THE CEO

Rachel arrived at Sterling Tech the following morning feeling better than she had in weeks. The problems in her life had not disappeared, but they no longer felt impossible. Benjamin's surgery had been scheduled, the doctor sounded optimistic, and for the first time in months she had gone to bed without calculating hospital bills in her head. There was still a long road ahead, but at least there was a road now. The moment she entered the administrative department, Cynthia looked up from her desk and narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Rachel immediately knew that look.

"Don't."

Cynthia laughed.

"You're smiling. Thank God for the new Rachel.” 

"Continue” Rachel smiled.

She dropped her handbag on her desk and switched on her computer.

“What food did you bring today? 

Rachel tried to ignore her, but it was impossible.

Within seconds, Cynthia had rolled her chair closer.

"What happened?"

"Nothing."

"Rachel."

The warning in her friend's voice made her smile despite herself.

"The surgery has been scheduled."

For a moment, Cynthia simply stared at her, then she jumped up so quickly that her chair rolled backwards.

"You're serious?"

Rachel nodded.

A wide smile spread across Cynthia's face before she wrapped her arms around her.

"Oh, thank God."

Rachel laughed softly.

"You're acting like he's your brother."

"At this point, he practically is."

The relief in Cynthia's voice touched her. Throughout the months of hospital visits, delayed appointments and endless financial worries, Cynthia had remained beside her. She had listened when Rachel needed to talk and sat quietly when she didn't. There were days when Rachel wasn't sure she would have managed without her.

The morning passed quickly after that. Documents piled up on desks, emails arrived one after another, and the usual rhythm of office life settled around them. Rachel buried herself in work, grateful for the distraction. The busier she remained, the less time she had to think about everything that still needed to happen before Benjamin's surgery. It was almost noon when she noticed that something felt different. At first, she couldn't identify exactly what was going on. Then she realised the supervisors seemed unusually tense. One of them had walked through the department several times already. Employees who normally spent half the day chatting were suddenly focused on their work and even the office gossip appeared too distracted to gossip. Rachel looked around. Something was happening but she just didn't know what. A few minutes later she noticed Cynthia adjusting her blouse and checking her reflection in her computer screen.

Rachel frowned.

"What are you doing?"

Cynthia looked up.

"You didn't hear?"

"Hear what?"

"The new CEO is visiting today."

Rachel nodded absent-mindedly. That explained the strange behaviour. The company had been talking about the new CEO for weeks. She did not know his name but she knew he had recently taken over from his father. She also knew that employees seemed fascinated by him despite the fact that most of them had never met him. Rachel, however, had far more important things to worry about. She returned her attention to the report in front of her.

"So that's why everyone is acting like they're preparing for an inspection."

Cynthia stared at her.

"Rachel."

"What?"

"That's the CEO."

Rachel shrugged.

"I still have work to do."

Cynthia shook her head.

"You really don't fear anybody."

"I fear my landlord."

That made Cynthia laugh.

The conversation ended there, but the nervous energy around the office continued to grow. Managers appeared more frequently. Employees sat straighter in their chairs. A few people even lowered their voices whenever they spoke. Rachel found the whole thing slightly amusing. She was reviewing a document when movement near the lifts caught her attention. Several senior managers stepped out first and more people followed behind them. Rachel glanced up briefly before returning her attention to her screen. Then something made her look again. The man walking through the department looked familiar. She stared for a moment. There was something oddly unsettling about recognising someone from afar. At least, where she had never expected them to be. The dark suit was different from the clothes she usually saw him wearing. The expression on his face was more serious than it had been during their meetings yet there was no mistaking him.

Joseph.

Rachel slowly lowered her hands from the keyboard and watched him for several seconds. The managers surrounding him listened attentively whenever he spoke. Employees greeted him respectfully as he moved through the department. Nobody looked surprised by his presence. The only confused person in the room was Rachel.

Her mind immediately returned to their conversation at the café the previous evening and the questions he had asked. The way he reacted when she mentioned Sterling Tech and the brief pause before he changed the subject. Suddenly, everything made sense.

Joseph Delgado. The new CEO.

Rachel leaned back in her chair.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"What?" Cynthia asked.

Rachel shook her head immediately.

"Nothing,” but her attention remained fixed on Joseph.

At the nightclub, he had seemed reserved. At the café, he had seemed controlled and overly organised. Here, he looked completely at ease.

He moved through the department with the confidence of someone who knew exactly where he belonged. He wasn't loud or intimidating. In fact, he spoke less than most of the people around him. Yet everyone paid attention whenever he said something. Rachel found herself studying him more carefully than before.Perhaps because she realised she knew almost nothing about him. She knew he had a grandmother who desperately wanted him to settle down. She knew he had enough money to solve problems that seemed impossible to everyone else. Beyond that, she knew very little. The group gradually moved closer to her section. Rachel lowered her gaze to the documents on her desk, though she was no longer reading them. She could hear voices and footsteps nearby. Eventually, she looked up. Joseph's eyes met hers. The moment lasted only a second. There was no surprise on his face and there was no indication that they had spent the previous evening discussing the details of a fake relationship. He simply acknowledged her with a polite nod before turning his attention back to the department manager standing beside him. Rachel stared after him.

Only a few days ago, she had known Joseph as the quiet man who appeared at the nightclub and offered her a solution when she had none. Then he became the person who paid for Benjamin's surgery and the man she had agreed to pretend to be in a relationship with. Now she had discovered that he was also the CEO of the company where she worked.

And somehow, he had managed to leave that detail out as though it was something insignificant.

The visit continued for a while longer before Joseph and the managers eventually moved on to another department. As soon as they disappeared from view, the tension that had filled the office slowly disappeared. Employees returned to their usual conversations. A few people stood beside their desks discussing the new CEO, while others continued with their work as though nothing unusual had happened. Rachel looked back at her computer screen, but the words in front of her no longer made sense. Her mind was still occupied with one thing.

Joseph Delgado.

The man she thought she knew had turned out to be someone completely different.

Cynthia rolled her chair closer once more.

"What do you think of him?"

Rachel looked up.

"The CEO?"

"Yes."

"I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"I've only seen him for a few minutes."

Cynthia stared at her in disbelief.

"He's handsome."

Rachel nearly laughed.

That was Cynthia's conclusion?

"Very professional analysis."

"Thank you."

Rachel shook her head and returned to her computer.

The rest of the afternoon passed quietly, but Joseph remained in her thoughts far longer than she cared to admit. Every time she remembered seeing him step out of the lift, she felt the same disbelief all over again. By the time her shift ended, she still hadn't fully adjusted to the discovery. She packed her things, said goodbye to Cynthia and headed home. Later that evening, while getting ready for work, her phone vibrated on the bed. Rachel picked it up and glanced at the screen. It was a message from Joseph. She opened it. 

“I know that I should have mentioned Sterling Tech in our conversation.” 

The understatement was almost impressive. A second message appeared immediately afterwards.

“My grandmother would like to meet you this weekend. We should start preparing.”

Se lowered the phone and sat quietly on the edge of the bed. The arrangement had seemed simple enough when they first discussed it. It was just to help Joseph convince his grandmother and attend a few family events. It was just to pretend for a while. Now, however, it felt far more complicated than that.