy? Who's full of herself?!" Dariella muttered.
"Just wait. We'll see if you eat your own words," she grumbled, heading back to her desk.
******
5 PM – End of Workday
As employees streamed out of the building, Kalix passed by the HR office and frowned when he saw Dariella walking away from it. After making sure she was gone, he stepped inside.
"Oh, Mr. Kalix," the HR head greeted.
"How's the head of finance?" he asked.
"Miss Dariella took back her resignation letter. She also asked about the employee dorm. Said she's planning to move in tomorrow."
Is she doing that so I can't follow her anymore? Kalix thought, clicking his tongue.
"Alright. Make sure the dorm facilities are ready for her."
"Yes, sir."
Kalix headed for the lobby.
Outside, he noticed a crowd of mostly female employees gathered near the front gate.
"What's everyone doing out there?" he asked Naka, who was talking to the receptionist.
"Oh, that's Miss Dariella. Someone came to pick her up—some tall, handsome guy. Everyone's just watching."
Kalix walked out to see for himself. Sure enough, Dariella was chatting with a man—tall, decent-looking.
Dariella's POV
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" she asked.
"Sorry, I wanted to surprise you. I went to your apartment, but your neighbor said you'd moved yesterday. Why didn't you say anything?"
"Hehe, sorry. I was going to tell you, but I might be moving again soon—to the employee dorm, to save money. Actually, it's perfect you're here. You can help me move." She clung playfully to his arm.
"Alright, let's go," he said, ruffling her hair before taking her hand and leading her to his car.
Their interaction instantly became the hot topic among the onlookers.
"Wow, I didn't know Miss Dariella had a handsome guy like that."
"Must be her boyfriend."
"Really? How did she land him?"
"Hey, don't say that. She might not be pretty, but she's smart."
"True."
Kalix scoffed under his breath. Handsome? That's what they call handsome?
He froze when Naka suddenly appeared beside him.
"Whoa, bro, I think that's the guy who—"
"Who what?" Kalix snapped.
"The guy who's her type. Probably the reason you keep getting rejected by her," Naka whispered, smirking.
"When did I ever ask her out, for you to say I got rejected?" Kalix said irritably.
"Ah, true. But still… you didn't even ask and she's already rejecting you—HAHAHA!"
"You laughing?" Kalix's tone turned dangerous.
Naka instantly stopped laughing.
"Say something stupid like that again, and you're out of my company," Kalix warned, walking away.
"Man, I was just joking. So touchy," Naka muttered.
"But he's obviously pissed. Jealous, maybe," he added with a chuckle.
*********
Dariella's New House
"Why did you buy a house so far from where you work?" the man grumbled.
"Well, because it's right next to the police station, so I feel safe here. But… it drained my wallet, so I decided to just live in the staff dorm instead."
"I already told you—if you're short on money, just tell me," the man replied in frustration.
"I'm an adult. I can earn my own money. I want to be independent. I don't want to keep depending on you, Mom, or Dad," Dariella said with a serious face.
Danny was Dariella's foster brother. The two had met when Dariella was trying to escape from her biological mother. Danny was like a guardian angel to her—always helping without asking for anything in return. His intentions were genuine, pure, and never self-serving. Not just Danny, but his entire family treated her kindly. They even officially adopted Dariella and cared for her as their own. In short, everything Dariella had achieved so far was thanks to Danny's family.
She was deeply grateful to them—for giving her the life she wanted, and a place where she could feel safe.
"You're always like this—"
"Okay, okay, stop nagging. I wanted to ask about yesterday. Did you find the information I asked for?" Dariella's tone turned serious.
Two days ago, she had called Danny, asking him to investigate in detail the middle-aged woman who had claimed to be her aunt—the same woman who had helped the stranger sneak into her hotel room a few days earlier.
"I did. And that woman really is your aunt—your biological mother's sister," he said, making Dariella's eyes widen.
"But… as far as I know, my mother's an only child. So why—"
"According to the records I found, your mom and her sister have been on separate family registers since they were children. Maybe their parents divorced and each chose to live with a different parent. You once told me you lived with your grandmother and your mom until your grandmother passed away when you were ten, right? And your mom never told you anything about your family background."
Dariella nodded slowly. "Yeah. I thought it was just me, my mom, and my grandmother."
"Then it's likely your aunt went with your grandfather. That's why you never knew your mom had a sister," Danny explained.
Dariella exhaled sharply. If that middle-aged woman really was her aunt, then what happened to her three days ago was almost certainly orchestrated by her biological mother. She couldn't believe her mother would involve relatives just to harm her.
She felt both hurt and confused. Is she really my mother? How could a mother be this cruel to her own child? she thought bitterly.
******
The Next Morning – 8:30 AM
Kalix had just arrived at the office. As he approached the building, his attention was caught by a car pulling into the company parking lot—it was Dariella and the man who had picked her up the day before.
"I'll pick you up later, okay?" Danny said.
Dariella nodded and waved as his car drove away.
She then walked toward the entrance, pausing briefly when she noticed Kalix. She gave him a polite bow, then continued walking without another word.
Kalix narrowed his eyes at the strangely dressed woman.
"Wow, that's new—Ms. Dariella didn't try to tease you. Usually, she wouldn't leave until she annoyed you," Naka commented as he arrived.
Kalix ignored him and walked away without saying a word.
"Cold as a robot," Naka muttered.
.
.
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11:30 AM
Dariella was heading to Kalix's office to discuss the company's budget. She could have sent one of her team members, but as the head of finance, it was her responsibility to handle these matters personally.
As she arrived, she noticed Naka outside Kalix's office, muttering angrily under his breath.
"Mr. Naka, what are you doing?" she asked.
"Oh, Ms. Dariella! Nothing. What brings you here?" Naka asked, forcing a friendly smile.
Dariella chuckled. "Nothing? You look upset. Did the boss scold you again? Oh, I'm here to discuss the company's budget."
"Yeah, well… the boss has been in a terrible mood today. I dropped a pen earlier and thought he was going to bite my head off," Naka grumbled.
Dariella laughed softly. "Alright then, I'll go in. Wish me luck."
Knocking first, she stepped inside. Kalix was focused on some documents, his expression cold and unwelcoming.
Great. Perfect mood for discussing work, she thought sarcastically.
"Excuse me, sir. I'd like to discuss the budget with you," she said politely.
Kalix looked up briefly before standing and taking the reports from her hands.
"This month, there may be higher expenses," she said.
"That's fine—as long as the spending supports company growth and doesn't create unnecessary risk," Kalix replied.
"Yes, sir," Dariella answered curtly.
He handed the documents back to her. "As always, good work."
"Thank you, sir," she said with a small smile.
Kalix didn't return the smile—his gaze remained cold.
"Well then, I'll excuse myself," she said, turning to leave.
"Wait."
She stopped. "Yes?"
"I heard you moved into the staff dorm today. Just a reminder—while all employees are adults, no opposite-sex visitors are allowed in the dorms."
Dariella frowned. "I already know that."
"I'm just reminding you. You were bold enough to let a man stay at your house when you lived alone. Who's to say you won't do the same at the dorm? Don't bring your bad habits into my company," Kalix said, his voice even colder.
Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Have you been spying on me again, Mr. Kalix?!"
"Watch your words," he warned sharply.
"Then how else would you know someone stayed at my place? And don't judge me without knowing the truth—"
"Don't judge you? Your actions give people reason to think badly. Letting a man stay over while you're alone—is that something respectable?" His gaze pierced into hers.
The truth was, Kalix had visited her place yesterday and seen Danny go inside. From what he could tell, Danny had spent the night. The thought had kept him awake ever since.
Dariella clenched her fists. "Think whatever you want. But rest assured, I'll never break company rules." She turned toward the door, but Kalix grabbed her arm, making her face him again.
"Who is he?!"
She yanked her arm free. "Who he is… is none of your business."
She tried to leave again, but he caught her arm once more, irritation flaring in her chest.
"I don't think that's a difficult question to answer," he said, his tone hard.
"Who is he, Dariella?!"