Episode 5

Maya’s question hung in the air, and for a moment, Aria didn’t reply. She kept her eyes on her laptop screen, pretending to type, but her fingers had stopped moving.

“I don’t… think about him,” she said finally, though her voice didn’t sound convincing.

Maya gave her a look. “Aria, it’s okay to miss someone.”

Aria forced a small smile. “I’m fine, Maya. Really. I just have too much work to think about the past.”

Before Maya could say anything else, a sharp knock came at the door.

A knock came at her door, and Rachel stepped in, looking uneasy. “Ma’am… there’s something you need to see.”

Maya finally stood, giving Aria a teasing look. “Alright, I’ll stop bothering you.” and left.

Aria looked at Rachel and asked, “What is it?”

Rachel walked forward, placing a printed document on the desk. “The revenue projection John finalized last night—there’s a major error in the expense forecast. The partners just sent an email questioning the numbers.”

Aria’s brows drew together sharply as she grabbed the paper, scanning the highlighted section. Her jaw tightened. This wasn’t a “tiny mistake.” It was sloppy work, and if the partners thought GreenTech was careless with figures, it could damage their credibility.

“Where is John?” she asked, her voice calm but clipped.

Rachel hesitated. “At his desk.”

“Send him in. Now.”

Moments later, John stepped in, looking nervous. “Good morning, Ma,” he said, his tone respectful.

Aria folded her hands on the desk, her eyes steady on him. “John, do you understand how important accurate reporting is for this company?”

“Yes, Ma,” John replied quickly.

“Then explain to me,” Aria said, holding up the document, “how you missed a miscalculation this obvious. The partners flagged it before I even had the chance to review it.”

John swallowed, shifting uncomfortably. “I… I stayed late last night trying to finish on time, Ma. I must have…”

“Tired or not,” Aria interrupted firmly, “this level of carelessness is unacceptable. We cannot afford mistakes like this. One slip-up can cost us far more than you realize.”

John looked down, ashamed. “I’m very sorry, Ma. It won’t happen again.”

“It can’t happen again,” Aria said, her tone softening slightly but still firm. “I’ll handle the correction and personally follow up with them. But from now on, any financial report crossing my desk gets triple-checked before it’s sent out. Understood?”

“Yes, Ma. Thank you, Ma,” John said quickly, before leaving.

Rachel lingered in the doorway, watching Aria tap the document against the desk thoughtfully.

“You okay, Ma’am?” Rachel asked quietly.“If you glare at John like that again, I think he’ll faint, Ma’am,” she said playfully.

Aria allowed herself a small laugh, her expression softening now that the immediate tension had passed. “I’m fine. I just… don’t like mistakes that make us look incompetent.”

Rachel nodded. “I’ll help you recheck the rest of the files before sending anything else out.”

“Good,” Aria said, already turning back to her computer. Her fingers flew over the keyboard, adjusting the figures and drafting a formal explanation.

Outside her office, she could hear hushed whispers from a few employees who had clearly guessed something had gone wrong. She ignored it, she didn’t have the luxury of mistakes—not when Axel’s future depended on the stability she worked so hard to secure.

Her gaze softened as it drifted to the small framed photo on her desk—Axel grinning.

She glanced at the time on her screen. Almost noon. Pushing the corrected report aside, she reached for another folder from her to-do stack.

A soft knock came at the door again, and Rachel peeked in. “Ma’am, I’ve cross-checked the other reports you asked for. Everything else is accurate.”

Aria nodded, relief washing over her. “Good. Thank you, Rachel. You can leave them on my desk.”

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