A/N: Good morning/afternoon/evening/night :). That should cover the whole world. Thanks for the continuous support :)! This chapter is short, but it's a new perspective. An important one though. Shout out to Paladin777 for suggesting her as main character! Thanks! Enjoy the read everyone!

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!

For the past few months it had been hard for her to focus on work. Why was that? Because a certain somebody had entered her life again. And what made it worse? He was her boss. It was a strange experience and almost unbelievable, but his presence kept reminding her it was the truth. He was still handsome, grumpy and acted cold. Although those old characteristics weighed nothing against his changes. She mostly perceived him as more composed. Although, that was logical. Then there was the fact that she was also still one year older than him. Having a younger boss was plain weird. But it didn't matter how much she thought about it. Accepting it was the only way.

After all, that's what she had done in the past as well. Emily LeDuc had accepted reality when she found out her feelings would never be returned.

Now, she had spent a lot of time observing her colleagues. It surprised her Yumi Ishiyama had started working as a receptionist when she started out in the same company. She hadn't ever taken the opportunity to have a proper talk with Yumi. She had also never felt the urge to, so they just worked without any friendly interactions. It hadn't bothered anyone in the team. Which seemed strange when one considered how well Yumi got along with them. She had started to wonder whether she actually dwelled too much on the details of her observations. Then she realized the team was too busy. There was no room to pay attention to trivial matters.

And then it had happened. Rumours everywhere. Apparently the director had brought a new addition to the team. It was supposedly his nephew. The position had been vacant for a long time. The main team's manager. Emily always thought it to be the most difficult position. Their diverse working methods might give that person a hard time. But who was she to worry about that? She had heard a lot of people had applied to be the secretary of the new boss. Many colleagues had called upon friends to take the chance. That was a lot faster than applying by means of the website or via an employment agency. That meant that person would at least be getting assistance.

When she had heard the name for the first time in a while, she had stilled. Her trainee, Jamie, had overheard others talking and had described his appearance to her. "Ulrich Stern?" Emily had tried the words like you would taste new food. Jamie had nodded and asked her why she sounded so taken aback. Emily had explained the situation, not expecting the consequences to be so drastic. Had she said too much?

Things had gotten out of hand when Yumi became Ulrich's secretary. People started talking without shame. When Yumi had stared straight at her, some part of her started to feel guilty. Rumours would not even be rumours anymore. For everyone, it became a truth. Even Emily had a hard time believing otherwise. It was hard with the way Ulrich stood up for her in nearly every meeting during his starting period.

Recently though, people kept their mouths shut. In Emily's opinion it was even worse than before. Ulrich wasn't as much of a victim as Yumi. The latter had to endure the silent whispers, the glares and accusations. Emily looked at her trainee, who was working on the latest software for another application. Had he been the one who spread the information? She looked at other colleagues. Had anyone overheard her conversation with Jamie? Emily shook her head. "Nothing can be done about it now," she softly told herself.

"Can I ask you something?" Jamie spoke up. Emily nodded while she scrolled through some documents. "I have a feeling that the younger employees are being looked down upon. We obviously don't have as much knowledge as one would require, but we know more about our subjects than they are aware of. It doesn't feel right to be bossed around by those who don't understand our work. Do you feel that way as well?" Emily just stared at her screen as she processed what Jamie told her.

"May I know who you are talking about?" She asked, looking at him directly. He was slightly startled by her irritated attitude. "Uhm," he checked his surroundings, "Yumi Ishiyama," he whispered.

"Ah, even my employee?" Emily thought, turning back to her screen. "Did anyone stimulate you to think that way?" She bluntly asked him. Jamie paused. It took him a second too long to shake his head and Emily lost interest. If he wasn't genuine enough, she didn't need to worry about getting reprimanded. "Why don't you talk to the counsellor? He might be able to help you with your worries. I'm really sorry, but I'm not good with resolving things like this," she proposed. "And I don't trust you. It will surely harm my reputation."

"Ah, no, I just wanted to hear your opinion. It's okay. I will talk to him." She eyed him again. "Maybe you should take one more colleague to represent your group?" Emily suggested. Jamie thanked her afterwards. "I will, thank you Emily." Jamie had walked away to immediately schedule in an appointment.

The next day Emily heard the older colleagues complain about the newer recruits. Things along the lines of "they are not the only ones having a hard time" travelled around the office. Apparently the counsellor was going to mediate between Jamie, Alice and Yumi. Emily had a feeling it wouldn't turn out fine, so she had secretly eavesdropped on the conversation. It only resulted in a mix of surprise and annoyance. Emily honestly respected Yumi's way of handling them, but understood the young employees as well. Wasn't Yumi missing the point? If so many people had a problem with her, she ought to change, right? Emily shook her head and ran her fingers through her loose hair. "Let it go. Don't get involved."

She quickly returned to her office when she heard it coming to an end. "Should I check up on Yumi later?" She wondered aloud. Emily did feel slightly responsible for the outcome, since she suggested counselling to Jamie.

After working late, she decided to drop by Yumi's office to see if she was still present. She noticed the window shutter for the small window in the door was opened. She readied herself by raising her hand to knock. But before she knocked she glanced inside. Her eyes enlarged upon witnessing the scene in front of her. Ulrich was hugging Yumi from behind. Yumi played around, making them fall down. Did they not realize their intimacy was visible? Emily was frustrated. "So they play around while we work our heads off?"

"Are they dating?" She really wanted to know the answer to that question. She shook her head. "Not my business," she said to herself. Despite that claim, she couldn't help but recall how close Yumi and Ulrich had looked when she went to invite him for lunch and accidentally bumped the door against them. "It proves nothing," she reminded herself.

Emily pivoted on her heels, stepped away and left the building through the back door, since the entrance was already locked. On her way to the bus stop, she thought about the past once more. Accepting reality wasn't all of it. There was also a time where she regretted reality. But she had never known that it would turn out like it did. Never did she stop to consider the consequences of her actions.

"I guess it turned out alright though," her words were carried away by the strong gusts of wind. Emily gathered her hair and tied it into a ponytail. She gazed at her reflection in the building's windows. "So I will be fine too," she thought as she resumed her walk to the bus stop. "Eventually."

A/N: Emily will also be back (well obviously since she works there :P). Next time, let's have a fun bonus chapter. Until then!