As Madam Maeve smirked in joy, the sun rolls in and its was now 4 pm when Liam strolled into the delivery office, rolling his shoulders to shake off the lingering tension from his earlier encounter. The moment he stepped inside, a wave of noise crashed over him.
"He's back!" someone shouted dramatically.
Liam barely had time to blink before a small mob of coworkers surrounded him, grinning like hyenas.
"Bro, we need DETAILS."
"What happened with the Demoness Receptionist?!"
"Did she glare at you so hard your soul left your body?"
Liam sighed, raising his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. She was just as terrifying as you all said. At first."
A collective murmur of agreement rippled through the group.
"Of course! That's the Demoness for you!"
"Cold, ruthless, and emotionless."
Liam rubbed his chin. "Yeah. but then, out of nowhere, she smiled at me."
Dead silence.
The entire office froze. Even the ones who were just half-listening from their desks stopped what they were doing.
Then, chaos erupted.
"WHAT?!"
"LIAR!"
"THAT DID NOT HAPPEN."
Liam held up his hands defensively. "I swear! One second, she was about to eat me alive, and the next, she smiled like I was some long-lost child."
"Nonsense!" Zen, one of the older delivery guys, slammed his hand on his desk. "You expect us to believe that THE Demoness smiled at you?!"
"Maybe she was planning to kill him later, so she was being nice."
"Or maybe she had a stroke."
Laughter broke out again, but Liam was genuinely confused. It wasn't just a polite business smile—she had acted completely differently toward him.
Before he could dwell on it further, one of the younger guys, Way, suddenly waved his phone.
"Forget about that, check this out! The CEO of Tianhu finally arrived today!"
The group gathered around as Way played a grainy video on his screen. The footage showed a man in a delivery uniform entering the Tianhu building, his face blurred for privacy.
Liam squinted at the screen, his stomach dropping.
'Wait. Is that me?'
Before he could even process the thought, Zen clapped him on the back, nearly knocking him over.
"Ha! You think a CEO would dress like a delivery guy? Wake up, Liam! This is your life, man. We don't belong in that world."
"But hey! At least our tiny company is getting famous because of him."
Liam forced a chuckle, but the resemblance was too uncanny. His gut told him something wasn't right.
But he knew it could never be him. Liam spent the rest of the night making regular deliveries, shaking off the weird feeling from earlier. By the time his shift was almost over, he was already zipping up his jacket, ready to head home.
Then—
A THUMP was heard as a package landed on his desk.
Liam groaned. "Boss… don't tell me—"
His boss's face was plastered like poker, but a small smile escaped his facade.
"New priority order."
Liam glanced at the address and immediately froze.
Tianhu Group. Again.
The remaining coworkers snickered.
"Oh no! Not the Demoness again!"
"Liam, my brother, are you sure you're not cursed?"
Liam groaned louder, throwing his head back. "Why me?!"
His boss shrugged. "Client specifically requested you."
Silence.
Liam blinked. His coworkers stared at him.
Zen leaned in. "Why would a giant company like that request a no-name delivery guy like you?"
A chill ran down Liam's spine. That's what I'd like to know.
Way patted his shoulder sympathetically. "Good luck, brother. If you don't come back, we'll split your stuff."
"I don't own anything!"
"Even better!"
As his coworkers howled with laughter, Liam sighed in defeat and grabbed the package, howling his bag, he proceeded to leave.
By the time Liam arrived at Tianhu Group, the sky was already dark and the moon hung low.
Most of the employees had gone home, leaving the massive building eerily quiet. The only person left at the front desk was the receptionist—the Demoness herself.
As soon as she saw Liam, her cold expression melted into a warm, welcoming smile.
"You've arrived."
Liam's feet stalled mid-step.
'What the hell.'
Her tone was gentle. Her eyes, soft.
Liam felt a chill creep up his spine.
She gestured toward the elevator. "Come, I'll take you to the CEO's office."
Liam hesitated. "Shouldn't I just leave the package here?"
She tilted her head, her smile never fading. "No. Our Madam wants you to deliver it personally to the office."
Liam's brain screamed at him to turn around and run, but his legs moved on their own.
As the two stepped into the elevator, Liam awkwardly cleared his throat.
"So. uh. the Madam of Tianhu. Is she, uh. nice?"
The receptionist giggled.
Liam nearly fell over.
'DID SHE JUST GIGGLE?!'
She turned to him with a strange, knowing look. "You'll find out soon enough, and I'm sure you know very much about that already."
Liam's palms sweated.
As the elevator ascended, it suddenly stopped on a random floor.
The doors slid open, revealing a group of employees mid-conversation.
They turned to the elevator and—
Froze.
Their eyes widened in shock, their bodies going completely still.
Liam, feeling awkward, smiled and waved. "Hey."
Silence.
They just stared at him, mouths slightly open.
The doors slowly closed.
The moment he was out of sight, the entire group erupted in hushed screams.
"OH MY GOD, DID YOU SEE HIM?!"
"HE WAS IN THE ELEVATOR AGAIN!"
"MY HEART ALMOST EXPLODED, TWICE!"
Meanwhile, inside the elevator, Liam scratched his head.
"Weird people."
"Oh, how I hate coming here again"
As Liam murmured his distate of coming to Tianhu again, the elevator dinged as they reached the top floor.
The receptionist stepped out first, leading him down a sleek hallway. At the end of it stood a massive set of double doors.
She turned to him with that same eerily sweet smile.
"The Madam is waiting inside."
Liam swallowed. "Right. Cool. No pressure."
He pushed open the doors—
And then the door locked behind him.
Liam whipped around.
"Huh?"
A hidden speaker crackled to life.
A smooth, amused voice echoed through the room.
"Interesting. I never expected to find another like him."
Liam blinked.
"Another what?"