The next few days passed in a strange balance between happiness and exhaustion.
Everything between Stephan and Pixel had become softer now.
More natural.
Morning calls.
Late-night conversations.
Messages in the middle of meetings.
Small teasing.
Comfortable silence.
It slowly became impossible for either of them to go through a normal day without reaching for the other person at least once.
And maybe—
that was exactly the problem.
Because Stephan was no longer only handling emotions.
He was handling an entire company too.
And the combination was destroying his sleep.
One night, nearly two in the morning, the lights in Stephan's office cabin were still on.
Files covered the table.
Laptop open.
Phone vibrating every few minutes.
His tie hung loose around his neck while one hand pressed lightly against his forehead.
He looked exhausted.
Actually exhausted.
But still working.
The office floor outside had already emptied hours ago except for a few late-night employees quietly finishing reports.
Inside the cabin, Stephan finally closed one file and leaned back heavily in his chair.
At the exact same moment—
his phone lit up.
Pixel calling.
And despite how tired he was—
his expression softened instantly.
He answered immediately.
"You're awake?" he asked quietly.
On the other side, Pixel sat on her bed with concern already visible in her expression.
"You're still in office?"
"Hm."
"What time is it there?"
"Late."
"That's not an answer."
Stephan glanced toward the clock briefly.
"Almost two."
Pixel immediately sat straighter.
"Stephan."
"What?"
"Why are you still working?"
"Because apparently companies don't run emotionally."
Despite the teasing tone, his voice sounded tired.
Too tired.
Pixel noticed immediately.
"When did you sleep properly last?"
Silence.
Which itself was an answer.
Her expression tightened.
"You're not sleeping, are you?"
"I sleep."
"How many hours?"
Another silence.
"…Stephan."
"A few."
"That is not a number."
He closed his eyes briefly and leaned back further into the chair.
"There's work."
"And?"
"And I'm trying to give time to you too."
The honesty in his voice made her pause immediately.
For a second she forgot how to respond.
Because he sounded so genuine.
So tired.
And yet—
not complaining.
Pixel's voice softened instantly.
"You don't have to talk to me all night every day."
"I want to."
"That doesn't mean you should destroy your health."
A faint smile appeared on his tired face.
"You sound like my mother."
"Good. Someone has to control you."
"That sounds impossible."
"It's not impossible. You're just stubborn."
He let out a quiet laugh at that.
Then suddenly another voice entered the cabin dramatically.
"BRO YOU LOOK HALF DEAD."
Johan.
Without knocking.
As usual.
Hill entered behind him holding coffee.
And both stopped immediately after noticing Stephan on call.
Johan narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"…Is that Pixel?"
Stephan ignored him completely.
Hill looked at Stephan properly for a second before speaking seriously.
"When did you sleep last?"
"I slept."
"Liar," Johan replied instantly.
Pixel could hear everything from the phone now.
"…Johan is there?"
"Yes," Johan answered loudly before Stephan could. "And your boyfriend looks emotionally and physically damaged."
"Give me the phone," Stephan said flatly.
"No."
Hill placed coffee on the table while observing Stephan carefully.
Dark circles under his eyes.
Open files everywhere.
Half-finished reports.
Phone always in hand.
Hill sighed softly.
"You're overdoing it."
Stephan finally looked at them calmly.
"The project closing is this week."
"And?" Johan dropped into the chair dramatically. "You think if you die, the company will become emotional and stop working?"
Stephan looked unimpressed. "Very motivating."
"I'm serious," Johan continued. "You work the entire day, then spend the entire night talking to Pixel, then come back to work again. This is not healthy."
Pixel became quieter hearing that.
Because now she understood.
He really wasn't sleeping properly.
Stephan noticed her silence instantly through the call.
"Don't listen to them."
Johan looked offended.
"She SHOULD listen to us."
Hill nodded calmly.
"You genuinely look exhausted."
Stephan rubbed his forehead lightly.
"It's temporary."
"That's what overworked CEOs say before collapsing," Johan replied immediately.
Pixel sighed softly from the other side.
"You're going home right now."
Stephan frowned slightly. "No."
"Yes."
"I still have work."
"You also have a body."
Hill immediately pointed toward the phone.
"I like her."
"Same," Johan added. "Finally someone powerful enough to control this man."
Stephan gave both of them a cold look.
Neither cared.
Johan leaned closer dramatically toward the phone.
"Pixel, he hasn't slept properly in days."
"I'm aware now."
"Exactly. Please emotionally threaten him."
Stephan closed his eyes briefly in irritation.
"Johan."
"What? I'm helping the relationship."
Pixel couldn't stop the small laugh that escaped her.
And the moment Stephan heard her laugh—
his expression softened again automatically.
Hill noticed instantly.
"…See?" he murmured quietly to Johan. "That face again."
Johan looked genuinely emotional suddenly.
"You know," he said while staring at Stephan, "for years this man looked like someone emotionally unavailable to humanity."
Stephan looked unimpressed. "Are you done?"
"No," Johan replied immediately. "Because now look at you."
A pause.
"You're tired, stressed, overworked…"
Then slowly a grin appeared.
"…and still happier than before."
Silence settled briefly after that.
Because unfortunately—
it was true.
Stephan looked away quietly.
And that alone confirmed everything.
Pixel's chest softened painfully on the other side of the call.
Hill leaned lightly against the table before speaking calmly.
"You should rest sometimes too."
Stephan finally sighed softly.
"I will after this week."
"You said that last week too," Johan replied instantly.
"Why are you both here anyway?"
Hill lifted the coffee cup slightly. "Because your assistant looked terrified."
"And because your office lights were still on at two in the morning," Johan added.
Then after a moment, Johan suddenly narrowed his eyes suspiciously toward Stephan again.
"Wait."
Stephan already looked tired of him.
"What?"
"You and Pixel definitely talk till morning sometimes, don't you?"
Pixel immediately choked on air from the other side.
Stephan looked completely calm.
"That's none of your business."
Johan gasped dramatically.
"OH MY GOD YOU DO."
Hill started laughing quietly for the first time that night.
And despite his exhaustion—
even Stephan smiled slightly too.
Because somehow—
these people had become part of his happiness again too.
The week became brutal.
Meetings.
Deadlines.
Reports.
Investors.
Project closure.
Everything arrived at once.
And in the middle of all of it—
Stephan was trying to hold together both his company and his happiness at the same time.
Which meant one thing.
He barely slept.
Even Johan and Hill started noticing how bad it had become.
One afternoon, all three of them sat inside Stephan's office surrounded by files and laptops while employees outside moved nervously across the floor.
Stephan had been working continuously for hours.
Coffee untouched beside him.
Eyes tired.
Voice rough from lack of sleep.
Hill looked at another report before speaking calmly.
"You need rest."
"I'll rest after this project ends."
"You've been saying that for days," Johan muttered while typing on Stephan's laptop beside him.
Stephan didn't even argue this time.
That itself worried them more.
Hill quietly observed him for a moment.
Dark circles.
Constant headaches.
Still checking his phone every few minutes whenever Pixel texted.
Still making time for her no matter how exhausted he became.
Johan leaned back dramatically in his chair.
"You know this is insane, right?"
Stephan finally looked up slightly.
"What?"
"You're running a company all day and emotionally dating all night."
Despite everything—
a faint smile appeared on Stephan's tired face.
"Even if it's exhausting…"
A small pause.
"…I'm happy."
The room became quieter after that.
Because he meant it completely.
Hill looked at him silently for a second before speaking softly.
"You really love her that much."
Stephan didn't answer immediately.
He just looked down at the file in front of him quietly.
Then—
"Yes."
Simple.
Certain.
No hesitation.
Johan stared at him dramatically.
"Oh my God. He admitted emotions voluntarily."
Stephan ignored him.
Hill shook his head slightly before opening another document.
"Move," he said calmly. "I'll handle these reports."
Stephan frowned slightly. "You don't have to."
"We know."
Johan pulled another file toward himself too.
"But if you collapse dramatically in the office, your employees will start crying."
"That's not true."
"Your secretary literally looked emotional yesterday," Johan replied immediately.
Stephan rubbed his forehead tiredly.
And despite all the teasing—
both Johan and Hill quietly started helping him finish the remaining work.
Because they knew.
No matter how strong Stephan looked—
he was exhausted.
That evening, long after work ended, Stephan still drove to Pixel's apartment.
Even though his body felt heavy.
Even though his eyes burned from lack of sleep.
Because seeing her had become the only thing that made the exhaustion feel bearable.
Pixel opened the door and immediately frowned.
"You look terrible."
"Very romantic greeting."
"I'm serious."
Stephan stepped inside slowly and loosened his tie slightly.
"I'm alive."
"Barely."
She closed the door behind him while watching him carefully.
He looked genuinely exhausted tonight.
Not just tired.
Drained.
Pixel's chest tightened softly seeing it.
"Sit," she said quietly.
Stephan dropped onto the couch without arguing for once.
That alone scared her.
Because Stephan never listened this easily unless he was truly exhausted.
"I'll bring water."
He nodded slightly while leaning back and closing his eyes for a second.
Pixel walked toward the kitchen quickly.
But when she returned a few minutes later—
she stopped near the entrance quietly.
Stephan had fallen asleep sitting on the couch.
Still in formal clothes.
Head tilted slightly to one side.
One hand resting loosely near him.
Like his body finally gave up the moment it found somewhere safe.
Pixel's expression softened painfully.
Slowly, she placed the glass down quietly and walked closer.
For a moment she simply stood there looking at him.
The same Stephan everyone feared in the office.
The same man who carried entire companies on his shoulders.
Sleeping like this from exhaustion.
Because he was trying to handle everything.
Including her.
Very gently, Pixel crouched slightly beside him and touched his hair softly.
Stephan stirred faintly before opening his eyes slowly.
The moment he saw her—
his expression relaxed immediately.
"You should sleep properly," she whispered quietly.
His voice came out rough from exhaustion.
"Come here first."
"What?"
"Recharge me."
Despite herself, she smiled slightly.
"How?"
A faint tired smile appeared on his face.
"By giving me a hug."
Her heart softened instantly.
Without arguing this time, Pixel leaned down carefully and wrapped her arms around him gently.
The moment she did—
Stephan exhaled slowly like his entire body finally relaxed.
His arms wrapped around her waist immediately.
Holding tightly.
Comfortably.
Like this was the only place he could breathe properly now.
After a long silence, Pixel whispered softly near him—
"You're too exhausted."
He buried his face slightly near her shoulder.
"But I'm still happy."
That sentence hurt her heart more than complaints would have.
Because he really meant it.
A few days later—
things became worse.
Stephan was inside the office discussing reports with employees during a meeting when suddenly—
his vision blurred slightly.
He paused mid-sentence.
One employee frowned immediately.
"Sir?"
Stephan lifted a hand lightly toward his face—
then stopped.
Blood.
A thin line of blood had started running from his nose.
The room immediately became tense.
Employees stood instantly.
"Sir!"
"Call someone!"
"I'm fine," Stephan said flatly despite clearly not being fine.
Hill entered the office at the same moment and his expression changed immediately.
"Stephan."
"It's just stress."
"That is not 'just stress.'"
Johan appeared behind Hill and looked horrified.
"Oh fantastic. The CEO is bleeding now."
Employees panicked even more hearing that.
Stephan grabbed tissues impatiently.
"I said I'm fine."
But honestly—
he looked exhausted enough to collapse.
And that night, when Pixel found out what happened—
something inside her tightened painfully.
Because suddenly she realized something important.
A lot of Stephan's exhaustion came from constantly trying to create time for her.
Driving to meet her.
Late-night calls.
Working extra hours afterward.
Sleeping almost nothing.
And for the first time—
love stopped feeling only romantic.
It started feeling heavy too.
That same night, after sitting silently for a long time in front of her laptop—
Pixel quietly opened Stephan's company website.
Career page.
Applications.
Her fingers hesitated briefly above the keyboard.
Then slowly—
she started filling the form.
Not because she wanted favors.
Not because she needed his name.
But because if she worked there—
he wouldn't have to sacrifice so much time just to see her.
Maybe then—
he could finally breathe a little too.
because even she say him to rest and don't make time for her he is not going to listen her so this is the only way to help him.
Pixel didn't tell anyone about the application.
Not Stephan.
Not her manager.
No one.
After submitting it that night, she simply closed the laptop slowly and sat there in silence for a long time.
The image of Stephan standing in his office with blood running from his nose refused to leave her mind.
Neither did the exhaustion in his eyes.
Or the way he still smiled at her despite looking completely drained.
It scared her.
Because Stephan loved intensely.
Too intensely sometimes.
And she was beginning to realize that when Stephan loved someone, he gave everything without calculating the damage to himself.
That realization sat heavily in her chest the entire next day.
Meanwhile, Stephan continued working like nothing happened.
Which somehow made things worse.
By afternoon, the entire office already knew something had happened yesterday.
Employees whispered quietly whenever Stephan walked past.
"He still came to work today?"
"Didn't he collapse yesterday?"
"I heard it was stress."
"No, I heard he hasn't been sleeping."
"And he still looks terrifying."
"That part never changes."
Inside the executive meeting room, Stephan sat calmly reviewing reports while several board members discussed project closure timelines.
Outwardly—
perfectly composed.
But Johan, sitting beside him, could immediately see the difference.
The exhaustion.
The slower reactions.
The way Stephan rubbed his temples when he thought nobody noticed.
Hill noticed too.
Which was exactly why both of them had unofficially started helping him with work every day now.
Not because Stephan asked.
Because he never would.
But because they cared.
The meeting finally ended after nearly two hours.
The moment the board members left, Johan threw a file dramatically onto the table.
"That's it. I'm kidnapping you."
Stephan barely looked up. "No."
"Yes."
Hill calmly closed another file nearby.
"You need rest."
"I'm working."
"You're dying professionally," Johan corrected immediately.
Stephan sighed tiredly and leaned back slightly in his chair.
"I'm fine."
"You literally started bleeding yesterday."
"It was stress."
"That sentence sounds less convincing every time you say it."
A small silence followed before Hill spoke quietly.
"When did you sleep properly last?"
Stephan looked down at the papers in front of him.
"…I don't know."
That answer alone made both Johan and Hill exchange looks.
Because Stephan wasn't someone who admitted weakness easily.
If he sounded this tired openly—
it meant he was far worse internally.
Johan softened slightly after noticing it.
Then quietly—
"Talk to us honestly."
Stephan stayed silent for a few seconds before finally speaking.
"The project closing is taking longer than expected."
Hill nodded.
"And?"
"And I still want time with her."
That sentence came out more vulnerable than Stephan intended.
Johan's expression softened instantly.
Because suddenly everything made sense again.
Stephan wasn't exhausting himself because of ambition.
He was exhausting himself because he was terrified of losing balance again.
Work.
Love.
Responsibilities.
Happiness.
He was trying desperately to protect all of it at once.
Hill leaned back slightly and crossed his arms.
"You know she'd understand if you rested more."
"I know."
"Then why don't you?"
For the first time since the conversation started—
Stephan looked genuinely honest.
"…Because I lost three years already."
Silence.
Heavy silence.
Johan looked away briefly after hearing that.
Because there was nothing dramatic left to say after a sentence like that.
Stephan's voice became quieter.
"Every time I leave work early, I think about how many nights I went home without her."
His eyes lowered slightly.
"So now when I can actually see her…"
A pause.
"…I don't want to waste time anymore."
That sentence hurt even Johan emotionally.
Hill sighed softly and rubbed his forehead.
"You're in love dangerously."
Stephan almost smiled faintly.
"Probably."
That evening, Stephan still went to see Pixel again despite everyone practically threatening him to go home and sleep.
When she opened the door this time, she immediately crossed her arms.
"No."
Stephan blinked slightly.
"…No what?"
"You are not coming inside until you answer honestly."
His tired eyes narrowed slightly.
"This feels aggressive."
"When did you last sleep properly?"
"I sleep."
"Hours, Stephan."
He became quiet.
Exactly the response she expected.
Pixel stared at him for a few seconds before stepping aside finally.
"Come in."
Stephan walked inside slowly, clearly too exhausted to even argue properly tonight.
That alone made her chest hurt again.
As soon as he sat down on the couch, Pixel placed water in front of him.
Then she stood there looking at him quietly.
"You scared me yesterday."
Stephan's expression softened immediately.
"It wasn't serious."
"You were bleeding in the middle of the office."
"It happens sometimes."
"That sentence is not comforting."
He looked at her silently for a moment before speaking quietly.
"…I'm okay."
"No," Pixel whispered softly. "You're not."
The room became quiet after that.
Because both of them knew she was right.
Stephan leaned his head back tiredly against the couch.
For the first time in years—
he looked tired in front of someone without trying to hide it.
And maybe that itself showed how much he trusted her now.
Pixel sat beside him slowly.
Not too close.
Just enough.
"You need rest."
"I know."
"Then why are you still here?"
That question made him turn slightly toward her.
The answer came immediately.
"Because I wanted to see you."
Her chest tightened painfully again.
Everything always came back to that.
To her.
And somehow that made her both deeply loved and deeply afraid at the same time.
Pixel looked down at her hands quietly before speaking again.
"…What if one day you push yourself too far because of me?"
Stephan frowned slightly hearing that.
"That's not your fault."
"But it's connected to me."
"It's connected to wanting you in my life."
The softness in his exhausted voice nearly broke her heart.
Stephan leaned closer slowly until his forehead rested lightly against her shoulder.
Then quietly—
"Just let me stay like this for a minute."
Pixel's breathing softened immediately.
Because suddenly—
he didn't look like the powerful CEO everyone feared anymore.
He just looked tired.
Human.
Someone carrying too much for too long.
Very carefully, she lifted one hand and ran her fingers slowly through his hair.
And Stephan closed his eyes instantly.
Relaxing completely under her touch.
Like this—
right here—
was the only place his exhaustion finally loosened.