"I got it." Grayson’s voice came out low, unhurried, and threaded with an almost flirty note as he looked back at Neville.

Bryan transferred the file to Grayson’s workload and continued. "The Shipping Department contracts, sir."

Grayson glanced at the files with bland enthusiasm. "Noted."

Bryan wouldn’t just stop that; he also had work to be done within the day. "There are also three flagged items from Legal that Director Li needs signed before the end of the day."

"Noted," Grayson replied almost dismissively.

The disparity of Grayson’s treatment between Bryan and Neville was so obvious. Even Neville could hear it from afar, making his fingers stutter as he typed.

He dropped his head down so fast his glasses nearly slid off his nose. He didn’t care much and fixed it immediately before throwing himself into typing faster as if his blushing face could fuel his speed.

In the end, more of the words on his screen turned gibberish, complete, utter nonsense.

He was certain he was writing about the summary of five revenue reports. But only Grayson’s name made sense in what he wrote.

Neville took a deep breath and hurriedly fixed his mistakes, focusing on his work, shaking off the man who kept on distracting him.

Bryan’s smile almost faltered at the sight.

He was here to work. Not to stand between the flirting of new lovers.

But Bryan was also a really petty man when the occasion called for it.

And this occasion was calling for it.

He turned toward Neville’s workstation, letting his gaze linger enough to make Neville notice.

He said, in the most casual tone he could manage: "Take it easy~."

Neville felt a thread on his head snap and blushed so hard. He could feel the heat behind his eyeballs. His fingers froze mid-keystroke, and he stared absentmindedly at the screen.

Neville sent a glare at Bryan, who turned away like he said nothing.

He’s going to remember this.

The shameless person seated behind the executive desk remained unaffected.

Grayson just sat in his chair calmly. If anything, there was a faint trace of satisfaction on his face.

But then the satisfaction was short-lived and turned into something sharper. Because Neville, who hadn’t looked at anyone since Bryan came in, was looking at Bryan intensely. Not even sending Grayson one glance during this time.

But regardless of its real meaning, he didn’t like this situation.

Grayson lifted his head and looked. "Bryan."

"Yes?"

"Do you have too much time on your hands?"

Bryan’s poker smile was plastered on his face, but it almost cracked when this was asked.

"Are you talking about yourself, sir?" Bryan retorted.

Grayson let the insubordination slide. They were friends first before anything.

This level of back-and-forth was the baseline of their relationship. A love language, if one were feeling generous. Mutual irritation, if one were being accurate.

Grayson steepled his fingers, his eyes sparkling brightly, and said, "Put another lock on that door."

Bryan’s smile finally cracked, not too much but enough to be obvious.

"Sir," he said, with all the patience he had, "this office has the highest security clearance on the entire company. It is, if I may say so, the most secure office on Planet Xylos at this time."

"Even so." Grayson’s tone brooked no argument. "I’d like to get notified first before anyone enters my office." 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Bryan heard the emphasis on "anyone" when Grayson said it. Neville, who was in the middle of editing, also heard it.

Neville felt his face burning so hard that it was making him dizzy, as if he was going to die.

Bryan inhaled slowly through his nose. His poker face was back again, but the effort to maintain it was obvious.

There was a faint tension on his jaw as he gritted his teeth, a slight narrowing of the eyes that seemed to say that I did not survive the front lines for this.

"Sir," he said carefully through gritted teeth, "are you serious right now?"

"I am," Grayson said with absolute certainty.

And then something changed behind his eyes, like a spark of inspiration, the kind that made Bryan want to resign on the spot.

"How about you just transfer your key access to Neville?"

The words dropped into the room like a bomb.

Bryan’s expression didn’t change. But something inside him quietly shattered.

His key access was the privilege that came with being the Chief Secretary. He was the only person in the entire corporation authorized to enter Grayson Maxwell’s office without prior clearance. The access that allowed Bryan to grant limited entry to anyone. This was the cornerstone of his operational authority on the executive team.

Grayson wanted to hand it to his secretary-slash-boyfriend like it was a spare house key.

Grayson didn’t even bother with the roundabout excuse, nor be discreet about it. He just said it as though the hierarchy of power in the company was just a minor administrative adjustment.

The silence lasted two seconds.

BAM!

A sharp roaring slam echoed through the office.

Both Bryan and Grayson turned to the source of the sound.

Neville had brought both palms down flat on his desk. He was standing shoulders squared, glasses slightly askew, eyes blazing with a fire, and was furious.

He glared at Grayson without reserve.

"Is that so?" Neville said in a quiet but dangerous tone. "How about I resign today, then?"

The temperature in the office changed.

Grayson’s eyes brightened, and a thought crossed his face so obvious that Neville could read it from across the room.

He thought wrong.

"And live with me?" Grayson said.

Neville didn’t miss a beat and instantly replied, "And disappear where you could NEVER find me EVER AGAIN? How about that?"

The brightness in Grayson’s eyes dimmed and darkened. His brows drew together in a slow, uncomfortable understanding.

"Are you serious?" Grayson asked.

Neville held his gaze without a single thread of warmth.

"Try me."

Grayson looked at Neville and realized that this was not a battle he could win. He leaned back in his chair, and they heard it creak.

"Fine," Grayson said, uncomfortably. "Just... add a notification feature to my light brain. A ping before someone enters."

Bryan exhaled.

Neville exhaled too.

The dual sighs were filled with pure, unbridled exhaustion.

Bryan transferred the finished files from Grayson’s workload to his. He smiled one last time before he crossed the office toward the door.

As Bryan passed by Neville’s workstation, Neville seized the moment.

With a quick glance toward Grayson, who had his attention back to the quantum computer, Neville reached out and tugged the edge of Bryan’s sleeve, pulling him close enough to whisper.

"Stewart."

"Hmm?"

Neville’s voice dropped to a murmur. "Were you all bachelors in your circle?"

Bryan blinked since he did not expect this question to come up.

"Why do you ask?" he asked back.

Neville pointed subtly in Grayson’s direction.

"That one," he whispered, "doesn’t know anything at all."

Bryan stared at Neville for a moment. Then the poker smile softened into something with a hint of amusement. This was because Neville really was sharp.

"It’s not that everyone stayed single on purpose," Bryan murmured back, matching Neville’s volume as he explained vaguely. "He just... saw bad examples. Watched people crash and burn and decided it was better to steer clear of the whole thing. You can consider it the same as not knowing anything at all, if that makes it easier."

Neville hung his head; his forehead nearly touched the desk. He was dating a man who was romantically illiterate.

Bryan, in a rare display of solidarity, patted Neville on the shoulder. Firm and encouraging, like the way a drill sergeant pats a recruit before sending them into the field.

"Hang in there," he said and gave a thumbs up with his other hand.

From across the office, without lifting his eyes from the holographic display, Grayson’s voice was heard.

"Keep your hands to yourself." He warned.

Bryan’s hands shot up in an instant. Palms open, fingers spread, just like the universal gesture when surrendering.

Before he left, Bryan gave Neville a single wink, then turned on his heel and walked out.

The door slid shut behind him, and silence.

Neville stared at the closed door. Then he turned his gaze to Grayson, who had already sunk back into work.

Neville watched him for a long time and thought.

Am I going to be okay?

The question hung in his mind, unanswered, as he slowly sat back down and returned to work.

***

Back at home.

[Host~ I’m baaack! ╰(▔∀▔)╯]

Shelly bounced into the corner and hovered with an energy that made Neville tired just looking at it. Her bright pink eyes glittered with fervor, extremely pleased with herself.

’What do you have for me?’ Neville asked.

[Ta-da!]

An item materialized in Neville’s hand, and Neville studied it.

This was the bracelet he had ordered to be made.

Understated, masculine, crafted from what appeared to be a dark metallic composite with a subtle, almost liquid sheen.

It highlighted the pearls that were woven into the band with thin threads of something luminous, faintly iridescent, that change between silver and deep ocean blue depending on the angle.

The clasp was minimal, nearly invisible, designed to sit flush against the wrist.

Discreet. Elegant.

The sort of accessory a man like Grayson might actually wear without it looking out of place against his tailored suits.

[I worked SO hard on this, host! The base material is from the System Mall—Grade A spiritual alloy, excellent for passive spiritual channeling. That iridescent threading? I wove it in myself! It’ll act as a low-level spiritual stabilizer when worn against the skin. Not enough for him to notice consciously, but over time, it’ll help soothe—]

[SYSTEM WARNING: System Guide, Shelly was set to mute.]