After this, I needed to have a serious, private talk with him. I hurried towards the lift. The hall was on the fifth floor, so getting to the lobby shouldn’t take long.
Or at least, it shouldn’t have.
Each time the lift opened, it was already crammed with people. I waited, bouncing on my heels, until finally—an empty one arrived.
At the lobby, I spotted the drinks neatly arranged on a reception desk. I gaped. Twelve—no, fifteen cups?!
What on earth?! Did Aditya think I was Squidward, blessed with multiple tentacles? How exactly was I supposed to carry all of these?
Well. Somehow, I did. Almost.
Carefully, I balanced the box of drinks in both arms until my hands went numb. Standing before the lift, I shifted desperately from foot to foot. “Please empty… empty… empty…” I whispered, dreading the humiliation of spilling all these coffees across the lobby floor.
Or worse, becoming gossip material again.
At last, the lift doors slid open to reveal an empty car. With a sigh of relief, I hurried inside, struggling to steady the drinks. As I stepped further in, a sudden slip sent one of the cups tumbling from my grasp.
I braced for disaster, but a hand shot out behind me and caught it just in time.
Breathless, I turned. “Thank you—” The words died in my throat.
“Zioh?”
He gave me a faint smile at the sound of his name. “Are you trying to be Wonder Woman? Carrying all these drinks yourself?” he asked, taking all the cups from me.
“You don’t have to, I—”
“Sir! Wait!”
A sharp cry interrupted me, and both of us turned. Natasha rushed towards us, half-running, her arms full of folders and equipment I recognized as Zioh’s.
I instinctively moved to press the lift button, but Zioh caught my hand. Turning toward Natasha as she neared, he blocked her path and gathered the drinks into one arm. “Natasha, go back to the car and get the rest of the files.”
Her brows knit together, as if trying to make sense of his words, then she lifted her arms, full of files, as if to say: Were you blind? Did you think these were menus I carried?
Expression flat, Zioh continued. “There’s another set in the boot. Green folder.”
Again, he nudged her backwards as she tried to enter. “Fetch those and meet me upstairs, Natasha.”
With a final press of the button, the doors slid shut before she could argue further. I dipped my head in guilt at her as Natasha’s glare lingered on Zioh until the doors closed.
Another victim of a jerk boss, it seemed…
When the doors sealed, Zioh stepped back, aligning himself beside me. He looked so good in his tailored black suit, his hair neatly styled, which made my heart race. Thenhis deep voice filled the small space. “I asked you earlier, why you carry so many drinks alone?”
I looked up at him. “Mr. Aditya asked me to, Zi—” I stopped, cleared my throat. “I mean, sir.”
His brows furrowed at my words. Didn’t he insist on formality before? After all, we were at a work event.
Raising an eyebrow, Zioh gave me a small smile. His gaze lingered on me. “There’s no one here,” he murmured, words scraped raw in his throat. “You can be informal.”
I met his eyes and found nothing but sincerity there. It seemed he was still in his dominant white phase. Though his face looked tired, his dark circles were heavy. Was work draining him that badly?
“You’re the one who told me to be formal…” My voice was low but steady. “Back then, when you first came.” My grip tightened around the drinks.
He had been insistent in the texts he’d sent me since he’d been back. I wanted to know what he truly wanted.
No more gray areas.
