The entire executive floor had gone completely silent.
Employees who normally rushed around with files and laptops now stood frozen near their desks pretending to work while openly staring.
Because their CEO—
the same Stephan everyone feared speaking to directly—
was currently walking toward someone with an expression nobody had ever seen before.
Slowly.
Without looking away even once.
Pixel's heartbeat became uncontrollable the closer he came.
And honestly—
she suddenly regretted agreeing to this surprise.
Because now every single person was watching.
Stevan looked emotionally invested beside her.
Johan looked one second away from recording the moment.
Hill alone still looked like the only mentally stable person there.
Mostly.
Finally, Stephan stopped directly in front of Pixel.
Close enough that his voice no longer needed volume.
For one long moment—
he simply looked at her.
At the ID card around her neck.
At the company logo beside her name.
At the official employee access card resting against her formal shirt.
Real.
She was actually here.
Part of his world now.
Stephan's voice came out quieter than expected.
"…You joined my company?"
Pixel tried to sound calm.
"…Surprise?"
A few employees nearby physically looked emotional hearing that.
Stephan still kept staring at her silently.
Then finally—
"You applied secretly."
It wasn't a question.
Pixel looked slightly guilty now.
"…Maybe."
Behind them, Johan whispered dramatically toward Hill—
"She's cooked."
Hill nodded calmly.
"Probably."
Stephan looked at her for another few seconds before speaking again.
"When?"
"A few weeks ago."
"And nobody told me?"
Stevan immediately looked away.
Johan suddenly found the ceiling fascinating.
Hill drank coffee silently.
Traitors.
All of them.
Stephan noticed instantly.
"…You all knew."
Johan pointed toward Pixel immediately.
"She emotionally manipulated us."
"I did not!"
"You absolutely did," Stevan replied proudly.
Stephan rubbed his forehead briefly like he genuinely didn't know whether to be shocked or impressed anymore.
Then finally his eyes returned to Pixel again.
"…You passed the interview yourself?"
This time her answer came more confidently.
"Yes."
Something softened in his expression immediately after hearing that.
Because he knew how much this mattered to her.
Not entering because of him.
But because she earned it herself.
A faint smile slowly appeared on his face.
And somehow—
that affected Pixel even more than if he had said something dramatic.
"You really did all this quietly," he murmured.
Pixel lowered her voice slightly.
"You were exhausting yourself too much."
The sentence hit him instantly.
Because suddenly—
everything connected together.
The morning pickups.
The lunchboxes.
The concern.
And now this.
She had been trying to protect him too.
In her own way.
Stephan looked at her silently for a few moments longer before quietly asking—
"…This was for me too, wasn't it?"
Pixel looked away immediately.
"That's not the only reason."
"But it's one reason."
Her silence confirmed enough.
And for one brief second—
the exhaustion in Stephan's eyes softened completely.
Because honestly—
he wasn't used to this.
To someone caring enough to rearrange parts of their life for him too.
Stevan suddenly whispered loudly to Johan—
"Oh my God, bhai is gone emotionally."
"I know," Johan whispered back dramatically. "Look at his face."
Unfortunately—
half the office heard them.
Stephan ignored both of them completely.
But several employees nearby were now staring openly in disbelief.
Because their terrifying CEO—
was looking at someone with unmistakable softness in his eyes.
One employee whispered quietly to another—
"Do you think they're dating?"
Another employee replied immediately—
"They are either dating or married emotionally."
Meanwhile Pixel wanted the floor to open and swallow her alive.
Stephan noticed instantly.
His voice softened slightly.
"You're nervous."
"Because your entire company is staring."
"They'll survive."
"That's easy for you to say."
"It is."
That answer made Johan physically hold his chest dramatically.
"HE'S JOKING IN OFFICE."
Hill sighed softly.
"The company is healing."
Finally Stephan looked around once toward the staring employees.
Instantly everyone panicked and pretended to work again.
Keyboard sounds suddenly returned everywhere.
Stephan looked unimpressed.
Then quietly—
"Come with me."
Pixel blinked slightly.
"Where?"
"My office."
The entire executive floor became suspicious immediately.
Stevan looked ready for entertainment.
Pixel looked nervous again.
"…Right now?"
"Yes."
"But—"
Stephan lowered his voice slightly.
"You surprised me in front of my whole company."
A small pause.
"…Now I want explanations privately."
Her heartbeat instantly betrayed her again.
Stephan noticed immediately.
Of course he did.
A faint smile touched his face again before he turned calmly and started walking toward his office.
After two seconds—
he realized she wasn't following.
Stephan looked back slightly.
"…Pixel."
The way he said her name so naturally in front of everyone somehow made the atmosphere even worse.
Several employees looked emotionally damaged instantly.
Pixel finally started walking after him while trying very hard to ignore every staring face around her.
Behind them—
Johan sighed dramatically.
"This office will never recover from today."
Stevan nodded proudly.
"Best day of my life."
Hill took another calm sip of coffee.
"…HR is going to gossip for months."
The moment Stephan's office door closed behind them—
the noise from the executive floor disappeared instantly.
Silence filled the room.
Heavy silence.
The kind that made Pixel suddenly aware of everything.
Her heartbeat.
His gaze.
The fact that they were finally alone after that entire chaotic surprise outside.
Pixel turned toward him nervously.
"…Say something."
Stephan stood near the door for a second just looking at her.
Still processing.
Still stunned.
Then slowly—
he started walking toward her.
One step at a time.
His eyes never leaving hers.
And suddenly Pixel realized something dangerous.
He looked emotional.
Actually emotional.
Not dramatic.
Not shocked.
Deeply affected.
"You secretly applied," he said quietly.
Pixel tried to defend herself weakly.
"I wanted it to be a surprise."
"You went through the entire interview process alone."
"Yes."
"You joined my company…"
A small pause.
"…because you were worried about me."
Pixel looked away immediately.
"That's not the only reason."
"But it's one of them."
Silence.
Because both of them knew it was true.
Stephan stopped directly in front of her then.
Close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating from him.
Pixel's heartbeat instantly became uneven again.
And of course—
he noticed.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"There it is."
"Please don't start."
"You're nervous."
"Because you're staring at me like that."
"Like what?"
"Like you're about to say something dangerous."
His expression softened slightly.
"I don't think I can explain properly what I'm feeling right now."
That sentence alone weakened her immediately.
Stephan looked down briefly at the ID card around her neck again.
Then quietly—
"You really came into my world."
The softness in his voice made her chest tighten painfully.
Pixel tried to speak lightly to hide it.
"You say it like I joined the military."
A small laugh escaped him.
Low.
Tired.
Warm.
God.
She loved that sound too much.
Then suddenly—
before she could react properly—
Stephan gently held the sides of her chair and slowly pushed it back slightly until she was trapped between him and the desk.
Pixel's breath caught instantly.
"Stephan—"
"You have any idea what you did to me outside?"
His voice had dropped lower now.
More intense.
Her heartbeat became ridiculous.
"You stood there wearing my company ID like it was normal."
"You're overreacting."
"No," he murmured softly while leaning closer. "I'm reacting exactly enough."
Pixel tried to say something else.
Anything.
But the moment Stephan's hand moved lightly against the side of her face—
her thoughts completely scattered.
His forehead rested briefly against hers.
And for one second—
neither moved.
Just breathing each other in.
Then finally—
Stephan kissed her.
Deeply.
Intensely.
Like he had been holding himself back since the moment he saw her standing on the executive floor.
Pixel's fingers instinctively grabbed the front of his shirt as he kissed her harder this time, one hand tightening slightly around the chair beside her while the other rested near her waist.
Every emotion he hadn't said out loud somehow existed inside the kiss instead.
Shock.
Relief.
Love.
Exhaustion.
Happiness.
All of it.
Pixel's breathing became uneven almost immediately under the intensity of it.
And Stephan only kissed her deeper after feeling it.
Like after weeks of exhaustion and pressure—
this was finally the one thing allowing him to breathe properly again.
When they finally pulled apart slightly—
both were breathing harder now.
Foreheads resting together.
Too close.
Still not letting go.
Pixel's voice came out soft and breathless.
"…We're literally in your office."
"Hm."
"Anyone could come."
"I locked the door."
Her eyes widened instantly.
"You planned this?"
A faint dangerous smile appeared on his face.
"I planned nothing."
That answer was somehow worse.
Pixel tried to steady her breathing while Stephan kept looking at her like he still hadn't fully recovered from the surprise.
Then quietly—
"You really worried that much about me?"
The emotion in his voice this time completely softened her again.
Pixel looked at him silently for a moment before answering honestly.
"You weren't taking care of yourself."
"And this was your solution?"
"You were exhausting yourself trying to create time for me."
Stephan's gaze softened instantly again.
"So you came closer instead."
The way he said it made her chest ache.
A small smile appeared on his lips before he leaned down once more and kissed her slower this time.
Gentler.
But somehow even more dangerous.
Because now it wasn't shock anymore.
Now it felt like gratitude.
Like love.
Like someone silently saying—
thank you for staying.