Hearts Rewritten

Ciara's POV

I didn't leave my hometown just to be nothing.

"Congratulations, Ciara!" A loud congratulatory noise met me as soon as I walked in the doors.

Party poppers, confettis, and loud trumpet noises have enveloped my ears while my co-workers celebrated the promotion that I recently got.

"I cannot believe you're leaving this office and have to go upstairs! Imagine the amount of money you'd get just by simply existing beside the President? Damn!" Jules excitedly muttered, not minding whether she's being loud or not.

I offered her a warm smile. "I could not believe it either!" My voice gradually rose as I went along with their heightened energy.

"It felt like it was yesterday when I first entered this huge firm as an intern but now, I was promoted to a higher role. I cannot believe it!" I felt so excited that I could not hide my emotions anymore.

"You deserve it." Yale walked up to me, holding a glass of beer and offering me a drink. "I can still remember how you spent most of your nights here. You even worked late at night to finish tasks that aren't supposed to be yours anyway. So... why else would there be no reason to give you a promotion?"

I took the glass and sipped on it. "Yes. Those nights are the worst..."

I gritted my teeth just by the thought. I did not know that I would be enjoying the fruits of my labor earlier than I thought.

"See? So now, you must enjoy every single second you have left before entering the secretary role because I swear, you won't get any good sleep soon." Mrs. Lena goes to warn me since she has been here the longest.

"Shall we go out for a drink?" Jules excitedly mumbled. It seems as though she had been looking forward to the drinking session or the send-off party for as long as I can ever imagine.

"Sure!" I matched her voice. "It will be my treat. Let's go!" I pushed her out of the office and watched all my workmates follow us.

"There's a grill near the office, we should visit it before they close." Yale suggested and I have never felt more excited than this night my whole life!

I picked up my coat hanging from the rack and immediately walked out. I could see every ounce of excitement in my body while I thought of all the possibilities.

When we reached the place, Jules immediately ordered drinks. She is known for always getting wasted in every hang outs so there is no doubt she would do the same thing today. I don't even have to worry because if she really does get blacked out, I'll just call her boyfriend.

"To our dear Ciara's promotion!" Jules shouted inside the grill place, not minding the people that were looking at us.

"Shh, calm down. You're not even drunk yet." Yale whispered in her ears while trying to calm her down as she looked like she was already wasted when in fact, she hadn't even sipped one alcoholic beverage yet.

"Why? I am just so proud that I would want her to celebrate this milestone as loud as we can. There is no need for us to be silent." She whispered and raised the glass for a drink.

"To Ciara!" At last, they can't do anything except take a cheers. I took a glass and took a sip of the drink as well.

"God..." I groaned as the alcohol sipped in. My throat felt like it was burning and I couldn't drink any more.

"I fear I'd be knocked out almost as immediately if we continued to drink recklessly like this." I mumbled as I tried to pick myself up as the liquor rushed through my throat.

I shook my head and immediately went to the meat. I started grilling and said, "So, who would replace me in the marketing team?"

"I heard there was an intern and the firm is planning to train her. I guess we can say that she'll be your replacement." Yale said as he started cutting the meat to help me.

Mrs. Lena looked at me and helped me cook as well. "Well, that intern won't be as good as you are but the best thing about this is... you got the job that everyone was dying to have."

"Yes. And I will make sure that I will do everything that I can to make the most out of this opportunity. It is not everyday that someone gets fortunate after all." I laughed a bit.

If you had told me three years ago-when I was eating cold instant noodles at my desk at 10 p.m. because the campaign deadline was killing me-that I'd be promoted to the President's secretary, I probably would've choked on my fork.

And yet here I was, sitting in a buzzing grill house with smoke curling above our table, beer bottles clinking, laughter echoing around us, and the scent of grilled pork belly, garlic, and soy-marinated heaven filling the air.

My cheeks were already flushed-partly from the shot of soju Jules forced down my throat, partly from how fast this new reality was sinking in.

"Okay, okay, one more shot!" Jules yelled, dramatically slamming her glass down on the table like we were in a K-drama brawl.

"Jules, I swear to God, I already feel like I'm floating," I laughed, clutching my glass as Yale refilled it. Again.

"You're not floating, you're ascending," she corrected. "You've transcended mortal status, babe. You are now one with the corporate gods."

Yale raised his own glass, his button-up half-unbuttoned and a rare, crooked smile playing on his lips. "To Ciara. Team Manager no more. She now dwells in the land of power suits and death stares. May she survive the cold-blooded ice king himself."

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't stop smiling. "Why does everyone act like I've been assigned to babysit a fire-breathing dragon?"

"Because you have," Mrs. Lena said dryly, sipping from her wine glass as if she weren't the calmest force in the room. "And dragons don't appreciate being interrupted with schedule updates."

The three of them burst into laughter while I nervously chewed on a lettuce wrap.

I raised my glass with a grin, cheeks already warm from the liquor. "I swear, if anyone calls me madam at work, I'm quitting."

"Shut up," Jules laughed, tossing a cucumber slice at me. "You're about to walk the marbled halls of power. From emails and budget decks to brushing shoulders with Lysander freaking Eryx."

"God, don't say his full name like that. It sounds like you're invoking an ancient demon."

Yale leaned back, lifting his glass lazily. "An ancient demon who's known for reducing full-grown execs to stammering wrecks with just one eyebrow raise."

"Please," I said, trying to sound braver than I felt. "He's just a man."

Yale tilted his head. "A man who hasn't taken a personal day in six years. Who replies to emails at 3:17 a.m. with periods so sharp they cut through your soul."

I groaned, burying my face in my hands while Jules cackled beside me.

Mrs. Lena, ever the composed one, smiled gently. "They're teasing, sweetheart. Mostly. But they're proud of you. I'm proud of you."

My chest tightened. I looked around at the people who had become more than colleagues. Jules, my chaos twin. Yale, my dependable realist. Mrs. Lena, our grounding force.

"I still don't believe it," I admitted, voice soft. "One day I was finalizing pitch decks, and the next... HR's telling me Mr. Eryx requested me. By name."

"Legend has it," Jules said in a low voice, "he read your performance review and whispered, Bring me the fiery one."

"Oh my god." I laughed so hard I almost choked on a lettuce wrap.

Truth was, when I received the news, my knees actually gave out. The President of the firm, Lysander Eryx-the man whose silence in boardrooms could be louder than thunder-wanted me as his secretary. Not just anyone. Me.

It was surreal. Terrifying. Exciting. Like standing at the edge of something huge, and not knowing if I was about to fly... or fall.

"Think about it," Yale mused. "You'll be in the inner sanctum. Scheduling meetings with billionaires. Witnessing power plays up close. Watching Lysander pace around in his six-thousand-dollar suits like a war general."

"Yale," I said flatly, "stop romanticizing my potential breakdown."

They all laughed. Even Mrs. Lena, who added, "Just don't let him scare you, Ciara. He's demanding, yes. But he values precision. Loyalty. Strength. And you have all three."

Those words... they meant more than I could say.

"I'll miss this," I said quietly. "Our team. Our chaos. Even Yale's rants about the printer."

"I'm not dead," Yale said, raising a brow. "I'll still be in the building."

"Barely. She'll be locked away in the executive wing," Jules sighed dramatically. "Drinking imported coffee and typing emails in code."

I giggled, but my heart felt heavy. Change, no matter how good, always came with a pang.

"Whatever happens," I said, "don't let me lose myself in that world. Okay? If I start walking around with a Bluetooth earpiece and snapping at interns-"

"We'll drag you back to reality," Jules promised. "With a tub of ice cream and the worst gossip we can find."

"And maybe pepper spray if Mr. Eryx turns into a dragon," Yale added.

"Shut up," I laughed.

We toasted again, this time more softly.

"To new chapters," Mrs. Lena said.

"To brave beginnings," I whispered.