Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Agatha stepped out of the cab with a deep sigh. She had been unable to sleep well the night before, her newborn nephew keeping up everyone in the house with screams and wails. She smoothens out her pencil skirt, the dark green contrasting nicely against her white blouse. 

No matter. Today was an important day. 

Today, they would finalize the designs for the new collection, which is something Agatha always found exciting.

Finally. 

She thinks, walking into the building and toward the elevators. They've been putting it off for the past two weeks because one of the fashion designers had been fired. Their CEO, stubborn as he is, didn’t want to continue until he hired a new one. From some trusted sources—the one group chat they all had without the CEO—Agatha knew that her boss had finally found a suitable hire.

Pressing the button for her floor, the woman greeted her colleagues with a smile. Well, as much as she could smile with zero caffeine in her system. 

The woman was lost in her thoughts until the elevator dinged, announcing her floor. Pushing through too many people than needed, she stepped out of the enclosed space. She walked further into the building, turning a corner into an open office area. There were no cubicles; instead, they had simple yet eye-catching desks with three drawers to the side—big enough to fit a box of cornflakes into each drawer. Each desk was big enough for two people, with a divider in the middle. There were two rows arranged vertically, ending when reaching the far wall made of ceiling-high windows. 

Morning light entered the room easily, illuminating the coffee machine, which immediately caught Agatha’s attention. The brunette immediately walked over to the counter-table, ignoring the greetings of friends as she moved to brew herself a drink. 

“At this point, I should expect this, no?”

The speaker, a raven-haired man in his early twenties, his brown eyes crinkled in amusement. He was talking to the woman standing next to him in the small space between each desk. She grins at him before looking at Agatha, moving a lock of hair away from her face. Shufen, her name, looked almost the same as her cousin, who was sitting beside her. The two of them are often mistaken for brother and sister by those who don’t know them. Li Qiang and Li Shufen looked too amused as they watched Agatha gulp down the cup of coffee before moving on to the second cup.

Li Shufen was about to reply, to tease their friend some more, when a loud voice spoke.

“G-G-G-Good M-Morning Everyone!”

Those currently present in the office looked over to the front where a small petite girl stood, half trembling as she gazed at the floor. She had golden blonde hair that was tied up into a messy bun. When she looked up at them, opening her mouth to say more, and they all could see her blue eyes glisten, seeming teary-eyed.

“I-I-I-I-I am t-t-the ne-new h-hire. M-My n-n-name i-is Y/N.” 

It was silent for a moment until someone started choking. They all looked over to the long counter table on the side of the room where Agatha stood, reaching for a bottle of water from the fridge below the table. She was coughing violently as Li Shufen went over, opening the bottle and handing it over. The raven-haired woman looked at y/n with a sheepish smile, batting Agatha’s back. 

“Welcome y/n. We’re happy to have you here.”

A hand raised from the back of the room, followed by a question. 

“Are you the new fashion designer?” 

The words belonged to a short man, almost y/n’s height. Green eyes assessed y/n, from her pale skin to the small trembles she emitted with their usual intensity. 

“U-um y-y-yes!” Y/n stuttered, watching as the man raked a hand through his messy hair. She blushed a little, thinking the man handsome. The morning light shone upon his strawberry blonde hair, creating a soft halo. Agatha—who had stopped coughing by now—and Li Qiang narrowed their eyes at y/n at the way she looked at their colleague.. 

Before anything more could be said, a tall woman, close to 6ft, entered the office space. Excluding y/n, they all recognized her to be the CEO’s secretary. Long-time employees know her to be hard-headed and serious. And she was the only one able to put up with the boss and his theatrics. 

She glances at y/n before nodding in satisfaction. 

“Good, you’re here. Now,” she turns back to the room at large, “we are having a meeting in room C. Those involved in the new collection, please attend in 10 minutes with the necessary materials.”

With that, the secretary, Tirza, left the room, heading to the other offices on the floor. 

Agatha drank a bit more water before moving to her table. The one in front of Li Shufen. She gathered her files, already prepared before she left home, looking up to see Shufen and Qiang doing the same. Her eyes roamed over to the far side of the room, where Elijah, the strawberry blonde from earlier, was standing up and moving over to them. 

Making sure Elijah was alright, she looked over at the new fashion designer, y/n. The woman was at her table, which was next to Agatha’s, in front of Li Qiang. She was placing down her bag, taking out a laptop from it. She was trembling still. 

Is the room too cold? Agatha wonders, taking in her outfit. She was wearing a plain light-blue hoodie and oversized grey sweatpants. She looked back at her friends before she snapped back to y/n, finally registering her outfit. 

“You know someone is going to report you to HR for wearing that, right?” 

Shufen and Qiang look at Agatha before looking y/n, taking in her outfit as well. 

“O-o-o-oh r-r-r-really?” Y/n looks down at herself. She clenches her fists and trembles even more.

“I-i-i-i-”.

Elijah walks up to them then, smacking Shufen’s back with his file affectionately. He grins at Agatha and Qiang. 

“Let’s gooo. If we’re late, Tirza will glare at us for the rest of the week.”

That’s true... an angry Tirza is a scary Tirza.

Putting off y/n’s clothes for a later time, Agatha moves to walk to the elevator. She talks to shufen about the meeting excitedly, much more cheerful after drinking coffee.

Chapter Text

Li Shufen sat down in a chair, the wheels squeaking a bit as it moved from the action.

Great, I got the squeaky chair. She sighed.

It had become a silent competition between Li Shufen and her friends. Every meeting in room C ended with someone being teased if they picked the specific chair, and, with her cousin, from where he sat next to her, getting that evil glint in his eyes, she knew it was over for her. They’d often hit the chair when someone sat in it and try to disrupt the meeting, but that was neither here nor there.

She set up her files, ready for the meeting. They’d all been anticipating the new collection, and it felt like years till this meeting was announced. 

Tirza walked in, setting up the TV and the presentation. Watching her, the ravenette thinks back to their last meeting on finalizing the outfits when that guy was still around. Good riddance, honestly. There was a reason he was fired. 

It was only then, when the clock hit nine, that the doors opened and in walked the CEO. He was a tall man, like really tall. Standing at 7ft with large muscles and a serious face, who wouldn’t be scared of the guy? He had dark black hair and red eyes, which Li Shufen thought were contact lenses the first time she saw him. The man walked further into the room and sat down at the head of the table, stone-faced as always. 

That guy needs to get laid. Li Shufen is a firm believer that their boss would loosen up a little if he just hooked up with someone. Or got a pet rabbit. Shufen would know; her rabbits are adorable. 

A soft gasp was heard, so low that she only heard it because it came from in front of her. Dark brown eyes look to the person occupying the seat across from her. The ravenette wasn’t sure if she was hallucinating or not. 

There was y/n, staring at their boss with wide eyes, face redder than the lobster shufen was planning to eat for dinner. But what confuses her is that..

Is y/n drooling?

… 

She is totally drooling. Li Shufen can see the trickle of spit running down her chin. Following y/n’s gaze leads to the CEO, who is quietly talking to Tirza. 

Y/n is drooling over the CEO??

Before the woman could make sense of the situation, the rest of the people walked in, carrying laptops and files, some excited and some tired. 

Once everyone settles down, the meeting starts. They spend the first half hour going over the sketches that were already made, adjusting the theme, and crossing out and adding things in. When they finally move on to the outfits, that's when things get weird. 

A pattern maker and fashion designer are presenting an idea and how the garment for one of the dresses should be made. They’re about to conclude when y/n starts stuttering. 

“W-W-W-What if w-we h-h-have a-a-a s-spring t-t-t-theme?”

That girl has a really serious stutter. Wait. 

The pattern maker looks at y/n, as if just realizing she was there, before he speaks up.

“Why would we have a spring theme? We’ve already finalized the theme two meetings ago. It wouldn’t make sense to even have a spring theme when it’s currently autumn anyway.”

All good points that Li Shufen is sure everyone in the room agrees with.

Y/n, however, does not seem to get the point and is about to continue when a loud bang is heard, followed by the table shaking. They all look over to the front of the table. 

For the second time that day, Li Shufen feels bewildered. Because why, on this lovely green earth, is the CEO looking at y/n with such intensity?

They all watch their boss and the new hire have a staring contest, and when Tirza moves to get the CEO’s attention, he suddenly stands, chair almost flying back.

“I think we’re done for the day.” 

His voice, probably deeper than the mariana trench, silences any questions coming his way. He sounds agitated. Or horny? Hard to tell, really. He looks angry but also constipated. 

The man walks away, reaching the door before turning back, eyes on y/n. 

Li Shufen is really sure she got enough sleep the night before, so why is she again hallucinating, but this time it’s her boss’s eyes darkening as he stares at the new hire? Y/n simply stares back, starting to tremble again.

What is with the trembling? Is she sick?

“Y/n”, the CEO’s voice snaps Shufen out of her thoughts, “meet me in my office. Now.” He growls at the last word. Actually growls. 

With that, he leaves, not glancing back as Tirza follows after him, dismissing everyone for the day. 

Elijah is the first to speak, breaking the silence after the boss leaves. 

“Wow.. you really got in trouble on your first day here,” he comments, confusion clear on his face. 

“I-I-I..” Y/n mumbles, looking down at her lap.

“You've got stutter issues? Hey, my cousin does too.” Another fashion designer, one from the other office, says as he stands up, gathering his belongings. 

Y/n looks up then, not saying a word as she grabs her laptop and phone and walks out. She turns to look at them before reaching for the door handle, glaring? as tears glisten in her eyes. 

“I do not have stutter issues.” With that, she walks out, slamming the door and heading towards the CEO’s office. 

They all stare after her, wide-eyed, reminiscent of when the CEO walked out the same way not long ago.

 They are all surprised into silence before it is broken by a “What the fuck?” from Agatha, and honestly Li Shufen can relate. What the fuck indeed. 

Chapter Text

It has been a week since y/n joined the company, and Elijah was 90% sure that something was going on between her and the CEO. The other 10% he was sure that y/n was probably a secret agent, and the CEO was helping her gather information. 

If he told his friends that, they’d ask him to stop watching so many movies. 

Moving on, there is something weird going on with the CEO these days. He’d say the same about y/n, but she was already odd in their first meeting. 

Elijah and Li Shufen were in the breakroom while Agatha went with Li Qiang to buy them food from the nearby cafe. When they returned, he’d suggest they go somewhere else. Today, there were more people in the breakroom than usual. Most would visit the nearby cafes or restaurants, but for the past week, everyone was talking about the 7-foot elephant in the room. 

One of the employees from the second floor was there, telling a group of people sitting around him that y/n has been constantly in the CEO’s office. And that was true; the group chat had been exploding with messages, especially when someone saw y/n getting into the CEO’s car last night after work.

He looked up from his conversation with Li Shufen when he heard the door squeak open. To his disappointment, it wasn’t his friends arriving with food, but y/n, who, finally, stopped wearing hoodies and sweatpants to work. 

One could argue that her clothes now were worse. 

The blonde wore a short red dress with red stilettos. Many eyebrows were raised at her outfit. The dress was tight on her figure, barely reaching her mid-thighs. Her cleavage was out in the open with the low neckline and was only held up due to the shoulder straps. 

The employee who was gossiping earlier stood up from his seat at her entrance, letting someone else occupy it to start their lunch. 

The man walked over to y/n, introducing himself as an HR employee. 

He heard Li Shufen try to muffle a giggle from his side. 

“Your dress is really nice y/n,” the HR member starts. Y/n smiled at him, before stuttering out a thank you that took 10 seconds to finish. Her smile fell when the man continued, “However, it’s not an appropriate outfit for work, and we’ve advised you multiple times privately not to continue this offense, yet you do not listen. I’ll have to ask you to leave. Go home and get changed and then come back, this time in proper clothes, please.”

The only reason Elijah could hear any of that conversation was because he was sitting near them. Both the man and y/n were standing in front of the door, far away from everyone. And the man spoke softly that it was somewhat difficult to hear what he said. 

It was only a second before everything went south. 

Y/n started sobbing. Big fat crocodile tears ran down her cheeks, trembling more than Elijah had ever seen her. And then, the glass door to the room was pulled outwards. No, not pulled, more like yanked free from the wall. 

In walked the CEO, eyes wide with anger, hissing and snarling. He punched the HR employee in the chest, throwing the man to the ground. 

“SHE’S MINE!!!” he roared, kicking the guy before moving to y/n, wrapping his muscled hands around her, before turning back to look at everyone in the room. 

“No one touches y/n. She’s MINE!” the boss growled before looking back to the woman in his arms, comforting her. 

No one moved, shock keeping them in their spot. Elijah thought that was the last of it, before the CEO looked back, scanning each of them before focusing on a girl nearby. Elijah recognized her from the office next to his. She was a kind girl, having only joined them a month ago. The woman had afro hair that was styled into space buns. The CEO strode toward her, eyes darkening. 

Literally how are his eyes doing that?

The 7ft man stood in front of the girl, not wasting a second before he grabbed one of the buns and yanked it out. 

The ripping sound was deafening in the silent room. The employees went into shock for a second time, jaws dropping to the floor. Not sparing them a glance, the CEO, ignoring the cries of the girl, walked back to y/n, wiping her tears using the employee's hair. 

He murmured comforting words to her, telling her how he would let her suck him off back in his office. 

They left the room quickly after that, the CEO carrying y/n in his arms. 

Elijah stared at the now-empty space before turning to look at Li Shufen. 

“His parents definitely dropped him when he was a baby.” 

She blinked at him, and he could see the loading icon hovering over her brain. A pained groan was heard from the floor, the HR employee cradling his torso, no doubt bruised. That seemed to have snapped everyone to life. Some went to tend to the man while an employee called for an ambulance. 

There was some debate on whether they should call the police. 

“Let’s get these two treated first,” Elijah gestured to the two employees the CEO assaulted, “then they can decide how they want to proceed.”

Others, who kept watching from the sidelines, started to talk about what had happened. They went over what happened, confirming the details to report the CEO to HR.

A loud shout was heard from the entrance, bringing attention to two employees carrying parcels of food. 

“Li Qiang,” Shufen immediately sat up, moving towards her cousin. She was a bit shaken up by the unexpected violence. Elijah did his best to comfort her, but he wasn’t an expert in that field. Instead, he left Shufen to Qiang and walked over to Agatha, standing next to them, to explain what had happened when she and Li Qiang were absent. 

…

Work ended early that day, HR sent everyone home, and went to speak with the CEO.

Elijah and his friends walked out of the building together. Some others from different floors joined them, speaking about the day's events. They reached the bus stop across the road, where most parted off. He and the girls waited for Li Qiang to come over with his car.

He looked up at the company building in front of him, going back to the day’s events. It reminded him of the last time he saw that much violence, when-

Wait a minute.

“Is that y/n and the CEO?!” He pointed up at the CEO’s office, and Agatha and Li Shufen followed his gaze. They all watched in shock as their boss pinned y/n against the window. Neither had any clothes on, and from context clues, he could guess what they were doing.

Agatha started suddenly hitting his arm, before turning to look at him, eyes wide.

“Doesn’t he have a wife??” 

Li Shufen looked a bit green before turning her eyes away from the scene. “His wife is so hot..why is he cheating on her.”

Safe to say they left as quickly as they could when Li Qiang arrived with the car, one of them jumping in through an open window before explaining to their bewildered friend. 

Chapter Text

“So they’re not doing anything about yesterday?” 

Elijah was leaning against his chair, the four of them were discussing the events that had happened the day before, keeping their voices low. 

Agatha and Li Shufen were sitting at their desks beside him while Li Qiang was having a difficult time processing the fact that the CEO got off scot-free after he attacked an HR employee.

“He must have high connections then, right?” Shufen remarked, staring at the desk that was in front of Li Qiang's, where y/n should have been working.

Agatha finally placed down her cup of coffee, letting out a sigh. “We should probably avoid y/n. That way neither of them can target us.”

She looked as irritated as Li Qiang felt. 

Just then, two pattern makers walked into the office, heading towards them. They worked on the other side of the building on the same floor as theirs. The man, Oliver, and woman, Sakinah, were their friends, having worked together on a few projects already, excluding the current one.

“Is it true the theme is changing to spring? For the new collection?” Sakinah spoke, adjusting her plain blue hijab which was a bit loose. 

Oliver nodded, looking over at the notes for the project on Li Qiang's desk, “It won’t be a good idea. Having this many revealing clothes when it’s cold out.” The brunette had a frown on his face, clearly not approving of the new designs.

Li Shufen rolled her eyes, “Well, take it up with y/n, she’s the one who convinced the CEO.” She had been upset for Agatha, who had been most excited about the new collection. Having the entire thing changed upset both of the girls, leading to a sleepover a couple of nights ago.

They were quiet for a moment, unhappy with the way things were turning out. He sensed Elijah turn his head from where it rested on top of his, looking towards the entrance of the office. In walked y/n, wearing pretty much a bra. 

Li Qiang wishes he was exaggerating but no, the 4’8 woman was wearing such a small white top it barely held in her boobs. And the dark pants she wore were so tight, it wouldn’t make a difference if she didn’t wear any at all. 

How is she getting away with breaking the dress code?

Y/n walked over to her desk–for the first time that week–and leaned down to pick up a paper bag from one of the drawers. She straightened, glancing around before her eyes landed on Oliver. 

“H-h-h-h-hi. I-i-i’ve ne-never s-s-seen you b-be-before.”

She was smiling shyly, pale face blushing. Her hand reached up toward her blonde hair cascading down her back, twirling a lock of hair.

Sakinah, still trying to fix her hijab–Li Qiang glanced at her fussing with a bent hair safety pin– did not glance at y/n who was ignoring her. Oliver took a moment to look y/n over, looking more and more confused by the second at her clothes. 

“Hi?” he replied, unsurely. He looked over y/n’s shoulder, seeing rough movement. Agatha, who was now standing behind y/n, had her hands in front of her chest in an X sign, shaking her head fast. She looked panicked, glancing behind Oliver and then back at him again. 

Li Qiang, confused, was about to question agatha when he heard Oliver gasp. He turned his head and felt himself freeze. There, behind Oliver with a hand on his shoulder was the CEO, looking furious. His eyes were dark, glaring at Oliver. 

Is he snarling?? Li Qiang thought, confused. He was distracted from his thoughts when Elijah placed a hand on his shoulder, tense. He reached up and squeezed the shorter man’s hand. It must be hard for him to see so much violence so soon.

The silence was broken by the CEO, whispering a furious “wait for me in my office”, and pushing Oliver towards the entrance. Stumbling, his friend complied. Li Qiang could tell he felt confused–who wasn’t at this point–but still complied, leaving the office and entering an elevator. The CEO wasted no time, turning back to y/n. He looked over at her outfit before his frown deepened. 

For a moment, he thought the man was going to reprimand y/n for wearing such revealing clothes. That thought did not last long when the boss looked beside him, looked at Sakinah, and ripped her hijab right off her head.

He then grabbed y/n’s hand, pulling her closer to him before covering her with the hijab. She was brought back to some form of modesty before the man just started dragging y/n away. 

“DID HE JUST-” Li Shufen shouted, before cutting herself off and walking towards Sakinah. Li Qiang quickly moved on from the shock, standing from his chair and turning towards his friend, who had her mouth open in surprise. 

Her head was only covered by the smaller head cover she wore underneath the hijab that thankfully also covered her neck. The safety pin was clutched tightly in her hand. 

“I am so reporting that guy,” Sakinah muttered before walking out of the office and heading toward her own. Agatha and Shufen walked with her, helping her cover her head. 

Elijah, seemingly just coming out of shock, hissed, “Did he seriously just do that? And why did he send Oliver to his office?” The blonde was bewildered, mouth opening and closing as if he had more to say but didn’t know how. 

Li Qiang didn’t reply, but he hoped this nightmare would end soon.

…

It was nearing the end of the workday day and Tirza could already feel a headache coming. She had been working overtime these past couple of days because the CEO was too busy with his head between the legs of the new hire 24/7 to do any real work.

Tirza wondered what the man’s wife would think. The woman, sweet and lovely as she was, often fell ill. For the past two weeks she had been out of the country for treatment and wouldn’t be back until a few more days. Tirza informed the woman’s sister, but agreed that the situation should be kept under wraps till the wife comes back.

She walked out of her office, deciding to get some coffee. Her office was right next to the CEO’s, where he was currently in a meeting with a pattern maker. She wasn’t sure if the meeting ended or not. Tirza was not planning to go inside, not until she’s sure y/n and the CEO aren’t going at it again.

The woman was turning the corner when someone bumped into her. 

The first thing Tirza registered was the pain. Something splashed over her entire torso and bare forearms. 

She let out a hiss of pain. Curling in on herself, Tirza forced herself to open her eyes. There was y/n, her entire body wracking with sobs as she held her finger, which got splashed with a bit of coffee. The CEO was there too, holding her close to him, both seeming content to ignore the person who was actually harmed right in front of them.

There wasn’t much she could do as a few other employees rushed toward her, one calling an ambulance. 

Curse y/n and the CEO and his stupid coffee.

Chapter Text

Sam was just trying to do his job. Working at the bookstore was great, and the pay was alright; he could at least buy the necessary school supplies. It was boring, however, and sometimes he wished something fun would happen.

The door to the staff-only room opened, and his manager walked out with a cart of new books. “Can you stack these in the fantasy section?” Ananya pushed it toward him, and he’d be a fool to say no to the scary woman.

The nineteen-year-old gave her a thumbs up, took the cart, and got to work.

The fantasy section was large, with three separate shelves located at the back of the store. Sam was organizing the books on the shelves while stocking new books in the right sections. It wasn’t even ten minutes into his task until he heard soft murmurs.

The first voice was high-pitched, stuttering now and then, while the second voice was the total opposite, confident with a deep timbre. 

He was about to ignore it until something hit his head, falling to the ground beside his feet. Sam looked down, eyes going wide as he saw a pair of pink panties. 

The poor boy didn’t have enough time to process what had happened when he heard muffled groans and whimpers from the shelf behind him. 

“That’s it, y/n, be quiet. Only I can hear you.” 

The male growled, and the whimpers increased. 

Sam, now traumatized and robbed of his innocence, quickly and quietly left the area. Of course, the universe has to torture him; this is NOT what he meant by wanting something fun to happen. He should have listened to his ma and been grateful for what he had. Next time Sam is ungrateful, he’ll eat his shoes and walk in the mud barefoot.

…

Agatha was over it. She was getting too pissed off at y/n, and even coffee was starting to lose its effect. She, along with her three other friends, was working late. All. Because. Of. Y/n. 

They were halfway through designing the outfits for the new collection and had to present the progress to the CEO. It wouldn’t have been such an issue if it weren’t for the fact that y/n was nowhere to be found. That girl has not been responding to messages or calls. Agatha doubts she was even in the office, and it was made worse when the CEO fired Tirza recently.

Usually, the assistant was the one keeping track of it all. After her unemployment, everything was such a mess, all made worse by the CEO and y/n. 

Elijah lets out a sigh, leaning back against his chair. They were in one of the breakrooms, this one closer to the CEO’s office. 

“We’re halfway done, right..?” the man whispered, eyes drooping and nodding off now and then.

Agatha pushed a cup of coffee at him, muttering a soft “drink” before turning back to her laptop screen. 

Other than the four of them, everyone had left by now. Only the security and janitors were in the building, maybe the CEO.

Li Shufen grumbled, muttering about y/n’s lack of work as she finished a slide, moving on to the next one.

It was somewhat peaceful for a while. The shuffling of papers and clicking of keyboards was close enough to lull Agatha to sleep.

Or it would have been if not for the sudden, loud, clapping sounds.

The four of them, along with Li Qiang, who came back with another cup of coffee, looked at the direction of the CEO’s office. Besides the clapping, moaning can be heard, growing louder by the second.

“That’s it, y/n! Let it out!” 

The CEO roared, his growls audible from even two rooms away. They looked at each other, unsure what to do.

“H-HARDER!” Y/n’s scream was deafening, probably loud enough to shatter the ice freezing Mariah Carey. 

They wasted no time. In a surprising moment of telepathy between all four, they quickly put away their things into bags and left the room. Ditching the elevator, they took the stairs in fear of the noise it would make. 

This is the last straw for Agatha; she is going to find a way to get rid of y/n soon enough.