The tension between them grew larger as each second dragged, heavy with unspoken words. One shifted uneasily, the other stood frozen, eyes wide with disbelief. Like a cloud of smoke, confusion surrounded the entire room, clouding judgement and reality.The silence screams louder than words ever could. Emotions-fear, shock was creating an invisible wall between them that neither dared to cross. The atmosphere was sharp, fragile, on the edge of breaking.
"Why are you in my office?" Aria asked, her brows arched in confusion as she regained her position from the shock earlier.
Jerry adjusted and sat opposite her desk, turned slowly to face her. His lips let out a smile yet it was teasing.
"Do you really don't want me here?" he asked, voice calm and soft.
Her eyes widened. "Get out," she snapped, pointing toward the door. "I wondered how you even got in here! I already said we're square. I paid you, didn't I?"
"Yes, you did," Jerry replied, standing now, his hands tucked into the pockets of his slacks. "But now… you've hired me."
Aria blinked, stunned. "Hired you?" Disbelief flooded her mind as her voice cracked. "Why don't I understand?"
"You approved it yourself. You were in a rush, didn't read the fine print, did you?" he said with a quiet chuckle. "One clause—temporary assistant for two weeks."
She staggered back a step, heart racing. No. This can't be happening. Her mind reeled, recalling the stack of documents her secretary had hurried her through. She had signed something in haste…
Her face reddened with a mixture of anger and embarrassment. "How could this be?" she murmured.
Jerry's eyes met hers, calm but unreadable. "Insane or not, I work for you now."
Aria looked at him lost in her thoughts, She couldn't tell if this was fate, revenge, or just a cruel twist of irony.
The word settled in her as it sent a nerve causing a thud in her heart. "I was recently accepted here ma'am as your assistant!My name is Jerry. It would be nice working with you."
Her eyes blinked, momentarily stunned, she couldn't catch up with her breath. Jerry? Her assistant? That couldn't be right. No one had informed her of a change—at least, not one this sudden.
Aria's eyes slowly lifted to meet his, her face shifting between confusion and disbelief. The young man standing before didn't flinch, confident written all over, even, yet there was a warmth in his tone that softened the blow of the unexpected announcement.
"Assistant?" she echoed, more to herself than to him. Her eyes moved towards the folder in his hand, neatly labeled with her name. It was real. This wasn't a mistake.
A thousand questions bubbled beneath the surface—Why didn't anyone tell me? Who assigned him? What happened to Lisa?
She forced a polite smile, though the corners of her lips trembled with unease. "I… see," she said finally, her voice barely steady.
Jerry nodded, still smiling. But Aria's thoughts were anything but calm. She felt puzzled—disoriented—as though the ground beneath her had quietly shifted.
Jerry stood with his hands jammed in front of him, as he lowered his eyes showing maximum humility. But from behind, a smirk escaped as it tugged at the corners of his lips. His timing was perfect—just enough for the display of irony—before swiftly smoothing his features into an expression of remorse.
Clearing his throat, he lifted his gaze to meet hers, eyes glassy with a forced vulnerability. "I want to quit being a call boy," he said, his voice as low as a whisper, as though the confession was too heavy to say "This is the only way I know to survive."
He took a hesitant step forward, pausing for effect. "This job, you won't take it away from me right? " he asked, his voice softening to a near whisper, filled with enough desperation that it made it believable.
The act was flawless—every movement calculated, every word weighed. Inside, he remained detached, watching her reactions like a strategist. But outwardly, he played the role of a broken young man, clinging to the last thread of compassion.
His smirk was gone, buried under layers of feigned regret. But if one looked closely—just closely enough—the truth danced behind his eyes. Would she see it? Or fall for the mask like the rest?
Aria let out a heavy sigh,her situation settling on her like a sense fog. Her shoulders slumped and the burden was more than exhaustion—it was acceptance, reluctant and raw. She stared out the window for a moment, her eyes distant,empty as if she was trying to let go of something.
Finally, she turned, her voice low but steady, tinged with a surrender "The files are on the table," she said, gesturing half-heartedly toward the neat stack she had placed there earlier. "Take them. Go over everything carefully."
She paused, fingers lightly brushing the edge of the desk, grounding herself. Her smile was bitter, all sadness. "It's all there—every detail, every answer you're looking for. No more secrets. Just… truth."
Her gaze shifted toward the calendar placed on her desk, which was nark with colours indicating importance. "get familiar with my schedule. If you're going to be a part of this, you need to do a good job."
The finality in her voices was made clearer and sharper. She wasn't asking for understanding, only action. And in that moment, the last of her defenses fell, revealing the quiet strength of someone who had stopped running from the truth.
But just before he left, he walked toward her inhaling her scents and adjusting
But just before he turned to leave, he paused—drawn back to her as if some invisible thread still held him close. Silently, he stepped toward her, the distance between them shrinking with each breath. He leaned in, inhaling her scent—soft, familiar, intoxicating—and for a moment, the world seemed to still. With a tenderness that stole the air from her lungs, he reached out and adjusted a loose strand of her hair, tucking it gently behind her ear. Then, without a word, he stepped away.
She stood frozen, heart racing, lips parted in disbelief, unable to move. Stunned. Shaken. Still his.