BEYOND THE LEDGER

When Abby and Alia came home from work, they saw a big truck full of furniture and home decorations parked outside their apartment building.

"What is this? Are people moving in at night?" Abby asked, blinking in surprise.

"Is someone finally moving into that empty house?" Alia asked, pointing to the large home nearby.

"Maybe? It must be a family," Abby guessed.

"Not a family, just some coworkers," Aidan said calmly as he stepped out from the shadows near the entrance.

Alia and Abby both jumped, spinning around at the sudden sound of his voice.

"M-Mr. Aidan?" Alia gasped, her eyes wide as she looked at her high-level executive director standing casually outside her apartment building at night. "What are you doing here?"

Aidan kept his expression cool and steady, adjusting the cuffs of his shirt. "I live here now. Across the street."

Abby's jaw dropped. She looked from Aidan to the large house, then back to Alia, her eyes shining with sudden, mischievous excitement.

"Wait," Abby whispered loudly, nudging Alia hard in the ribs with her elbow. "Your handsome new boss just moved into your neighborhood? What are the odds of that?"

Alia felt her face heat up instantly. "Abby, stop it," she muttered under her breath, before turning back to Aidan. "Is this a coincidence, Mr. Aidan?"

Before Aidan could answer, the back doors of the moving truck swung open wider, and a tall, familiar figure jumped down to the pavement, carrying a large box.

"Hey boss! Hey neighbors!" Tyrone called out with a bright, cheerful wave, flashing his signature winning smile.

Right behind him, Daico stepped out of the house carrying a small laptop bag, pushing his glasses up his nose as he coldly scanned the street.

Alia blinked, completely speechless. Her quiet apartment street had just been invaded by her entire upper management team.

Abby stared at Tyrone, her eyes going wide as saucers. "Wait... your coworkers are moving into the big house too?"

"Yes," Aidan answered smoothly, stepping forward before Alia could say anything. "Tyrone and Daico are my assistants. Since we're working on a major company project together, living nearby makes collaboration much easier."

Tyrone jogged over, balancing a box of home supplies in one hand while giving Abby a dazzling grin. "Hi there! I'm Tyrone, Aidan's personal assistant. It's so nice to meet the neighbors!"

Abby's face lit up immediately. "Oh! I'm Abby, and this is Alia. Wow, a whole management team as neighbors. This street just got a lot more interesting."

Alia managed a tight, polite smile, though her mind was spinning. A major company project? Since when did Aura Cosmetics require its Executive Director, a personal assistant, and an IT specialist to move into a quiet residential neighborhood just to handle office work? It felt completely absurd.

Daico walked past them toward the house, casting a cold, brief glance at Alia and Abby. "The network router is set up," he muttered to Aidan, his voice completely flat. "The perimeter is secure."

Aidan gave a subtle nod. "Good. Get inside and finish unpacking."

Daico turned around without another word and slipped back through the front door.

"Well, we should let you guys settle in," Abby said, noticing the late hour and nudging Alia gently again. "Come on, Alia. Let's head inside."

"Right. Have a good evening, Mr. Aidan... Tyrone," Alia said, offering a small wave.

"Have a great night, neighbors!" Tyrone cheered, waving brightly as the two women turned toward their apartment building.

As soon as they stepped inside the lobby and the door closed behind them, Abby grabbed Alia's arm, whispering in an excited frenzy. "Alia! Are you kidding me?! Your gorgeous, strict new boss just moved right next door with his ridiculously charming assistant? This is literally happening like a romance novel!"

Alia let out a long sigh, pressing a hand to her forehead. "It's just a coincidence, Abby. Work is just getting way too close to home."

Outside on the pavement, Aidan watched the apartment door close. His leather ledger hummed softly in his pocket.

"Twenty-nine days," Aidan murmured under his breath, his eyes fixed on Alia's window upstairs. "Let's see if we can keep her safe."

Inside the big house, the lights flickered on.

Tyrone set his box down on the kitchen counter and stretched his arms. "Well, boss, the neighbors seem friendly. Especially Abby."

Aidan walked to the front window and looked out at the street. Across the way, a light turned on in Alia's upstairs room. He could see her silhouette through the glass, moving around as she got ready for bed.

"Focus, Tyrone," Aidan said quietly, his eyes fixed on her window. "We are not here to make friends. We are here to find out who changed the ledger."

Daico walked into the room carrying a small black tablet. He tapped the screen a few times. "The local area is clear. No dark energy, no strange magic. But I will keep scanning the network every hour."

"Good," Aidan said. He reached into his coat and pulled out the old leather book. The glowing red numbers on Alia's page stayed steady.

29 days.

Aidan closed the book and turned away from the window. He needed to make sure she rested. If she stayed healthy, the glitch would stay broken, and the person who messed with her time would have to show their hand.

"Go to sleep, both of you," Aidan told his helpers. "Tomorrow is a new day at the office."

The next morning, the sun rose over the city, shining bright through the glass windows of Aura Cosmetics.

Alia walked into the office a little before 9:00 AM. She felt better than usual. For the first time in years, she had actually slept a full eight hours instead of waking up in the middle of the night to check her work emails.

As she sat down at her desk, Abby popped up from behind her divider with a cup of coffee in her hand.

"Morning! Did you sleep well knowing your hot boss lives right across the street?" Abby whispered with a wide grin.

Alia shook her head with a small smile. "I slept fine, Abby. And please, keep your voice down. He's going to be walking past our desks any second."

Just on cue, the heavy glass door of the executive office opened. Aidan stepped out, wearing a sharp black suit. His silver-grey eyes swept across the room before landing right on Alia.

He gave her a single, subtle nod of acknowledgment—a silent greeting that made her heart skip a beat—before walking toward the breakroom.

Tyrone followed close behind him, winking at Abby as he passed by, while Daico walked straight to the IT corner without looking at anyone.

Alia let out a breath she did not know she was holding. She opened her computer, ready to start her work, determined to keep her pace steady and leave right at 6:00 PM again.

Inside the breakroom, Aidan poured a cup of black coffee while Tyrone leaned against the counter.

"So, boss," Tyrone said, his voice low. "Day two of the human experiment. How are we feeling?"

Aidan took a sip of his coffee, his gaze fixed on the doorway where Alia sat at her desk.

"We are feeling focused," Aidan replied quietly. "Let's see what today brings."

At 10:00 AM, a sharp chime echoed through the office. Ms. Cindy's voice rang out across the floor, demanding everyone's attention.

"Marketing team, conference room now," Ms. Cindy announced, her face tight as she stepped out of her office. "We have a major company announcement."

Alia exchanged a quick look with Abby, Georgina, and Frank as they all stood up and grabbed their notebooks. They filed into the large glass conference room and took their seats around the long table.

At the head of the table sat Aidan, looking calm and composed in his dark suit. Tyrone stood quietly beside him, while Ms. Cindy took her spot nearby with a stiff posture.

When everyone had settled, Aidan folded his hands on the table and spoke.

"We are launching a major collaboration," Aidan said, his deep voice carrying clearly across the room. "Aura Cosmetics has officially signed an agreement with one of the biggest international celebrities today. They will be the global face of our upcoming product line."

A murmur of excitement rippled through the marketing team. Abby gasped softly, kicking Alia's foot under the table, while Georgina and Frank exchanged wide-eyed looks.

"This is the biggest campaign this company has seen in years," Ms. Cindy added, though she looked slightly annoyed that Aidan was leading the presentation. "It requires flawless execution, tight schedules, and round-the-clock coordination."

Aidan raised a hand, cutting Cindy off smoothly. "However, it will be handled efficiently, not recklessly. For this project, I want our best minds on the ground."

He turned his grey eyes directly toward Alia, then at Abby, Georgina, and Frank.

"Alia, Abby, Georgina, and Frank," Aidan said clearly. "You four are assigned to lead this campaign. I expect daily updates, creative strategies, and—most importantly—strict adherence to standard working hours. No unnecessary overtime."

Ms. Cindy's jaw tightened, but she didn't dare speak up against the Executive Director's orders.

Alia stared at Aidan, her heart skipping a beat. A massive celebrity collaboration was the dream project of a lifetime, but doing it while keeping her new 6:00 PM off-work limit seemed impossible. Yet, looking into Aidan's steady gaze, she felt a strange surge of confidence.

The glass elevator doors slid shut, sealing Aidan, Tyrone, and Daico inside as they headed down to the lobby for their afternoon field work.

As the car descended smoothly through the building, Tyrone leaned against the rail with a light chuckle, breaking the silence.

"So, boss, did you catch the tension in that room?" Tyrone asked, flashing a grin. "I did a little digging into Ms. Cindy's background while Daico was scanning the server. Turns out, there's a reason she's been working Alia to the bone."

Aidan kept his gaze fixed on the glowing floor numbers. "Explain."

"It's classic corporate rivalry," Tyrone said, ticking fingers off his hand. "Cindy and Alia were hired the exact same year. Alia was actually the one originally chosen for the higher-level promotion back then. But Cindy pulled some strings, forged some paperwork, and stole the position right out from under her."

Daico didn't look up from his small tablet, his fingers tapping across the screen. "And instead of letting Alia advance, Cindy kept her trapped as a junior analyst, dumping all the heavy workload on her to keep her hidden."

Aidan's grey eyes darkened, the temperature in the elevator dropping noticeably. The memory of the ledger glitch—and the sudden, stress-induced cardiac arrest that was supposed to kill Alia in 29 days—suddenly clicked into place.

"She didn't just overwork her by accident," Aidan said, his voice flat and dangerous. "Cindy engineered it."

Tyrone nodded, losing his playful smile for a fraction of a second. "Yep. If Alia died from exhaustion, Cindy's past theft of that promotion would stay buried forever. Looks like our human villain is a lot closer than we thought."

The elevator dinged softly as it reached the ground floor, the polished doors sliding open to the bustling lobby.

Before stepping out into the city, Aidan stopped, his expression hardening into cold resolve.

"Monitor Cindy," Aidan instructed, his voice low and sharp. "She will do something again to sabotage Alia."

Tyrone's playful grin faded into a serious nod. "Already on it, boss. She won't touch her."

While her hands flew across the keyboard, Frank and Georgina walked over to her desk. Georgina was holding a thick stack of files, her expression full of worry.

"Are you ready for Cindy's rage?" Georgina asked quietly, glancing over her shoulder toward the corner office. "There's no way she can handle losing control of this project. I'm sure she's going to take it out on you again."

"She's definitely going to look for any excuse to throw a fit," Frank added, shaking his head.

Alia stopped typing and looked up at them. Instead of looking stressed or scared like she usually did, a soft, bright smile spread across her face—the brightest, most genuine smile they had seen on her in three long years.

Frank smiled too and nodded. "Let her enjoy the moment first," he said warmly. "Cindy isn't just a regular problem—she's a total menace." He tapped Georgina gently on the shoulder, guiding her back toward their desks.

Nearby, Abby had seen and heard everything. A big, happy grin spread across her face.

For three years, she had watched her best friend drown under Cindy's cruel demands. But this new project was changing everything for Alia, bringing back the light and energy in her eyes. Abby knew exactly who was responsible for this shift: Aidan.

She wanted to thank him for giving Alia a real chance. And as her smile grew even wider, a mischievous idea popped into her head.

When lunchtime came, Alia, Abby, Georgina, and Frank decided to eat out at a nearby restaurant.

While the other three enjoyed their food, Abby couldn't take her eyes off her phone. She kept texting, giggling softly and smiling to herself.

Frank noticed her odd behavior first. "Do you have a boyfriend?" he asked suddenly.

His question made Georgina and Alia stop eating. They looked at Frank, then turned their eyes toward Abby.

Feeling their heavy stares, Abby quickly put her phone down on the table. She looked at them with a big, playful smile.

"Did I mention that Director Aidan moved into the big house right across from our apartment?" Abby asked.

"Nope, you're only mentioning it now," Georgina answered, raising an eyebrow.

"Isn't that a crazy coincidence?" Frank said, shaking his head. "Moving into the house right across from where you two live?"

Alia stayed quiet, sipping her drink. She felt suspicious too. Everything was happening too fast and felt way too obvious to be a simple coincidence. But ever since Aidan showed up, all the things she had wished for—a fair chance at work, proper rest, and protection from Cindy—were being handed to her without her even having to ask. Whatever his reasons were, she decided to welcome the positive changes gladly.

"So," Abby continued, her smile growing from ear to ear, "I texted Tyrone and asked if we could throw a welcome party and housewarming party for them. And he said yes! He thought it was a great idea, so we're all invited!"

Alia almost choked on her drink, coughing loudly as she accidentally spat it back into her glass.