The next morning, Adrian reached Kael Dynamics before eight.
The office was still quiet. A few employees had already arrived, but the executive floor remained peaceful.
Adrian placed his bag on his desk, switched on his laptop, and looked through the schedule for the day.
There were three meetings.
Two presentations.
And one strategy session with Lucian Kael.
He took a deep breath.
"One step at a time," he reminded himself.
A few minutes later, Ethan Hale walked over with a cup of coffee.
"You're early."
Adrian smiled.
"I like starting before everyone else."
Ethan nodded.
"I've noticed."
He looked toward the CEO's office.
"Mr. Kael usually arrives around eight-thirty."
As if on cue, the elevator doors opened.
Lucian Kael stepped out.
The entire floor became quiet.
He walked through the office with his usual calm expression.
Every employee greeted him.
"Good morning, Mr. Kael."
Lucian gave a small nod before stopping at Adrian's desk.
"Good morning, Mr. Vale."
"Good morning, Mr. Kael."
Lucian placed a file on Adrian's desk.
"I need your analysis before lunch."
Adrian picked up the file.
"I'll have it ready."
Lucian looked at him for a second before walking into his office.
It was a short conversation.
Professional.
Nothing more.
Yet Adrian couldn't help noticing that Lucian had come to him first before speaking to anyone else.
The morning passed quickly.
Adrian carefully studied the reports.
The project involved Vortex Technologies, a company Kael Dynamics hoped to work with.
As he read through the documents, he noticed something unusual.
He walked to the CEO's office and knocked once.
"Come in."
Lucian looked up from his laptop.
"What is it?"
"I think there's a mistake in the financial report."
Lucian closed his laptop.
"Show me."
Adrian placed the report on the desk.
"The numbers look correct."
"They do," Adrian replied.
"But these numbers were prepared using last year's market data."
Lucian looked more carefully.
After a few moments, he realized Adrian was right.
"If we present these figures tomorrow," Adrian said, "our proposal will look weak."
Lucian looked at him.
"You caught that in one morning?"
Adrian smiled slightly.
"I enjoy finding small details."
For the first time, Lucian's expression softened.
"Good work."
It wasn't much.
Just two simple words.
But they meant more to Adrian than he expected.
By lunchtime, the report had been corrected.
The meeting ended successfully.
As everyone left the conference room, Lucian stopped beside Adrian.
"You handled yourself well."
"Thank you."
"There will be more work like this."
"I'm ready."
Lucian gave a small nod.
"I know."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The silence wasn't uncomfortable.
It was calm. Almost natural.
Then Lucian looked at his watch. "I have another meeting." He walked away.
Adrian watched him disappear down the hallway before returning to his desk.
That evening, most employees had gone home.
Adrian was still working.
As he finished his report, he noticed a small paper bag on his desk.
Inside was a sandwich and a bottle of water.
There was no note. No name.
He looked around.
The office was almost empty.
Inside his office, Lucian was standing by the window, looking at the city.
Adrian smiled to himself.
Maybe someone from the office had left it.
Maybe not.
He quietly ate his dinner before returning to work.
Inside his office, Lucian noticed Adrian had finally stopped working long enough to eat.
A small part of him felt relieved.
He quickly pushed the thought away.
"He's an employee," Lucian reminded himself.
"Nothing more."
Still...
For the rest of the evening, he found himself looking through the glass wall more often than usual.
Without realizing it, the distance between them had become just a little smaller.
Not because either of them had spoken about their feelings.
But because, little by little...
Trust was beginning to grow.