"Hey Stone, my cat just had six kittens. I can't handle them all—want one?" Tom Harrison leaned over Alex's desk with an easy smile. A fellow sales executive who'd been with the company a year longer than Alex, Tom was well-liked around the office and happily married.
"I can barely take care of myself, let alone a cat," Alex replied without looking up from his work.
"How about you, Grace?" Tom tapped his pen against the partition separating Alex's desk from a stylishly dressed woman. Grace Chen was Alex's college classmate, rumored to have sworn she'd only marry a billionaire. Despite her ambitious reputation, she was actually quite pleasant—especially with Alex.
She was objectively beautiful, but their friendship had evolved beyond any romantic potential. In Alex's mind, she was more of a brother than a potential girlfriend.
"Your ordinary housecat? Don't you know I only keep Persian cats?" Grace answered while carefully applying a fresh coat of nail polish.
"Apparently even pet adoption has its class prejudices," Alex quipped with a grin.
"Watch it, or I might let slip how you hired someone to take your TOEFL exam," Grace threatened, leaning back in her ergonomic chair to fix him with a pointed stare.
"You've been holding that over my head for two years now," Alex rolled his eyes. "I was busy job hunting at the time. Besides, with my language skills, I could pass any English exam—I just couldn't be bothered. I prefer speaking Mandarin to show my patriotism, you know?"
"Patriotism? Next you'll claim your perpetual single status is your contribution to population control," Grace wheeled her chair over to pat his shoulder mockingly.
"I'm in my career growth phase, if you must know," Alex pushed her chair back firmly. "And you can handle the Financial District account yourself—I'm out."
"Alex, darling Alex, don't be like that," Grace rolled back to his desk with a pleading look. "That female CEO is impossible to deal with. She's like a modern-day Miranda Priestly—her financial acumen would put Wall Street analysts to shame. If she were a man, I could handle it!"
"And my compensation would be...?" Alex asked with a knowing smile.
"Alex, really—given our friendship, isn't discussing payment a bit crude?" Grace attempted a serious expression.
"Well, I'm busy then," Alex turned back to his work.
"Fine. Dinner."
"Deal!" Alex grinned, then announced to the office: "Everyone, Grace is treating us to dinner tonight. Skip lunch to save room!"
"Excellent!" came the chorus of approval from their colleagues.
"Alex Stone, you devil," Grace glared at him before breaking into a smile herself.
Finding such joy in the mundane workday was its own kind of happiness.
The rest of the morning passed in easy banter and laughter—their office was known throughout the company as the one place where genuine mirth could still be heard. Their sales numbers backed up their positive attitude; they consistently led the company in performance.
Sales Team Six consisted of six people: Alex and Tom representing the male contingent, while Grace Chen, Sarah Palmer, Jackie Liu, and Rachel Lee made up the female majority. Sarah was the office veteran, having been with the company the longest. Jackie and Rachel were currently out meeting clients.
Their easy rapport was interrupted when Mr. Han, the Beijing branch CEO, poked his head in. "I can always hear laughter from your office—it's quite distinctive," he observed with a slight smile.
"You have to admit, Mr. Han, we also have the best numbers in the company," Sarah pointed out from her desk near the door.
"True enough, which is why I let you get away with so much," he gestured at their personalized workspace with its carefully curated wall of photos and trinkets. "Speaking of which, where are Jackie and Rachel?"
"Out chasing deals for our capitalist overlord," Alex chimed in cheekily.
"Mr. Han, I must protest—why does our team always get the heaviest workload? Could we either reduce it or hire more people?" Tom asked.
"Funny you should mention that," Mr. Han's smile widened as he opened the door fully. "I've brought you a new team member. Everyone, please welcome Emma Carter."
The first thing they noticed was a pair of elegant legs in Louboutin heels, followed by an impeccably tailored Theory suit that highlighted a graceful figure. Finally, the woman herself stepped into view.
"Hello everyone," she offered a brilliant smile that somehow managed to be both professional and warm. "I'm Emma Carter, and I look forward to working with you all."
"You!"
"You!"
Emma and Alex pointed at each other in mutual shock. The woman was none other than the subway passenger from that morning's rather unfortunate incident.
"Well, Stone, you two know each other? Perfect!" Mr. Han beamed, oblivious to the tension. "Emma, you can take the desk next to Alex. He's our top performer—learn everything you can from him. They call him our walking encyclopedia."
After Mr. Han departed, leaving an awkward silence in his wake, Tom ventured, "So... you two know each other?"
"Talk about a small world," Alex muttered through clenched teeth.
"Indeed," Emma agreed coolly. "Though I knew him better as the subway deviant."
"Subway deviant?" The rest of the office exchanged glances before bursting into laughter.
"And here I thought you were some common street thug," Emma surveyed Alex's business attire with obvious skepticism. "Who knew you actually worked here?"
"Likewise—I had you pegged all wrong," Alex retorted, deliberately vague about his initial assessment.
"Well... I look forward to working together," Emma managed with visible effort, remembering her position as the newcomer.
"You're not a hundred-dollar bill—not everyone has to like you," Alex shot back. "But don't worry, an empty head isn't a problem as long as it's waterproof."
The previously welcoming atmosphere crackled with tension. Grace stood abruptly, studying the newcomer with laser focus.
Emma wore head-to-toe luxury brands: Louis Vuitton suit, Christian Dior pumps, each piece worth thousands. Most irritating was her Chanel bag—this season's must-have that Grace had been coveting. The appearance of someone who could challenge her position as the office fashion icon was deeply unsettling.
Grace circled Emma like a cat sizing up potential competition, while Emma maintained her polite smile despite clear confusion at the scrutiny.
"How old are you?" Grace demanded, hands on hips.
"Twenty-four."
'A year younger than me,' Grace noted mentally. "Height?"
"Five-foot-eight."
'An inch taller!' Grace's eyes narrowed. "And your measurements?"
Emma blinked, thrown by the suddenly personal line of questioning.
"Grace, enough with the interrogation," Sarah intervened with a laugh. "I'm Sarah Palmer—you can call me Sarah. Welcome to the team."
"Thank you, Sarah," Emma's genuine warmth returned.
The introductions continued, though Grace maintained her suspicious observation. Meanwhile, Alex and Grace conducted an entire conversation through subtle glances:
'You know her?' Grace's raised eyebrow inquired.
'Long story—wrong place, wrong time,' Alex's slight grimace replied.
'She's not what she seems,' Grace's narrowed eyes warned.
'How can you tell?' Alex's skeptical look asked.
'Woman's intuition,' Grace's confident smirk answered.
'Suggestions?' Alex's questioning glance sought advice.
'Test her. See how she handles pressure.'
'Consider it done.'
Their silent exchange concluded just as Emma finished arranging her desk essentials.
"So, Emma," Alex cleared his throat. "As Mr. Han mentioned, you'll be shadowing me. Think you can handle that?"
"Of course," Emma agreed with visible reluctance.
Her background made the situation particularly ironic. Born into privilege, she'd enjoyed a comfortable life despite her parents' divorce. Her father's doting had made up for her mother's absence, though constant competition with her sister had added spice to their family dynamic.
Then came the unexpected variable—a twenty-four-year-old gold digger who'd somehow ensnared their father. For the first time ever, the feuding sisters found common ground in their opposition. Their protest took the form of parallel escapes—Emma to Manhattan, her sister elsewhere.
While finding an apartment had been simple enough, securing appropriate employment proved challenging. Finally, she'd leveraged her connections to join the company's Manhattan office, requesting discretion about her background. Sales Team Six had the best reputation, and Alex Stone was their star performer. She'd spent the morning imagining what kind of person could achieve such status—only to discover it was the subway cad himself.
"In sales, everyone starts at the bottom," Alex continued with exaggerated authority. "That means handling the basics first. You'll be in charge of office hospitality—drinks, snacks, that sort of thing. Clear?"
Emma's jaw clenched, but she nodded sharply, shooting him a venomous glare that Alex pretended not to notice.
He exchanged a subtle thumbs-up with Grace while Sarah watched with barely concealed amusement, curious to see how their new colleague would handle the hazing.
"Actions speak louder than words," Alex declared smugly. "Everyone's been working hard all morning—why don't you get us all some water?"
Without a word, Emma stalked to the water cooler, her Louboutins clicking against the floor with military precision.
She distributed the water with elaborate courtesy to everyone except Alex, nearly slamming his cup onto his desk.
Alex took an elaborate sip, then sprayed it back into the cup with a grimace. "What is this?"
"From the water cooler, obviously," Emma replied through gritted teeth.
"Oh no, no, no. I only drink bottled water—specifically, the 1982 vintage." Alex maintained a straight face with heroic effort.
Tom and Grace choked on their drinks simultaneously, spraying water across their desks while trying to contain their laughter.
"Alright, Alex, that's enough," Sarah intervened, though her eyes sparkled with suppressed mirth. "Let's all try to get along—we're colleagues now."
"Yes, ma'am," Alex acquiesced with a grin.
"Stone, you're something else," Tom shook his head admiringly.
"What would we do without our office clown?" Grace added fondly, their years of friendship evident in her tone.
Emma shot Alex one final glare before taking her seat, privately wondering how such an insufferable man could possibly be the company's top performer. She'd definitely need to keep an eye on him.