I tried my best to ignore the burning gazes following me as Julian, Adrian, and I made our way toward a table positioned in the center of the cafeteria.
Alexander and Damian were already seated there.
Alexander had his phone in one hand, his eyes fixed on the screen as he continued working even while eating his lunch.
Of course he was.
Damian noticed me approaching and gave me a brief smile accompanied by a small nod.
I returned the gesture before taking my seat.
I ended up sitting between Alexander and Adrian, while Julian took the seat beside Damian.
Julian casually reached across the table and took a sip from Damian’s juice can—the very same one I had seen Damian drinking from earlier.
I blinked.
Apparently, Damian didn’t mind at all.
He simply continued eating as if Julian stealing a sip from his drink was the most normal thing in the world.
They must be pretty close.
It was a little strange to me.
Damian seemed so composed and reserved, while Julian was practically the definition of mischief.
Seeing those two act like close friends felt oddly unexpected.
But then again, they had probably been working together for years.
Who was I to judge their friendship after knowing them for barely a day?
Adrian’s voice interrupted my chain of thoughts.
“Let’s get our lunch from the counter.” I nodded and followed him toward the food stations.
As we walked away, I glanced back at the table.
Julian was still sitting beside Damian, casually stealing pieces of food from his plate without a hint of shame.
And, strangely enough, Damian didn’t seem to mind.
Adrian handed me a plate, and as we moved along the counter, he placed food onto it for me, pausing between each item to ask whether I liked it or wanted something else.
“Do you like this?” “Yes.” “What about this one?” “I haven’t tried it before.” “Then maybe you should.
It’s good.” I couldn’t help smiling at how thoughtful he was.
For a moment, I wondered if Adrian was simply being too nice to me—almost too good to be true.
He had been an absolute gentleman since I met him since morning.
From defending me in the elevator to now making sure I had something I actually liked on my plate, he seemed genuinely considerate.
I had never dated anyone before.
It wasn’t that I had never been approached.
I had.
More than once.
I just never felt comfortable with anyone who tried.
But with Adrian, it felt different.
Everything seemed so effortless and natural, as if we had known each other for far longer than a single day.
And that thought made my heart flutter in a way I wasn’t quite ready to understand.
As we reached the table, a familiar hand suddenly grabbed my elbow.
I turned around and found Paige standing beside me.
“Paige?
I was actually going to call you after lunch,” I said.
Instead of answering, she looked past me and studied my four new bosses for a moment before speaking.
“Would you guys mind if I took my sister to have lunch with me?” Julian immediately perked up.
“Oh, so you’re Meave’s beautiful sister.” Before Paige could respond, another voice came from behind me.
“And she’s my girlfriend.” I turned around in surprise.
Where the hell did he suddenly come from?
Alden was standing behind me, his eyes fixed on Julian with a very clear warning in his expression.
“Nice to meet you, man,” Julian said, extending his hand with an almost cheerful smile.
Alden completely ignored Julian’s outstretched hand.
Before either of them could say another word, a deep, commanding voice cut through the conversation.
“You should get back to having lunch with your sister.” Alexander.
His voice carried across the cafeteria with enough authority that the conversations around us seemed to die instantly.
For a moment, everything went quiet.
People at the nearby tables turned their heads toward us, curious expressions appearing on their faces.
A few even exchanged whispers, clearly wondering what had just happened.
I stood there, slightly stunned.
Since the moment I had arrived at ESSPU, Alexander had barely spoken to me unless it was to give me an instruction.
He hadn’t asked me a single personal question, hadn’t shown even the slightest curiosity about me, and had treated my presence with the same warmth one might reserve for an unwanted paperwork assignment.
Not that I had forgotten his lecture from yesterday.
But now he was telling me to go have lunch with my sister.
That alone was surprising.
What surprised me even more was everyone’s reaction.
Julian’s playful smile had disappeared.
Damian had stopped eating and was looking at Alexander with raised eyebrows.
Adrian looked equally surprised.
Even Paige and Alden exchanged a confused glance.
I frowned.
Why was everyone looking at him like he’d just said something completely out of character?
Alexander seemed completely unaffected by the attention.
He simply picked up his phone again, and continued eating his lunch as though he hadn’t just silenced an entire cafeteria with a single sentence.
Paige led me toward a secluded corner of the cafeteria, away from the curious eyes and whispers, while Alden followed closely behind us.
As soon as we sat down, Paige turned toward me.
“Are you okay?” It was a simple question, but I knew she meant much more than that.
How are they treating you?
Is anyone bothering you?
Did something happen?
Do you want to come home?
Paige had a hundred questions running through her mind, but she didn’t need to ask them all.
I knew her well enough to understand what was hidden behind those three words.
I gave her a reassuring smile.
“I’m totally fine, Paige.
There’s nothing to worry about.” She studied my face for a few seconds, clearly unconvinced.
“You’re sure?” I nodded.
“Completely.” Alden pulled out the chair beside Paige and sat down, watching me quietly.
“Well,” he said, “you certainly don’t look like someone who’s having a terrible first day.” I laughed softly.
“Maybe because it hasn’t been terrible.” Paige narrowed her eyes.
“That sounds suspiciously positive.” I couldn’t help smiling.
“Maybe I just got lucky.” After finishing lunch, I received a big hug from both Paige and Alden before they finally left.
I returned to my desk, feeling a little more relaxed and ready to finish my work.
Not long after, the four men returned as well.
Each of them immediately settled back into their work, and the office fell into the same quiet atmosphere I had noticed earlier.
No one spoke.
Everyone seemed completely absorbed in their tasks, but Alexander appeared to be the most serious of them all.
His attention never seemed to leave his screen, and even the smallest interruption seemed enough to make his expression tighten.
I glanced at the clock.
The afternoon had disappeared before I even realized it.
By the time I finally completed my report, evening had already settled over the city outside the glass windows.
I read through the report one last time, checking for any obvious mistakes before placing it neatly inside the file.
I took a deep breath.
I picked up the file and walked toward Alexander’s desk.
Alexander barely looked up from his computer screen when I approached.
He held out his hand, and I placed the file in it.
He opened it and began examining my report.
I stood there, waiting.
Five minutes passed.
Then he closed the file.
“Revise it.” I stared at him.
Revise it?
Shocking was an understatement.
I had spent my entire day working on that report, carefully going through every file, checking the figures, and organizing my analysis.
And now, after barely five minutes of looking at it, he wanted me to do it all over again?
“Sir, I—” Before I could finish, Alexander turned his attention toward me.
“You’ve summarized the results, but you haven’t analyzed them.” I blinked.
He tapped the file with his finger.
“You’ve listed the increase in revenue, the decline in investment returns, and the changes in operational costs.
But you’ve failed to explain why those changes occurred.” I remained silent.
“You’ve presented the numbers,” he continued, his voice calm but stern.
“I asked for an analysis.
I need the reasons behind the numbers, their impact on the company, and what you think should be done about them.” He pushed the file slightly toward me.
“Don’t tell me what happened, Ms.
Calloway.
Tell me why it happened and what the company should do next.” I looked down at my report.
Suddenly, my entire day’s work felt embarrassingly incomplete.
“I understand,” I said quietly.
I picked up the file, trying not to let my disappointment show.
It was already time to wrap up for the day when Alexander glanced at the clock and then back at me.
“Revise it and bring it to me first thing tomorrow morning.” I nodded, trying not to let my exhaustion show.
“Yes, sir.” I returned to my desk, packed the files and my belongings into my bag, and made my way out of the office.
By the time I stepped outside the building, my shoulders were slouched and my eyes felt heavier than ever.
My first day hadn’t exactly gone as I had imagined.
I reached home around six in the evening and barely had the energy to change properly.
I dropped onto my bed, intending to rest for only a few minutes.
That was all it took.
Sleep consumed me almost instantly, pulling me into a deep, dreamless slumber.