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Lily had barely made it to her desk before a stack of files landed in front of her with a heavy thud.

"Morning, Ms. Lily" Damien's smooth voice cut through the office chatter. He stood over her desk, arms crossed, a serious face while making sure I get stay working on my second day at work. "Since you had such a productive first day, I figured I'd ease you into today with just a few reports."

Lily blinked at the mountain of paperwork. "A few? Are you sure you're not trying to kill me via papercuts?" Oh no. Did she just say that out loud? She snapped her mouth shut, but it was too late—Damien's just frowned. Keep it together, Lily. You're not supposed to talk back. She quickly shifted her focus to the files, pretending she hadn't just let her sarcasm slip.

Damien's replied. "If you survive, you might even learn something."

Jared snorted from his desk nearby but quickly covered it with a fake cough when Damien shot him a look. Lily, on the other hand, gave a dramatic sigh and flipped open the top file.

It wasn't that she didn't know how to handle reports like these—she could probably do them in her sleep—but maintaining her "normal average employee" act required a certain level of creative disaster. The trick was making a few slightly mistakes just not too bad enough to frustrate Damien without getting herself kicked out.

And just like that, the grand saga of "Office Survival: Lily Edition" commenced.

Office Shenanigans & Controlled Chaos

By mid-morning, Lily had already "accidentally" spilled coffee on one report, accidentally rerouted another file to a department that definitely did not need to know about corporate expense reports—unless the janitorial staff had suddenly taken an interest in budget analysis, and somehow managed to confuse an expense report with a lunch menu. She had been minding her own business when, somehow, the printer decided to stage a rebellion—right when Damien needed it most. Whether it was fate or just pure bad office luck, the mysteriously loosened cable had rendered it useless. Not that she would ever admit to noticing it was loose beforehand.

"Lily."

His tone was sharp, but there was amusement buried under the irritation. She looked up with her most innocent expression. "Yes, boss?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Do I even want to know why my monthly financial report is currently marinating in French roast?"

"Well, you see..." Lily pursed her lips, pretending to think. "You always emphasize efficiency, so I thought juggling coffee and paperwork was part of the job description. So, I thought, why not hold my coffee and read the report at the same time?"

Did I just say that? Out loud? To him?

Lily blinked, her fingers tightening around the report as realization hit her. Oh no. She wasn't talking to Ivy, her best friend. She was talking to Mr. Reid. Her contractual boss. The intimidating, no-nonsense, perfectionist boss who probably had no tolerance for sarcasm when during at serious time.

Great. Just great. If making a fool of herself wasn't bad enough, now she had to worry about saying the wrong thing to him—the very man she was stuck working for because of Ivy's recommendation?. She wasn't even here by choice. It was all part of the contract, a commitment she had no option but to fulfill until she could figure out why, of all places, she had to be here.

Jared turned away, shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter. Traitor.

Damien, however, was not amused. He leaned over, placing both hands on her desk, his face just inches from hers.

"Are you trying to get kicked out?" His voice was low, almost teasing, but there was an unmistakable edge to it. His sharp gaze bore into them, unyielding and intense. Every word he spoke carried weight, a silent warning that mistakes weren't just frowned upon; they were unacceptable.

Lily met his gaze head-on, ignoring the way her heart did an anxious little flip. "No, sir. Just trying to keep things... interesting."

Oh shit... How did awkwardly funny become part of my daily routine? Did I pick up a new hobby without realizing it? Or am I just tense? ...Hahahaha—

For a second, neither of them moved. The tension crackled like a live wire.

Then, Damien exhaled sharply and straightened. "Fix it," he ordered. "And no more 'interesting' accidents, understood?"

Lily saluted with cheerful seriousness. "Aye-aye, captain."

The moment the words left her mouth, she knew she had messed up again. Damien's expression shifted—brows twitching, jaw tensing slightly, his usual impassive demeanor cracking just enough to show something. Surprise? Disbelief? Annoyance? She couldn't tell.

Why did I say that? Why did I say that? This isn't Ivy. This is Mr. Reid. Her very serious, very strict boss.

Lily quickly dropped her hand and straightened in her chair. "I mean—Yes, Sir? Boss?" she corrected, her voice an awkward mix of panic and forced professionalism.

Damien said nothing. He just stared at her for a beat longer, then exhaled through his nose before turning on his heel and walking away.

Jared followed, but not before glancing over his shoulder and flashing her a thumbs-up, followed by a quick fighting gesture as if to say, Hang in there.

Lily groaned internally and sank into her chair. This job was going to be the death of her.

Why do I have to pretend I don't know a thing... when I could fix this mess in a flash

Lily sighed, glancing at the tangled web of problems before her. It wasn't that she couldn't handle them—she could, easily. But she was here for a reason, and showing her true capabilities would only complicate things.

She hadn't taken this job out of necessity. She was here because of Ivy. Because Ivy had recommended her to him. And until she understood why, she had to play her role carefully. Something was off in this company—things weren't quite right. But what? And why did Ivy think she needed to be here to figure it out?

Yet the bigger question lingered in the back of her mind.

Why was she hiding what she could really do?

Rewinding the Past...

Lily had always believed that passion for work made everything easier. She thought that enjoying what she did would naturally bring fulfillment. However, her previous job had shown her the harsh reality—companies that recognized an employee’s talent often exploited it. When they saw potential, they burdened her with more responsibilities under the guise of promotions, yet the rewards never matched the effort. More tasks, higher expectations, but never the right salary or value. It had been exhausting. She had given her all, only to be taken advantage of.

That experience had shaped her current outlook. She chose to work at the flower shop not only for its peaceful atmosphere but also because she no longer wanted to display her full skill set. She didn’t want to stand out, didn’t want to be noticed for more than what she presented on the surface. If she showed what she was capable of, she feared she’d be thrown back into the same cycle of being overworked and underappreciated.

But this job wasn’t just an escape—it was connected to Ivy. Lily had always been someone Ivy could rely on, a confidant, a sister in all but blood. And now, Ivy had disappeared, unreachable. The unanswered questions gnawed at Lily, pulling her into Damien’s world, a world she wasn’t sure she belonged in. Why had Ivy put her in his company? What was Ivy keeping from her?

Damien was an enigma himself. His watchful gaze unnerved her, as though he was constantly assessing her reactions, testing her limits. And every time he leaned in, whether to hand her a document or to make a pointed remark, her body betrayed her before her mind could rein it in. A quickened pulse. A held breath.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

But she remained composed. Professional. Her mind could run wild with internal protests, but she refused to let any of it slip. Damien could play his games, but she would not be rattled.

What she didn’t know was that he was enjoying her reactions far more than he let on.

There was no real power struggle between Damien and Ivy—only layers of unspoken understanding. Damien knew why Ivy had placed Lily here, but he wasn’t one to hand out explanations. Business was business. And Lily? She was caught in the middle, drawing conclusions based on half-truths and her own suspicions.

Yet despite all the unanswered questions, one thing was becoming clear: this was only the beginning. And Lily, whether she realized it or not, was already playing the game.

Back to the Present...

Lily finished fixing the mess—documents organized, errors corrected, and systems running smoothly—all while keeping up the act. She adjusted her glasses, pushing them up her nose as she returned to her carefully crafted persona: the slightly clumsy but competent, average employee.

At her desk, Lily stared at the controlled disaster around her. Sticky notes clung to her monitor like they were staging a rebellion, the printer she definitely didn't break (and was now miraculously working again) hummed quietly in the background, and backed to fixing other mess..

She groaned, rubbing her temples. "Remind me again—why did I agree to this?"

Jared smirked, clearly amused. "Technically, you didn't. Mr. Reid decided for you."

Right. Damien Reid. The intimidating, no-nonsense perfectionist who ran this place with a precision that bordered on terrifying. A man with an ego the size of a skyscraper—and the sharp intellect to back it up.

And worse? He was watching her. Closely. Like she was a puzzle he was determined to solve.

Lily quickly schooled her expression into something neutral and presentable, adding just the right touch of artificial sunshine to her demeanor.

"I'm here checking if the document that was soaked in coffee got fixed?, Ms. Lily," Jared said, his tone light, laced with humor.

"Oh yes, yes—ahm, here!" she said, rifling through the mess on her desk with what she hoped looked like natural clumsiness. She finally plucked the document free and handed it over with a bright smile.

Jared raised an eyebrow, taking it from her. "Oh, that was fast. I thought it would take a while—usually, this doc—"

"Oh, it was nothing!" she cut in quickly, still smiling. "I just hope everything runs smoothly tomorrow. Hahaha."

Jared didn't seem convinced, but he let it go. Instead, he lingered, tapping his fingers against the edge of her desk. His gaze flicked down to the document, scanning its contents with a sharpness that made Lily uneasy. The usual amusement in his eyes faded slightly, replaced by something more unreadable. Then, with a tone that was both casual and unsettling, he said,

"Be careful with Mr. Reid’s curiosity, Ms. Lily. The more you intrigue him, the more relentless he becomes. And once you’re in his sights… there’s no slipping away."

Lily stiffened.

Before she could respond, Jared walked away, his words lingering like a cold, deliberate threat.

A chill ran down her spine.

What the hell did that mean?

Unbeknownst to Lily, someone had been watching her from afar.

A shadowed figure sat in the farthest corner of the office breakroom, just out of sight but with a clear view of Damien and Lily's interactions throughout the day. A subtle smile played on their lips as they watched the battle unfold between the assistant and her boss.

A phone buzzed in their pocket. A single message lit up the screen.

Anonymous: She's good. Maybe even better than we expected.

The figure's gaze lingered on Lily one last time before slipping out of sight.

The game was just beginning.

A Breath of Fresh Air

By the time Lily got home, exhaustion clung to her like a second skin. Fixing whatever mess had led to the company's financial report being marinated in French roast had taken everything out of her.

Honestly, she didn't even want to think about how that happened in the first place.

All she knew was that by the time she finished, Mr. Reid had given her one of his signature unreadable looks, Jared had left her with a cryptic warning, and her brain had officially hit its limit for the day.

She needed a reset. A real one.

So, without overthinking, she changed into something casual and comfortable and headed to **the one place that always made her feel lighter—**the flower shop she used to spend her time in while she doesn't overseeing some paper works in Ivy's Company.

Chaos in Bloom

The moment Lily stepped inside, the familiar scent of fresh flowers wrapped around her like a warm embrace. The soft hum of classical music played from an old speaker, mixing with the gentle rustling of leaves as the air-conditioning whispered through the shop.

She barely had time to take it all in before—

"Lily-jie!"

A blur of motion—followed by a very enthusiastic arm around her shoulder—was all the warning she got before Xiabao, the shop's ever-dramatic and questionably hyperactive helper, latched onto her like a koala.

"It's you! It's really you!" Xiabao gasped, clutching her arms as if he'd just seen a long-lost celebrity. "**Lily-jie has returned to the sacred land of peace and petals! My heart is full! My soul is—ow!"

A well-aimed flick to the forehead from Maomao, the current manager and resident "mom friend," cut off whatever nonsense Xiabao had planned.

"Let her breathe first," Maomao sighed before offering Lily a small smile. "Welcome back."

Lily chuckled. "It's good to be back."

Xiabao, recovering from his forehead assault, immediately turned back to Lily with an intense expression. "Lijie , you must answer me!"

"...Answer what?"

"How is the outside world treating you?" he demanded. "Are you eating well? Have you made any enemies? Any scandals? Are you secretly an heiress running from an arranged marriage?!"

Lily blinked. "What?"

"I've been watching a lot of dramas," Xiabao said seriously. "I'm just saying, your life feels like one."

Lily groaned, rubbing her temples. "It feels like one because my new job is an actual nightmare."

"Oh?" Maomao raised an eyebrow. "More than the time we had to wrestle that old lady for the last shipment of white lilies?"

"Yes."

"...More than the bridezilla incident?"

"...Yes."

Maomao frowned. "That's concerning."

Xiabao, however, was already bouncing with excitement. "Tell us everything!"

Lily sighed. "It's just... I work for this guy, Mr. Reid—"

Before she could even continue, Xiabao gasped so loudly she swore it echoed.

"Wait. WAIT. Is he hot?"

Lily choked. "W-what?"

"Is. He. HOT?!"

Maomao groaned. "Xiabao."

"WHAT? It's an important question!" Xiabao huffed. "We need to know if Lijie is suffering for a worthy cause."

Lily buried her face in her hands. "Oh my Goodness."

"Well?" Xiabao wiggled his eyebrows. "On a scale of 'I'd rather be blind' to 'unfairly attractive CEO villain,' where does he rank?"

"...Xiabao."

"Aha! That pause was suspicious!" He pointed at her dramatically. "You totally hesitated! That means—"

"It means," Lily cut in before he could spiral, "that my boss is an insufferable, controlling, painfully observant man who makes my job infinitely harder than it needs to be."

"...But hot?"

"Xiabao."

Maomao, ever the responsible one, steered the conversation back to reality. "What kind of mess did you have to fix today?"

Lily sighed. "Well. The company's financial report was soaked in coffee."

Maomao stared at her.

Xiabao nearly fell over laughing.

"Wait. WAIT." Xiabao gasped between wheezes. "Who dunks a financial report into coffee?! Who looks at a pile of paperwork and thinks, 'hmm, you know what would make this better? A caffeine bath!'"

Lily shook her head. "I have no idea. And honestly? I don't want to know."

Maomao snorted. "I assume your boss was thrilled."

"Oh, absolutely," Lily deadpanned. "He only asked one question: 'Do I even want to know why my monthly financial report is currently marinating in French roast?'"

Xiabao howled. "OH MY GOD. M A R I N A T I N G."

Even Maomao was trying to hold back laughter.

Lily sighed dramatically. "If I wasn't already dead inside, that day alone would have killed me."

"RIP Lily," Xiabao said solemnly.

Maomao rolled her eyes but smiled. "So... what else happened?"

Lily hesitated for a second. Because Jared's warning...

"Don't feed Mr. Reid's curiosity... and don't amuse him too much. If you do, he'll devour you completely, Ms. Lily."

The way Jared had said it—the way his usual amusement had faded—it unsettled her more than she cared to admit.

She wasn't stupid. She knew Mr. Reid was dangerous in ways beyond just his position and power. But... what did Jared mean by devour?

Lily shook off the thought. No. She wasn't going to overthink this. Not tonight.

She forced a small smile. "Nothing important," she lied. "Just office stuff."

Maomao gave her a look that said she knew there was more. But—mercifully—she didn't press.

Instead, she nudged Lily toward the counter. "Then let's not talk about work anymore. We still have leftover cake from a customer's wedding order. You should have some before Xiabao eats it all."

Xiabao gasped in offense. "How DARE—"

Lily laughed, letting herself relax for the first time all day. This was what she needed.

A break. A breath of fresh air. A moment where she didn't have to think about Mr. Reid at all.

If only it were that easy.

Hoping tomorrow will be smooth sailing at work... if another mess would pop up... I'll slightly fix it without letting myself involved to much... she thought, joining Maomao and Xiabao..

After all, keeping her real abilities under wraps was all part of the plan. closing the report with a small, victorious smirk.