For the first time, Adira and Nikolai decided to go to the company together. That morning, they bathed together, got dressed and went downstairs to join the family for breakfast. Nikolai's family could notice the difference in their son's mood. It was so obvious that something had changed about him, and Mrs. Bellamy, most especially, was the happiest to know her son was turning a new leaf. "You two didn't go to work yesterday," she commented, a wide smile on her face. Adira, who had been munching on a piece of bread, paused to look at her. "We didn't." Nikolai responded. Although, his voice was still a little cold. "I see. And it seems you were both locked up in your room." Mrs. Bellamy chuckled. "Don't misunderstand me, dear. I hope you had a great time?"Adira lowered her head bashfully, hoping her cheeks weren't turning red already. Was this woman intentionally teasing them? She looked so happy. They continued eating, and after a while,Mr. Thatcher made an announcement. "I have something important to say." He cleared his throat. He started coughing, and Lyra quickly served him some water. "Sorry, darling. It's fine if you can't speak now." Lyra cooed, patting his back gently. Few people from the table rolled their eyes. No matter how much they wanted to get used to it, her care towards him was always cringy. "It's fine," Mr. Thatcher raised his hand at her. Clearing his throat, he continued. "Like I was trying to say, from now on, Vesper will start working at the company. I believe it's high time he joined the family business already."The clinking of cutlery seized as a sudden hush descended upon the table immediately. Wide-eyed glances darted back and forth, and finally locking onto Mr. Thatcher's face. Vesper and Kalina were the only ones wearing smiles in the room. "Wow! This is great news!" Mrs Bellamy finally exclaimed. "My goodness! My son is finally going to become part of the company again." Vesper bobbed at his mother, but the rest of the people at the dining still looked surprised. "Why are you all seeming shocked?" Vesper scoffed, then settled his gaze on his father.. "I'm the first son of this family. But my inactivity has ghosted me and made it seem strange that I'm trying to become useful." "I'm happy for you, son" Mr. Vincent nodded. "Actually, I think it's high time you joined the business. But I sincerely hope you've completely changed and won't cause havoc like the last time." "Trust me, father. I have. What happened years ago was a huge mistake. Right now, I want to do nothing else but become really useful to this family." "Congratulations, Vesper." Lyra beamed at him. "Congratulations." The rest of the people chorused, except Nikolai. "Um... Nikolai," Mr. Thatcher called. "You're the acting president of the company. So, I'll need you to make it easier for your brother. Introduce him to the board members and put him through. I hope you two can work together." Nikolai's silence stretched like an arctic as his eyes locked onto the stubborn sausage beneath his knife. "Working together depends on his attitude." He eventually spoke, his visage carved in ice as he looked at Vesper. "He must be willing to acknowledge the fact that I am the one in charge." "Seriously?" Vesper chuckled. "Don't tell me you're feeling threatened, Nik."Nikolai's icy gaze narrowed, a contemptuous snort escaping him. "Threatened? Grandpa needs me to put in a word for you just so you can be recognized, and you think I'm feeling threatened?" "That's enough now." Mr. Vincent interrupted, not wanting it to get messier. "Vesper, Nikolai might be your younger brother, but he's the one in charge and you must learn to accept that. There must be no form of disrespect from you because if you do, he has every right to suspend you." "Oh, please!" Vesper rolled his eyes. "Being the leader is my rightful position, father, but you took it from me and handed it to your favorite son." "Vesper! What is wrong with you?" Mrs. Bellamy gasped. "It's bad enough that I have to work under him. So, stop rubbing it in my face like he completely has me wrapped around his fingers." With a scrowl, he got to his feet. "Thank you for this opportunity, grandfather. I promise not to disappoint you." Mr. Thatcher nodded. "You're welcome, Vesper." Afterwards, he grabbed his keys and flounced out of the room. "Vesper! Vesper!" Mrs. Bellamy called, but he totally ignored her. Kalina stood up immediately and went after him. **** Breakfast was a mess afterwards. Not long after, Nikolai decided to leave as well. So, he left with Adira. His mood had been ruined, and in the car, Adira tried all she could to cheer him up by cracking jokes and all. It worked. They arrived at the company and stepped out of the car in unison. Though, they didn't hold hands, the shared warmth on their faces made it obvious that there was something different about them.Their entrance sparked a lot of reactions as whispers spread amongst their staff who noted it was their first time arriving the company together. "Oh, my God! They look so cute!" "Geez! Is it just me or Mr. Nikolai is looking even more handsome?" "She's so lucky. I wish I could walk next to him like that." The side-talks didn't stop. Adira and Nikolai got into the elevator and Adira had to leave before him when they got to the seventh floor. "We'll talk later." They exchanged a parting kiss before she left. She couldn't conceal the smile on her face as she walked pass her staff and headed to her office. Even when they greeted her, she answered them in a more friendly way. 'What a perfect time to be alive.' She thought. 'Or perhaps, a perfect time to be in love.'Bonnie followed her from her desk into her office, holding some files. "You look so good today, ma'am." She noted. "Oh. Thank you." Adira smiled, taking her seat. "And...is it just me or you actually look happier? To be honest, I've never seen you in this mood before." Adira touched her cheeks. Goodness! Was it that obvious? Bonnie kept grinning from ear to ear. "Well... let's just say I'm in a really good mood, Bonnie. A very good mood." "I'm glad." She went ahead to tell her all about her schedule's for the day, as well as important messages she had missed due to her absence from work the previous day. It took a while to tell her all about it. "Okay. Just forward the emails to my system. I'll get back to them myself." Adira responded when she was done. "Alright, ma'am. By the way, do you need some coffee?" "Yes, please." Bonnie left afterward. Almost immediately, Adira's phone began chiming. She puffed out her cheeks when she discovered it was Jared. Letting it ring to an end, she texted him immediately: 'I'm really sorry, Jared, but I'll need you to stop calling me henceforth. Since the contract has been transferred to someone else, I do not think we have business to talk about anymore. Even if we do, could you go through my secretary, please?" I appreciate your show of concern the other day, and I acknowledge the fact that you actually wanted us to be friends. But can we just keep our distance for now? Nikolai isn't cool with it, and I seriously wouldn't want to upset him again. Thanks for your understanding.'The moment she sent the message, it was as if a heavy burden had been lifted off her shoulders. She slouched in her chair and exhaled deeply. Jared was a nice guy. Initially, she had thought he'd be grumpy and all, but she got to see a different side of him that night. A sweeter side. Well, Nikolai was sweeter. And even if she wasn't certain of what the next six weeks would be like, she wanted what she had with him at the moment. *** About an hour later, Bonnie walked in to inform her that there was someone there to see her. "Who is it?" Adira inquired, her eyes and fingers on her system. "It's Lancelot Belford, ma'am." Adira's fingers stopped typing. For a moment, she was frozen and thought about it. That loser. "Send him away," she responded icily and resumed working on her system.