The next morning arrived calm and clear.
Golden rays of sunlight spilled through Gwendolyn's window as she stood before her mirror, carefully straightening the collar of her cream blouse.
Her heart still replayed the previous evening the sharp tone, the piercing red eyes, the way that man had brushed past her as if she were invisible.
She shook the thought away, slipping into her blazer.
"Focus, Gwen," she whispered to herself. "You're here to work, not to dwell."
After a quick breakfast and a warm goodbye to her parents, she stepped out into the bustling city streets. The morning air carried a hint of freshness as cars and pedestrians filled the rhythm of the new day.
By the time she arrived at the towering Venyx Corporation building, the place was already alive, the lobby a blend of efficiency and elegance. Employees moved briskly, and the gleaming glass walls reflected the city's brightness.
She greeted the receptionist, scanned her ID, and took the elevator up to the seventh floor, the Design and Project Department.
The familiar hum of conversation and the quiet tapping of keyboards greeted her as she walked to her desk. Mira waved from her corner.
"Morning, Gwen! Ready for day two?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," Gwendolyn replied with a small laugh, setting her bag down.
---
A few hours passed peacefully as she reviewed drafts for the Phase 4 project. The day felt calm, until the sound of footsteps echoed down the hall.
They were heavy, deliberate, and carried authority.
When the glass door to the department opened, everyone looked up.
Two men entered.
The first — unmistakable — was the same figure from yesterday: Adrian Venyx. His bluish-silver hair glinted beneath the ceiling lights, his expression calm yet severe, as if carved from stone.
His tailored black-and-blue suit was immaculate, his posture composed, every step quiet but commanding.
Beside him was Lyon Hale, his loyal assistant, with his usual easy smile and sharp yellow-brown hair brushed slightly to the side.
"Good morning, everyone," Lyon greeted, his tone bright yet professional. "Apologies for the sudden visit. I'd like to introduce someone very important."
The team stood from their desks as Mr. Collins approached from his office, his tone respectful. "Vice Director Venyx, it's an honor to have you here."
Adrian gave a curt nod in return. "Likewise, Mr. Collins."
Lyon stepped forward. "As you all may know, the Venyx Estate Phase 4 Project is one of the company's largest ongoing developments and from today onward, it will be directly overseen by Vice Director Adrian Venyx himself."
A quiet ripple spread through the room. Some of the team members exchanged wide-eyed glances, others straightened their postures instantly.
Adrian's gaze swept across the room slowly, measured, assessing each face in silence. When his eyes landed on Gwendolyn, time seemed to pause.
Her stomach tightened. Their eyes met red and gold locked on crimson and gold and though his expression didn't change, she could sense faint recognition flicker behind that cold demeanor.
If he remembered their collision, he showed no sign of it.
Mr. Collins began formal introductions. "Vice Director, this is our core design team. And this young lady here is Miss Felix Gwendolyn Teresa, the newest addition to our department."
For the briefest moment, his gaze lingered on her impassive, unreadable.
"I see," Adrian said finally, his voice calm and deep. "Then let's hope Miss Felix can keep up with the pace."
Gwendolyn straightened subtly, forcing a polite smile. "I'll do my best, sir."
"Good," he replied simply, before turning his attention to the others.
---
After the introductions, the team gathered near the main desk as Lyon handed out folders and project notes.
"Vice Director Venyx has brought an updated schedule," Lyon explained. "Deadlines have been shifted up due to client demand. Expect tighter reviews and direct oversight."
Adrian folded his arms, his tone precise and cool.
"I don't tolerate delays or half-effort. Every detail of Phase 4 must meet standard no exceptions."
He moved around the table, scanning the team's sketches and notes. Then, without a word, he placed a stack of documents on Gwendolyn's desk ;thick, heavy, and marked with design stamps.
Her eyes widened slightly. "Sir, these are—"
"The pending drafts and revisions for the exterior design concept," Adrian said, cutting in. "Since you're new, you'll start by reviewing and correcting them. I want them reorganized and ready for presentation by tomorrow afternoon."
"T-tomorrow?" she repeated, startled.
He looked down at her, his expression calm but sharp. "Is there a problem, Miss Felix?"
She quickly shook her head. "No, sir. I'll handle it."
"Good," he said, his gaze unmoving. "Then I'll expect results."
He turned away, speaking quietly with Mr. Collins while Lyon gave her an apologetic shrug.
Once the Vice Director and his assistant exited the department, the room seemed to exhale all at once. Mira a co-worker leaned closer, whispering,
"Yikes. He's… intense."
Gwendolyn let out a slow breath, staring at the stack of papers before her.
"Intense is one word for it," she murmured.
Still, a faint spark of determination lit up her crimson eyes.
She straightened her back, rolled up her sleeves, and whispered to herself
"Alright, Mr. Venyx. Let's see if I can keep up with your pace."
And with that, she began to work, unaware that this would be the start of a far deeper connection and conflict,than either of them could have imagined.
---
The clock ticked quietly in the background, echoing through the now-silent design department.
Most of the lights had dimmed, leaving only the soft glow of desk lamps scattered across the room. Outside, the city shimmered with streaks of gold and violet
The sun long gone, replaced by the rhythm of headlights and moonlight.
Gwendolyn sat at her desk, her eyes fixed on the sea of papers before her. The stack of designs Adrian had dropped earlier still loomed like a mountain beside her laptop sketches, layout plans, and blueprints, each marked with intricate red annotations.
Her hand moved quickly, making corrections, revising details, redrawing lines where proportions were off.
She let out a quiet sigh, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
"Just one more section," she whispered to herself. "Then I can finally sleep."
The hum of the air conditioner was the only sound in the room,until the elevator dinged softly in the distance.
Gwendolyn froze.
It was almost 9:30 p.m.
Everyone had gone home hours ago.
Footsteps followed; calm, steady, and unmistakably deliberate.
A shadow stretched along the glass wall, long and precise, before the door slid open.
Adrian Venyx.
Still in the same black and blue suit, though his tie was loosened slightly and his hair less immaculate. Even then, his presence seemed to fill the room. His red eyes shifted across the dim office before landing on her.
"Miss Felix," he said evenly. "You're still here."
Gwen stood abruptly, trying to compose herself. "Vice Director! I— I was just finishing the revisions you assigned earlier. I didn't want to leave them incomplete."
He stepped closer, hands in his pockets, his voice calm but curious. "You've been here since morning, haven't you?"
"Y-yes, sir. It's not a problem. I just wanted to make sure everything was correct before the deadline."
Adrian glanced at the clock, then at the papers on her desk. His expression softened almost imperceptibly — just a flicker.
He picked up one of the blueprints and studied it silently.
"This design…" he murmured. "You corrected the measurement errors from the second phase blueprint and adjusted the layout for the atrium window."
Gwendolyn nodded slightly, her fingers fidgeting. "Yes, sir. The proportions were inconsistent with the Phase 3 framework, so I aligned them according to the original master plan."
He set the paper down gently. "Impressive. You noticed what most senior designers overlooked."
The compliment caught her off guard. She blinked, unsure how to respond. "Th— thank you, sir."
He glanced at her again, his tone softer this time. "You can relax, Miss Felix. I'm not here to critique your work tonight."
"Oh," she said awkwardly, forcing a nervous smile. "Then what brings you back, sir? I thought you'd left for the day."
Adrian walked toward the window overlooking the city. "I had a meeting with the project board. It ended late."
He turned slightly, his gaze meeting hers again.
"And I wanted to check on the new recruit who apparently doesn't know when to stop working."
Gwen chuckled quietly, rubbing her neck. "Guess I didn't want to disappoint the Vice Director on my second day."
For the first time that evening, the faintest trace of a smile ghosted across his face subtle, brief, but real.
"You're ambitious," he said simply. "That's rare."
The silence that followed wasn't uncomfortable. The air between them carried something quieter an unspoken tension neither of them could name.
After a moment, Adrian took a step closer, resting one hand on the desk beside her stack of papers. His presence was calm but commanding, the faint scent of his cologne, cedar and something faintly metallic,filling the air.
"You've done more than enough for today, Miss Felix," he said lowly. "Go home. Get some rest."
"But—"
"That's an order," he added, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Gwen sighed softly, gathering her things. "Yes, sir."
As she reached for her bag, her tired hands brushed the edge of the desk — and a few rolled-up blueprints began to slide. Before she could react, Adrian caught them effortlessly.
Their hands brushed — just briefly — but enough for her to feel the sharp jolt that followed. His hand was warm, steady; hers trembled slightly as she pulled back.
"Careful," he said quietly, his eyes unreadable. "It'd be a shame to damage your work after all that effort."
"Right… thank you," she murmured, quickly looking away.
He held her gaze for a moment longer before stepping aside, allowing her to pass. "Goodnight, Miss Felix."
"Goodnight, Vice Director," she replied, her voice soft as she walked toward the elevator.
As the doors closed, she exhaled, clutching her bag tightly against her chest. Her heart beat faster than it should have.
Back inside the department, Adrian watched the elevator lights fade. He turned back to her desk — her pen still resting beside a half-finished sketch — and a faint smirk tugged at his lips.
"Interesting," he murmured under his breath.
Then, in the quiet glow of the empty office, Adrian Venyx returned to his solitary thoughts — unaware that this single night marked the beginning of something neither work nor reason could contain.
The morning light slipped through the blinds, spilling softly over Gwendolyn's desk.
The hum of keyboards, the faint rustle of papers, and the occasional chime of notifications filled the air, a normal day in the design department.
Except Adrian Venyx hadn't shown up.
It was strange. Normally, his presence commanded the entire floor that calm, composed intensity that seemed to pull everyone into focus. But today, his office door stayed closed. His desk empty.
Still, Gwen kept her mind on her work. She adjusted the collar of her white blouse, brushed a few loose strands of hair back, and began flipping through her portfolio to finalize the sketches from last night.
As she sat, she noticed something new on her desk a neatly folded white envelope.
Her name was written on it in sharp, elegant handwriting:
"Miss Felix."
Her heart skipped. She looked around the others were too busy to notice. Slowly, she opened it.
Inside was a short handwritten note:
> "Your attention to detail is exceptional. The layout revisions you made on the east atrium and façade renderings have been approved for internal review.
However —
The next time you stay this late without authorization, consider your position at risk.
— A. Venyx."
For a moment, Gwen just stared at the paper. A mix of emotions ran through her — shock, pride, disbelief, and a faint heat on her cheeks she couldn't quite explain.
"He noticed…" she whispered under her breath.
She smiled, though it quickly faded at the warning. "Lose my job? Just for staying late?"
Alice, the Design Department Director, walked by, sharp in her navy suit and always clutching her tablet. She stopped briefly beside Gwen's desk.
"Morning, Gwendolyn," she said briskly. "You're looking a bit brighter than yesterday. Late night, was it?"
Gwen quickly hid the note under a folder. "Ah— just a bit of extra work, ma'am."
Alice gave a knowing smile. "You young ones and your dedication. Keep it up — just don't burn out."
She was about to move on when her earpiece buzzed. Alice paused, pressing a finger to it. "Yes? …Right now? …Understood."
Her expression shifted, surprise mixed with urgency.
Then her eyes turned to Gwen.
"Felix. You're coming with me."
"W-what? Why?"
"Because apparently," Alice said, lowering her voice slightly, "your designs have caught someone's attention — and not just anyone's."
Gwen's heart thudded. "You mean—?"
"Yes," Alice interrupted, already moving toward the elevator. "Mr. Adrian Venyx himself."
The entire office turned subtly as Gwen followed Alice out. Whispers floated in the air — curiosity, envy, disbelief.
They stepped into the elevator, and as the doors closed, Gwen clutched her sketchbook tightly, her mind racing.
When they emerged on the top floor, the atmosphere shifted. The hallway was quieter here, the walls lined with glass and gold trim. The scent of polished wood and coffee lingered in the air.
Alice led her into a large boardroom where five senior executives were already seated,each with tablets, documents, and one massive screen displaying project schematics.
At the head of the table was an empty chair — Adrian's.
Alice gestured for Gwen to sit beside her. "Miss Felix, these are the board members overseeing the Venyx Phase 4 project."
Lucas Héctor an older man with silver-rimmed glasses leaned forward. "So, you're the young designer who made the modifications to the east atrium plan?"
Gwen nodded nervously. "Yes, sir."
He exchanged glances with another executive. "Impressive structural logic for a fresh recruit. The reallocation of weight distribution between the southern pillars,ingenious."
Alice smirked proudly. "She's one of our most promising hires."
The man continued, "Mr. Venyx sent us the revised designs this morning for review. He wrote in his message that this layout would 'define the tone for Phase 4's architectural integrity.'"
Gwen froze. Adrian had sent her work… to the board?
The realization sent a shiver through her.
The meeting went on — discussions about scaling, model testing, and budget — but Gwen could barely focus. Every word felt surreal.
She, Gwendolyn Felix, the nervous graduate who'd only just joined, had her design personally handpicked by Adrian Venyx himself.
After the meeting concluded, Alice turned to her as they left the boardroom. "Well, congratulations, Gwen. You've just earned yourself quite a reputation upstairs."
Gwen blinked. "He… really chose my design?"
Alice nodded, smiling faintly. "Yes. And between us…" — she leaned closer — "…Adrian doesn't choose lightly."
They stepped back into the elevator, and Gwen's mind was still spinning.
She held her sketchbook against her chest, heart fluttering.
From the glass walls of the upper floor, she could see the city skyline stretching far into the horizon,sunlight breaking through the clouds.
For the first time since she joined, she felt it.
Her career was beginning.
But deep down, beneath the pride and disbelief, a quiet thought lingered.
Why would someone like Adrian Venyx notice her so closely… so early?