The office was quiet.
Too quiet.
Aurelia sat at her desk, staring at the computer screen like it had personally offended her. Rows of emails filled the monitor, and she had already answered more than twenty.
Her brain was tired.
She leaned back in her chair and sighed.
"This man is trying to kill me," she muttered.
Just then, her phone buzzed on the desk.
She glanced at the screen.
"Maya."
Aurelia answered it.
"What do you want?"
"Wow," Maya's voice said dramatically. "No hello? No 'how are you, my dear friend'?"
Aurelia rolled her eyes.
"You only call during work hours when you're about to cause trouble."
"I'm nearby," Maya said casually. "Thought I'd come by your office and say hi."
Aurelia immediately sat up.
"No."
"Too late."
"Maya..."
"I'm already in the building."
Aurelia rubbed her forehead.
"Please behave."
Maya laughed.
"No promises."
The call ended.
Aurelia stared at the phone for a second before muttering,
"This is going to end badly."
She turned back to her computer.
Just then.....
Her desk phone rang.
Aurelia looked at it suspiciously.
Maya leaned closer.
"That one is definitely your boss."
Aurelia sighed and picked it up.
"Yes, sir?"
"Miss Aurelia."
Damien's calm voice came through the line.
"Yes, sir."
"I sent you several emails."
(Several?)
She glanced at the screen again.
Forty-seven.
"Yes, sir. I'm working on them."
"Are you?"
Aurelia blinked.
Was that sarcasm?
"I am."
There was a brief pause.
"Good," Damien said. "Bring the financial report from the third file on your desk to my office."
Aurelia looked down.
There were at least twelve files on her desk.
"Sir… which third file?"
Another pause.
"The one labeled third."
The line went dead.
Aurelia slowly lowered the phone.
Maya leaned forward eagerly.
"What did he say?"
Aurelia stared at the pile of files.
"He wants the third file."
"So take it."
"They're not numbered."
Maya frowned.
"What?"
"There are twelve files here."
Aurelia picked one up.
"Quarterly budget."
Another.
"Project funding."
Another.
"Employee insurance."
She dropped them back on the desk.
"This man is playing mind games."
Maya snorted.
"Maybe he wants to see if you'll explode."
"He's about to find out."
Aurelia grabbed three random files and stood up.
"If he wanted the third file, he should have numbered them."
Maya watched her walk toward Damien's office.
"Try not to get fired," she called softly.
Aurelia waved without turning around.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Damien's office door was slightly open.
Aurelia knocked once before pushing it open.
He was standing near the window, reading something on his tablet.
The office looked exactly like she imagined it would...neat, polished, and intimidating.
Everything about it matched him.
Damien looked up as she walked in.
His eyes moved to the files in her arms.
"You brought three."
"Yes."
"Why?"
Aurelia placed them on the desk.
"Because none of them were labeled third."
A small silence filled the room.
Damien walked closer.
"You didn't think to count them?"
"I did."
"And?"
"There were twelve."
He stared at her.
For a moment, his expression was unreadable.
Then he opened the middle file.
It was the correct one.
He paused slightly before closing it.
"Next time, bring the correct one."
Aurelia blinked.
(Seriously?)
"I did."
Another quiet moment passed.
Damien looked at her again, studying her the same way he had yesterday.
Like she was something unusual.
"Is there something else?" Aurelia asked.
His voice turned cool again.
"No."
She nodded and turned toward the door.
"Miss Aurelia."
She stopped.
"Yes?"
"Answer the emails before noon."
Her eyes widened.
"All forty-seven?"
Damien didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
Aurelia stared at him for a moment before nodding slowly.
"Understood."
-----------------------------------------------------------
When she stepped back into the office, Maya was already waiting near her desk.
"Well?" Maya asked.
"He gave me a deadline."
"For what?"
Aurelia pointed at the screen.
"All those emails."
Maya leaned over and read the number.
Then she looked at Aurelia with sympathy.
"Wow."
Aurelia opened the first email again.
"I knew I should have stayed at the coffee shop."
Maya raised an eyebrow.
"Because of your boss?"
"No," Aurelia said dryly. "Because the worst thing that could happen there was someone's gown getting soaked through and revealing way more than it should."
Maya covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.
"Don't remind me."
"You were the one who spilled the coffee."
"You were the one laughing."
"You were laughing too."
"Internally."
"You were choking on your cappuccino."
Maya grinned.
"Details."
Aurelia shook her head and continued typing.
"Anyway," Maya said casually, sitting on the edge of the desk, "this job might actually be entertaining."
Aurelia glanced toward Damien's office.
Then back at her screen.
"Oh, it already is."