Something isn't normal here

A few minutes after the call ended, Doris remained seated at her desk, quietly looking around as she tried to get used to the space. Everything in the office looked too arranged, too perfect, as if nothing was allowed to be out of place. Even the air felt different, calmer but somehow heavier, like people here knew exactly what they were doing.

She adjusted the files in front of her, then paused and adjusted them again, even though they were already straight.

“Hmm… I don't wanna mess up anything on my first day,” she murmured under her breath.

She leaned back slightly, taking in her surroundings again, trying to feel comfortable. Just as she was about to open one of the files properly, there was a knock on her door.

She looked up immediately. “Come in.”

The door opened, and a man stepped inside.

Doris blinked, and for a brief moment, she forgot to speak.

The man standing in front of her looked like he had stepped out of a magazine. He was tall, well-built, and carried himself with ease, like someone who was used to attention but did not chase it. His face was calm, and when he smiled, it was natural and warm, the kind of smile that made people relax without even trying.

Doris caught herself staring. She quickly straightened up and stood.

“Good morning,” she said.

The man smiled again. “Hi. I’m Ethan.”

Her eyes widened slightly in recognition. That voice… it clicked instantly.

“Oh,” she said, nodding. “You’re the one I spoke to on the phone.”

“Yeah,” he replied lightly.

Doris picked herself up quickly and gestured toward the door. “Please, come with me.”

She stepped out, and he followed behind her. As they walked toward the CEO’s office, she could not help but glance at him again.

Why do all the men here look this good?

She almost shook her head at herself.

“Focus,” she whispered softly.

They reached the office, and she knocked.

“Come in.”

She opened the door and stepped in first. “Sir, he’s here.”

She moved aside so Ethan could enter.

What happened next made her pause.

Her boss looked up, and for the first time since she had seen him, his expression changed. It was not dramatic, but it was noticeable. He stood up immediately and walked forward without hesitation, and before Doris could even process what was happening, he pulled Ethan into a hug.

Not a formal handshake, not a polite greeting.

A real hug.

Doris stood there, watching, her eyes moving between both of them.

This was not what she expected.

They spoke quietly between themselves, their voices low, like they were used to each other’s presence. It felt almost like she was no longer in the room.

She shifted her weight slightly, then adjusted her stance again, waiting.

No one acknowledged her.

After a few seconds, her boss glanced at her.

“Are you leaving or not?” he said plainly.

Doris blinked quickly. “Oh… I’m sorry.”

She turned immediately and walked out, closing the door behind her.

Once she was back in her office, she let out a small breath.

“What kind of place is this?” she murmured.

She stepped out again and approached one of the staff members nearby.

“Please,” she said quietly, “the man that just came in… is he the boss’s brother?”

The woman looked at her and shook her head.

“No.”

Doris frowned slightly. “Then who is he?”

The woman leaned closer, lowering her voice.

“That’s his fiancé.”

Doris paused.

“His… fiancé?”

“Yes.”

Doris blinked slowly, trying to process it.

“Oh.”

She nodded faintly, though the thought lingered in her mind longer than she expected.

The woman straightened and added, “Just focus on your work. If the boss sees you standing around, it won’t be funny.”

Doris nodded quickly. “Okay. Thank you.”

She returned to her office and sat down again.

The rest of the day passed quietly, but her mind was not entirely focused. She kept thinking about what she had seen.

“How can both of them look like that and still choose to be gay?” she muttered softly.

She shook her head and pulled the files closer.

“Let me at least understand who I’m working for,” she said.

She opened one of the files and began going through it carefully, reading everything line by line without rushing.

After a while, something slipped out from between the pages and fell onto the table.

She picked it up. It was a card, not just any card.

A gold card.

She turned it over in her hand, her brows lifting slightly.

“Ah… isn't this just being extra,” she muttered.

His name was engraved on it, along with his number.

Out of curiosity, she picked up her phone and typed his name into the search bar.

She waited, nothing came up.

She frowned.

“That’s strange.”

She went back to the file and flipped through it again, this time paying closer attention to the details she had overlooked earlier.

Then she saw it and she understood it clearly.

Her boss was not just a CEO.

There was something else behind his name, something deeper.

His family was powerful, not just rich.

Powerful.

The kind of power that controlled things quietly.

Connections that went beyond business.

Doris leaned back slowly, her grip on the file tightening slightly.

“…Mafia?” she whispered.

The word felt strange in her mouth.

She looked down again, her eyes scanning the page.

Singapore was where everything started and now he was here.

In New York.

Doris swallowed.

“Hmm… Doris,” she said quietly to herself, “you have entered something else entirely.”