Archive of Our Own ^beta

Technically it had been a drunken mistake.

Or maybe that was too cruel to say.

But admittedly, Stelle had been desperate at the time. As a freshly graduated uni student with little to no (relevant) work experience, she had been grappling for straws. It felt silly to follow Caelus and work under Kafka, no matter how tempting it seemed. Dan Heng was going to medical school, and looked increasingly more depressed every time she saw him. March was a photographer at a travel agency. So the night before their graduation, Stelle said fuck it, and applied to every single job application she could see, even ones she wasn't qualified for.

What followed three weeks later were long and boring interviews and finally, a super fancy envelope in her mailbox.

"Huh," March said, peering at the mail like it was a ticking time bomb. "Are you getting sued? Is that why you have that?"

"It's probably from one of your job searches," the ever-reliable Dan Heng said. "You were applying to some, right?"

Stelle grumbled. "It's probably another rejection letter." Which wouldn't be too bad, actually. That meant she could stay at home and game all day.

Except when she opened the letter, what was on the paper was not a rejection but CONGRATULATIONS in large bold letters. Stelle dropped the paper in shock.

"No fucking way," Caelus said. His eyes widened when he saw the paper. "How did you even manage to pull that off?"

Dan Heng snatched the papers from him. "Khaslana Corporations?" he said incredulously. "Stelle, that's a legal company! You're an engineer! You hated your last law class!"

"That's close enough, right? I mean, they both involve lots of crying," March offered.

"During her last mock trial, Stelle got her client convicted for a crime he wasn't even on trial for."

"Oh."

Stelle slumped from her chair and flopped down on the ground pathetically. "I just won't take it," she said.

Then she looked at the salary.

"Okay, never mind. How hard can being a lawyer really be?"

Because Dan Heng refused to be best friends with someone who got fired on her first day of work, he insisted on taking Stelle out and buying her work clothing (paid for by Dan Feng, his older brother).

The last time Stelle had worn anything remotely business casual was when she was acting in one of March's projects. She'd played the role of a sadistic business tycoon who happily overworked her employees to exhaustion.

"Dan Heng," Stelle whined. "Are we done yet?"

"We still need to get you shoes," Dan Heng reminded her. Then, after catching the way her expression fell, "Okay, fine. We can stop by the Kremnos for a treat first."

Stelle perked up. She loved Kremnos Cafe! They had the best golden honeycakes!

When they entered the cafe, a tall, well-built man with shoulder length strawberry blonde hair was at the counter. He gave them a quick nod of greeting. Dan Heng inclined his head back in response.

The peaceful vibe of the store was broken when Stelle shouted "Mydei! My favorite buff baker!"

Several people twisted in their seats to stare at them. Dan Heng facepalmed.

Mydeimos deadpanned, "Stelle. It's always an adventure whenever you come in."

"Awww, Mydei. I missed you too!" Stelle was practically vibrating in joy as she watched Dan Heng pay for her order. "How have you been? Still going to the gym everyday? Of course you are, those muscles really don't lie."

"Is she high?" Mydei muttered to Dan Heng. The man simply shook his head, exhausted.

Within moments, their order was prepared. Stelle quickly dug in, moaning happily. "Mydei, you outdo yourself every time."

The man slid into the seat next to her. "What brings you here?" he asked. "And where's your brother and pink-haired friend?"

"It's just us today. We had some errands to run," Dan Heng explained. He took a sip of his hot oolong tea (because he was an old hag, no matter how much he denied it). "Stelle got hired at a law firm, so we're getting her some work clothes."

Mydei's eyebrows shot straight up. "A law firm? I didn't realize you were studying law." Mydei had attended a different university as Stelle, but often went to the same gym as Dan Heng. The two had quickly bonded over different types of martial arts, and the Kremnos Cafe, where Mydei worked at, had become a hang out spot for Stelle and her friends.

"I'm not." Stelle gobbled down the rest of her honeycake. "I applied just for fun. It's at some posh legal company — Khaslana Corporations, I think?" She half-expected Mydei not to know it.

All the color drained from the baker's face. "Khaslana? Are you sure?" He looked seconds away from throwing up. Or breaking the table out of anger.

"Yeah," Stelle said hesitantly. "Why?"

"You're not working under him, are you?"

She frowned. "I'll be working under… someone named Cyrene, I think." Thinking back on it, Cyrene had been the one to conduct her interview. Stelle hadn't really cared much for it, except the fact that Cyrene also had similar pretty pink hair as March and a similar temperament too. Maybe that was why the interview had gone so well. "Wait, what's wrong with Khaslana?"

Now Mydei really looked like he was about to punch someone. Thankfully, Dan Heng interjected. "Dan Feng actually told me about him. They run in similar social circles." Dan Feng was Dan Heng's overachieving surgeon older brother. Apparently he was some rich hot shot who expected his younger brother to follow in his footsteps. Stelle shuddered, already dreading what Dan Heng would say next. "He called Khaslana intense. Said he demands perfection out of everyone."

Stelle had once witnessed Dan Feng nearly have a panic attack that one time she came over for dinner and their tablecloth didn't match the cutlery. He might as well have just said Khaslana enjoyed kicking stray puppies on his way to work.

"It'll be fine, right?" Stelle said hopefully. "I'm just a poor newbie. No way the CEO will even know my name."

Dan Heng and Mydei exchanged glances, both looking like they were remembering past horrors. Dan Heng was always touchy when it came to his brother, but Mydei had always seemed so unfazed by everything.

I'm fucked, Stelle thought.

Not even the thought of future gacha funds could brighten up her mood.

"Hi! You must be Stelle! It's so nice to meet you~"

The moment Stelle entered the front doors of Khaslana Corporations, she was ambushed by a gorgeous pink haired woman. Cyrene forwent any semblance of formality and hugged her so tightly, Stelle nearly choked inhaling her rosy perfume.

"We're so excited to invite you to our team," she enthused once they pulled apart. Her smile looked like it could be on the front cover of any modeling magazine. "Here, I'll give you a tour. This way!" She tugged on Stelle's hand.

Stelle yelped and stumbled along like she was Cyrene's pet. "Wait, Cyrene. I meant to ask— did you look at my resume at all? Like, uh. What I studied and stuff?"

"Hm?" Cyrene turned to face her again. "Oh, that? Don't worry about it! We don't care that you have no experience in law. Honestly, we just needed an extra pair of hands on board. Think of this as an internship for experience — except with way better pay!"

"Really?" Stelle said hopefully. "That's great!"

The woman winked at her. "Plus, if Khaslana actually wanted an efficient worker, he shouldn't have put me in charge of hiring! To be honest, you were the cutest of all the candidates. You have such striking eyes! Kind of reminds me of… hmm… a raccoon, maybe?" She tilted her head to the side.

"Wait, what?"

"Don't worry about it! Let's go!"

Feeling slightly bullied, Stelle entered the elevator with her new mentor. On the bright side, how hard could being eye-candy really be? As long as she avoided this mysterious Khaslana, everything would surely be okay!

The upper floors of the building were more like what Stelle expected office life to be — filled with cubicles and tired, overworked employees. Then they walked past the hall of doom into another room.

"Wow," Stelle said, for the lack of anything better to say. "It's very… pink."

She was talking about the cubicle in the center of the room, which was decorated with anything and all things pink. The wall facing towards them was covered in photographs all featuring Cyrene with her friends. It was like all the life had been sucked from the building and transmuted into the singular cubicle.

"Do you like it?" Cyrene asked hopefully. She widened her large blue eyes and rocked back on her heels.

If Stelle reminded her of a raccoon then Cyrene had to be… a cute rabbit, maybe?

"Your desk is right here!" Cyrene led her to an empty cubicle in a cluster of three. Sitting next to it was another young lady with long, purple hair and matching eyes. She smelled faintly like lavenders when Stelle got closer.

The woman gave her a shy smile. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Stelle," she said. "My name is Castorice. Please come to me if you need any help."

Across from her was a cute, bubbly girl with bright pink hair tied into pigtails. "I'm Hyacine!" She chirped. "And this is Little Ica!"

"Little Ica" turned out to be a unicorn plushie that was sitting on her desk. Stelle waved hi to her new co-workers and then saluted Little Ica. "Pleasure to meet you all! Please take good care of me!"

"We should be saying that to you," another voice said. It came from the only male in the room, a grumpy looking older guy. "You've come at a bad time. Better get prepared before you're swept away during rush season."

"Don't mind him," cut in the lady sitting across from him. She had stern features and striking green eyes. Now that Stelle thought about it, everyone here looked like they could be supermodels. At least that explained Cyrene's hiring criteria. "Anaxa is simply grumpy because he hasn't yet had his morning coffee."

"How many times do I have to tell you? It's Anaxagoras. Are you daft?"

"Anyways!" Cyrene said. "Don't worry about them! Those are Anaxa and Aglaea. They always fight whenever Tribios isn't here." She pointed at one of the photos on her bulletin board of where she was posing with tall, red-headed lady. "Cerydra and Hysilens are my desk-mates, but they're abroad for a business trip. That's why we hired you! And finally, Cipher, who's…"

Castorice and Hyacine shuddered in unison. "Planning her next prank, I think," Hyacine whispered.

Cyrene made a face. "Honestly, it's better when she's not in office."

Her new coworkers were such an odd bunch. Stelle loved it here already.

Two weeks into her new job, Stelle's opinion hadn't changed much. She spent most of her time snacking at her desk, signing random papers, and picking up random phone calls and pretending to sound like she knew what she was doing. It was great!

Cyrene, who was technically her boss, only seemed to encourage it more. Now that Stelle thought about it, she hadn't seen Cyrene do any actual work. The woman was constantly enabling Stelle to take longer lunch breaks with her, often going shopping or to try a new bakery.

"It's for the plot," Cyrene whispered dramatically as she whipped out the company's credit card to pay for her new set of nails. "Trust me, Khaslana won't mind. Did you know we grew up together? Haha, if he complains, I'll just leak all of his blackmail pics~"

"Okay," Stelle said, half listening. "Oh, hey! We haven't eaten there yet." She loved being employed. Would Khaslana mind if she used his company's money to pay for her gacha?

Cyrene gasped and tugged at her arm. "Stelle! There's this new restaurant we have to go to. We can invite the rest of the team to celebrate your first paycheck!"

"Really?" Stelle perked up. But wait — "Oh, I can't."

Cyrene frowned. "Why not?"

"I have a date! With my girlfriend!" Stelle had been planning to take March out on a date, also to celebrate her first paycheck. She whipped out her phone and swiped through her photos. Cyrene snatched it from her hands and gasped dramatically.

"Stelle, you have to invite her. Please? Us pink girls need to stick together! Dinner will be on me!"

A free meal at a fancy restaurant and more time with March?

"Deal. See you Friday!"

When Friday came, March quickly befriended Cyrene, to absolutely no one's surprise. Stelle found herself getting ditched by her date within five minutes of introducing them. The two pink haired girls squeezed their seats together, gossiping about Aeons knows what.

"Waiter!" Cyrene called out. She waved the company credit card in the air. "Another drink for me and my kindred soul!" The two burst into giggles, already tipsy.

Castorice laughed lightly from where she was sitting next to Stelle. "Miss Stelle, I hope you've been enjoying your time here."

"I have!" Stelle enthused. She dug into the plate of food in front of her. "Everyone's been super nice. And the benefits are great!" A waiter came by to drop off an extravagant cocktail. Stelle eagerly gulped it down. She'd never heard of a company that so eagerly spoiled its employees. This Khaslana person couldn't be that bad, all things considered.

"Please don't get used to it," Aglaea sighed. She looked as stunning as ever, fitting in seamlessly with the elegant decor of the restaurant. "Khaslana won't be happy when he hears about what happened."

Tribios chirped up. "Aw, Agy, let's just enjoy it while we can! We all know he's busy with the new business deal, and that means we'll be busy soon. Just think of it as a incentive for the next few weeks!"

"Business deal?" Stelle said dumbly. "What business deal?"

"Hm? Wasn't that why Cyrene hired you? To help with the business merger?"

That was absolutely not why Cyrene hired her. Suddenly, Stelle felt sick. "Right. Haha, of course. Anyways, anyone up for another round of drinks?"

They ended up drinking until the restaurant shut down for the night. Slowly, her co-workers trickled off and disappeared, until it was just Stelle, March, and Cyrene, all varying levels of tipsy and leaning against each other.

"Hehe… that was so fun!" March stumbled into Stelle's shoulder. "We should… do this more often…"

Cyrene let out a large yawn. "Mhm… hopefully Khas won't be too upset when he sees the bill."

A wave of nausea washed over Stelle. She plopped herself on the ground outside of the restaurant entrance, taking Cyrene and March down with her. There was something nagging in the back of her mind, but she couldn't remember what it was for the life of her.

"Maybe we should call a ride home," March mumbled, half asleep.

"Hm? Yeah…"

The three girls were too tired to move. Just as Stelle's eyes were about to slip shut, she spotted three large men leaving the restaurant. She squinted. That was weird.

"March. Doesn't he kind look like Mydei?" She pointed. Cyrene sat up straight. March's head plopped on her shoulder, her eyes completely closed.

Mydei's lookalike started to walk in their direction. Stelle tensed, watching him get closer. And then closer. Or maybe she was just seeing double.

Mydeimos stopped before them and scowled. And that was definitely Mydei — Stelle would recognize those hair and eyes anywhere. "You three. What are you doing?"

"Mydei!" Stelle burst out. "Why do you look like an old man? Where's your baker fit?"

One of the men behind Mydei opened his mouth to say something before he was stopped by another man, who had the same stern eyes as Mydei. "Mydeimos. Is this the company you choose to hang around with now?"

Mydei rolled his eyes. "Not willingly," he said dryly. "You don't get to comment on my life choices, Father. Not when I'm doing you this favor."

Rude! But for once in her life, Stelle kept her mouth shut.

"And…" Mydei's father glanced next to Stelle. "Miss Cyrene. A pleasure." Cyrene squeaked.

Mydei sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Enough of that. Stelle. Do you have a ride home?"

"Caelus is coming to pick us up…"

"And you, Cyrene?" Mydei prompted. When she kept quiet, he sighed again. If he kept doing that, he was going to sound like an old man, Stelle thought. "Nevermind. Come with us. We'll take you home."

How did Mydei know where Cyrene lived?

"Wait," Stelle said hesitantly. While Mydei was her dear friend, she also didn't want to leave Cyrene alone with them.

"It'll be fine. We go a long way back," Cyrene said. She patted her arm comfortingly. "Say, Mydei… What are the chances you're going to tell Khas about this?"

Mydei looked unimpressed. "I have no reason to talk to that man unless necessary," he said. "But bold of you to assume he doesn't already know what's going on."

Cyrene wilted.

In the end, Mydei and his entourage waited until Caelus came to pick them up. "Thanks, man," Caelus said after a sleeping March and Stelle were loaded into the car. "Stelle will stop by the bakery once she's awake to properly thank you."

"No need." Mydei stared off into the distance like he was regretting all of his life choices. "I have a feeling I'll be running into her more often from now on."

The following Monday morning, Cyrene whimpered when she walked into her office. "We're fucked," she whispered. "Stelle, hide."

Standing by her desk was a towering blonde man. He was wearing a sharp three-piece suit, had his hair gelled back, and had the most intimidating stare Stelle had ever seen.

"Cyrene." The man's voice rumbled. "Care to explain what all of these charges are?"

He dropped a file onto her desk. Dozens of paper receipts scattered onto the surface.

"Khaslana!" Cyrene yelped. "Haha, what are you doing here…"

Khaslana's eye started twitching. Stelle slowly backed behind Cyrene, trying to hide behind her. "I stop paying attention to you for two weeks and you nearly cap the limit on your spending," he scolded, sounding oddly like her parent. "HR nearly took my head off! You know how much I hate dealing with Caenis."

Cyrene pouted. "Aw, Khas, don't be like that!"

That got Khaslana even angrier. The temperature in the room plummeted. "Cyrene," he snapped. "You can't keep acting like this. I'm your boss, not your friend. If you keep on—"

An opening! Stelle scurried to her seat, where Castorice was peaking out from the divider, watching them. "Mister Khaslana's really angry," the purple haired girl whispered.

"He's been stressed lately," Hyacine chimed in. "You know how it is. He hates dealing with business negotiations. And soon, we'll have to do our part." She sighed. "Stelle, I hope you've enjoyed your two weeks of peace here. Khaslana's about to order us around like it's a boot camp and we're the only functioning soldiers left."

Khaslana chose that moment to turn his attention onto Stelle. "You." He glared at her. "Newbie. And what have you been doing?"

Burning away all of Khaslana Corporation's savings, probably.

"It was Cyrene's fault!" Stelle wailed.

"Hey!"

What followed was a long winded scolding from Khaslana, who proceeded to pick apart all of Stelle's flaws ("Your desk is a mess! Your attire is not work appropriate. You were supposed to turn in the progress report a week ago! Yada yada yada—")

Stelle thought bitterly that Khaslana would look a lot more handsome if he simply stopped yelling all the time. Then she took notice of the lack of a ring on his left hand and wondered if her boss was just chronically married to his work.

("It's because he's bitchless and chopped that he's taking it out on us!" Stelle would complain to Dan Heng later during their meet up. Behind the counter, Mydei dropped his plate from how hard he was laughing.)

After what felt like a century of endless yelling, Khaslana swore and glanced at his watch. "Fuck," he cursed, then pinned a glare at Cyrene. "It's too late to hire another employee now. Make sure she knows what she's doing. I need to head out for a meeting."

With that, he rushed out of the room.

For the first time that day (and honestly since Stelle had moved in), the office was blissfully silent. It was broken by Tribios's melodic voice: "Well, that could have been worse."

"I quit," Stelle declared.

Anaxa didn't even look up from his computer. "If you quit, Khaslana is going to hunt you down for sport."

"It won't be too bad," Cyrene said. "Technically, I'm still your manager. Don't worry!"

Stelle gave her best puppy-dog eyes. Cyrene simply laughed. "I grew up with the biggest puppy in the world," she said teasingly. "Those won't work on me."

And so, for the first time since she got hired, Stelle was forced to lock in for hours. She concentrated hard on all the paperwork and legal doctrines in front of her, gave her professional advice on anything the team wanted, and even found that her knowledge in engineering was useful.

Apparently, Khaslana Corporations was hoping to strike a deal with Kremnos Inc, an engineering company. Stelle wasn't familiar with all the details, but she figured enough out to survive the rest of the day.

"Most of the information is confidential, anyways," Castorice told her. "Cyrene is the only person here that's trusted with it."

Cyrene did mention she had been childhood friends with Khaslana, Stelle thought. She had no idea how such a bubbly and bright woman became friends with a dull and uptight man, but whatever.

Castorice and Stelle eventually headed down to the cafeteria for lunch. "Man, I'm wiped out," Stelle complained. "And no more free lunch, either."

Castorice laughed lightly. "I hope you weren't too offended by Mister Khaslana," she soothed. "It can be hard to get used to him, but he means well."

Stelle scowled. "You mean he has a massive stick up his ass."

"Well, it didn't come from me…" Castorice's voice trailed off. Her eyes fluttered to behind Stelle.

A deep voice said, "I hope you aren't about to get fired a month into your job."

Stelle jumped up from her seat in shock. "Mydei? My man! What are you doing here?"

Mydei was wearing a different suit from the last time she'd seen him, but no less as fancy. He was even more businessman-like today, with a pair of thick black glasses framing his eyes. He looked more tired than Stelle had ever seen him. "Stelle. I'm happy to see you awake and sober."

Stelle was so confused. "Are you catering an order for the bakery?" Khaslana Corporation's cafe was good, but was sorely lacking in the dessert options. Good thing she knew an amazing baker!

Castorice kicked her foot under the table.

Mydei shook his head. "I'm not. I'm here as a representative of Kremnos Tech."

"Kremnos… Tech? Like the company?"

The man's face twisted like he'd bitten into a sour lemon. "Yes. I'm the CEO's son. As of four years ago, I was the heir to the company before I left. And now I'm here because Father's business associates apparently cannot conduct a simply negotiation without me."

"Mister Kremnos, it's a pleasure to meet you." Castorice bowed her head.

"Just Mydei. Once this is done, I'll be back at the bakery full time." Someone shouted Mydei's name from across the room. He sighed. "I'll be seeing you around from now on. Do not get fired."

Not getting fired was easier said then done. The next few days only saw the work load get ramped up. Khaslana stopped by more often, making sure everything they did was up to standards. Even Cyrene had begun to lose some of her cheer, worn down by the long overtime hours.

"He needs to get a life," Stelle muttered to herself, glaring spitefully at Khaslana. She jammed her pen into her notebook until the ink bled through the pages. The CEO of Khaslana Corporations continued lecturing at the poor man who had the misfortune of presenting at their meeting.

Khaslana's eyes flickered over to her. "Miss Stelle. What do you think about this?"

I think you need to get laid.

"Nothing," Stelle said sweetly.

"Mhm. If that's the case, I would like to turn our attention to slide 19 of your presentation. The numbers are wrong. If you look at our financial reports for—" he continued to drone on and on. Stelle closed her eyes and desperately prayed for the apocalypse to come.

Finally, he stopped talking. Stelle checked her watch discretely. Five more minutes. There was no way he was going to make her present her report, right?

Wrong.

"Stelle. Your turn." Khaslana tapped his foot impatiently.

She took a deep breath and opened her mouth. The door flew open, cutting her off.

Her savior was none other than the majestic Mydeimos, who stood at the door like he owned the room. "Sorry," Mydei said, not sounding very sorry at all. "Wrong room."

Stelle fully expected Khaslana to give him a verbal beating, but when she looked over, the man was speechless for once. He stared at Mydei. Mydei lifted his chin and glared down at him, despite being several inches shorter.

Wait a minute. Stelle looked closer.

Khaslana wasn't silent because he was angry. He was silent because he was flustered. The tips of his ears were a light red, and he licked his lip. "Mydei— Mydeimos," he stumbled over the name. "I didn't realize you would be here."

Mydei raised an eyebrow. "We have a scheduled meeting right now. Or were you too busy yelling at your employees to remember?"

"No, of course not," Khaslana gave everyone in the room a death glare. "They were just on their way out."

There were at least three more things on the schedule that needed to be discussed, including Stelle's presentation. Still, she had never seen a room full of middle-aged adults clear that fast. When she looked back, Khaslana was fidgeting with his sleeve, looking uncharacteristically nervous as he spoke to Mydei.

She snatched Cyrene's arm once they were out of earshot. "Cyrene! What was that?"

"Hm?" Cyrene looked at her innocently.

"What do you mean hm?! Boss man has a crush? Forget that. He has a heart?"

Cyrene snorted. "I know, right? It's hard to believe now, but Khas used to be so much more chill when he and Mydei were still dating— oops. Ignore that."

"They were WHAT."

Cyrene turned on her heel and started sprinting down the hallway. Stelle gaped at her before her instincts kicked in. "Wait! Cyrene, come back here!"

"You didn't hear anything from me!" Cyrene wailed.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY USED TO DATE? MYDEI IS SOOO OUT OF HIS LEAGUE!"

They made their way back to their room in no time. But no matter how much Stelle poked and prodded, Cyrene kept her mouth stubbornly shut.

Ugh. Fine. If Cyrene wasn't going to tell her anything, then Stelle was going to have to get her answers elsewhere!

Cipher was the last and final piece of Stelle's work team (minus Cerydra and Hysilens, who were still overseas). She was a woman after Stelle's own heart — cat lover, playfully sarcastic, and a chronic work-skipper. Unfortunately with the installment of the tyrant CEO, she was forced to come into regular office hours.

Which was perfect for Stelle!

"Oh, yeah. They totally used to date." Cipher chomped down on a lollipop. "I knew the little lion when he was in college. Told him to absolutely not date that blonde creep, but he just had to insist he knew better than me." She spun her chair in a circle.

Stelle gave up on pretending to look like she was working. "It's kinda funny that you ended up working under Khaslana anyways."

"Not by choice," Cipher grumbled. "Ugh! I hate going into office! Say, Little Grayie. You wanna know what would get boss man in a good mood?"

"A will to live?"

"Yeah, probably. But even better: some eye candy! In the form of my dear old friend: Mydeimos. Now that Mydei's in office, Khaslana's going to be tripping over his own feet and too busy to worry about us!"

A plan was starting to form in Stelle's head.

"Now, if only Mydei would be willing to help us…"

"I have a better idea," Stelle interrupted. She took out her phone and scrolled to the top of her photo album, then twisted it subtly to show the screen to Cipher.

She smirked.

"Oh, I like how you think, newbie!"

When March was finishing up her photography degree and Mydei had just opened his bakery, March took it upon herself to fix two problems with one blow: she would photograph and design merchandise for Kremnos Cafe, and Mydei could get free advertising!

March was originally supposed to only photograph the food and some candid photos of Mydei baking, but that was simply too boring for her. So Stelle and March forced Mydei into a tight white tank top and a pink apron, shoved a bunny-eared headband on him, and forced him to pose with his desserts. Then, March printed out the photos onto some limited edition photocards. They ended up being a huge hit and sold out within days.

Stelle still had a batch left in her room for blackmail material. It just turned out that she wasn't using it to blackmail Mydei.

The first step of her plan: bait.

Cipher had found a Mydei fan page forum tucked away in the depths of the web. Why did he have a fan page in the first place? Stelle didn't care much, only that it made her job so much easier.

Mydei's Fan Club

100 users have been added to "Mydei's Fan Club"

	Unknown
	Hey, what's this?

	Anonymous #78
	yeah, what's going on?

Stelle
Hello, my dear friends! I've been told that you all were fans of the one and only Mydeimos!

	Anonymous #23
	fuck. i knew we shouldn't have made that forum

	Anonymous #88
	Bro. Mister Khaslana's going to kill you if he sees this

Stelle
Hehe. Well, as Mydei's first and bestest friend, I have something that you all will never have

Stelle
And that is: limited edition Mydeimos photocards!

	Anonymous #13
	fuck it. where are the mydei photocards

Stelle
A pretty girl never shares her secrets!

Stelle
Have fun finding them!

Part one completed successfully. Stelle gave Cipher a fist bump. And now, all they had to do was wait.

Sure enough, not even a day later, another text came in.

Anonymous

	Unknown
	Name your price for the Mydei photocards.

Stelle
...

Stelle
khaslana, do you seriously think i dont know who this is?

	Unknown
	Fine. How much do you want?

Stelle
Hehe~

Stelle
An extra hour for my lunch breaks and an extension on the latest project!

	Unknown
	Deal. Pleasure doing business with you.

Stelle

"Am I a genius, or what?" Stelle bragged to Mydei during her (extra long!) lunch break. Today, she was at Kremnos Cafe, updating in her favorite baker in the whole world about her life.

Mydei just looked tired. "I really don't know why you have to use my face like that," he said.

"Isn't it obvious? Khaslana's heads over heels for you! I can't believe you used to date, honestly!"

"Me neither." Mydei took a long sip of his coffee. Weird— he always claimed to hate the taste of coffee. "I'm never making that mistake again. He was pretty hot when he was younger though. Not that he isn't right now."

She spat her drink straight in his face. "Right now?"

Mydei shrugged. "I met him when he was just starting his career. He's filled out that suit nicely now. I think his arms got stronger…" he trailed off, eyes looking far away.

Hold on! Stelle did not sign up for this! "I thought you said you were over him!"

"A man's got eyes," Mydei said simply. "If you tell anyone I said this, I will kill you and bury your body so deep, they won't find you for years. Anyways. Want a refill?"

"He's so old," Stelle whispered in shock. She handed her cup over to him.

"Mhm." He smirked. "Got a bit of a DILF vibe to him now, eh?"

Stelle buried her face in her hands and screamed.

After that fateful lunch break, she started noticing things. Mydei spent more time at Khaslana Corporations instead of at the bakery, and Khaslana was noticeably wherever Mydei was. They would often spend time in the CEO's office, heads pressed together, whispering about something. Every time the two walked side by side, Khaslana would always be touching him — whether an arm around his shoulder or brushing his hair back from his eyes, or—

The first time Stelle saw Khaslana wrap an arm around Mydei's waist to maneuver him out of someone's way, she squeezed her hand so hard the paper cup in her hands crumpled.

"He's a creep!" she snapped to Cyrene. "He had no issues going out of his way to get Mydei's photocards! And now he's acting like he's not some deprived stalker!"

"…Weren't you the one to sell the cards to him?"

"That's not the point!"

Cyrene laughed, but quickly sobered up. She continued watching Mydei and Khaslana, who were looking at each other like there was no one else in the room with them.

Stelle said quietly, "They look like they're still in love." It was true— they were more subtle than, say, how Stelle acted with March, but the signs were still there. It was in the way Khaslana's gaze would always linger at Mydei's lips when he laughed. It was how Mydei would always subconsciously shift to Khaslana's side whenever he entered a room, like he trusted Khaslana to watch over his back.

Cyrene sighed. "It was tough," she admitted. "I don't think either of them were ready to break things off. But they were both young and so unbelievably stubborn. But they've grown since then." She forced a smile. "Only time will tell how this ends."

If there was one good thing about having to witness Mydei and Khaslana being all lovey-dovey, it was that at least Khaslana was too busy to yell at them. Unfortunately, the work continued piling up until Stelle couldn't put it off anymore and she was forced to spend long hours at the office.

It also meant more meetings with representatives of Kremnos Inc. Every person Stelle had met from that company was stone-faced and monotonous. It wasn't even in the same way Khaslana was, who seemed to show emotion even if it was once in a blue moon. Stelle tried to imagine the environment Mydei grew up in— alone in a large mansion, filled with tutoring and demands for perfect etiquette. Then she thought about her own vision of Mydei, who always seemed at peace in his bakery.

For the sake of her friend, she would try to finish the project as soon as possible.

Mydei wasn't sure what freaked him out more — the darkness of the closet or the overbearing warmth of being pressed up against Khaslana's chest. His breath came quicker and shorter as Khaslana shifted, pressing a bicep close to Mydei's face.

"The door's locked."

"Yeah." Khaslana's eyes flickered down to Mydei's lips. Was he leaning in closer? "What a shame."

Mydei raised a hand to press it against his boss's mouth. "We shouldn't," he warned, but the protest was weak. He wanted this. He missed being in Khaslana's arms, of feeling safe and secure. He breathed out, "Khas—"

"Whatcha writing?" Stelle popped up from behind Castorice's shoulder.

Castorice shrieked and threw her notebook across the room. "Stelle! Stop sneaking up on me!"

"Sorry!"

"It's fine," Castorice slumped in her chair. "Just don't do that again."

They settled into a comfortable silence. The work day was long over, but both girls were waiting for Caelus to pick them up due to the pouring rain. Stelle shifted in her seat. "…So, what were you writing, anyways?"

Castorice jumped up. "Let's go see if Caelus is here!"

The weather seemed to have picked up on the company's tense mood, because it had been pouring for days. Stelle usually took the bus to work, but after nearly dropping a gallon of water onto her apartment floors, March had banned her from public transport while it was still raining. So Caelus, her lovely twin and Uber driver was forced to pick up the slack. It was pure chance that Castorice lived near them, too.

"We've been getting off later and later everyday," Castorice sighed as they stepped out into the rain. "Hopefully the business deal is finalized soon."

"Boss Man and the Kremnos CEO aren't seeing eye to eye, right?" Stelle asked. She didn't particularly care much for business politics, but Cyrene had complained to her during on of their lunch breaks. "I don't know why they even worked together."

"It is a good deal for both companies," Castorice said slowly. "Mister Khaslana knows that. And Kremnos wants this just as much."

"How do you know?"

Castorice frowned. "Isn't it obvious? It's because—"

"Oh! It's Mydei!"

The young man was standing under the bus stop, absolutely drenched. He looked miserable waiting in the rain, his suit a watery mess. Stelle diverted her path to walk toward him before Castorice snatched her arm.

"Wait, Stelle. That's Mister Khaslana's car."

"Eh?" Stelle squinted through the downpour. That was Khaslana's car — she would recognize that fancy, posh sports car anywhere. That damn thing was probably worth her entire apartment lease. "That's great! Maybe he can give us a ride home."

But that also meant spending extra time with Khaslana. Stelle paused. Hm…

Nah. Not worth it.

As the two girls watched, Khaslana rolled down his window and started speaking to Mydei. The CEO looked composed as always, a polar opposite from how haggard Castorice, Stelle, and Mydei looked.

Must be nice not having to rely on public transport, Stelle thought bitterly. Even Mydei, ex-heir of a billion-dollar company, didn't have a car of his own. She couldn't hear what Mydei and Khaslana were talking about, but the longer the conversation went on, the more pissed Mydei looked.

Stelle was many things, but she was certainly not a bad friend. And she wasn't going to let Khaslana bully Mydei like that!

Before she could interfere, Khaslana did something even more unexpected: he got out of the car into the pouring rain. Almost instantly, his suit glued to his skin and for a moment, he looked just like a normal person. Mydei scowled even more. Now, they were really arguing.

Stelle forgot all about her oath of being a good friend and tried to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"My father—" Mydei started to say. The rest of the sentence was washed away.

Khaslana's eyebrows furrowed, and he responded back just as urgently.

"Maybe he wants Mydei to run away with him," Castorice whispered. When Stelle looked at her weirdly: "Sorry. Just talking to myself."

She might have been right, because Khaslana snapped suddenly, "For titan's sake, Mydei. Just come with me!" He grabbed Mydei's bicep angrily. Mydei yanked his hand back just as harshly.

They continued glaring at each other until a sudden gust of wind swept by them. Mydei shivered violently, hunching in on himself. He never liked the cold, Stelle remembered. The bakery was always on the warmer side, no matter how hot it was outside.

Khaslana's eyes softened. He looked younger like that, more humane. He said something quietly and reached his hand up to caress Mydei's cheek.

Next to her, Castorice sucked in a sharp breath.

It was as if all of the fight left Mydei's body. He slumped forward so that his head was resting on Khaslana's shoulders.

Huh. Stelle had thought Mydei was the tallest person she knew, but at this angle, Khaslana towered over him.

For a moment, Stelle humored the thought of them dating. Maybe Mydei was right, and Khaslana's whole older-CEO-aesthetic really did work for him. At least the two looked like a nice couple. And certainly, this scene looked right out of one of Penacony's dramatic forbidden romance dramas.

Another tremor coursed through Mydei. Khaslana adjusted himself, sliding off his suit jacket and draping it over Mydei's body. He moved quickly, acting so subtly it seemed like an accident, but Stelle could have sworn she saw him press a kiss to the top of Mydei's sunset-colored hair. Before the other man even registered anything, the two were already in the car.

Castorice and Stelle were left standing there, expressions looking like they'd just witnessed a three-hour long slow-burn romance, only to be left on a cliffhanger.

"Do you think," Stelle said, sounding like she'd just had a world-changing epiphany, "That maybe they still like each other?"

"I am so inspired right now," Castorice said, completely ignoring her.

Whatever that even meant.

Sundays were especially great because of two reasons: not having to go in office and, most importantly, it was a dedicated March day!

It really had been too long since Stelle had taken March out on a date. Thankfully, with all the extra overtime hours she'd been working, they could afford to splurge more. Still, the two ended up in Mydei's cafe while Stelle lore-dropped everything she knew about office gossip. Of course, the conversation circled back to Mydei and Khaslana.

"I don't know," March mused, sipping at her milkshake. It was equally as pink as her. "I don't really like this Khaslana guy. He seems mean! Mydei deserves better."

The acclaimed man was working from behind the counter, looking more at peace than he did at the office.

"Still… can you imagine? Breaking up with someone you love and then seeing them after such a long time. It must hurt. Imagine if we broke up right now?"

Stelle frowned. "I'm never going to leave you."

"Well, duh! But I'm just saying. Or what if Caelus didn't approve of me? Or if I wanted to go to Penacony forever?"

I would follow you wherever you go, Stelle thought. Then she really pondered the question. She loved March, but Caelus was also her twin.

"It seems like they really love each other," March finished. "Oh, I know! We can ask Mydei!"

"Wait, March—"

It was too late. The baker had already made his way over to their tables. "What's wrong?" he asked, eyebrows furrowed. "Who's hurt?"

What a kind man. Khaslana didn't deserve him at all.

"Mydei," March said seriously. She sat straight.

Mydei's expression twisted to one of panic.

"Are you in love with Khaslana?"

His face fell. "What? I thought someone was dying!"

"Yes!" March burst out. "Someone is dying! You! Of a broken heart!"

"You— I think you guys have it all mixed up." Mydei sighed and sat down. "I'm not in love with Khas."

Right, and Stelle was a stellar (hah) lawyer. "Okay."

"I'm serious." He caught the unimpressed looks on their faces. "I am. Why would I still be in love with him? It's not like— like Khaslana's just as insufferable as he was four years ago. And fine, maybe he got a bit hotter, too. And he still remembers the same way I like my tea, and my favorite meals, and all the places where I'm sensitive, and—" he clamped his mouth shut.

March and Stelle exchanged a long glance. "…Mydei," Stelle said hesitantly. "Are you drunk right now?" That was the most she'd ever heard Mydei talk in one go.

His face flushed red. "I'm not. Really. I'm over him."

March patted his head. Mydei really must have been feeling awful, because he didn't complain about it. "There's plenty of other fish in the sea. You're too good for him, anyways."

"I'm really not," Mydei mumbled, so quietly Stelle almost missed it. He sighed. "You guys are misinterpreting it. Khaslana doesn't like me like that."

"You can't be serious. He's obsessed with you!" Sadly, Stelle had seen that firsthand. "Mydei, bro. Listen to me. I've never seen a man more down bad."

Mydei snorted. "You never fail to amuse me, Stelle. I have to go. There's a customer waiting for me."

There was no one at the register, but Stelle let him leave anyways. The moment he disappeared from eye sight, March turned her wide blue eyes onto her girlfriend.

Oh no. Stelle could never say no to those eyes.

"Stelle… I feel so bad! Mydei really seems to like him."

"Not my problem."

"But it is! Please, Stelle? At least just find out if Khaslana still likes him back!"

Stelle was 100% certain that Khaslana would rather gouge his eyes out and kiss Caenis's feet before ever hurting Mydei. She was also 100% certain that Khaslana would rather jump off his own building than admit that. But she, too, was just as down bad for her girlfriend as her boss was for his ex.

"…Okay. I'll try my best."

Since March wasn't going to be much help in getting Khaslana and Mydei together, Stelle moved on to the next best pink haired girl she knew: Cyrene.

The older woman was always prattling on about how she was childhood best friends with Khaslana and how "sweet and innocent" he used to be when he was younger. Clearly, somewhere along the line, he had gotten possessed by some sort of demon, but who was Stelle to judge?

"You want to know more about Khaslana's dating history?" Cyrene squinted. Thankfully, it didn't take her much to get distracted from work. "There's not much to say…"

"Please?" Stelle pouted at her.

"It's just Mydei, honestly," Cyrene said. She looked around to see if anyone was listening. "You can't tell anyone this. Before Khas became a businessman, he had his flings— bar pick ups, one night stands, all of that. But then he met Mydei and fell hard. It was kind of embarrassing. Why do you ask?"

Stelle tried to imagine a younger, more naive Khaslana stumbling upon Mydei at a bar. He seemed like the stupidly smooth type of flirter, too. Poor Mydei probably never stood a chance. "Do you think they'll get back together?"

Cyrene winced. "It was rough," she admitted. "I'm not sure why they broke up in the first place. But Stelle, you shouldn't interfere…"

"I'm going to interfere."

Cyrene perked up. "Okay! Can I help?"

It turned out that Cyrene's definition of "helping" was storming Khaslana's office and slamming her hand down on his desk. "March sent me more photos of her photoshoot with Mydei," she announced. "Never been published."

Khaslana looked like he'd just gone through warfare against his morals and lost. "What do you want."

Stelle and Cyrene exchanged glances. "Come with me to Mydei's cafe."

"No."

"Come with me to Mydei's cafe, or I'll show him those pictures of you drunk at that frat house," Cyrene amended.

"…Fine."

Khaslana refused to show up to Mydei's cafe in all of his CEO glory, so they spent more time finding him a disguise. Stelle was still getting paid, so she didn't really care. Finally, Khaslana deemed himself presentable in a mustard yellow sweater, a pair of bright purple sweatpants, dark glasses and baseball cap. The only thing he'd kept from his work attire was a thin chain that had a ring hanging off of it. "Alright. Let's go."

What the fuck, Stelle mouthed to herself. Whatever. As long as she was getting paid.

They settled in a booth that was the furthest from the register. Khaslana hunched over in his seat, eyes glued to the front of the room.

"You look like a serial killer," Cyrene said bluntly.

"Shut up."

Stelle shifted nervously in her seat. She'd wanted to take Khaslana here to (hopefully) get a confession out of him, and prove to Mydei that Khaslana really did like him. But now it was looking a bit hopeless. And it hurt to stare at Khaslana's outfit any longer.

"I heard the owner was pretty hot," Stelle said casually. There! An opening!

Khaslana glared at her. "Stelle. Might I remind you that I am your boss?"

They sat in silence. "You know," Cyrene said conversationally, "glaring at him like that isn't going to make your intentions any clearer."

"I have no intentions with him," Khaslana grumbled. "We're merely business partners."

Oh, Aeons. Stelle deserved a raise after all of this. She lifted her eyes to the ceiling and prayed desperately for lightning to strike her down.

"I guess it makes sense," Cyrene mused. "Mydei seems to have moved on from you anyways since his boyfriend's here to visit him."

Stelle and Khaslana's heads whipped towards the register so fast, she could have sworn she heard all the bones in their neck crack. Somehow in the time they'd been speaking, another person had approached the register. He was taller than average (but still shorter than Mydei and Khaslana), and had long sandy-blonde hair and blue eyes. The newcomer was leaned forward, chatting familiarly with Mydei, who had a small smile on his face.

Khaslana set his cup down. His face was so blank, it was terrifying. "Who is that."

"Hm?" Cyrene said playfully. "You don't know? I've been seeing him and Mydei together for a while, now. He always comes at this time. But I guess it makes sense you wouldn't know, since you two are… business partners~"

Khaslana's face went white. He looked like was either going to pass out or run over the man with his car. For a moment, Stelle felt bad for him. Cyrene was clearly lying out of her ass, but it from the way Mydei was interacting with the guy, it was clear they were close friends.

Then the strange man lifted his hand and brushed a stray hair from Mydei's face, and Stelle could pinpoint the moment Khaslana committed to homicide. He stood up from his chair so fast, it almost toppled over.

Oh, no. Stelle may hate her job, but it would look worse on her resume if her boss single-handedly toppled his company because he murdered a guy in a jealous rage. "Khaslana! Sit down!"

Of course, he ignored her.

Fuck this, Stelle thought desperately. She would do all the paperwork needed if it got her out of this situation.

She followed Khaslana to the register anyways. Sue her, she was also nosy.

"Mydeimos," Khaslana spat when he got closer.

Mydei's eyes flickered over to them. In an instant, the joy in his eyes faded and he looked so dispassionate, Khaslana faltered mid-step. "Oh. It's you."

The man looked back and forth between them like he was stuck in the middle of the world's most aggressive tennis match.

"Where have you been?" Khaslana demanded. "What are you doing here?"

Mydei raised an eyebrow. "I have a job, you know. I figured you and Father's little business deal could survive one day without me there for negotiations."

"You— that's not what I meant!"

"Well, what did you mean? You're a businessman. A quite successful one, too. Use your words. I don't have time for your games."

Mydei's friend took a nervous step back. "Haha. Well it was nice to see you, Mydei. I'll get going now."

"No," Mydei snapped at the same time Khaslana snarled, "Don't even think about leaving."

The man stopped dead in his tracks. Stelle mentally sent him her prayers.

"Don't order him around like that." Mydei glared at Khaslana. "This is my building. You don't have a right to speak like that."

"Who is he?" Khaslana completely ignored the pointed comment. "Your lover?"

Save me, the unknown man mouthed at Stelle. She shook her head at him hopelessly. Cyrene sent them a thumbs up from where she was sitting at their original table.

"No?" Mydei looked confused. "That's Hephaestion. You know him, we were friends in college. He was my roommate."

Hephaestion looked like he was having war flashbacks. If he really had been around when Khaslana and Mydei were dating, Stelle thought he deserved an award for putting up with their idiocy. He seemed like such a frail guy, too.

Khaslana turned to regard Hephaestion with a frigid look. "I remember him now. That's the one that always followed you around like a puppy with lovesick eyes."

"Oh?" Hephaestion sneered. "Isn't that a bit hypocritical to say? I remember you being ten times worse. And now that you think you have the status, you aren't even bothering to hide it anymore."

Nevermind. Stelle mentally cheered. Go, Hephaestion!

"It doesn't matter anymore," Mydei said.

"Did you fuck him, Mydeimos?" Khaslana asked at the same time.

Mydei's face went bright red. He opened his mouth once, then shut it.

"…I'm going to go now." This time, no one argued against it. Hephaestion brushed against Stelle's shoulder as he left. "Good luck with those two," he muttered.

Khaslana looked as though Mydei had ripped out his heart with his bare hands and stomped on it in front of him. "Mydei. Did you…" he couldn't get the rest of his sentence out.

"We're over, Khaslana," Mydei said, a bit desperately. He looked around, trying to avoid eye contact with Khaslana. "We have been for four years. You can't expect to waltz into my life and think that nothing has changed."

"I just thought…"

"Khas, please." Mydei's eyes flickered towards Stelle, who was currently looking at the pastries like they were the most interesting thing in the world. "It was just a drunken mistake. It didn't mean anything. I'm sure you've moved on by now, too."

"No," Khaslana said quietly. "No one's ever compared to you."

Mydei's expression twisted like he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "You have a funny way of showing it," he said, tone equally as quiet. When Khaslana said nothing, he closed his eyes. "Get out of my bakery, Khaslana."

Khaslana didn't even argue. When he left the store, Mydei turned to look at Stelle. "Sorry you had to see that."

"It was my fault," Stelle said instantly. "I didn't think…"

Think what? Why had Stelle even assumed that she could get Khaslana and Mydei back together?

"You have a good heart," Mydei started to say. "And an even stronger will to be a good friend. But some mistakes need to remain in the past."

"And Khaslana was a mistake?"

Mydei didn't speak for a long time.

"Well, that could have gone better," Cyrene said the next day at work. She was referring to Khaslana, who had just walked by their room. The older man hadn't even stopped to yell at anyone. Instead he just looked tired and defeated.

Somehow, a quiet Khaslana was even more terrifying than him yelling. Stelle shuddered. "Do you think I'm going to get fired?"

"He hasn't fired me, yet," Cyrene said, but she looked unconvinced. "I guess that chat with Mydei didn't go well at all, huh."

"Maybe we shouldn't do this anymore." Stelle hesitated. It hurt to see her close friend so upset over someone. He had looked a lot happier before Khaslana reentered his life. "I think they need to move on from each other. It'll be for the best."

"Trust me, I've been saying for years," Cyrene sighed. "I've had enough of listening to Khas yearn."

Everyone else at the office ended up working through their lunch break, so Stelle was forced to go down to the cafeteria herself. There, she spent the majority of her lunch break pondering over the enigma that was Khaslana and Mydei's situationship.

Clearly, they were exes that still liked (loved?) each other. That was unacceptable.

It was also hard to wrap her head around. Stelle and March were a very straightforward couple. Their relationship had practically been a breeze in comparison. If Stelle didn't like anything, she would say it. And if March had something to say (which she always did), she would always tell Stelle.

"Mydei's always so straightforward, too," Stelle muttered to herself. The man seemed cold and unassuming from the outside, but he simply valued his words more. And he seemed so secure about everything, this whole situation was just so bizarre.

Frustrated, Stelle took out her phone to text Cyrene.

Work Chat

Please keep the conversation professional

Stelle
Do you think if Khaslana finally gets his head out of his ass and gets with Mydei, our work load will clear up?

Stelle
Or maybe they just shouldn't be together.

Stelle
I think Mydei was happier before Khaslana came into his life.

	Cyrene
	That's nice, Stelle.

	Cyrene
	But I think you have the wrong chat.

Stelle
Oh.

	Khaslana
	Stelle. Come see me in my office.

Oh, fuck her.

When her and Caelus were younger, they often preferred to run around and cause trouble rather than doing their homework. This led them to standing in their parent's office, heads bent down as they got scolded mercilessly by their parents.

Now, standing in the middle of Khaslana's office with her head bowed down, Stelle was briefly reminded of fond memories of the past.

"…Am I in trouble?"

"What do you think?" Khaslana rubbed a hand over his eyes. "Do you know how badly you fucked up? In all of my years of being CEO, I have never had the displeasure of interacting with someone as insufferable as you."

What a nice compliment. Stelle mentally said goodbye to her nice paycheck.

"Haha… sorry."

"I should fire you," Khaslana stated. He didn't move from his chair.

"Probably."

They sat in silence. No one made a move to do anything.

"You can't, can you?" Stelle guessed. "I know too much about you and Mydei. And I'm his friend."

At the very least, Mydei would get even more pissed off if he heard Stelle got fired, even if she deserved it.

"You are by far the worst employee I have ever hired," Khaslana repeated. Neither mentioned that it was Cyrene who had hired her, and only because she reminded the other girl of a raccoon. "But… do you really think we're so incompatible? Mydei and me?"

"I mean…" Stelle shifted in place. "I can't speak much for Mydei, but you're so cold in comparison to him. And so uptight. But you really do love Mydei. Why'd you break up in the first place?"

There was a firm knock on the door. "Sorry," a stern voice cut in. "But I arrived here earlier than expected. May I come up?" The door swung open before Khaslana could say anything.

For a moment, Stelle thought that Mydei had somehow grown a pair of tits in the day she hadn't seen him. Then she blinked, and realized that no, it was just his female-lookalike.

"Miss Gorgo," Khaslana stood up from his chair, looking faintly panicked.

Gorgo? What a weird coincidence. That was the name of Mydei's mom!

Wait a minute.

"A pleasure as always, Khaslana," Gorgo said smoothly. Despite her neutral tone, she didn't seem very pleased to see him. "Are you busy?" Her bright golden eyes shifted to glance at Stelle.

"Not at all." Khaslana began to usher Stelle out the door. "I was just speaking with my employee, Stelle."

"Oh?" In a moment, Gorgo's icy demeanor changed. Her eyes relaxed, and she looked at Stelle warmly. "Mydeimos has told me a lot about you, Stelle. I've grown very fond of hearing his stories about you."

Stelle blinked, thrown off by the change in atmosphere. For a moment, it felt like Gorgo didn't like Khaslana at all. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Gorgo!"

Gorgo looked pleased. "None of that business talk. It's just Gorgo, dear." She reached and gently patted the top of Stelle's head. "A friend of Mydei is like family to me. Why don't we meet after my talk with Khaslana and I'll treat you for a meal?"

Stelle had met Gorgo for less than five minutes, but if something happened to her, she would kill everyone in the room and then herself. She was starting to understand why Mydei always seemed so badass. "Okay!"

"Perfect." Gorgo smiled softly. Then her expression hardened. "Then let me just sort out this little… business problem first."

Khaslana looked as though he was walking to his execution.

"My apologies. I just had to sort something out," Gorgo said later when they were sitting down for lunch. She looked as perfect as ever, with her long blonde with red tipped hair tied into a bun. Huh. Stelle had always thought Mydei dyed his hair like that. Who knew it was genetic?

"It's alright." Stelle got free food from it, anyways. She munched down on her sandwich. Delicious. "This business negotiation is taking a long time, huh?"

"Yes. It is only natural. The two companies only want what's best, that's all. As co-founder of Kremnos Inc, I must ensure that my company will succeed when I cannot care for it anymore."

Gorgo was so cool. Stelle was in love. "Wait. Is Mydei going to take over the company?" He had seemed pretty adamant that the bakery was the only business he was going to care for, but with the way Gorgo spoke…

"No. I will not force my son to do anything he does not want to do." Gorgo pushed the breadsticks closer to Stelle. "Eat more. Your physique is lacking."

Whatever she said. Stelle happily took another breadstick.

"That is why we sought to collaborate with Khaslana. Even if he lacks… certain desirable traits, he is still a good businessman and leader. But this farce has gone on for too long."

"Tell me about it," Stelle grumbled. "Wait, farce?"

"I will admit that we did not play fair," Gorgo said. "As a friend of Mydeimos, I can trust you with this information. The only reason he came out of his 'retirement' was because Khaslana would only be willing to listen to him. That had been Eurypon's, my husband's, idea. And now Khaslana has made it difficult by extending the negotiations."

Why? Was on the tip of Stelle's tongue before her brain kicked in. Oh. If the business deal was finished, then Mydei would go back to his bakery forever.

Stelle had worked overtime for two weeks straight because Khaslana was too busy playing the role of Amphoreus's number 1 yearner.

"I'm going to kill him."

Gorgo didn't even blink. "Yes. But Mydeimos will be sad if you do. And then I will have to kill you, too."

Was she joking? She certainly didn't seem like it.

Gorgo continued, "I wanted to tell you because Mydeimos told me that you were feeling stressed at work. As part of the reason why, I figured it fell upon me to comfort you."

"This is so stupid," Stelle said, baffled. "Why can't they just get together?" She realized too late that she was talking to Mydei's mom, who probably hated Khaslana more than her. "Uh, I mean."

Gorgo took a dainty sip of her water. "I am aware of my son's feelings for that man."

"And… you approve?"

"No one will ever be good enough for my son. That is what my husband would say. But I am much more pragmatic. If Mydeimos loves someone, I will support him. That's why I gave Khaslana my ring. But he's an anomaly. Us Kremnoans are straight forward, whereas he will gladly use any method to hide his feelings. And in doing so, he broke Mydeimos's heart, and will do so over and over again." Gorgo stared directly into Stelle's eyes. "So you see why I cannot approve of them."

Stelle swallowed. "Yes."

"But, alas. My son has the uncanny ability to disobey his parents. That is why I ask that you be by his side when he inevitably falls for that man's charms again. But who knows? Maybe I was wrong and that man really is capable of love." She smiled. "If not, I will have to cut off the root of the problem with my own hands. For once and for all."

Stelle had never been more terrified in her life.

Thank the Aeons she wasn't working under Gorgo.

In the following weeks, the temperature plummeted and the workload somehow increased even more. Castorice had explained to her that Khaslana was about to close in on the business deal, and (as always) expected perfection from everyone.

"Look on the bright side," she said. The bags under her eyes were a dark purple, matching her eyes. "Once it's done, we'll be on holiday leave."

If they even survived up until that point, that is.

At least Gorgo had been right. After their conversation, Mydei was at the office less and it seemed like there was finally progress on the business deal. Any interaction between the two exes was brief and cordial. Stelle wasn't sure if she preferred that over the two acting like lovebirds. At least the office was finally at peace.

It wasn't until Khaslana walked in one day with a horrible cough and looking like he'd just been run over by a bus that things started to get more hectic.

"He's sick," Hyacine sighed. She'd just come from his office to drop off papers. "I told him to go home, but he wouldn't listen to me. He's terrorizing the poor interns right now."

"Sick? That can't be right. Khas never gets sick." Cyrene looked perplexed. "Are you sure?"

Just then, a young boy rushed by their doorway in near tears. "I quit! He's awful!" He wailed.

Cyrene slumped in her chair. "Okay, fine. Maybe he is sick."

They sat in the office, pondering.

"I quite like my job," Aglaea said. "We should do something before he comes here to change it."

Hyacine sighed again. For such a bubbly lady, she had the most melancholy sighs. Or maybe she just wasn't paid enough for this? "It's such a shame Mydei isn't in office today…"

Everyone in the room turned to look at Stelle, who was on her phone. She looked up. "Huh? What's wrong?"

Hyacine clasped her hands together. "Stelle," she implored. Her eyes looked like sorrowful cotton candy. "Please contact Mydei for us."

Stelle lowered her phone slowly. She didn't like where this was going. "Why?"

"Because," Anaxa said, sounding like he was trying to teach a toddler basic addition, "I don't want to deal with a sick Khaslana. Or any Khaslana, to be quite frank."

"He's not a babysitter," Stelle frowned. "And I promised I'd stop interfering with whatever they have going on."

Anaxa slammed his hands on his desk. "This is a matter of life and death! Forget whatever angsty love story they're trying to roleplay! This is more important! I want to keep my job!"

Terrified, Stelle took out her phone.

Mydei

30% Training, 70% Diet

Stelle
Boss man's really sick

Stelle

	Mydei
	And that is my problem how?

Stelle
He's in such a bad mood

Stelle
He's driving everyone crazy

Stelle
Please?

Stelle

	Mydei
	...

	Mydei
	I'll be there soon.

Sure enough, within the next hour, Mydei pulled up to the building. He was still in his apron and carrying a bag with the most delicious aroma wafting from it.

"Ooo!" Stelle made grabby hands at the bag. "Give me!"

Mydei yanked it back. "Not yours. Don't worry about Khaslana. I'll take him back to his house." he grumbled. He marched over to Khaslana's office, yanked the door open, and entered without asking for permission. Not even five minutes later, he walked out with a dead-looking Khaslana practically hanging off his arm, nodded at Stelle, and left.

"Wow." The entire office watched the two leave. No one had wanted to deal with a sick Khaslana, but they were even more impressed that Mydei made it out alive.

"Must be nice to have a dedicated wife like that," someone muttered.

Cyrene looked like she didn't know whether to be impressed or horrified. "How did he do that. How does Mydei even know where Khas lives?" Her eyes widened, and she grabbed Stelle's arm to shake it violently. "Does MYDEI HAVE THE KEYS TO KHAS'S HOUSE???"

Stelle was starting to wonder if she created a monster. Now that everyone knew Khaslana was basically puddy when it came to Mydei, that poor man was not going to catch a break.

Cyrene sighed. "Now that Khaslana's gone, there's nothing to do," she complained. "Hm… shall we go shopping?"

"I hope Mydei's okay," Stelle lamented. She started to feel slightly bad about making him deal with Khaslana. "I want pastries. Let's go get cake."

After fueling up with sweet treats, Stelle was starting to feel more awake and guilty about what she had done. "I promised I'd stop trying to set Mydei up with his ex." She plopped her head on the table. "And now it's just getting worse."

Cyrene patted the top of her head. "It's almost done," she soothed. "It's the final stretch, soon." She had been saying that for the past month.

"I don't think I can survive for much longer."

"You can," Cyrene countered. "It's not that bad. You should've seen Khas when the business was just starting up."

Stelle sat up straighter. That reminded her— "You said you were childhood friends with Khaslana, right? Were you there when the business was getting started?"

Cyrene took a slow sip of her drink. "I was there for everything," she said. "It's why he can't fire me. I know too much. Also, I still have all of his blackmail pictures."

"Then… did you know Mydei?"

The light dimmed from her eyes. "Yeah," she said quietly. "I did know him."

They were silent for a while as Cyrene tried to find her words. "I'd grown up with Khaslana," she said at last. "We were basically siblings. And then I met Mydei before Khas did, and we also become friends. It was…" She bit her lip. "I didn't want it to seem like I was taking sides. But I just didn't understand— why Khaslana broke up with him so suddenly. And by the time I went to hear Mydei's side of the story, it was too late."

Stelle tried to imagine herself in Cyrene's shoes — torn in the middle of a fight between two stubborn, hot headed men. "It must have been hard for you."

"No one really approved of their relationship," Cyrene admitted. "There was the age difference, for one. Cipher was close friends with Mydei at the time, and she hated Khaslana. And Khas was just starting out his career while Mydei was already heir of the company. Looking back on it, it seemed suspicious."

Things were starting to click in Stelle's head. She thought back to her conversation with Gorgo. "Mydei's parents didn't like him, either."

"I won't comment on his parents," Cyrene said. "And I won't say that their relationship was perfect. But I know that Khas had never been happier when they were dating. So when I heard that Mydei was coming to work with us, I was thrilled. But I should've known that Khas still won't get his head out of his ass."

Stelle made a face. "Mydei's being stubborn, too."

"I just hope that they get it talk it out," Cyrene whispered. She stared off into the distance. "At this rate, I think only closure will be the best thing for them. Even if they don't get back together."

Short of locking Khaslana and Mydei in a close together like how Castorice wrote them in her fanfic, there wasn't much more Stelle could do to get the two idiots to talk. She didn't know what had happened after Mydei took his ex home, only that Khaslana returned the next day looking more smug than usual while Mydei was at home knocked out with a cold.

…Maybe she didn't want to know, anyways.

In any case, there were other things to worry about! For example, what Stelle was going to get March for their one year anniversary, or where they were going to go for their holiday trip, or overdue paperwork—

"Oh fuck," Stelle realized. "I forgot to submit my report!"

She looked at the calendar. It was only three days late. Surely Khaslana wouldn't yell at her for too long, right? Why did he even make her do paperwork by hand? Everything was digital these days.

The answer was clear to everyone in the office: because he liked watching people suffer.

Tribios gave her a tiny wave as she rushed by her desk. "Godspeed," she mouthed. "You can do it!"

"Make sure you remember me when I'm fired!" Stelle sobbed back.

The door to his office was slightly ajar when she got there. Stelle knocked lightly and rocked back on her foot, waiting.

No response.

She waited some more.

…Surely Khaslana wasn't going to make her wait all day, right?

"It's okay," Stelle told herself. "You can do it." Khaslana was just one puny man, after all. He probably wasn't even in his office yet.

She took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

And then screamed in shock. The pile of papers dropped from her hands and spilled all over the floor.

"I'm sorry!" Stelle wailed, covering her eyes. "I didn't see anything, I swear!"

Khaslana and the person he was making out with pulled apart so fast, the other man toppled from his lap right onto the floor. They landed hard, letting out an oomph and laid there, defeated.

Stelle whirled around to face away from them, still covering her hand over her eyes. She did not want to remember what she had just seen. And she did not want to be reminded of the fact that she knew what her boss looked like with his eyes closed in pleasure, mid-make out session, hand tangled in someone's hair while the other groped at their ass—

Oh, Aeons.

What would Mydei say if he found out?

Stelle turned back around, affronted. How dare Khaslana play with Mydei's feelings like that? How dare he claim to love Mydei while going behind his back and whoring himself out?

Tired golden eyes stared back at her. Mydei was still crumpled on the ground, rubbing his forehead. "Stelle. What the fuck are you doing here."

"De, are you alright—?"

Mydei pushed away Khaslana's offered hand. "I'm fine," he grunted. "I'll be leaving now."

On the way out, he snatched Stelle's hand and led her out of the room. She was still in shock.

"Um. Mydei."

"Let's just pretend that never happened," Mydei said firmly. The tip of his ears were still red.

"Okay."

They made their way to the nearest bench, where the two collapsed onto it like they had just finished running a marathon. "So," Stelle forced out. She wanted to bang her head against the wall until she forgot everything that just happened. "You and Khaslana, huh?"

"There is no 'me and Khaslana.'"

She frowned. "Are you sure? Because it looked like you were enjoying it too—"

Mydei slapped his hand over her mouth. He closed his eyes. "I need a drink."

It wasn't even noon yet. "Okay."

"You're paying."

"Okay."

They waited until the end of the work day before leaving. Dan Heng was in charge of giving Stelle a ride that day, and he took one look at their faces before sighing. "I'll take you to this bar I know," he said. "Dan Feng likes to go there when he wants to get drunk without being judged."

The place he took them to was posh and out of Stelle's budget. Thankfully, all it took was one name drop of Dan Heng's brother ("Don't ask. He's paying for this, by the way.") and the three of them were led to a nice, private booth.

Mydei downed a shot the moment he sat down. And then another. And another.

"You must think I'm stupid," he mumbled when he was decently tipsy. "Pining over my ex after Aeons knows how long."

Dan Heng, the designated driver, patted his hand comfortingly. "You can tell me. I've heard about a fair share of relationship troubles." Stelle faintly remembered that his brother had been on and off and on and off with his ex/boyfriend for the past… forever ago, actually. When the hate-fucking got too bad between them, Dan Heng often had to stay over at her and March's place.

"I thought I was over him," Mydei tipped back another shot. Stelle was mildly impressed. "And then he just has to go and act like his stupid self."

"Mhm."

"It's not fair. Khaslana's so— so fucking perfect. Perfect looks, perfect manners. Rich. Funny. Decent personality. He can have anything he wants. Why does he keep toying with me?"

Stelle clicked glasses with him and took a sip of her own drink. "I really don't think he's toying with you, bro. He's down bad."

Mydei slammed his glass down. "Did you know he was my first everything? He was my first date, first kiss, first boyfriend. I let him take my virginity! And it fucking ruined everyone else for me. Nothing compares to him. I was so naive. Of course I would fall for the kind and mature older man with a huge—"

"Okay!" Dan Heng cut in. "Let's talk about something else."

Mydei slumped in his chair. His cheeks were tinged pink. "I just want to go back to before," he said miserably. "Back to when he at least pretended to love me."

Dan Heng and Stelle exchanged glances. "I think he does love you," Stelle tried to console him. "He's just, uh…"

"He's got the emotional range of a teaspoon," Dan Heng said bluntly. "I know his type. He's like my brother. Better off moving on to a different man. Trust me."

Stelle made frantic cutting throat gestures at him. Shut up, she mouthed.

Dan Heng continued, as if fueled by years worth of pent-up third wheeling. "It's never going to end. He's never going to change, and you're going to be left chasing after him. Do you really want that? Days, weeks, of no contact and playing hard to get until one call is all it takes for you to end up in his bed?"

"Dan Heng, I think that's enough—"

"If he could fuck me," Mydei said, staring off into the distance. "If all he wants is a good fuck, I could give it to him. This business negotiation is almost over, anyways. And then I could never see him again."

"Mydei, you can't be serious!"

Mydei ignored her. "Or maybe I should just get laid by someone else." He snorted, amused. "He was pretty hot when he got jealous that day, right, Stelle?"

It was official. Mydei had gone insane. Stelle mentally sent her apologies to Khaslana.

Later that night, after Stelle and Dan Heng had dragged a passed out Mydei to their couch, she got a text.

Khaslana

Do not contact outside working hours

	Khaslana
	Did Mydei get back okay?

Stelle
I don't know

Stelle
Ask him yourself

	Khaslana
	Please, Stelle.

	Khaslana
	He's not answering my texts.

Stelle
...

Stelle
He's fine. Just a bit sad.

Stelle
You're a real asshole, Khaslana.

	Khaslana
	I know.

	Khaslana
	Thank you for taking care of him.

Stelle threw her phone at the wall.

Men. How useless.

When she went into office the following Monday, Mydei was standing by her desk, holding a gift basket. It was filled to the brim with homemade baked goods from his bakery.

"Thank you," he said roughly. He looked faintly embarrassed. "I shouldn't have put the burden of taking care of me on you. Please accept this as apologies."

Sometimes, Stelle forgot that he was technically raised as a rich heir. "Aw, Mydei! You don't have to worry about it. We're friends, aren't we?"

"Yes." He frowned. "Did I say anything weird on Friday?"

If you didn't count spending three hours sobbing over his ex, then no. "Nah," Stelle said. "We're all cool, buddy."

He squinted at her suspiciously. "…Okay."

When he left to go back to his bakery, Stelle marched straight up to Khaslana's office and threw the door open. "We need to talk."

The man startled in his chair. "Fuck! I really need to fix that lock. Get out."

Stelle stood firm. "No. We need to talk."

Khaslana ground his teeth. "Get. Out."

"No." Stelle plopped herself down in the seat in front of him. "What are your intentions with Mydei?"

All of the fight left Khaslana's body. "Did he say anything about me?" He asked hopefully.

"You're ridiculous," Stelle said in disbelief. She wondered how such a successful man could be so useless when it came to stuff like relationships. "This has been going on for too long. You need to tell him that you love him."

"I don't love him," Khaslana said automatically.

Stelle had never wanted to throttle someone so badly, and Caelus had once wasted all of her saved pulls on a standard banner character. "Then you need to let him go so he can date someone else."

Khaslana slammed his hands on his desk. "No!" He winced. "Fuck."

Stelle raised her eyebrow at him. He slumped back in his chair. "…Okay, fine. Maybe I still love him."

"Are you sure about that? Because from what I've seen so far, you aren't doing a very good job at convincing him."

"I do," Khaslana said quietly. "I do love him. I always have." He looked melancholy, like he was remembering fond memories that didn't exist anymore.

Khaslana and Mydei really were perfect for each other. For the life of her, Stelle couldn't understand why this was such a problem. Khaslana loved Mydei, and Mydei loved Khaslana. There. Done and simple.

"He deserves better," Khaslana said finally. "He needs someone that can make him happy. Someone who can protect him. I'm… not a good person, Stelle. Even you know that."

"I think you can be a good person, you just aren't for some reason," Stelle countered. "Cyrene's department could have easily left if they wanted to, but they didn't. You built this company up with your own hands. And Mydei's a grown man. He doesn't need protection."

Khaslana smiled faintly. "Even if it's from me?"

You broke his heart four years ago and he still loves you, Stelle thought. That ship has long since sailed.

"If you could go back, would you do it? Leave him again?"

Khaslana stayed still. He slowly raised his hand and lifted a chain from his neck. Attached to it was a golden ring. Stelle leaned closer. It was pretty, almost delicate.

Khaslana pressed a soft kiss to the ring, as if he'd forgotten he wasn't the only one in the room. "No," he whispered. "I would hold on to him, and never let him go."

At long last, the day everyone awaited came: the final negotiations between Khaslana Corporations and Kremnos Inc. It involved a final long and boring meeting that Stelle had no idea why she was even there for.

It was also the most awkward room she had ever been in. Gorgo sat at the head of the table across from Khaslana. Next to her was a stern looking older man who could only be Mydei's father. And Mydei himself was there, looking just as out of place as Stelle.

And then finally, the last papers were signed, and everyone in the room sighed in relief.

"It's getting late," Khaslana said at last. "We should pack up for the night." Stelle was so relieved, she could've dropped to her knees and kissed his shoes. But that would've meant spending more time with the CEO, and she'd rather wash Caelus's dirty laundry than do that.

Cyrene, too, looked just as excited to be done with the day as her. "I'll see you later, Khas," she said, already halfway out the door. Khaslana must have been more tired than he looked, because he correct the use of his childhood nickname.

When they were in the hallway and out of earshot, Stelle gasped out, "Oh thank the Aeons, it's finally over!"

"We're done!" Cyrene cheered. "Almost on holiday break! Just one more thing to go to!"

One more thing?

Stelle stopped dead in her tracks. "Um, what?"

Her friend waved her hand flippantly. "Oh, just some silly old gala. One of Khaslana's friends is hosting it, and Khas is making me go. I get to bring a plus one, and guess who I'm taking~"

"Please, no."

"Sorry!" Cyrene practically skipped down the hallway. "Hehe, it's going to be so fun!"

Stelle groaned. "You can't be serious. Hold on, I'm trying to look for my phone." She dug around in her purse.

Oh, damn…

"Go on without me, Cyrene," Stelle told the pink-haired woman. "I left something in the room."

She was desperately praying that Khaslana had left, but it seemed like the Aeons hated her today. Stelle peaked into the room quickly, then ducked back behind the door. Khaslana was still sitting at the table, posture unnaturally slumped, rubbing his face. Sitting propped up in front of him was Mydei, who reached out and gently removed Khaslana's hand.

"Don't do that," the man scolded, sounding more gentle than Stelle had ever heard him. "It's bad for your eyes."

Stelle held her breath. Maybe if she closed her eyes, they wouldn't see her?

"It's been such a shit show," Khaslana grumbled. "Honestly, what do they feed you Kremnoans? A bunch of stubborn lot you are…"

Mydei laughed. "Yeah, yeah. You know first hand how stubborn we can get."

Khaslana chuckled, then sobered up. "Mydei," he said seriously. "Are you holding up alright? I know this wasn't be easy for you."

"HKS. Just who do you think I am? I can handle this."

"Of course you can. I've never doubted you." Khaslana's voice was starting to sound a bit too sappy for Stelle's liking. She wondered if getting her phone back was worth listening to Khaslana pine over his ex. Then he said, "It's too late for you to be going home alone. Let me treat you to dinner and give you a ride back. I'll take care of you for the rest of the night."

Rude! Khaslana never offered her a free meal!

But wait, that sounded awfully like a date…

Stelle was so excited, she was practically shaking with joy. She leaned in closer to the room. Was he going to do it? Was she finally going to witness the moment Khaslana stopped becoming chopped and rizz-less?

"No."

The room became so silent, Stelle wasn't sure if anyone was breathing.

"No," Mydei repeated. "You're right. It's getting late. I shouldn't bother you any longer." He paused. "Have a nice night."

"Mydei, wait—"

Stelle barely had time to duck to the side before Mydei threw the door open and brushed past her. He didn't give any acknowledgment that he'd seen her, instead marching down the hallway and out the exit. Stelle stared in shock at his back profile.

A tired voice said, "Stelle. I know you're there."

"Eck!" Stelle trudged into the room like a scolded child. "Haha, about that…"

Now that she could see him up close, Khaslana looked awful. He stared ahead at blank space, the shitty lighting in the room highlighting the bags under his eyes. "Stelle," he said quietly. "Am I really that unlovable? Can things really never be fixed between us?"

Uh oh. Stelle wasn't getting paid enough for this. But on the other hand, she also did love giving out unsolicited advice. Unfortunately it just didn't seem like the advice Khaslana wanted to hear.

"I still miss him," Khaslana continued, staring at where Mydei was just sitting. "Even now. Especially now. It hurts seeing him everyday and knowing that I messed things up between us."

To be perfectly honest, it really was all of Khaslana's fault. Still, it hurt to watch her boss act all pathetic. "It really can't be that bad. What did you even do?"

Khaslana groaned. "He was just— he was just so young. Did you know I was his first everything? I thought I was holding him back. And then his father got involved, and his mother got sick, and my business was doing badly, and I just couldn't be that burden on him. He would have given everything up for me. I was supposed to be the mature one in the relationship."

"Young?"

He winced. "He was 18 when we met."

Stelle did the math in her head. "Oh," she realized. "So you're both a coward and a pervert."

"Thank you for that, Stelle."

"There's nothing you can do now," Stelle pointed out. "The business proposal is done. Mydei's going back to his bakery full time. He has no reason to see you anymore."

"I think you can stop comforting me now."

"You have one final chance." Khaslana's head snapped up to look at her. "At the holiday gala. The one Cyrene told me about. There's no way Mydei's not going. If you talk to him, and actually confess, maybe you have a chance."

Khaslana's eyes widened with hope. Then, he sighed. "There's no way. Gorgo and Eurypon will be there, too. They won't let me within three feet of him."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Stelle said. She pressed her hand to her chest as if swearing an oath. "Besides, I'm your best employee! I'll be there to create an opening for you."

The corner of his lips twitched upward. "Just don't blow anything up."

"No promises!"

The end of the year holiday gala came with lots of fanfare, partying, and stressing, mainly from Dan Heng. It turned out that his older brother, Dan Feng, had been to one to host it which meant no one, but two stressed brothers running around like headless chickens.

When Stelle, March, and Caelus arrived half an hour before all the other guests, he was still rushing back and forth, his long black hair whipping around him. "The refreshers need to go here," he muttered to himself. "No— What are you doing? I told you to bring out the other bottle of champagne. Oh, Dan Heng's friends. Hello, how are you? Make yourselves comfortable! Goodbye." And he rushed off again.

Trailing behind him was Yingxing, who looked completely overwhelmed by everything. "Huh," March said. "I guess they're dating again?"

Dan Heng materialized behind her. "You don't want to know," he said. His eyes looked haunted. He had been staying in Dan Feng's manor to make planning for the gala easier, which probably meant he knew too well the status of their relationship. "You guys look nice."

Stelle beamed and did a twirl. "Thanks!" Cyrene had taken them out to get new suits and dresses for the formal (paid for by Khaslana Corporations). She was wearing a long, tight silver dress, a stark contrast to March's flowy and shimmering pink one.

"I have to go," Dan Heng said suddenly. "Dan Feng's trying to replace the curtains again."

And just like that, there were three of them.

March slumped in a nearby seat. "It's so stuffy here," she complained. "Why did we all have to go again?"

"To show support for Dan Heng."

"To watch Khaslana make a fool out of himself confessing to Mydei."

They stared at her. Stelle shrugged.

Caelus said, "I bet 20 bucks that Mydei's going to turn him down."

"No way!" March interjected. "Mydei's practically in love with him!"

"I'm in love with who?"

March shrieked and whirled around. Standing behind her was Mydei with a champagne glass in hand. He raised an eyebrow at her, unimpressed.

"Mydei, my guy!" Stelle patted at his chest. "You look so hot!"

He always looked hot on any given day (Stelle had eyes, even if they were dedicated to only March), but today he'd gone all out and channeled his inner rich-mafia-heir. He was wearing an elaborate, silky dark blue suit with the top buttons undone to flash off his collarbones. Golden earrings dangled off of his ears, and he'd done up his hair in a half-up, half-down hairdo. Stelle leaned in closer. He smelled nice, too, different from his usual baked good scent. And—

"Are you wearing eyeliner?"

Mydei looked faintly embarrassed. "It'll be my last time in a business setting," he said. "You won't see me at the office anymore."

March and Stelle exchanged glances. Stelle desperately prayed that Khaslana had taken her advice and locked in tonight, otherwise it was going to be a miserable time coming back into office.

The dance floor grew more crowded as more people filtered in, many of whom Stelle recognized from popular magazines or hot-shot politicians. Dan Feng hadn't held back at all, which made since. That man had a flair for the dramatics. She wondered faintly how Dan Heng ended up being related to that guy.

A flicker of movement caught her eye. Khaslana had just entered the room, Cyrene at his side. She gave them a happy wave when Stelle caught her eye, but Khaslana's gaze was locked to the man at Stelle's side. He crossed the room in quick strides. "Mydei," he breathed. "You look… amazing."

Stelle crossed her fingers behind her back.

Mydei blinked slowly, his long lashes casting a shadow over his cheekbones. "Thank you. You look nice as well, Khaslana."

Okay, this was getting nowhere. Stelle bit her tongue to prevent her scream of frustration. Ask him to dance, she mouthed. Cyrene nodded vigorously behind his back.

Khaslana took in a deep breath. "Mydei, would you like to—"

"Attention, everyone!"

This time, Stelle really did let out a muffled scream.

What followed was a long, boring progression of speeches. Eventually, Khaslana parted from their group to give his own speech, and Mydei disappeared soon after. When the CEO returned, he gave off the impression of a kicked puppy. "Mydei left already?"

Cyrene kicked him in the shin with her stiletto. "Stop looking like that!" she hissed. "You look pathetic! Mydei's still here, ask him to dance with you!"

"He doesn't want to," Khaslana pouted. He looked nothing like the fear-mongering business man the media painted him as. "Cyrene, I can't do it. I'm going to live out the rest of my days pining and then die of a broken heart."

She threw her hands up. "For Aeon's sake. Stelle, you deal with him. I need a drink. And to flirt with that pretty lady over there."

Khaslana looked hopefully at her when she left. Stelle shifted uncomfortably in place. "Look, bro. You just need to be honest with him."

"Yeah!" March piped up. "Everyone likes a sweet and romantic confession. If you wooed Mydei, I bet he'll love it!"

A glare of determination appeared in Khaslana's eyes. "Okay," he said. "I can do it."

March reached out and gripped his shoulders tightly. "You can do it."

"Yes."

"Yes!"

Khaslana faltered. "What is he says no?"

"Then you'll live out of the rest of your life pining before dying of a broken heart." March patted his back. "You got this!" She shoved him towards the direction of Mydei, who was speaking with someone Stelle didn't recognize.

Khaslana made it halfway towards the love of his life before Stelle swore. "Oh no." Headed towards his direction was an elderly woman with a (sadly familiar) sour expression on her face. What was Caenis even doing here? Surely no one liked her enough to invite her to this event.

Stelle amended that statement mentally. She was probably hired solely to suck the joy out of the event.

"My dear Khaslana," Caenis said. Her voice was a nasally croak. "Congratulations on your achievements this year."

Khaslana straightened and smoothened out his expression. "Caenis. A pleasure to see you here."

The air around them became so hostile, even Mydei turned to look at them. March squeaked and clamped her hand over her eyes. "I can't watch," she whimpered.

Caenis continued, unperturbed. "I've always known you would take the company to high places. Seeing you here makes me proud of the little boy I once knew. Why, where was that simpering child who used to cry when he scratched his knee? It's almost unbelievable to see you here. Even when it seems like the standards have dropped so low."

"Sorry?" Khaslana expression twisted. "Standards?"

"Collaborating with… those beneath us," Caenis replied coolly. "I warned you that associating with the Kremnoans would do use no good, but you decided to ignore me. And now this place is teeming with vermin."

The man Mydei had been speaking to took a step forward, face twisted in a scowl. Mydei intercepted him, talking in a hushed tone.

Khaslana growled out, "Caenis. What do you think you are doing?"

Uh oh. Stelle didn't know much about company politics, but she knew enough to know that Khaslana blowing his temper at Caenis would be a PR disaster. She started to rush forward.

"We know that the Kremnoans will provide us nothing of value. But it's okay. You're still young when it comes to manners like these. And especially when their little heir is so adapt in…" Her eyes flickered towards Mydei. "Manners of persuasion. But he has to be, with a face as pretty as his. Just like his mother, really."

All hell broke loose.

There was a massive outcry from the Kremnoans that attended the gala. Cyrene, who had been at the front of the room, whirled around, face red with anger. Gorgo lifted her chin and stalked towards Caenis like a lion approaching its prey. And Khaslana—

Khaslana took a threatening step forward and lifted his fist as if to punch her. His face was eerily blank.

Stelle was fully prepared to throw herself in the path of destruction when Mydei appeared out of nowhere and caught Khaslana's arm. "Khas," he growled, golden eyes lit up with fury. "Just what the hell were you thinking?"

Khaslana snarled and wrenched his wrist out. "Step back, Mydei. I'm going to kill her."

Mydei's eyes flashed murderously. "You will not."

Khaslana bared his teeth. "This is a problem between me and her. I'll say it once more. Step. Back."

Mydei stood firm. "No."

Stelle scrambled to catch up to them, gasping for air. "Haha… Boss man. Maybe you shouldn't cause a scene in front of everyone?"

Khaslana stilled. "Cause a scene?" he repeated. The temperature in the room plummeted. His eyes darkened and for a moment, he looked like the most terrifying being Stelle could ever imagine. "Cause a scene? How can you say that? How can you expect me to stay still when Caenis insults the MAN I LOVE?"

Just like that, the room went silent.

Stelle took a slow step back. Everyone in the room seemed to hold their breath, waiting for what would happen next.

All of the anger drained from Mydei's face, leaving behind just a neutral expression.

"My—Mydei." Khaslana reached out as if to cup Mydei's cheeks. Right before he made contact, Mydei twisted his face and turned away. He left just like that — head up and posture straight, as if nothing had just happened.

Khaslana made to follow him, only to be stopped by another body. Gorgo stood there, face impassive, though her eyes spoke of dangers.

Stelle could pinpoint the moment she saw Khaslana's heart break. His expression fell and he looked impossibly young, alone, and heartbroken. His eyes dimmed and he stood there for what felt like a very, very long time.

"Khaslana… are you going to follow him?" Stelle whispered.

Khaslana showed no sign that he heard her.

Gorgo said, "Mister Khaslana. I believe you've done enough."

"Please," Khaslana begged. He didn't seem to care that he was in public anymore. "I just need to see him one more time."

"And then what?" Gorgo asked. "This cycle continues, over and over? You won't ever let that boy go. This ends here."

"I love him. I just want…"

Stelle interjected. "Please, Miss Gorgo! Let him see Mydei."

Gorgo focused her attention on her. "You are still young," she said soothingly. "And this does not concern you. But—" Her eyes caught onto movement. Khaslana had shifted to take out the necklace he always wore, the one with the ring attached to it. He was currently clutching at it like it was his lifeline. Stelle knew that ring. She'd seen Khaslana hold onto it during rare moments of vulnerability, when business meeting got too intense or if Caenis was being particularly irritating.

Recognition seeped in Gorgo's eyes. "Khaslana. I know that ring."

Khaslana closed his eyes. "Please don't take this away from me, too."

"It's my ring." Gorgo stared at it. She said quietly, "I thought you threw it away. Or lost it."

"I could never."

"Even after all this time?"

When Khaslana didn't respond, she closed her eyes and sighed. Then she moved away. "Go." Khaslana's eyes snapped to her in shock. She didn't budge. "I won't say it again. Go."

This time, Khaslana didn't hesitate. He rushed past her and disappeared behind the doors.

"And now," Gorgo said. Her eyes flashed murderously. "It's time for me to do a bit of hunting of my own."

Stelle gulped.

The rest of the gala passed by in a blur. It took a bit of time before people to warm up again, but with a bit of prodding from Dan Feng (and a drunk red-headed man), the dance floor was alight with joy once again. Stelle found herself happy twirling with March and admiring the way her dress flowed around her body.

Eventually, March grew tired of standing. "I wonder how Khas is going," she said. "Do you think they spoke?"

Stelle frowned. She hadn't seen Mydei or Khaslana anywhere, and it had been over an hour since they left. "Maybe we should go find them."

It was getting a bit stuffy in the room, anyways, so the girls left. Outside the ballroom was a well-trimmed garden. March spun around under the stars, laughing to herself. "It's so pretty here! Let's do another dance!"

"I thought your feet hurt," Stelle teased, but grabbed her girlfriend's hand.

They danced a bit longer, waltzing around until their cheeks were flushed red from the chilly air. March tugged on Stelle's arm, practically drunk with excitement. "Look! There's a clearing over there."

More private time would be good. Stelle wrapped an arm around March's waist and let her lead the way.

As they got closer, though, something seemed wrong. Muffled noises emitted from where they were walking towards, and Stelle heard a muted thump. She frowned. "Uh, March. Do you think—"

They stepped fully into the clearing. March screamed. Stelle closed her eyes in defeat and wondered if this would truly be the last straw that caused her to get fired.

"Why," Khaslana seethed. "Is it always you interrupting us?"

In the few hours he'd been gone, he'd taken off his outer jacket and given it to Mydei, who was currently pressed upright on a marble statue. In fact, it seemed like he was only upright because of Khaslana holding on to him. His face was flushed a bright red, his eyes looked dazed, and his lips were definitely not that puffy when he had left earlier.

"Haha…" March looked back and forth between them. "…I see the talk went well?"

Khaslana's grip around Mydei's waist tightened. "Stelle," he said patiently. Too patiently. "If you don't leave right now, I'm going to make you do paperwork for all of the holiday break."

He didn't need to tell her twice. Stelle snatched March by her collar and left, but not before throwing a wink over her shoulder. "Don't have too much fun!" She shouted. "And remember to use protection!"

When she looked back last time, the two were already lip-locked and lost to the world around them. That is, until Khaslana lifted up his hand and threw her the middle finger.

Stelle laughed quietly to herself.

After that whole ordeal, her yearly bonus better be worth it.

In the late hour of the next day, Stelle was busy enjoying her precious time off when she got a text.

Work Chat

Please keep the conversation professional

	Khaslana
	I will be extending the holiday leave an additional 10 days. Have a nice break.

	Hyacine
	yay! thanks, boss!

	Hyacine

	Cyrene
	Let's go to Penacony to celebrate~

Stelle sent a screenshot

Stelle
damn! looks like boss man's going to have a fun ten nights 👀

	Castorice
	Miss Stelle, I believe you have the wrong chat...

Stelle has been kicked from the chat

Oops. Oh well. Stelle mentally shrugged it off. If it weren't for her, Khaslana would still be pining for Mydei. It wasn't like he could fire her or anything.

"Stelle," Cyrene whispered. "You're so getting fired."

Stelle spat out her coffee. "What? It's the first day back from break!"

Cyrene just patted her shoulder. "It was nice knowing you," was all she said.

Stelle swallowed, and made the long trek to her boss's office. Khaslana was sitting there, looking like the final villain of every superhero movie. In front of him was a stack of papers. "Stelle," he said, then smirked.

He had gotten much too smug now that he had a boyfriend to come home to. She needed to take him down a peg or two. "How's Gorgo? Gotten along with her yet?"

"I have, in fact. But that's not why I called you here. Stelle, it is with great pleasure that I tell you this: in all of my years at this company, I have never had an employee as frustrating as you."

"Okay."

"Which is why you're leaving. Effective immediately."

Yeah, she probably deserved that. "Okay."

Khaslana laughed lightly. "This position was always meant to be short term," he told her. "So do not take any offense. But when Mydei found out, he made a compelling argument for you. Very compelling, in fact." He preened even more. Ugh. Men. "So I took it upon myself to dig into your work history and resume a bit. Here you go." He nudged the papers towards her.

Stelle took it and flipped through them. "This is…"

"The Astral Express and Co. An aerospace start up company. I know the founder, Himeko, very well. The crew is very tight knit and welcoming. You'll do well there. Of course, with me giving you a stellar recommendation letter and bargaining for your salary, I would like to say that you will even exceed there. That is, if you want to take it."

"I'm in," Stelle said immediately. Her shoulders slumped. "I'll miss Cyrene and the others though…"

"No need. They'll always be here for you. If you want to come back, I can always find a more suitable position for you."

"Thank you," Stelle said. She was surprised to find that she even meant it. "And… are things going well with you and Mydei?"

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Mydei himself poked his head in. "Did you tell her yet?"

Khaslana's face lit up. "Mydei! Come in."

Pathetic. Stelle's ex-boss was the most pathetic puppy she'd ever met. Still, a smile formed on her face.

Mydei crossed the room in three quick steps and planted a kiss on Khaslana's cheek. And then on his other cheek. And then on his lips. When Khaslana tried to chase after his lips to deepen the kiss, Stelle cleared her throat awkwardly.

"Oh, sorry." Khaslana didn't seem sorry at all. Mydei kicked him under the desk. Khaslana rolled his eyes. "Fine. What we wanted to say was… thank you. For this." He intertwined his fingers with Mydei.

"It was nothing," Stelle said. "Just don't do that again, okay?"

Mydei smirked. "I won't."

Khaslana looked up at his partner like he hung up the stars. "Trust me, I won't ever let you go again."

They were starting to get weirdly sappy, so Stelle quickly left the room before they did anything freaky in front of her. Cyrene was waiting at her desk, rocking back and forth on her heels nervously. "Well? How did it go?"

"I got fired," Stelle said. "All good though." She explained what had happened.

"Oh," Cyrene looked disappointed, but was trying to hide it. "But… you liked it here? Did you have fun?"

Despite everything that had happened, the long restless work days, the stress of an overbearing boss, and watching two idiots pine after each other, Stelle realized she only had one answer to that. "Yeah. I really did love it here."

Cyrene took her hand in hers. "Who would've known?" She smiled sweetly. "And we finally got the two lovebirds together in the end."

The rest of the day was filled with tearful goodbyes. Stelle promised to keep in contact with everyone, and at long last, was set to depart the building for her last time. She turned back to wave at everyone, hesitating only briefly before—

"Can someone please tell Khaslana and Mydei to stop making out in the middle of the hallway?!"

She left quickly after that.

Not her problem anymore.