The Elevator at Orion HQ

Aria froze.

Completely frozen.

Elena kept her eyes on the woman. She did not look away.

Calm.

Too calm.

Elena: “So… it’s fake.”

Aria made a move right away, aiming to bounce back.

Aria: “I didn’t say that.”

Elena folded her arms tight across her chest.

Elena: “You literally just said that.”

Faster than a thought, Aria’s mind kicked into motion.

Very fast.

Very chaotically.

Aria: “I meant fake rumours.”

Elena lifted just a single brow.

Elena: “Fake rumours.”

Aria: “Yes.”

Elena: “About the relationship.”

Aria: “…Yes.”

Elena smiled slowly.

Elena: “Interesting.”

Aria found the grin unsettling. She looked away first.

Hardly at all.

The metal panels slid apart. A quiet hum faded behind them.

Both stepped out.

Yet Elena stood still.

Elena: “You should be careful, Aria.”

Aria turned.

Aria: “About what?”

Elena shifted her head a little to the side.

Elena: “About Kael.”

Aria frowned.

Aria: “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Elena stepped closer.

Now her voice was quieter.

Elena: “He doesn’t let people get close.”

Aria crossed her arms tightly. She held them there without moving.

Aria: “Maybe he made an exception.”

Elena chuckled.

Not kindly.

Elena: “Trust me.”

She paused.

Then said quietly -

Elena: “He doesn’t.”

Then she turned, stepping off into the distance without a word.

Aria stood there.

Thinking.

Aria: “…I really don’t like her.”

________________________________________

Kael’s Office

A piece of paper held Kael's gaze.

Funny thing is, he just stared through the figures like they meant nothing.

Someone knocked.

Leo walked in.

Holding coffee.

Leo: “Good morning, mysterious CEO.”

Kael looked up.

Kael: “What do you want?”

Suddenly, Leo set down the coffee cup right beside the notebook. A small splash danced near the rim.

Leo: “First, appreciation for bringing romance into this boring office.”

Kael sighed.

Kael: “It’s not romance.”

Leo gasped dramatically.

Leo: “Don’t say that in front of Aria.”

Kael frowned slightly.

Kael: “Why?”

Leo leaned forward.

Leo: “Because she might believe you.”

Kael didn’t answer.

Right off, Leo saw it.

Frowning slightly, Leo squinted.

Leo: “Wait.”

Fingers turned the page slowly, Kael stayed focused on the lines ahead. The room quieted without anyone noticing.

Faking like he wasn’t there.

Close, Leo moved nearer still.

Leo: “WAIT.”

Kael sighed.

Kael: “What.”

Fingers jabbing the air, Leo aimed straight at the man.

Leo: “You like her.”

Kael held his gaze steady. He did not look away.

Flat expression.

Kael: “Get out.”

Leo grinned.

Leo: “That’s not a denial.”

________________________________________

Marketing Department

Fingers tapped once against the desk. Work needed doing, yet thoughts drifted. A quiet breath pulled her back. Outside, a siren faded slowly. Her name sat unspoken in the silence between tasks.

Trying.

Not succeeding.

Back again came Elena’s voice inside her head. Still looping through what had been said.

“He doesn’t let people get close.”

Aria groaned quietly.

Aria: “Why am I even thinking about this?”

A figure stepped into view near her workspace. It was Leo.

Leo: “Thinking about what?”

Aria jumped.

Aria: “LEO!”

Leo looked pleased.

Leo: “I love doing that.”

Aria sighed.

Aria: “You’re impossible.”

A slant of light crossed the papers as Leo rested against the edge. Her elbow pressed into the wood, quiet under the hum above.

Leo: “So.”

Leo: “How was the romantic dinner?”

Furious, Aria fixed her eyes on him.

Aria: “You mean the public interrogation by his ex?”

Leo blinked.

Leo: “Oh.”

Leo: “That happened?”

Aria nodded dramatically.

Aria: “She appeared like a villain in a drama.”

Leo looked impressed.

Leo: “This story just keeps getting better.”

Fingers pressed slow against Aria’s temple. The skin there felt tight, warm.

Aria: “She might start working here again.”

Leo froze.

Leo: “…What.”

Aria: “Exactly.”

Toward Kael’s office went Leo’s gaze.

Leo: “Oh this is going to be chaos.”

________________________________________

Meanwhile at Kael's uncle's office

A step at a time, the uncle moved across the floor. His footsteps dragged like weight on stone.

Angry.

Very angry.

Uncle: “My nephew is investigating the accounts?”

A small nod came from the assistant, shaky at first.

Assistant: “Yes, sir.”

Feet froze mid-step. The man just stood there.

Then smiled.

A cold smile.

Uncle: “Good.”

Confusion showed on the assistant's face.

Assistant: “Good?”

The old man took a seat without rushing.

Uncle: “If he keeps digging…”

A hand pulled the small wooden slide outward. Inside sat an empty space waiting.

Inside was a folder.

Aria found her mark there, left behind without a sound.

Uncle: “Then we give him something to worry about.”

________________________________________

Afternoon in Orion Hallway

Aria moved ahead, heading for the meeting room.

Then suddenly - Fingers closed around her wrist.

She gasped.

Aria: “What - ”

Inside the room, Kael guided her forward. He closed the door behind them without a word.

He shut it behind him without a word.

Aria blinked.

Aria: “You kidnapped me.”

Kael looked serious.

Kael: “What did you say to Elena?”

Aria frowned.

Aria: “Why?”

Kael stepped closer.

Kael: “Because she just told the board something interesting.”

Fear crept into Aria's chest like smoke under a door. She blinked fast, trying to push it down.

Aria: “What?”

His eyes met hers without looking away.

Kael: “She said our relationship might not be real.”

Aria’s eyes widened.

Aria: “WHAT?!”

Kael watched her features closely, eyes tracing each line.

Kael: “So I’m asking again.”

His arms folded tight across his chest.

Kael: “What exactly did you say to her?”

Aria groaned.

Aria: “Okay maybe I accidentally said something.”

Kael sighed.

Kael: “Aria.”

Aria: “It was a stressful elevator!”

Kael almost smiled.

Almost.

Close in, he shifted nearer.

Kael: “Then we have a problem.”

Aria blinked.

Aria: “What problem?”

Kael answered calmly.

Kael: “The board wants proof.”

Aria’s brain stopped.

Aria: “…Proof of what?”

Her eyes met Kael's without shifting. He held the gaze, steady, unblinking.

Kael: “That we’re actually together.”

________________________________________

Same Time - Somewhere in Orion

A figure named Elena stood close to a glass pane letting light through. She paused there, just beside the frame where the air slipped in.

Talking on the phone.

Her voice quiet.

Elena: “Yes.”

Her eyes turned to where Kael's office sat.

Elena: “The plan is working.”

Pause.

A small smile appeared on her face then.

Elena: “He’s exactly where we want him.”

________________________________________

Back in Kael's Office

Aria stayed fixed on Kael, eyes unblinking. Stillness held her there, caught in the moment's weight. Not a word came out. Her breath waited too.

In shock.

Aria: “What kind of proof?”

A pause came before he spoke. Then words followed.

Then said calmly -

Kael: “A company gala.”

Aria blinked.

Aria: “…A gala.”

Kael: “Yes.”

Aria: “With the entire board.”

Kael: “Yes.”

Aria: “And we have to go together.”

Kael nodded.

Aria lowered herself into place, bit by bit.

Aria: “I regret everything.”

Kael smiled slightly.

Then said quietly -

Kael: “You might regret it more.”

Aria frowned.

Aria: “Why?”

Outside, light caught Kael’s eye. The glass drew his gaze slowly.

A shadow crossed his face. The light left his eyes just like that.

Kael: “Because someone is trying to destroy Orion.”

Aria blinked.

Aria: “…Your uncle?”

Kael hesitated.

Out of nowhere came words nobody saw coming.

Kael: “I’m not sure anymore.”