When she arrived at the company, the coffee shop was located inside the building, which had opened a few months ago after a lengthy renovation. The manager was working her butt off in the back when someone called her from the principal counter, "Tara?"

Tara is a beautiful woman with long brown hair and blue eyes, traits that Irina disliked in other women as she loved to be at the center of attention.

"Hello, Tara, right? I'm Irina." She felt helpless. Her forced smile was typical for her new job, and she wore it as always.

"Welcome, Irina. I have been waiting for you!" Tara was genuinely happy to have someone to help her; the work was busy, and she had been doing it alone since her colleague was fired.

"Have you ever made coffee?" she asked, hoping for assistance. 

Irina smiled as she touched her hair. Although she had taken a few lessons before arriving, she realized she hadn't learned much. 

"Actually, they told me i'd learn here".

Tara was surprised. She had to pass a challenging selection process to get a job at B-corp, an international company, and she felt something was off about her hiring. Someone in management had to be backing her up.

"I understand. Let me explain what you need to do," Tara said, trying to coax her even though she felt uncertain. Was the universe really trying to mess with her?'

"Here, take this uniform. You can change over there." She handed her the complete uniform and returned to her duties as it was time to open up.

"Tara!!" a man's familiar voice called for her from the main counter. "Yes, i'm coming!" she replied, still managing the various coffee deliveries.

"Hey Tara, I'd like to place some orders for later," he said, pulling out a piece of paper and a pen. 

"Director Stephan, you're back!" She exclaimed, pleased to see him. She had gotten the job because he appreciated her unique way of brewing coffee.

"Yes, I need these ready for eleven," he said, handing her the list.

"Yes, sir!" Tara responded, always making his coffee with extra care.

"Tara, where are you?" called a voice from the back of the shop.

"Over there!" she replied before turning back to Stephan.

"She's the new staff member sent to me." Stephan nodded in understanding; someone had been hired while he was away, and he did not know anything about it. He usually passed through all the hiring processes.

A petite woman approached. She was pretty, with reddish hair and a charming smile. However, despite her looks, she did not impress him; he sensed she lacked the necessary skills.

"Hello, sir," she said softly while the director nodded his head in acknowledgment. "Tara, I will send someone down to gather everything. Please remember to have everything ready in time," he continued, without even glancing at Irina, who stood there speechless, captivated by him. He was handsome! The perfect man, in her opinion. She had never encountered anyone like him before.

"Of course, sir!" Tara replied, maintaining her professionalism, which he appreciated.

"Director Stephan!" a woman called out as she approached him.

"Helena, is everything okay?" he asked, noticing her interruption.

She smiled and nodded. "I came to order coffee for the meeting," she said.

He laughed and pointed to the note in Tara's hands. "You already did?" Helena was surprised to see that he had already arranged everything.

"Later, please pick up the order," he replied, and she nodded in agreement.

They walked away, discussing details from that morning's meeting. While the other two stayed at the shop.

"Who was that?" Irina asked.

"That was Director Stephan, one of the CEO's sons, and the woman with him is a secretary named Helena." Tara envied how Helena could engage in such a carefree conversation with him. She admired him but felt content simply making coffee for him.

 

"Director who's that?" Helena asked, pointing to the new girl in the cafeteria. He responded with a doubtful sigh; it seemed like something was beyond his control.

"Let's keep our eyes open," he said shortly.

As they entered the hall, Kilee and Stephan immediately noticed each other.

"Director K!" Stephan called out, getting his attention.

"Maria," she interrupted them. Helena walked straight toward and hugged her, leaving the brothers as if they did exist.

At that moment, another person entered, and unexpectedly, Director Kaji arrived ahead of schedule.

"Director kaji," said Maria, glancing at him. "You came earlier that scheduled," she welcomed him.

"It's a pleasure to see you again! Helena, it's nice to see you too. And you as well, Director K and Director Stephan!" said Kaji with a half-smile.

"Nice to see you, Director Kaji," Stephan replied as he shook Kaji's hand. "Is there a problem?" he asked, noticing Kaji's nervousness.

"We're having some issues marketing our new product, the one we're creating in collaboration with you. If I hadn't known you guys, I'd get pretty mad, haha," Kaji said, stroking his forehead.

"We apologize for barging in without prior notice," a short man said behind him. "He's my personal assistant," Kaji added.

"We're finally meeting. I'm Maria, Director K's secretary," she said, shaking his hand. 

"I'm Josef, Director kaji's assistant and secretary. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." He admired her ability to stay confident among all those people. She had impressed him positively.

"So, what was the problem?" Director K asked while Kaji's expression turned serious.

"We need to talk somewhere, private."