Early morning, the soft golden light of dawn filled the living room as everyone slowly gathered, still half-asleep.
Julian, however, looked a little too excited.
With a faint blush and shy smile, he held something out in his hands. "Wife gave me a communicator last night..." he said softly, showing them the device.
Milo gasped, eyes lighting up as he leaned forward.
"Wow! That’s the real one?! Let me see!" he said, practically bouncing beside Julian.
Julian chuckled and handed it over carefully, sitting beside him as Milo poked the buttons curiously. "Don’t press that too fast, it might freeze..." Julian warned gently, already showing him how to open the call screen and send a short message.
Milo nodded quickly, fascinated, as if he’d been given the most precious treasure.
But across the room...
He frowned a little, lips pressing into a pout. Wife gave Julian the communicator? Last night? Just to him? She didn’t even mention getting one for Karl.
He sulked, arms crossed, glancing away. "Hmph... So unfair," he muttered under his breath.
Adrian, who was sitting with a cup of warm tea, noticed but said nothing. He knew Ruby loved Julian. That much was obvious now. So he wasn’t surprised.
Why did it sting just a little?
Why did something in his chest twist like a thread pulled too tightly?
He took a slow sip of his tea and looked out the window.
Ruby hadn’t even come out of her room yet.
Meanwhile, Milo was happily grinning, clutching the communicator like it was candy. "Jules! Show me again! What does this button do?"
And Julian smiled gently, teaching him how to use.
"Brother Karl, you’re not going to see?" Julian asked, tilting his head a little as he looked over.
He’d been expecting Karl to be the loudest, the most excited one this morning—after all, when he got the bracelet, he’d been bouncing around like a child over a shiny new toy But now he was just sitting there, arms folded, grumpily chewing on a piece of fruit like it had wronged him.
Karl didn’t respond, just gave a half-hearted shrug and looked away with a pout.
Julian blinked. Strange.
Usually Karl was the first to shout "Me first!" for anything new.
Jett, meanwhile, leaned forward curiously, his green eyes glinting under the morning light. "Is that really the communicator?" he asked softly, fascinated.
Julian nodded, smiling. "Yeah. Here, want to see it?"
He handed it to Jett carefully, and Jett gently turned it in his hands, as if holding something magical.
Adrian also came closer, watching with his usual calm expression, but his eyes were alert—he was curious too.
Julian noticed and handed the communicator over, showing them how to scroll, where the call button was, and how they could use it to reach Ruby if she wasn’t home.
"You’ll be using this to call wife," Julian said with a gentle smile.
And finally Karl’s ears perked up.
His legs moved on their own as he scooted closer with a casual cough. "I mean—not like I care or anything, but if everyone’s going to look, I might as well supervise!" he said, kneeling down beside them with fake disinterest.
Julian blinked again, and a tiny smirk crept across his lips.
Karl peeked into the screen, and the moment he saw the glowing little buttons and the picture Ruby took last night—
His blue eyes lit up.
"Whoa... it’s like a magic box!"
And just like that, the sulky prince turned into a curious kitten.
Julian chuckled quietly to himself.
Adrian left early in the morning for work, as usual—his quiet nod to everyone in the room the only sign of his departure.
Ruby, dressed neatly in a slate-blue robe with her hair tied in a simple braid, glanced at Jett who stood near the door, holding a small notebook and nervously shifting from foot to foot.
"Let’s go," she said, and he followed her into the car with a small, polite nod.
By the time they reached the company, most of the staff were already present. As Ruby walked through the entrance with Jett beside her, heads turned.
People paused mid-task. Whispered to each other.
He looked too delicate. Too beautiful.
"Everyone," Ruby said, her voice calm but firm, "This is Jett. He’ll be working with me from today. He’s my assistant."
There was a small wave of surprise, but no one said anything. Only nodded respectfully. After all, Ruby was the boss.
Jett gave them a small bow. "Hello... I’ll do my best," he said quietly.
Once inside her private office, he followed her in and shut the door gently.
She set her bag down and pulled out a few papers, flipping through them.
"...Are you sure you want me as your assistant?" he asked softly, his fingers clenching around the notebook he brought.
Ruby looked up, her gaze steady. "Of course."
Then, with a light smirk, she added, "But don’t misunderstand—I’m not hiring you just because I saved you."
"I brought you here because I want to test you," she said, folding her arms and leaning slightly against the edge of her desk. "Let’s see if you can really handle the job."
That made his breath catch. "Test...?"
Ruby nodded. "You’re smart But this company isn’t built on pity. It’s built on results."
Jett straightened his back. He looked nervous but also...determined.
"I understand," he said quietly. "Please give me a chance."
Ruby gave a small smile, not unkind. "Good. Your first task starts now."
Ruby stepped out of her office for a moment and asked one of the staff, "Please bring an extra desk and chair for my assistant. Something simple but comfortable."
"Yes, Miss Ruby," they replied quickly, rushing off.
When she returned, Jett was already organizing a neat little pile of papers she had handed him earlier—timidly but precisely.
She placed a file on the table. "I want you to help arrange my schedule for the next three days. And also sort these vendor letters by urgency."
Jett looked up with wide green eyes but nodded quickly. "Yes, I’ll do my best!"
Though he looked delicate, like someone who’d never done this kind of work before, his hands were steady. He carefully read through each document, pausing whenever something confused him, and quietly made notes. His handwriting was small and tidy.
He asked questions when he needed to.
He apologized quickly when he made mistakes.
But what Ruby noticed most was... he didn’t give up.
He looked like someone who’d crumble easily under pressure, but he kept trying. And that was what mattered to her more than anything.
Ruby sat at her desk working on some new robe sketches when—
Her communicator buzzed.
She glanced at the name glowing on the screen.
Her lips curved upward into a soft smile.
—To be continued...🪄