104.Changed ...??
The door to the CEO's office gave a soft chime.
Kyron glanced at the access panel.
"Sir… it's Circe."
Maximilian didn't look up from the document he was signing.
"Send her in."
Kyron nodded and opened the door.
Circe stepped inside—
not with her usual dramatic hair flip, overly sweet smile, or that irritating arrogant strut she used to parade everywhere.
No.
Today she walked in calmly.
No exaggerated perfume.
No unnecessary makeup.
Her posture was poised, respectful, almost… graceful.
Maximilian finally glanced up—
And his pen froze mid-air.
Circe gave a gentle nod.
"Good afternoon, Max."
No clingy tone.
No trying to sit too close.
No calling him Maxy or Snow Prince or any of her previous nonsense.
Just… normal.
Even Kyron blinked.
"Afternoon," Maximilian said cautiously. "What do you want?"
Circe held out a transparent holo-folder.
"I need your help understanding something related to President David's finance group.
Some paperwork doesn't match the projected reports, and I'm worried it might affect his upcoming economic review."
Maximilian narrowed his eyes.
No bratty entitlement.
No "you owe me",
No demanding tone.
Just… genuine concern.
He scanned the documents briefly.
They were real issues.
Not fake.
Not excuses to see him.
Kyron raised a discreet brow at Maximilian.
She's actually serious.
Maximilian leaned back slowly.
"You didn't ask your usual analysts?"
"I did," Circe said politely. "But I wanted a second opinion I can trust."
Trust.
Not flirt.
Not manipulate.
Maximilian's eyebrow twitched.
"Sit."
Circe sat quietly, hands folded, posture immaculate.
If someone had told him she was the same Circe as last year—the loud, chaotic, egoist tornado—he would've called them insane.
He slid the documents back to her.
"You did the right thing. These inconsistencies could cause major issues in the long term. I'll forward a revised clean draft to you."
Circe's eyes widened slightly.
"…Thank you, Max."
He stiffened.
That tone.
Soft.
Sincere.
Not sugary.
Not fake.
Maximilian wasn't used to this.
He stared at her for a long moment, searching for trickery, manipulation, even a hidden smirk.
Nothing.
Just Circe.
But… changed.
Mature.
Calm.
Respectful.
Kyron watched the two, trying not to chuckle.
"Anything else?" Maximilian asked, voice clipped.
Circe stood. "No. I'll leave now."
No lingering.
No excuses to stay.
No flirting.
She actually walked away.
Halfway to the door, she paused and turned slightly.
"And Max?"
Her voice soft but steady.
"I'm not here to bother or chase you anymore. I'm just trying to fix the messes around me… and grow up."
Maximilian stared.
Kyron almost dropped his holo-pad.
Circe gave a small, elegant bow.
Then she left the office.
---
AFTER SHE LEAVES
Silence.
Maximilian tapped his pen lightly against the desk.
"…What was that."
Kyron folded his arms. "A changed woman, I suppose."
Maximilian scoffed.
"No one changes overnight. She's planning something."
Kyron shrugged.
"Or maybe she isn't."
Maximilian didn't answer.
He stared at the door Circe had exited through.
The unusual calmness she carried.
The lack of theatrics.
The sincerity in her voice.
It unsettled him more than her old clinginess ever did.
He picked up another file, trying to focus—
But the words blurred.
Something didn't sit right.
"She'll show her true colors eventually," Maximilian muttered. "She always does."
Kyron smirked.
"Or maybe… this time she won't."
Maximilian didn't respond.
But internally?
He felt something he hated—
Confusion.
And an unfamiliar, reluctant…
respect?
He shook the thought away immediately.
Impossible.
No way Circe could change.
…
Right?
Silence settled again in the obsidian office.
Maximilian flipped open another file, trying to focus.
But his eyes weren't moving across the page.
Not even one line.
Kyron stood in front of him, arms crossed behind his back in a professional stance…
But his expression?
Absolutely not professional.
A smug, slowly growing smirk tugged at his lips.
Maximilian didn't look up — but he could feel Kyron staring.
Finally, he sighed.
"…Say it."
Kyron tilted his head, pretending innocence.
"Say what, sir?"
Maximilian snapped the file shut.
"That expression. You're dying to comment."
Kyron lost the battle and let the smirk fully appear.
"Well… sir… I must say…"
Maximilian glared.
Kyron continued anyway.
"Circe has changed. Genuinely. You saw it."
Maximilian scoffed. "Temporary."
Kyron raised an eyebrow. "She didn't flirt with you."
"She's plotting."
"She didn't cling."
"She's scheming."
"She didn't use her usual perfume that makes the entire floor cough."
"She's distracting me with new tactics."
Kyron let out a small laugh.
"Sir, with all due respect… she just asked for help on a financial inconsistency."
Maximilian leaned back in his chair, jaw tightening.
"And yet it bothers me."
Kyron's smirk deepened.
"You're bothered because she didn't annoy you."
Maximilian slowly turned his head toward him, deadly eyes narrowing.
"…Kyron."
"Yes, sir?"
"Shut up."
Kyron straightened instantly, but his grin refused to die.
"Of course, sir."
Silence.
Three seconds.
Kyron couldn't resist.
"You know, if a woman isn't clinging, chasing, or screaming your name anymore, it usually means she's—"
"Kyron."
"Yes, sir?"
"If you finish that sentence, you'll be transferred to Antarctica branch."
Kyron coughed dramatically into his fist. "Noted."
Maximilian reopened the file, pretending to read.
Kyron watched him for another moment—
then spoke again, tone softer this time.
"…Sir. People can change."
Maximilian's pen stopped moving.
Kyron added, voice gentle but honest:
"She might be trying to grow. For real. Not for someone. Not for attention. Just for herself."
Maximilian remained silent.
Kyron looked at him with the slightest smile.
"And you noticed it. That's why you're irritated."
Maximilian finally looked up, eyes cold but conflicted.
"I don't care about her personal development."
Kyron smirked.
"Of course, sir."
"Stop smirking."
"I'll try, sir."
"Try harder."
Kyron turned away before he burst out laughing.
Maximilian watched him leave the office…
And for a split second, a reluctant, irritated thought crossed his mind:
…She really did change.
He hated how much he noticed.
---