Chapter 5 - Midnight At The Office

ELISHA POV

It had been two weeks since I started working at Guevarra Corporation.

And if there was one thing I had learned...

It was that working under Caden Guevarra was nothing like I had imagined.

He was demanding.

Uncompromising.

And somehow, he always found a way to give me more work than everyone else.

If he thought I'd quit that easily, he had underestimated me.

I had survived losing my parents. A mountain of paperwork wasn't enough to break me.

I walked back to my desk with two cups of coffee in my hands after grabbing a quick break from the pantry.

Before I reached my workstation, voices from the accounting department caught my attention.

"I'm exhausted."

"I didn't expect we'd be working overtime again."

"I feel sorry for Sir Caden's new secretary."

"I heard she's still handling all those contracts."

"She won't last a month."

I smiled to myself.

We'll see about that.

The moment I reached my desk, my smile froze. A fresh stack of folders had mysteriously appeared.

I slowly looked toward the glass-walled office across the room.

Through the transparent panels, I saw Caden typing calmly on his laptop as if he hadn't just added another mountain of work to my table.

"Seriously?"

A yellow sticky note rested on top.

'Finish these reports tonight. I need them first thing tomorrow morning.'

I stared at it for a long second. "You're really determined to make my life miserable."

With a resigned sigh, I pulled out my chair and got back to work.

---

Hours passed. One by one, the employees began leaving the office. The lively atmosphere slowly disappeared until only a few lights remained on. The cleaning staff quietly moved through the hallways.

The accounting department was still busy.

And so was I. My third cup of coffee had already gone cold. I rubbed my tired eyes before reaching for another folder.

"Almost done." I whispered to myself.

If I finished everything tonight, maybe tomorrow he'd finally stop giving me impossible workloads.

Or maybe not.

Knowing Caden, he'd probably find another excuse.

A small laugh escaped my lips.

I continued checking invoices, supplier contracts, and payment schedules.

Then something caught my attention.

I looked at one invoice.

Then another.

My brows slowly furrowed.

"That's strange..."

The supplier's name was identical.

Same amount.

Same project.

Different invoice numbers.

Maybe it was just a filing error.

I pulled another folder from the cabinet.

Five minutes turned into twenty.

The deeper I looked the more something felt wrong.

---

CADEN POV

I leaned back in my chair and glanced at the clock.

11:42 PM.

The office was almost empty. Most employees would've gone home hours ago.

Curious, I stood and walked toward the glass wall overlooking the workstations.

She was still there. Completely focused.

Her eyes scanned every page carefully.

No complaints.

No yawning.

No unnecessary breaks.

Just quiet determination.

I crossed my arms.

Interesting.

Most people tried to impress me during their first week. Then they slowly started showing their true colors.

Elisha was doing the opposite. She looked more determined every day.

A sudden voice echoed across the quiet office.

"Finally!"

I immediately stepped outside. "What are you talking about?"

She jumped in surprise, nearly dropping the folders in her hands. "S-Sir! When did you get there?"

"Just now." I walked toward her desk. "What did you find?"

Without saying a word, she handed me several documents.

"I think there's a problem."

I took the papers from her. "What kind of problem?"

She pointed at two invoices. "These belong to the same supplier."

I frowned. "So?"

"They're both scheduled for payment tomorrow."

I looked closer.

Same supplier.

Same project.

Same amount.

Different invoice numbers.

Then my expression hardened.

"Impossible."

She nodded. "I thought I was mistaken too."

"So I checked every supporting document."

She slid another folder toward me.

"The purchase order."

"The delivery receipt."

"The approval form."

"They all match."

I quickly flipped through every page.

Damn it!

She was right.

The finance department had approved two payments for the exact same transaction.

If nobody noticed the company would lose fifty million pesos by tomorrow morning.

I immediately grabbed my office phone.

"Call the Head of Finance."

"Now."

Less than three minutes later, hurried footsteps echoed through the nearly empty office.

The Head of Finance appeared at my office door, slightly out of breath. "You called for me, Sir?"

Without answering, I threw the folders onto my desk. "They're yours."

He looked confused before picking them up. As he flipped through the documents, the color slowly drained from his face.

"S-Sir..."

"Explain."

"I..."

He swallowed hard. "I don't know how this happened."

"You don't know?" My voice remained calm, but everyone in the room knew that was never a good sign.

"You approved two invoices for the same supplier, the same project, the same amount. If these had been processed tomorrow how much money would this company have lost?"

His lips trembled. "Fifty million, Sir."

"And who found the mistake?"

His eyes shifted toward Elisha, who stood quietly near the door.

"Miss Gonzales."

"Correct."

Silence filled the room.

I slowly leaned against my desk. "My company can recover from losing fifty million. But that's not the point. What concerns me is that no one in your department noticed something this obvious."

"I'm very sorry, Sir."

"Sorry won't reverse the transfer if it had already happened."

"I understand, Sir."

"No. You understand because she caught it." I pointed toward Elisha. "If she hadn't stayed late. If she hadn't reviewed every document we wouldn't be having this conversation."

The Head of Finance lowered his head. "I'll correct everything immediately."

"You'll do more than that." I looked him straight in the eye. "I want every invoice related to this supplier reviewed before business hours tomorrow."

"And from now on... No payment gets approved without double verification. Understood?"

"Yes, Sir."

"You may leave."

The moment he stepped outside, the office became quiet once again.

ELISHA POV

I let out the breath I'd been holding.

That was intense.

I quietly gathered the scattered folders from my desk.

"You're still here."

Caden was standing a few steps away.

"I just wanted to organize everything before going home."

He glanced at the documents in my hands. "Why didn't you leave earlier?"

I blinked. "You gave me work."

"You could've finished it tomorrow."

I smiled awkwardly. "And let you scold me for missing a deadline?"

The corner of his lips lifted ever so slightly.

"I suppose that's true."

A small laugh escaped me.

For a brief moment the atmosphere between us felt surprisingly light.

He picked up one of the folders from my desk before setting it aside.

"You know...most people would've ignored that mistake."

"I almost did."

He raised an eyebrow.

"I thought maybe it was just a filing error. But something didn't feel right so I kept checking."

He remained silent.

Then he spoke.

"Do you know how much money you saved tonight?"

I slowly shook my head.

"Fifty million pesos."

My eyes widened. "Is that true?"

He nodded. "If those documents had reached Accounting tomorrow morning the payment would've been released."

I stared at him, speechless.

I had no idea it was that serious.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then...

"Good work, Elisha."

It wasn't loud.

It wasn't dramatic.

But hearing those three words from someone like Caden Guevarra made every sleepless night worth it.

I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face.

"Thank you, Sir."

He looked at me for another second before speaking again. "You should go home. And get some rest."

I laughed softly. "Is this really my boss talking?"

He frowned."What is that supposed to mean?"

"I thought you'd give me another stack of documents before letting me leave."

"I considered it."

My eyes widened. "Seriously?"

He looked away. "No."

I chuckled. "I almost believed you."

"I know."

I shook my head in amusement before grabbing my bag. "I'll see you tomorrow, Sir."

"Drive safely."

I paused.

Did he just tell me to drive safely?

I smiled to myself.

"Good night, Sir."

"Good night."

CADEN POV

The office became silent once again after Elisha left.

I walked toward the glass wall overlooking the city. The lights below stretched endlessly into the distance.

My gaze drifted back to her empty desk.

For the first time in a long while... someone had exceeded my expectations.

Not because she worked overtime. Not because she followed orders. But because she paid attention to details everyone else overlooked.

A competent employee was valuable. Someone who genuinely cared about her work was rare.

I picked up the duplicate invoices one last time before placing them inside the investigation folder.

Interesting.

Very interesting.