"Yes," I replied softly.  

"Get back to work," he ordered, his voice as cold as ever.  

I stood up, straightened my shirt, and returned to my desk. I could feel Chak's presence across from me, even without looking. He was focused on his work, his eyes moving smoothly over the documents. I, on the other hand, struggled to concentrate.  

Why did he bring me lunch? The thought kept circling in my mind. Does he think I can't take care of myself? Or… does he actually care?

I shook my head, trying to chase away those ridiculous thoughts.  

At that moment, Chak's deep voice cut through the silence. "Is everything okay?"  

His sharp gaze was on me, and I stiffened.  

"Yes, sir," I answered quickly. "I just mixed up some numbers."  

Chak sighed, leaning back slightly. "Stay focused, Niran."  

"I will," I mumbled, gripping my pen tighter.  

The hours passed painfully slow. The only sound in the office was the occasional flipping of papers and the faint clicking of my keyboard. Every now and then, I found my eyes drifting toward him—his strong posture, the way his fingers moved effortlessly over the documents.  

Get a grip, Niran.

When the clock hit 8 PM, Chak finally closed his files. "We're done for today. We'll continue tomorrow."  

"Understood," I said, stretching my arms.  

I caught a glimpse of something unusual—a faint twitch at the corner of his lips. Was that… almost a smile? No, I must be imagining things.  

I got up, said goodnight, and left.  

The night air was cool as I walked toward my apartment. The streets were quiet, with only a few people passing by. But as I got closer to my building, I noticed a figure standing outside. My steps slowed.  

Chak?

What was he doing here?  

I approached him cautiously. His expression was unreadable as he turned toward me.  

"I rang the doorbell, but no one answered," he said flatly.  

I frowned. "Well, of course no one answered—there's no one home."  

Something flickered in his eyes—surprise, maybe?  

"What are you doing here?" I asked, my voice quieter than before.  

He hesitated. Just for a second. Then, with a dismissive wave of his hand, he muttered, "I needed something. Never mind."  

And just like that, he turned to leave. As he passed me, his shoulder brushed mine—just a light touch, but enough to send a shiver down my spine.  

"See you tomorrow," he said, his voice low, almost too soft to hear.  

I stood there, watching as he walked away, disappearing into the night.  

My heart was racing.  

What was Chak doing here? And why does it feel like he wanted to say something… but didn't?

Leo greeted me at the door. I picked him up and sat down on the couch. My mind kept racing—what was Chak doing at my place? Did he think I didn't live alone?  

And then it hit me. Of course. He must have thought that Lun would answer the door.  

But why? Why would he want to talk to him?  

After a while, I took a shower and cooked some noodles. Once I finished eating, I went to bed. The night passed quickly.  

In the morning, I got up, fed and cuddled Leo, then put on a white long-sleeve shirt, gray pants, and a gray blazer. I grabbed my bag and left for work.  

I greeted my colleagues, made myself some coffee, and went to Chak's office to continue inputting data into spreadsheets.  

He wasn't in yet.  

Thank god.

If he had been here already, I would've been a nervous wreck.  

After some time, I stood up to get a glass of water. Just as I reached the door, it suddenly swung open.  

Chak stepped inside.  

My heart jumped, and I instinctively took a step back.  

His cold gaze scanned me from head to toe.  

"In a hurry?" he asked in a low voice.  

"I was just getting some water, sir," I said nervously.  

"If you're going, bring me coffee too."  

"Yes, sir," I nodded and hurried past him.  

In the break room, I grabbed a bottle of water and made him coffee.  

Calm down, Niran. It'll be fine.

I took a deep breath and returned to the office. My hands were slightly trembling as I carefully set the coffee down in front of him.  

Then I went to my desk and tried to open my water bottle.  

The cap wouldn't budge. I tried harder—nothing.  

Of course, Chak noticed.  

"Niran, where are your muscles? Give it to me," he said with a hint of amusement.  

I felt my face heat up.  

"No need, sir," I mumbled.  

His gaze turned icy. "Don't argue, Niran."

Reluctantly, I handed him the bottle. He opened it effortlessly on the first try.  

"You need to try harder," he said as he handed it back.  

"Thank you," I whispered and took a few sips.  

I could feel his eyes on me.  

Why is he watching me?

I quickly put the bottle down and focused on my work.  

---Two hours later---

Chak's phone rang.  

I looked up and noticed a faint smile on his face as he answered the call.  

A woman's voice came through the speaker.  

"Hey, Chak! We just wanted to say hi!"

I took a sip of water—  

And nearly choked when I heard a child's voice say:  

"Daddy!"

I coughed violently, my throat burning.  

Chak's sharp eyes landed on me.  

Wait… what?! Chak has a son?!

"Ton, how are you? Are you having fun?" Chak asked.  

"I'm good! It's great here! But I have to go now. Bye!"  

"Bye, Ton," Chak replied, his voice unusually gentle.  

"Malai, I have work to do. I'll call you later," he added before hanging up.  

He turned back to me, watching closely.  

"Niran, are you alright?"  

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered and forced myself to focus on my screen.  

But my mind kept repeating that tiny voice over and over again.  

Daddy.

---

A few hours passed before Chak spoke again.  

"How far along are you?"  

"Almost done," I replied.  

"Good. When you finish, take these files home and complete them there. It's clear that my presence bothers you."  

"Sir, that's not true!" I said quickly, but his gaze remained cold.  

"Oh? Interesting." He leaned back in his chair.  

What's interesting? I wondered.  

"When you're done, send them to me for review."  

"Yes, sir," I mumbled and got back to work.  

---Thirty minutes later---

"I'm finished, sir," I said softly and stood up.  

"Alright," he said indifferently, without even looking at me.  

I packed the files into my bag, but I had the strange feeling he was watching me.  

Slowly, I glanced back—  

But he was staring at his screen.  

"Goodnight, sir," I said and left.  

---On the way home---

I couldn't stop thinking about Chak's family.  

When I got home, I cut up some fruit and gave Leo a treat. Then I sat on the couch and texted Taeng:  

"How are you?"

A few minutes later, he replied:  

"Hey! I'm great. How about you? And did the stain come out?"

I started typing, telling him everything that happened this week.  

And when I finally admitted how I felt about Chak—  

A new message popped up.  

From Chak: "Find the data from 4/17–5/17 and send it to me NOW."

Ugh, he won't even let me breathe at home!

I sighed and found the documents, took photos, and sent them to him.  

Just then, Taeng sent me a picture of his nephew.  

I smiled and typed: "He's so cute!" and send to Taeng. Then I selected a heart emoji—  

And accidentally sent it to Chak.

My eyes widened in horror.  

NO. NO, NO, NO.

I squeezed them shut.  

This isn't happening.

I took a deep breath and slowly opened them.  

It happened.

And Chak had already seen it.  

NIRAN, WHY DO YOU TYPE SO FAST?

Panic surged through me.  

I jumped to my feet and started pacing.  

What do I do?