Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The clock was nearing eleven in the morning, and the apartment was wrapped in a heavy silence.

Olivia sat on the couch, staring at the television without really seeing what was playing — as if her mind were still trapped in the office she had been fired from the day before.

The cup of coffee in her hands had long gone cold, yet she kept holding it, as though the warmth it once had was the only thing keeping her together.

Grace stepped out of her room, wearing her elegant coat and searching for her keys. She lifted her handbag onto her shoulder and said,

— “I’m heading out for a bit, Olivia. I’ll stop by the store, then visit my friend. Do you need anything?”

Olivia looked up slowly, a faint smile curving her lips.

— “No, Mom, I’m fine. Thanks.”

Grace studied her for a moment, then said gently, her tone filled with motherly warmth,

— “Don’t weigh yourself down with worry, dear. You’ll find a better job soon, God willing.”

Olivia only nodded silently as her mother left the apartment and the door clicked shut behind her.

The silence returned, broken only by the soft murmur of the television.

She set the cup down on the table and leaned her head back against the couch — when suddenly her phone rang.

She glanced at the screen, and her breath quickened.

It was a number from Cross Global.

She hesitated for a moment before pressing the answer button. Her voice came out low and shaky.

— “Hello?”

A nervous male voice spoke from the other end — someone from the tech department.

— “Olivia? Thank God you picked up! There’s a serious malfunction in the internal system… emails are being deleted automatically! You were the last one who changed the settings, right?”

She gasped in shock.

— “What? Deleted? That’s impossible! I only made a small adjustment to the nightly update!”

The man’s voice rose, anxious and fast.

— “Whatever you did, it affected the main server! No one can stop the deletion process, and Mr. Cross is gonna lose it if the data’s gone!”

Olivia jumped up from the couch, clutching her phone tightly, brushing her hair from her face as her heart pounded violently.

— “Alright, I’m coming in right now! Just—don’t let anyone touch the system until I get there!”

— “Got it. Please hurry!”

She ended the call, took a deep breath as if trying to steady herself, then rushed to her room to get ready.

---

At the company, the scene looked more like a battlefield.

Faces were tense, screens flashed with constant warnings, and the air buzzed with frantic voices.

Technicians were rushing between desks, the confusion growing with every passing minute.

Olivia pushed through the building’s glass doors, her steps quick and firm. At first, no one noticed her.

But when her sharp voice cut through the noise, heads turned at once.

— “Step away from the computers! No one touches the system!”

Employees exchanged bewildered looks, and one of them whispered,

> “Wait—isn’t that Olivia? Didn’t she get fired yesterday?”

She ignored them completely and headed straight for the server room.

Sitting before the main terminal, she began typing at a furious pace, her fingers flying over the keyboard as if racing against time.

Her breathing was shallow, sweat trickled down her forehead, but she didn’t stop for a second.

Suddenly, the door burst open.

Ethan Cross stood at the doorway — stern-faced, eyes cold and sharp.

He spoke in an icy tone,

— “Didn’t I fire you yesterday?”

Without looking up, she kept typing and said,

— “They called me back, sir. The system’s collapsing.”

He took a step closer, his voice edged with anger.

— “You came back to fix the disaster you caused?”

Her voice stayed firm, even as her hands moved faster.

— “Yes. Exactly.”

Then she pressed the final key and let out a long breath.

On the screen appeared the long-awaited line of green text:

System stabilized. Recovery complete.

The room fell utterly silent. It was as if everyone had stopped breathing.

Olivia finally turned to him, her eyes tired but resolute.

— “It’s done. No data was lost.”

He stared at her for a moment — unreadable — then said quietly,

— “Get back to your desk… for now.”

She blinked, surprised.

— “For now?”

He gave no reply. He simply turned and walked out, his steps steady, the door left open behind him.

She watched him go, then closed her eyes and let out a faint, weary smile.

— “For now… so there’s still a chance.”

....

Olivia sat at her desk — the very same one she had left yesterday while fighting back tears.

But this time, she didn’t cry.

She placed her glasses on the table, opened her laptop, and began checking the system to make sure everything was running smoothly.

She could hear Ethan’s footsteps echoing down the hall — those familiar, unmistakable steps she’d recognize anywhere.

And every time he passed by her office, her heart skipped a beat.

But he didn’t look at her… not a word, not even a nod.

---

Around noon, a notification popped up on her screen:

> Meeting request: 1:00 PM – Ethan Cross’s Office

She stared at the message for a few seconds, then murmured to herself with a nervous smile,

— “Guess the peace didn’t last long.”

---

At exactly one o’clock, she stood in front of his office door.

She knocked softly, and his calm voice came from inside:

— “Come in.”

She entered quietly. He didn’t lift his eyes from the screen.

Papers were stacked across his desk, and empty coffee cups were scattered everywhere.

After a moment of silence, he said without looking up,

— “You came back to your desk as if nothing happened.”

She replied carefully,

— “Your instructions were clear, sir… the return is temporary.”

He finally looked at her — that same cold, unreadable gaze — and said,

— “Do you know what temporary means?”

She hesitated for a second, then answered steadily,

— “It means the chance has an end.”

He leaned forward, resting both hands on the glass surface of his desk, and said sharply,

— “Exactly. Your presence here isn’t a comeback… it’s a test.

And if another mistake happens — no matter how small — this will all be over.”

She nodded calmly.

— “I won’t repeat what happened, sir.”

He studied her for a long, silent moment, then spoke quietly — though his tone was harder than any shout:

— “The problem isn’t what happened, Olivia… it’s that my trust is gone.”

She met his eyes with an unusual steadiness.

— “Then I’ll earn it back — no matter how long it takes.”

He kept staring at her before replying coldly,

— “You have a new file. The International Affairs Department needs an urgent review. Start immediately.”

He handed her a digital file and added in a firmer tone,

— “Consider this your final test in this company.”

She took the file silently and turned to leave, but his voice stopped her:

— “Olivia.”

She turned back toward him.

He continued, his tone unchanged,

— “Next time you spend the night here after hours… make sure you sleep at home, not at your desk.”

She gave a faint, nervous smile.

— “I’ll try, sir.”

Then she walked out, the door closing slowly behind her — leaving behind the echo of words that hadn’t yet been spoken...