“Paige, let’s calm down first,” I said as soon as we stepped out of the HR office.
“Meave’s right, Paige.
Let’s just think this through first,” Alden added calmly.
Paige finally let out a long, frustrated sigh, her shoulders dropping as some of the tension left her.
“Fine,” she muttered.
” But I still don’t like this.” “Neither do I,” I admitted, glancing back at the HR office door.
“But we don’t really have enough information to decide anything yet.” Paige sighed again, clearly unconvinced, but at least she had stopped looking like she was about to storm back into Richard’s office.
The joining date was tomorrow, so after reassuring Paige one last time, I decided to head home and get some rest.
My mind was already crowded with questions, and I desperately needed some time to clear my head.
Yet, as I walked toward the elevator, I couldn’t stop thinking about everything that had happened—the mysterious department and Richard’s strange explanation.
I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t notice someone stepping out of the elevator.
Thud.
I walked straight into a hard chest.
“Oh—sorry!” I quickly stepped back and looked up.
The man standing in front of me had deep black hair, thick and naturally straight, styled so neatly that not a single strand seemed out of place.
His eyes were a striking steel-grey, sharp and observant, the kind that seemed to notice every little detail—the crooked tie, a misplaced document, even the slightest hesitation in someone’s voice.
He had a fair-to-lightly tanned complexion and a clean-shaven face.
A pair of glasses rested neatly on his nose, adding to his already strict and intimidating appearance.
He wore a perfectly tailored two-piece navy color suit that fit his athletic frame effortlessly.
For a moment, neither of us said anything.
Then his steel-grey eyes dropped to me, taking in my appearance with an unreadable expression.
“You dropped your card,” he said, gesturing toward the card lying on the floor.
His voice was strict enough to make me straighten instinctively.
“Oh, thank you.” I quickly bent down and picked it up.
Before I could say anything else, he spoke again.
“You daydream during the day and don’t even notice when you drop something.
How exactly are you planning to work here with that level of distraction?” His stern voice caught me completely off guard.
I stared at him, momentarily speechless.
Who does he think he is?
I had barely met the man, and he was already lecturing me like I had committed some serious crime.
I opened my mouth to defend myself, but he simply adjusted his glasses and walked past me without another word.
I stood there, watching him disappear down the corridor.
Unbelievable.
First, the smirking guy on the staircase, and now this man with his endless lectures.
Is everyone working at this company wired differently?
I shook my head, deciding I had already had enough strange encounters for one day.
Without giving it another thought, I headed toward the exit and made my way home.
It was already nighttime when Paige, Alden, and I sat around the dinner table.
Paige still looked frustrated, her mind clearly stuck on everything that had happened earlier, while Alden seemed to be the only one managing to keep his composure.
Seeing how restless Paige was, I finally spoke.
“Relax, Paige.
It’s only a one-year internship.
What could possibly go wrong in a year?” I said, glancing at Alden, silently asking him to back me up.
“Come on, Paige.
Meave’s right,” Alden said with a reassuring smile.
“And besides, look at the bright side.
She’s going to work in a pretty special field.
It could benefit her career in the long run.” “It’s not like I’m against you working in the ESSPU,” Paige said, finally breaking her silence.
“It’s more about the people who work in that department.” “Oh, yes.
I heard there are only four people working in the ESSPU,” I said, remembering the conversation I had overheard during the induction programme.
Alden nodded thoughtfully.
“That’s what people say.” “I also read the booklet they gave us during the induction,” I added.
“It only mentioned strategic planning, investment planning, operations, and crisis management.
Nothing about the people working there.” Paige sighed.
“Exactly.
That’s what bothers me.
A department that handles such important work with only four people?
And no one seems to know much about them.” “Maybe they’re just very private,” Alden suggested.
“Not to mention the four guys in that department,” Paige added.
“Each one is quite a figure in his own way.” “What do you mean?” I asked, looking between the two of them.
“Well, one of the guys from your soon-to-be team is infamous for being a player,” Alden said.
“His name is Julian.
You should especially be careful around him.
That man flirts as naturally as he breathes.” I raised an eyebrow.
“Seriously?” “Very seriously,” Alden assured me.
Paige snorted.
“And then there’s Damian.
That man has won the Employee of the Year award three times.
He’s so ridiculously competitive that you can’t have a simple conversation with him without feeling like you’re in some kind of competition.” “That sounds exhausting.” “You have no idea,” Paige muttered.
I laughed softly.
“And what about the other two?” Paige and Alden exchanged a brief look.
“Those two,” Paige said, “are a completely different story.” “One of them is incredibly cold,” Alden continued.
“He thinks he’s always right and has earned himself the nickname the Human Checklist.
Nothing escapes his attention—a crooked page, a typo, a missed deadline.
If something is out of place, he’ll notice it.” I frowned.
“The Human Checklist?
That sounds terrifying.” “It gets worse,” Paige added with a laugh.
“The other one is his complete opposite,” Alden continued.
“He’s incredibly kind, a proper gentleman.
He talks to everyone politely and is genuinely one of the nicest people in the company.” I smiled.
“At least there’s one normal person among them.” Paige and Alden exchanged a glance.
“No, he’s not normal,” Paige immediately corrected me.
“If he were normal, he wouldn’t be in that group.
There’s definitely something suspicious about him too.” I blinked at her.
“You’re making them sound like some kind of secret organization.” Alden chuckled.
“We don’t actually know much about them.
We rarely get a chance to meet any of them, let alone interact with all four.” “Then how do you know so much about them?” I asked.
Paige shrugged.
“People talk.” I sighed, already regretting tomorrow.
Four men.
Four completely different personalities.
And somehow, I was going to spend the next year working with all of them.