The room stayed silent after the kiss.
Not awkward.
Not tense.
Just full.
Pixel still sat in the chair near Stephan's desk while he remained close enough that she could feel his breathing against her skin. One of his hands still rested lightly near the chair, trapping her there without force but making it impossible for her to think properly.
And honestly—
she wasn't even trying anymore.
Stephan looked at her quietly for a long moment.
Like he still couldn't fully believe she was actually here.
In his office.
In his company.
Part of his everyday life now.
His thumb moved lightly against the edge of the chair before he spoke softly—
"You really surprised me."
Pixel tried to regain composure.
"That was the point."
"You succeeded."
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
Then suddenly Stephan leaned down slightly again and rested his forehead against hers.
His eyes closed briefly.
And that tiny gesture somehow affected her more than the intense kiss before.
Because suddenly—
he looked tired again.
Not CEO tired.
Emotionally tired.
Like someone who had finally put down weight he'd been carrying for too long.
Pixel's expression softened immediately.
"You're exhausted."
Stephan let out a quiet breath.
"A little."
"A little?" she repeated softly. "You barely sleep."
"I'm sleeping more now."
"That's not reassuring."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"You sound worried."
"I am worried."
That answer came immediately this time.
No hesitation.
No embarrassment.
Stephan opened his eyes slowly after hearing it.
And the way he looked at her then—
soft.
Warm.
Almost helpless—
made her heartbeat stumble again.
"You really love me that much," he murmured quietly.
Pixel looked away instantly.
"You say things very suddenly."
"But you never deny them."
Unfortunately—
again—
he was right.
Stephan's hand finally moved gently toward her face, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear slowly.
"You know what the worst part is?"
Pixel looked back at him carefully.
"What?"
"I was trying so hard to protect you from my world before."
His eyes briefly moved around the office.
The meetings.
The pressure.
The responsibility.
The coldness.
"And now you walked into it yourself."
The softness in his voice made her chest ache.
Pixel reached for his hand quietly.
"Maybe I wanted to."
Stephan stared at her silently after hearing that.
Then suddenly—
very slowly—
he lowered himself until he was sitting on one knee beside her chair.
Pixel's eyes widened immediately.
"Stephan—"
"I'm serious."
His hand tightened slightly around hers.
"When you walked onto that floor today…"
A small breath escaped him.
"…I don't think I've ever felt that happy inside this building before."
The honesty in his voice nearly broke her composure completely.
Because she knew how much this company meant to him.
How many years he sacrificed here.
How lonely he became inside these walls.
And now—
somehow—
she had become part of it too.
Very gently, Pixel touched his face.
"You don't have to do everything alone anymore."
Stephan closed his eyes briefly under her touch.
Like those words physically relieved something inside him.
A few quiet seconds passed before suddenly—
a loud knock hit the office door.
Both froze instantly.
Then Johan's voice came dramatically from outside.
"ARE YOU TWO ALIVE IN THERE OR SHOULD WE CALL SECURITY?"
Pixel immediately covered her face in embarrassment.
Stephan looked genuinely annoyed.
Another knock.
This time Stevan.
"BHAI IF YOU DON'T OPEN THE DOOR I'M ASSUMING ILLEGAL ROMANCE IS HAPPENING."
Hill's calmer voice followed afterward.
"Please ignore them. They lost basic dignity years ago."
Pixel started laughing helplessly against Stephan's shoulder.
And honestly—
that sound alone softened him instantly again.
Stephan closed his eyes briefly.
"I'm surrounded by idiots."
"You love them."
A small pause.
Then quietly—
"Yes."
Pixel smiled softly hearing it.
Because before—
Stephan would never have admitted things like that aloud.
Not love.
Not attachment.
Not emotion.
But now—
he said it naturally.
Like he was finally allowing himself to feel things completely.
Another dramatic knock interrupted the moment again.
"OPEN THE DOOR BEFORE JOHAN STARTS CRYING," Stevan shouted.
"I AM ALREADY CRYING," Johan added emotionally.
Pixel laughed harder this time while Stephan finally stood up with visible irritation.
Before moving away completely though—
he leaned down once more and kissed her forehead softly.
Gentle.
Careful.
Like something precious.
Then quietly—
"You're staying for lunch."
Pixel blinked slightly.
"That sounded less like a request."
"It wasn't one."
"You're very bossy suddenly."
"You joined my company. Now I can professionally annoy you too."
She stared at him in disbelief.
"…I regret this already."
A faint smile appeared on Stephan's face again.
"No, you don't."
And honestly—
once again—
he was right.
The moment Stephan unlocked the office door—
Johan nearly fell inside dramatically.
Hill grabbed the back of his shirt before he could fully collapse onto the floor.
Stevan stood behind both of them already grinning suspiciously.
The second Johan looked up and saw Stephan's expression—
he froze.
Then slowly pointed toward him.
"…OH MY GOD."
Stephan looked unimpressed immediately.
"What now?"
Johan turned dramatically toward Hill.
"LOOK AT HIS FACE."
Hill calmly glanced once toward Stephan.
Then nodded.
"He definitely smiled."
Pixel instantly looked away trying to hide her embarrassment.
Stevan looked emotionally overwhelmed.
"This office has healed."
"I'm firing all three of you," Stephan replied flatly.
"No you're not," Johan answered immediately. "You're in love."
Unfortunately—
that was true.
And everyone knew it.
The executive floor employees nearby were pretending not to stare again while absolutely staring.
Because their CEO—
their terrifying emotionally unavailable CEO—
looked happier than anyone had ever seen him before.
And somehow the entire atmosphere around him had changed too.
Softer.
Lighter.
Alive.
Stephan ignored everyone completely and looked toward Pixel instead.
"Come."
Pixel blinked slightly.
"Where?"
"Lunch."
Stevan gasped dramatically.
"He said lunch voluntarily."
Hill looked mildly impressed too.
"That's progress."
Johan placed a hand dramatically over his heart.
"She really fixed him."
Pixel immediately protested.
"He's not broken."
The sentence came out instinctively.
Fast.
Protective.
And for one brief second—
silence settled around them.
Because Stephan looked at her differently after hearing that.
Deeply.
Softly.
Like those words mattered more than she realized.
Johan noticed immediately and whispered emotionally to Hill—
"Oh no. They're becoming more intense."
Hill sighed softly.
"Unfortunately."
Stephan quietly walked closer to Pixel again.
Then in a lower voice only she could hear—
"Thank you."
Pixel looked up slightly.
"For what?"
"For saying that."
The softness in his voice made her chest tighten instantly.
Because she understood what he meant.
Everyone always talked about Stephan like he was cold.
Difficult.
Emotionless.
But nobody really understood him.
Nobody except her.
Pixel looked at him quietly before speaking softly—
"You were never broken."
For a moment—
Stephan genuinely forgot the rest of the office existed.
The way he looked at her after that made Johan physically turn away dramatically.
"I can't watch this sober."
Stevan nodded emotionally.
"Same."
A little later—
all five of them sat together inside the private executive dining area.
And for the first time in years—
Stephan's office floor actually sounded lively.
Johan kept talking nonstop.
Stevan kept making unnecessary comments.
Hill quietly corrected both of them occasionally.
And Pixel sat beside Stephan while trying very hard not to react every time she noticed him glancing at her.
Unfortunately—
he kept doing it.
Constantly.
At one point Johan finally slammed his spoon down dramatically.
"BROTHER."
Stephan looked calm. "What?"
"Either stare openly or stop staring secretly."
Pixel immediately choked on water.
Hill looked away trying not to laugh.
Stevan looked spiritually entertained.
Stephan remained completely shameless.
"I am staring openly."
Silence.
Then Johan looked personally attacked.
"…I hate confident people."
Pixel covered her face instantly.
"You all are impossible."
Stephan leaned slightly closer toward her.
"And yet you joined us willingly."
That quiet teasing tone immediately affected her heartbeat again.
Of course—
he noticed.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"There it is."
Pixel looked horrified.
"Can you stop monitoring my heartbeat professionally?"
"No."
Johan looked confused.
"Wait. You can tell from her heartbeat now??"
Stephan calmly continued eating.
"Yes."
The entire table went silent.
Then Stevan whispered emotionally—
"This relationship is terrifying."
Even Hill started laughing quietly after that.
Halfway through lunch—
Stephan's assistant entered nervously carrying files.
"Sir, the board meeting is in twenty minutes."
Instantly the atmosphere shifted slightly.
CEO mode again.
Responsibilities again.
The assistant placed the files down carefully before glancing toward Pixel nervously.
Clearly trying to understand the office situation now.
Because honestly—
half the company was already emotionally confused.
Stephan took the files calmly.
Then looked toward Pixel.
"You'll stay?"
The softness in his voice compared to the cold professionalism from one second earlier almost gave the assistant emotional whiplash.
Pixel nodded slightly.
"I have onboarding paperwork anyway."
Stephan looked visibly dissatisfied about leaving already.
Johan noticed instantly.
"Oh my God. Look at him."
"What now?" Stephan asked flatly.
"You look like someone is sending you to war."
Stevan nodded dramatically.
"He's emotionally attached beyond repair."
Hill calmly took another sip of coffee.
"Accurate."
Stephan ignored them all again.
But before standing up—
his hand moved instinctively toward Pixel's wrist beneath the table.
Just lightly.
One brief touch.
But enough.
Enough to say—
stay.
Pixel looked at him quietly after that.
And suddenly—
something warm settled deep inside her chest.
Because this no longer felt temporary anymore.
No longer fragile.
No longer uncertain.
Slowly—
without either of them realizing—
they had started building an actual life together.
Even after Stephan left for the board meeting—
Pixel could still feel the warmth of his fingers around her wrist.
It had only lasted a second.
Barely a touch.
But somehow—
it stayed with her longer than words.
She sat quietly in the executive dining area while Johan watched her suspiciously from across the table.
"…You're smiling alone."
Pixel immediately looked up.
"I'm not."
"You are," Stevan replied instantly. "And bhai does the same thing now. It's emotionally disturbing."
Hill stood calmly while collecting empty coffee cups.
"At least both of them look alive now."
The atmosphere softened slightly after that.
Because everyone sitting there remembered the version of Stephan from before.
Cold.
Quiet.
Working endlessly without reacting to anything.
Now?
Now he smiled randomly after reading messages.
Left meetings early sometimes.
Actually ate lunch.
The difference was impossible not to notice.
Stevan suddenly leaned toward Pixel dramatically.
"You know bhai checked your office floor twice already?"
Pixel blinked.
"What?"
"Before lunch," Johan explained. "He literally walked past for no reason."
Hill corrected calmly—
"There was a reason."
Both looked at him.
"You."
Pixel immediately looked away.
"That's not true."
"It is," Johan replied instantly. "That man becomes restless when he doesn't see you for too long."
Stevan looked emotional suddenly.
"Actually disgusting levels of attachment."
Pixel tried very hard not to smile again.
Failed slightly.
Unfortunately—
all three noticed immediately.
"There!" Johan pointed dramatically. "She did it again."
"I hate all of you."
"No you don't," Stevan replied proudly.
And honestly—
once again—
he was right.
A little later, after onboarding paperwork finally ended, Pixel officially entered her workspace for the first time.
Several employees greeted her politely.
Some nervous.
Some curious.
Most already aware of office gossip.
But to Pixel's surprise—
nobody treated her disrespectfully.
In fact, many employees looked genuinely excited she joined.
One girl near the development team smiled warmly.
"We've heard a lot about your project work."
Pixel blinked slightly.
"…Good things?"
"Very good things."
Another employee nodded quickly.
"You solved the client crisis last month, right?"
Pixel relaxed slightly after hearing that.
Because this—
this was what mattered to her.
Not being known as Stephan's girlfriend.
Being respected for her work.
As the afternoon passed, Pixel slowly settled into meetings, introductions, and project discussions.
And honestly—
she was good.
Confident.
Sharp.
Calm under pressure.
By evening, even senior developers looked impressed.
One manager quietly admitted to another—
"No wonder she got selected."
Meanwhile upstairs—
Stephan was pretending to focus during the board meeting.
Pretending very badly.
Because every fifteen minutes—
his attention drifted downstairs.
Toward her.
Johan noticed immediately from beside him.
"Brother."
Stephan looked calm. "What?"
"You've checked your phone seven times."
"I'm working."
"You're emotionally waiting."
Hill sighed softly from the other side of the table.
"She's literally one floor below."
"That's too far," Stephan replied without thinking.
Silence.
Then half the board members looked emotionally uncomfortable.
Johan physically covered his face.
"God. He said that publicly."
Even Stephan realized too late what he'd admitted.
But honestly—
he didn't even care anymore.
By the time work finally ended, the office had already emptied halfway.
Pixel rubbed her eyes tiredly while shutting down her computer.
First day exhaustion finally hitting properly.
Then suddenly—
a familiar voice came softly from behind her.
"Done?"
She turned immediately.
Stephan stood near her desk.
Tie loosened slightly.
Sleeves rolled up.
Still tired.
But looking calmer than before.
Several nearby employees instantly pretended not to notice him.
Very unsuccessfully.
Pixel stood slowly.
"You finished meetings?"
"Finally."
A small silence settled between them.
Then Stephan looked around her workspace quietly.
"You like it?"
The softness in his voice made her chest tighten again.
"Yes."
His expression relaxed visibly hearing that answer.
Then quietly—
"Good."
For a moment neither moved.
The office lights around them had dimmed slightly now, evening sunlight reflecting softly through the large glass windows.
And somehow—
everything felt strangely peaceful.
Stephan stepped closer slowly.
Not too close.
Just enough.
"You looked nervous this morning."
"I was."
"And now?"
Pixel looked around the office once before answering honestly.
"…Better."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"You belong here."
The sincerity in his voice affected her immediately.
Because somehow—
he didn't say it like a CEO welcoming an employee.
He said it like someone genuinely happy she was beside him now.
Stephan looked at her quietly for another moment.
Then softly—
"Come home with me."
Her heartbeat reacted instantly again.
Pixel looked up quickly.
"What?"
His expression remained calm.
"I mean for dinner."
A pause.
"…Before you overthink dramatically."
She immediately looked away.
"You always say dangerous things so casually."
"And you still react every time."
Unfortunately—
again—
he was right.