The next day at Ealina's office—
As she steps in, she notices something strange: her coworkers are packing their things. Confused, she approaches one of them.
"What's going on?" she asks.
One of her colleagues looks up with a sad smile. "The company's shutting down. It hasn't met its annual targets for three years. There's been no profit, and we were told today it's officially closing."
Just then, Aren and Liora walk in. Ealina turns to them, and their tense expressions confirm the bad news.
Without wasting time, Ealina rushes to the manager's cabin. "Sir, what is happening? Why is the company closing all of a sudden?"
The manager sighs deeply. "I warned you before. I told you to accept the offer."
"What offer?" she asks, brows furrowed.
---
Ryan enters.
At that moment, Ryan walks into the office with Jace beside him. They head straight into the manager's cabin. Aren, noticing this, follows close behind.
Ryan takes a seat calmly and says, "I told you. Either accept my offer or face the consequences."
Ealina glares at Ryan and says to the manager, "So this is what you meant by asking me to accept the offer?"
Ryan smirks and casually shrugs. "Hey, why are you glaring at me? I didn't do anything."
Jace steps forward and announces to everyone present, "From today, this company belongs to Ryan Enterprises. Mr. Ryan is now the official owner."
Ealina turns to the manager to confirm whether what she just heard is true or not.
"This company has been in the red for three years," the manager explains. "Last year, it was decided that if the annual goal wasn't met, the company would close. Now, Mr. Ryan has bought it."
"But then why is everyone leaving?" Ealina asks, confused. "The company still needs people to run it!"
Ryan interjects, "Because I'm replacing all existing staff with my team."
"That's unfair!" Ealina snaps. "These people are skilled and dedicated. You can't just fire them without cause!"
"I have cause. And I'm well within my rights," Ryan says calmly.
Aren steps forward. "Are you insane? You can't just kick everyone out overnight without even a proper transition!"
Ealina tells him, "Don't do this. Don't remove them from the company."
Ryan steps closer to Ealina, leans in slightly, looks into her eyes, and says, "Then accept my offer."
"What offer?" she asks, already suspecting the answer.
"Join my company," he replies. "Work for me."
Ealina glares at him. "So you've orchestrated all of this just to force me into your company?"
He gives a small nod, not denying it.
Ealina says firmly, "I won't work in that company. I'll stay here—this is my company."
Ryan responds, "If you come with me and work at my company, they can all stay here. But if you don't… they'll all lose their jobs."
He adds with a smirk, "And don't forget—this company belongs to me now too."
And what if I stay here? Won't I still have to work under you?" she counters.
"You will," Ryan replies, "but if you're here, I won't guarantee their positions. If you're with me, they stay."
"If you're working here, working there shouldn't be a problem either."
Ealina narrows her eyes. "The problem isn't the company… it's you."
Ryan shrugs. "Fine then. Everyone's jobs are in your hands. Do whatever you want."
Aren steps forward. "But you won't let her do whatever she wants, will you?"
Aren says, "You can't control people like this!"
Aren steps toward Ryan, speaking firmly, "That's enough! You can't force anyone to do what you say."
But just as he gets close, Jace steps in and places a hand on Aren's chest, stopping him just inches away from Ryan.
Jace says calmly, "Step back from him."
Liora notices and quickly pulls Jace's hand away from Aren. She loses her balance in the process and almost falls, but Jace catches her. Lost in his arms, she murmurs under her breath, "Handsome..."
Everyone stares at her. The tension in the room softens briefly into awkward humor. Jace raises a brow and helps her stand without a word.
Ryan chuckles at the moment and turns to Aren. "You all seem to care about her a lot. Fine, then all of you can join my company. Maybe she'll feel more comfortable with her little team around."
Ealina looks at the manager, seeing the desperation in his eyes. To save his job—and everyone else's—she makes up her mind to accept the offer.
Aren quickly stops her. "You don't have to listen to him," he says firmly.
Liora nods in agreement. "Yes, if you don't want to, then don't. We'll be happy as long as we're all together. Don't worry."
Ealina gives them a soft smile. "You're right. As long as we're together, we'll be fine. You both will come with me, right?"
Aren sighs, then nods. "Okay, fine."
Ealina turns to Ryan. "Alright, we'll join your company."
Ryan smirks and extends his hand for a shake, but Ealina simply glares at him and walks past without touching it. Liora, however, steps forward and shakes his hand with a bright smile.
"Boss, have a nice day," she chirps.
Ryan smiles back and returns the handshake.
As they leave, Ryan glances at Aren with a suspicious look. "I'll see you at the company," he says, voice laced with something deeper—like a hidden meaning.
---
At home
They all reach home, and Ealina heads straight to the kitchen, humming softly as she begins preparing something delicious for dinner.
Aren walks in, confused. "What are you doing?"
Ealina smiles. "What? I'm making food to celebrate our new company joining."
Aren raises an eyebrow. "That's exactly what I'm asking."
She shrugs. "Well, I don't want to feel sad about joining the new company. I should be in a good mood."
"Are you sure?" Aren asks again, concerned in his voice.
Ealina nods with a soft but firm smile. "Let's live life. After all, it is my dream company—just... the situation is a little different. I'll focus only on my work, not on his mess."
Aren leans against the counter. "But what about him? Do you really think you can avoid his mess? He let you join the company—why do you think he did that?"
They exchange a tense glance, both silently wondering what the future holds.
Suddenly, Liora enters the room, singing a tune cheerfully and holding up a tub of ice cream. "Look what I got!"
Aren pulls her ear playfully. "What were you saying earlier, huh?"
"What?" Liora blinks.
"Handsome," Ealina answers, chuckling.
Liora grins. "I just said the boss's assistant is handsome. That's not a crime!"
Ealina crosses her arms. "You forgot your boyfriend that quickly? You were crying yesterday."
Liora dodges the question. "Life is about moving on!"
Aren smacks his forehead. "Yeah... of course."
They all burst into laughter and begin setting the dining table together. But behind the smiles, a question lingers.
What did Ryan mean when he told Aren, 'See you at the company'?
What exactly does Ryan know about Aren?
It feels like Ryan knows something about Aren.
But what could it be?