Chapter Text
After applying to ten different companies and landing interviews with three of them, Mon's choice was obvious. Diversity, led by the renowned Samanun Anuntrakul, was known worldwide for setting the top trends on social media. She'd briefly considered joining their rival competition, Nita Creative and Event Exhibition, but something pulled her toward Diversity — or rather, someone.
Kornkamon Phetpailin had admired Sam since she was young. Now, she finally had the chance to work alongside her. Sam wasn't just the CEO of Diversity; she was also the lead singer of Black Heart, one of the most famous girl bands in Asia. And guess who their number one fan was?
Anyway — back to the story.
Mon climbed the office stairs with Yha at her side. Yha was known as Sam's right hand. Whatever Sam needed, Yha made it happen.
"I saw in your profile that you're half Thai and half British. Is that correct?" Yha asked.
Mon nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes. I'm British on my dad's side, but I moved back and forth between Thailand and England, so I'm familiar with both cultures."
"Excellent. We need to broaden our spectrum internationally, so you'll be a great asset." Yha gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
After the proper introductions, Mon sat down at her desk and began reading up on the latest company news. The office buzzed with quiet typing, punctuated by the clicking of heels on the floor. Whispers stirred around the room.
"She's early."
"I thought she had a concert last night and wouldn't come in today."
"Everyone, shush! She's here."
Mon was focused on her monitor when she noticed a few coworkers rising to greet someone.
"Good morning. Yha, I need you in my office in 15 minutes. Tell Aunt Mhee to prepare two black coffees for me. I need the extra caffeine today."
Mon caught Yha's nod from the corner of her eye.
She must have arrived. Mon whispered to herself.
She peeked above her monitor just in time to glimpse the back of Sam's head as she entered her office. The room collectively exhaled.
"At least she didn't yell today."
"She must have a splitting headache after last night."
A few chuckles scattered through the room before people returned to work. A neat pile of documents appeared on Mon's desk.
"Hi, I'm Noi. I work in Human Resources. I need you to read and sign all of these by the end of the day."
Mon nodded.
"If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask."
"Thank you, Noi."
"Just a little reminder — I know you're probably not thinking about this on your first day, but there's a rule Miss Sam has enforced for the past five years. If you break it, you might as well hand in your resignation."
"I think you mentioned it in my interview. No dating amongst coworkers, right?"
"Exactly. No matter how cute some of the guys and gals are around here, avoid breaking that rule, okay?"
Mon nodded again, and Noi smiled before disappearing as quickly as she had arrived.
Half the shift passed. After lunch, Mon felt sleepy and went to the kitchen to make herself some coffee. When she returned to her desk, an email notification appeared on her screen. She opened it to see a company-wide announcement:
Good afternoon, everyone!
Tomorrow we'll have our weekly meeting at 10:00 AM to discuss new topics for our webpage. I expect bright, fresh ideas from each and every one of you. Please bring your questions and concerns from our last meeting — give them to Yha before 9:00 AM so she can forward them to me, and I'll set aside a few minutes to address them.
As a thank you for your hard work, I'm giving you the rest of the afternoon off. Unless there's an urgent matter, you may go home. For those concerned about your pay — don't worry. You'll be paid as if you worked the full shift. Now get out of here before I change my mind.
See you tomorrow.
Samanun Anuntrakul
CEO of Diversity
They didn't need to be told twice. By the time Mon finished reading, half the office had already headed downstairs. She dropped the stack of signed papers on Noi's desk, grabbed her bag, and noticed movement inside Sam's office.
I should thank her for hiring me, Mon thought, shaking her head. I'll do it tomorrow. She probably wants to be alone right now.
She headed out, unaware that Sam had quietly opened her office door and was watching her leave.
The next morning, everyone gathered in the meeting room, notebooks and laptops ready. Mon was a bundle of nerves, knowing today she would see Sam face-to-face. With commanding presence, Sam strode into the room, moved a whiteboard to the center, and grabbed a black marker.
"Good morning, everyone. I trust you all had a good night's sleep and are ready for today's meeting. Let's begin. Please raise your hand if you wish to speak."
One by one, the staff began pitching ideas, but none seemed to impress the CEO. Mon had a couple of ideas herself but hesitated, unsure if it was her place to speak.
"Okay, most of these ideas are repetitive — same lines, different words. Come on, people. Think outside the box. Give me something that will wow me."
If it hadn't been the middle of the day, you might've heard crickets. The room fell silent. They'd been at it for two exhausting hours. Everyone needed a break, but no one dared speak up. Except Mon.
She raised her hand, determined, waiting for Sam to notice.
"Excuse me, Miss Sam. I think we should take a break. We can regroup our thoughts and offer you better ideas."
Gasps rippled around the room as though she'd committed the ultimate sin. Sam approached, brow arched.
"Who are you to speak to me that way?"
Mon swallowed but held her ground.
"I'm sorry. I don't mean to be rude, but we're exhausted and burnt out. We'll keep giving you bad ideas if we don't clear our heads."
Sam scoffed.
"Everyone, take a break."
Mon smiled in relief.
"Except you, miss..."
"Kornkamon."
"Kornkamon. You — come with me to my office."
Sam walked out. Mon gathered her things as Chin muttered under his breath.
"It was nice knowing you, Mon." Noi elbowed him sharply. "Ow! It's the truth. She's as good as fired for talking back to Miss Sam."
Mon left the room, placed her belongings neatly on her desk, and knocked on Sam's office door.
"Come in."
She entered but didn't see Sam — until she felt arms wrap around her waist and lips press against her cheek. Mon sighed, melting into the warm embrace.
"Do you think they suspect anything, babe?" Sam's voice tickled her ear.
Mon giggled.
"No. They think you're about to fire me."
Sam spun her around, and Mon wrapped her arms around Sam's neck.
"If only it were that easy. But I want you near me every second of every day. I'm so glad you took this job. I was this close to begging when you said you were considering Nita's company."
Mon laughed softly.
"You're so overprotective, Samanun. It was just about work. I wasn't about to sleep with Nita."
Sam groaned, placing a tender kiss on Mon's lips.
"Don't even say that. The idea's repulsive. You're mine. I won't share you with anyone."
Mon brushed a loose strand of hair behind Sam's ear.
"Always yours, baby."
They kissed, soft and slow. Sam pressed their foreheads together, breathing out a contented sigh.
"How long do we have before it gets suspicious?"
Mon shrugged.
"Maybe 15, 20 minutes."
Sam grinned wickedly, removing Mon's blazer.
"Twenty minutes is more than enough, love."
Mon laughed as she let herself be guided to one of the office couches. Not that it compared to her favorite couch — the one at their house.
Oh — did I forget to mention Sam and Mon are secretly married? Whoops.