TRIGGER MY HEART

Trigger My HearChapter 6: Office Tension

Monday morning hit like a slap across the face. The elevator dinged, and River stepped out, holding a plain black folder against his chest. The office floor was already buzzing. Phones ringing. Heels clacking. Printers humming. But the moment he walked in, everything slowed.

Dozens of eyes turned to him.

No one said anything.

But he could feel it. The tension. The judgment.

The whispers started the second he passed the coffee machine.

"Is that him?"

"That's the new secretary."

"Mr. Harlon's personal secretary."

"Since when does he have a secretary?"

River kept walking. Head up. Eyes calm. But his grip on the folder tightened.

He reached his desk — the one outside Kai's glass office — and sat down.

The desk was spotless. Organized. Efficient. River had made sure of it. Every pen lined up. Every document filed. He didn't plan to give anyone a reason to question him.

Not today.

But they already were.

---

Inside the CEO's office, Kai was reviewing reports. But his eyes weren't on the numbers.

They were on River.

The glass wall gave him a perfect view of the boy — no, man — who sat silently outside, typing away.

River didn't fidget. He didn't stall. He just worked.

And Kai hated that it got under his skin.

"Acting like nothing happened," Kai muttered under his breath.

By mid-morning, the whispers turned into comments. Louder. Meaner.

Mara walked past River's desk with a tray of coffee, her heels sharp against the tiles.

She stopped in front of him. "Oh, I didn't realize you were still here."

River looked up, polite as always. "Good morning."

She smiled tightly. "Morning. You're early. Again."

"I like to start on time."

She set the tray down on the receptionist table, even though it wasn't hers to use. "It's cute, you know. The way you act like this is a normal job."

River didn't answer.

Mara leaned in slightly. "Just a tip? Everyone knows you didn't earn that seat. So don't get too comfortable."

River's calm expression didn't waver. "I'm not here to compete with anyone, Miss Mara."

Her jaw clenched. "You're not competition. You're a placeholder."

Then she walked away.

River breathed slowly.

Three… two… one…

He didn't react. He couldn't afford to.

---

Minutes later, Kai's voice came through the intercom.

"River. In my office. Now."

River straightened his tie and walked in, closing the door behind him.

Kai didn't look up. He was writing something on a legal pad.

"Sit."

River sat.

Kai dropped a stack of documents in front of him. "You labeled these wrong."

River picked them up and flipped through the pages. "The figures match what Mr. Henley submitted. The order was based on timestamp."

Kai finally looked at him. "Don't justify it. Fix it."

River nodded. "Yes, sir."

Kai leaned back in his chair. "You're not here to think. You're here to follow. Can you do that, or do I need someone who understands that boundary?"

River held his gaze. "I understand."

Kai narrowed his eyes. "Good. Because I'm not interested in games. Or emotional stares. Or quiet reminders of the past."

River's jaw clenched. "I'm only here to work."

"Then work," Kai snapped.

Silence filled the room. Heavy. Unforgiving.

Kai reached for his coffee but didn't drink it. His voice dropped lower, more controlled.

"You're early. Every day. You stay late. You overwork. Why?"

River blinked. "To meet expectations."

Kai studied him. "I didn't say you met them."

River looked down. "Noted."

Kai said nothing.

The tension in the room was thick. It wasn't just hate. It wasn't just memory.

It was something else. Something tight and fragile.

Kai finally waved his hand. "Get out."

River stood, picked up the documents, and left.

---

Back at his desk, River corrected the files, reread every line, then printed the corrected version and returned them to Kai's assistant tray.

But as he passed the staff hallway again, the whispers were waiting.

"I bet he cried after the meeting."

"No one lasts more than a month under Mr. Lennox. He won't last a week."

"He's probably still into the boss."

River closed his eyes briefly before entering the breakroom. He poured himself water, ignoring the eyes on his back.

Mara walked in behind him.

"You're good at pretending."

River didn't answer.

"People like you think being quiet makes you noble," she said. "But I see through it."

River set the cup down. "I'm just trying to do my job."

"No. You're trying to play a part," Mara said with venom. "And if Mr. Harlon can't see it, I'll make sure the rest of the board does."

He turned to her slowly. "Why are you really angry?"

She glared at him. "Because people like you don't belong here.suddenly, you're at the center of everything."

"You are jealous?" His brow twitched

"I never asked for this position," River said calmly.

"No. But you stayed."

She stormed out.

Seriously? He muttered in his thoughts.

---

That night, River stayed late again.

He worked quietly in the dim light, checking and cross-checking meeting schedules.

Kai walked out of his office, saw him still working, and paused.

"You didn't go home."

River didn't look up. "Still catching up."

Kai stood in silence for a long moment. Then he spoke.

"You really think you're the only one who stayed?"

River looked up. "You stay too."

"I don't run away," Kai said coldly.

River's eyes darkened. "Neither did I."

Kai took a step closer. "Then where the hell were you?"

River looked at him. Quiet. Measured.

"You didn't ask back then."

Kai's mouth parted slightly, like he wanted to respond. But he didn't.

Instead, he turned around and left.

River watched the door close.

Then looked down at his work again.

But his hands…

They were shaking.