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Review responses:

cherry-tree-of-life - Yup, this is especially common for job positions where an internal candidate is already considered, but an external candidate was thrown in just to appear more fair. Katie can be quite annoying, but she'll be more useful toward the end.

CookieDecor22 - Yikes! Mira's family is one less thing for you to worry about then! Nothing much I can do about Hydron or Katie other than have them exist until further notice. Keep your eyes peeled for who the surprise character is!

MagicxMusicxMelody - I might reference the solar-charging phone in another story, but by no means will it exist in real life soon because the technology is super complicated (and I don't work in tech). Wait until you see what Dan's about to tell Shun!

Chapter 5: Blurred Lines at Work

xXx

At the semiannual Bayview Technology Expo, several tech companies established their booths to market themselves and their products. Each company was also allotted thirty minutes to present themselves on stage, with a Q&A session moderated by the expo hosts.

Alice sat in the audience and watched other companies' representatives present. Next to her was Shun, who asked, "Do I actually need to be here?"

"This is one of the few opportunities where we don't need to be stuck in front of a computer all day. Events like these are good sources of inspiration."

"Don't you need to prepare too?"

"Chris and I will present when it's our turn. Dan, Runo, and Baron are tabling the booth right now. You're here to see me present my product again!"

"But why isn't your product launch date until another week?"

"The production staff still needs more time. Consider this as presales until the actual launch date. Fortunately, I have some product right now to use at the booth and during my presentation—" Suddenly, the redhead's phone rang and interrupted the conversation. "That's weird. The caller has a foreign area code."

"Maybe you shouldn't answer it..."

Even though Alice rejected the call, the same number called again. "That can't be a coincidence. If anyone asks, then tell them I'm away for a call before going onstage with Chris."

"No problem."

Ten minutes later, the interim CEO and her younger cousin appeared onstage as the event hosts introduced the presenters. Immediately claiming Alice's empty chair was Runo. "I didn't know you came today!"

"I didn't have any plans today, plus Alice said I'll be paid overtime just for attending."

"As Dan would say... You get that dough while you can! I bet this is your first tech expo."

"It is, but what are you doing here instead of at your table?"

"There's no point in staying at our table when Alice is literally onstage to say the same thing. How are things going with you?"

"Everything's fine. I didn't have much customer service prior to this, but all my tasks are simple and straightforward. There were a few customer complaints filed, but none were specifically about me."

"That's nice! I've never worked at the front desk, but Soon always said that she has to keep her eyes on her email at all times. I wonder if that's something she brought to the front desk from HR."

"How did you end up here? Were you here when Katie was still a receptionist?"

"Dan and I went to undergrad with Alice, but she took additional outside courses and transferred the credits over so that she finished her entire program two years earlier than expected. Shortly after she became an official employee at Testarossa Electronics, she introduced Dan and me to their internship program."

"Internship? Is that still happening?"

"Not anymore... Doctor Michael retired, and Alice changed a lot of things when she took over."

"For better or for worse?"

"Better for us as current employees, but not for any external applicants trying to—"

During the Q&A session, someone from the audience loudly asked, "Are you sure this is your original idea and not stolen from someone else?"

The entire building went silent.

Chris stared at Alice and whispered, "What is he talking about?"

"I got this." The redhead gripped her microphone tightly and answered, "The fact that you actually asked me this question means that you did absolutely zero research on my company's history."

Other audience members yelled at the original asker to support Alice. "Where did you get that idea from?"

"Stay quiet if you don't know anything."

"Get out of here!"

Shun stared at the entire scene in confusion before asking Runo, "What is he talking about?"

"Long story short... It's one of the reasons why Alice eventually stopped accepting interns and externs. That's all she told me."

The two cousins then descended the stage but walked in different directions. "Runo, are you going back to the booth since the presentation is over?"

"Yup! Come check out our table!"

"I'll stop by later." Meanwhile, Shun left the audience chairs and followed the interim CEO closely. Chris is returning to the booth, so where's Alice going? The pursuit eventually led him to the building rooftop, where he saw Alice standing near one of the railings and talking on the phone. How did she know her way up here? And how did I easily follow her through the crowds up here?

Most of the conversation was inaudible since they were standing far apart, except for the last couple sentences. "...but what upset me the most was that someone mentioned that incident again."

"But he only implied that this isn't your idea, right?" the male caller asked. "He didn't blatantly say that you stole it from someone?"

"No, he didn't. Thankfully, the rest of the audience was on my side, but this wasn't a random question from a random stranger. That reminds me. I need to clean some old offices when Monday comes."

"Just be careful. We'll talk later."

The moment Alice hung up was when Shun asked, "Who was that?"

"No one that you know. Anyway, why are you on the roof? How did you know your way up here?"

"I could ask the same about you. I'm not here to judge you, but your reaction to that one unwarranted question during Q&A was...unnatural, to say the least."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I want to hear you explain what happened back then."

Alice gripped her phone tightly at the thought. "I told you before how Hydron and Uncle Zenoheld play into my both family and company dynamics. What I didn't tell you is that this isn't Hydron's first time 'working' here."

"Was he one of your interns?"

"Not my intern. I graduated early, and Grandfather later hired me as a paid employee on payroll, but Uncle Zenoheld said that this was unfair and nepotistic. But the next thing he did was ask Grandfather to accept Hydron as an intern during his final year of undergrad. Hypocritical, much?"

"What does this have to do with plagiarism?"

"Hydron inadvertently leaked some confidential information to a competitor, who then tried to pass the product off as their own before our scheduled release date. We received a lot of negative publicity due to plagiarism accusations, but that's when I realized something. What Hydron accidentally gave away was a rough draft that still had plenty of errors, but the competitor didn't fix everything. Their product line became a complete failure as consumers used the product more often over time. They later pled guilty to plagiarism and eventually filed for bankruptcy. I told Grandfather to keep Hydron out until he was at least done with school."

"Is that the real reason why you and Hydron don't get along? Aside from his scheming father, of course. What exactly was Hydron thinking?"

"I just assumed that he was looking for more favorable opportunities outside of Testarossa Electronics. After all, him being an intern here both times was his father's idea. Ever since that incident, Uncle Zenoheld went back to helicopter parent mode. I got over it because it wasn't my fault at all, but this is exactly why I put Hydron back on probation again when his father forcefully placed him here again. If he doesn't learn from his mistakes, then he's a lost cause."

"So, you forgave but never forgot..."

"More or less. Anyway, I have some personal business to take care of. After our product launches next week, I'll be out of the office or working remotely for a few days."

"Why are you telling me this? As long as you block off your availability on the company calendar, then everyone else will know not to bother you if not urgent."

"True, but telling someone in person has more sincerity than just letting them find out days later on the calendar. Besides, you work at the front desk. If someone asks to speak with someone that's away, then you need to know the next best contact to redirect that person to. That's basic customer service."

"Who's your emergency contact while you're away?"

"Work related questions can go to my team's list-serve. Personal questions can go to Chris. Everything else can wait."

"Anything else I need to know before you go on special assignment?"

"Just the same thing I've always been telling you—keep your eyes on everyone around you." Before Alice opened the roof access door, she added, "I'm also proud of you for not stealing anything from anyone so far."

"How did you know that I didn't?"

"Your response right now is the confirmation I needed. Your self-control has improved."

"Don't change the topic, Alice..."

-x-x-x-x-x-

It was a new workday morning when Shun was about to leave his house and heard commotion outside. He opened the curtains and saw Alice on the phone before getting inside her car. "But Chris, you can't do anything on a locked computer until IT troubleshoots the issue."

"That's why I'm asking if you have another work laptop that I can borrow!"

"There's probably an older laptop in my office somewhere. You can go online with it, but I don't think your files on your local computer will transfer over."

"Fine, I'll figure something out."

"And I need to go." The redhead hung up and started her car.

To Shun's surprise, Alice drove in the opposite direction of the company building. Is today one of her vacation days or her remote workdays? Once at work, he checked the company calendar and saw that the redhead requested time off today. If she has a work laptop and the appropriate applications, then she can work from anywhere, but she lives so close anyway.

Suddenly, Chris rushed over and took a seat on the empty chair next to Shun. "You won't mind me working here all day, right?"

"Wait, what?!"

"My computer locked me out after some system updates last night. Dan, Runo, and Baron can't login either. I called IT already, but they said they'll look at it when they have time."

"Weren't you asking Alice for a laptop this morning?"

"I was, but I couldn't find any at all. The other place I know with an unused, functional computer is here."

"The real question is...why does the front desk need two computers when there has always been one front desk receptionist?"

"I don't care. As long as I have a computer, then I can access all my files from my cloud drive." As Chris was logging in, she asked curiously, "How did you know that I asked Alice for a laptop?"

"You were screaming through her phone so loudly this morning that even I could hear from next door."

"Oh, that's right...you're her new tenant."

"Do you know where she went? I saw her drive in the opposite direction."

"That can mean a lot of places. Alice rarely works from 'home' because she lives so close by. Maybe she's visiting another company like how Mira visited us, but that doesn't make sense because she never told us about any new projects. Are you sure she didn't tell you anything specific?"

What Alice told me on the expo center rooftop was just as vague too. "I thought I'd ask you because you two are super close."

"She doesn't tell me everything—"

"One moment... phone's ringing..." Shun answered the landline and was surprised to hear the caller's voice. "Alice, what is it?"

"I might have a package being delivered to the front desk. Can you receive it for me and bring it home?"

"Is that legal?"

"I just added you as an authorized signer. Goodbye!"

Chris kept her eyes on her monitors but asked, "What did Alice say?"

"She's expecting a package addressed to her being delivered—" Suddenly, Zenoheld entered the lobby while talking on his phone. The blonde employee immediately locked her computer and hid under the table. "What are you doing?!"

"Avoiding useless people!"

The elderly man later barged into Hydron's office. "You won't believe what I saw. Alice may be off today, but her team's still working hard even with locked computers. You need to step up."

"Why wouldn't they be working hard? They just launched a new product, even if it's just a solar-powered wireless charger. I didn't see anything wrong with my idea of a solar-powered phone."

"You won't do yourself any good by working alone in this office."

"But Alice won't let me near her team! It was literally me against them when Mira Fermin visited the other day. I believe Alice is still upset at me for that incident in the past."

"Which is why you need to learn from your mistakes and never repeat them again. You might not like the people here, but this is the place to start if you want to achieve higher ground. All I did was pay off one person in the audience to ask that one question, and somehow the rest of the audience supported her counterargument. I definitely underestimated her there."

After Zenoheld walked away, Katie knocked on the door and asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yes, why wouldn't I be?"

"Don't you think your father visits too frequently and says the same thing all the time?"

"He's just making sure that everyone treats me well and that everything goes smoothly. What brings you here?"

"I was delivering a report to another department and happened to pass by. I'll see you around."

As the PR representative walked off, she saw Shun leading an unknown person to a set of double doors. "Here's the HR office. I'll be downstairs if you need me."

"Thank you so much!"

Katie sprinted forward and arrived next to the raven-haired receptionist at the elevator. "I never would've thought that you'd abandon the front desk."

"There's someone else at the front desk, so I'm fine for now." To Shun's dismay, his unwanted visitor also entered the elevator. "Why are you on this floor?"

"I had to deliver a report."

"But the PR department is upstairs. I'm going down back to the lobby."

Katie's face turned red immediately. "I forgot something in my car. So... how do you like it here?"

"Working at the front desk isn't bad at all. Do you prefer working in public relations now?"

"Back then, it was really tough being a receptionist. Everyone asked you to do everything for them. All the higher-ups looked down on you. Even though PR is also about making presentations nice and neat, at least I can do it however I want."

"I see... I get a lot of emails and instant messages, but everyone's otherwise nice...except Hydron."

"How so?"

"He once told me that a receptionist is all I'll ever be. I don't see anything wrong with that. Even if I did want to climb up the social ladder, it's not entirely impossible. Just look at you...although PR isn't my type." Once the elevator doors opened, Shun walked straight to the front desk, with Chris greeting him cheerfully.

Katie glared sternly and pressed the 'CLOSE' button repeatedly in fury. There's definitely something different about this guy...

While Chris continued using the other front desk computer, Shun searched for past information about Testarossa Electronics on the Internet. Is Hydron the type of person who would sell company information for profits? If the leak was accidental, then I understand why Alice went to great lengths to prove Testarossa's innocence. But if he did it intentionally, then Alice shouldn't have covered for him.

Suddenly, several new instant messages popped up on his screen. Dan had created a group chat with himself, Runo, and Shun. "Alice isn't here today, so we don't have team meetings. Let's brainstorm instead!"

However, the bluenette's status was 'IN A CALL'. Shun typed back, "Why am I here? I don't know anything."

"I'm going to convince you to buy a whole new laptop."

"Is this for a new project?"

"Not really. Just got inspired when Chris was asking around for a work laptop. Anyway, do you prefer a laptop with or WITHOUT touchscreen?"

Shun refrained from continuing the conversation, and Runo was still on a conference call. "Touchscreen would be nice, even better if it comes with a proprietary stylus." Then he messaged Dan individually. "Let's not bother Runo with a group chat."

"I didn't know she was in a meeting! I can't see her from my desk! You know what? I'm coming downstairs."

Chris logged out and packed her belongings. "IT told me to meet them upstairs. They're lending me a laptop since they don't know how long it will take to unlock my usual computer."

"Don't you want to stay here?"

"Yeah, but I can work from anywhere with a temporary loaner laptop! See you later!"

Just after the blonde left, the brunet then arrived on the first floor and took the empty seat next to Shun. "Is something wrong upstairs, Dan?"

"No, I just wanted a change of scenery. I'll use the unoccupied computer next to you, if you don't mind."

"Not at all...if you can help me with something."

"What's up?"

"Do you know anything about a plagiarism scandal back then? Hydron was involved somehow. I also heard that Alice made the hiring process stricter for new employees by eliminating internships and externships."

"Oh, that. Obviously, I had nothing to do with that issue, but I think Hydron purposely leaked those confidential files because he was upset that Alice wouldn't give him better assignments. She probably still insists that it was an honest mistake."

"Is that it?"

"I'm not as nosy as some people, but I fully believe in karma."

"If you were Alice, would you give Hydron a second chance?"

"Him being here after earning his MBA degree is already a second chance! But I don't want him near us. Too many bad vibes and distractions. The rest of us are just trying to survive." The brunet rolled his chair closer to Shun and whispered, "No one can avoid office politics, so I might as you drag you down with me."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You can definitely trust Alice, Runo, me, Baron, Chris, and Soon in this company. Do not believe a single word from Hydron, Zenoheld, or Katie. Everyone else minds their own business."

"Are Katie and Hydron—"

"I knew you would ask that! Those two went to undergrad together. I personally think Katie studied above and beyond just to reach Hydron's level, even though he's an empty-minded dummy."

"Seriously? Is that how and why she transferred to public relations?"

"Yeah, but I don't think they're actually dating. Zenoheld would never approve. Anyway, I'll go back upstairs now. Nice talking with you! I just came up with a great idea!"

Shortly after Dan left, Chris returned. "Look at my beautiful loaner laptop! Anyway, do you want to meet a new client with me this Saturday? OT is approved."

"Sure...? What do you need me to do exactly?"

"I'm texting you the details right now. Then I'll let Alice know she doesn't get surprised. Thank you so much for agreeing to be my chaperone, Shun! You won't regret this!"

The receptionist internally regretted everything after hearing the blonde's last sentence. This company is messier than I thought. If removing Hydron and Zenoheld is the only way to end all the office politics and family tension, then what's holding Alice back from doing it?

-x-x-x-x-x-

Alice's package did arrive at Testarossa Electronics, and Shun placed it on her backyard patio table upon returning home. The next morning on Saturday, he checked the patio table and was surprised to see that the package was still there. Did Alice not come home at all? She acknowledged and replied to my text. I can't think of another safe place to put the package.

After he arrived at Testarossa Electronics, Chris drove them both to a large café nearby. "Alright, Shun. Now we wait..."

"What kind of a client schedules a meeting at a public place like this? You're lucky there aren't tabloids or competitors stalking you."

"This client also happens to be my college classmate, so deal with it. Our study group used to meet here often."

"How is it possible that all of you at work already knew each other during college?"

"It's called networking, Shun."

Shortly after, a tall brunette wearing a navy sleeveless work dress approached the pair. "Chris, good to see you again! I hope you don't mind me eating my brunch while we talk."

"Thanks for coming today, Taylor!" The trio then claimed a table while the blonde proceeded with introductions. "Shun, this is Taylor. She's my college classmate and next in line to inherit her family's enterprise. Taylor, this is Shun. We finally have a new—"

"I'm sorry, but does the entire world know that this position was vacant until I came along?" he interrupted.

Taylor laughed cheerfully. "There's a rumor that the front desk position at Testarossa Electronics is cursed. No one so far has worked in that position for a minimum of one year. Anyway, Chris and I are here today to discuss an upcoming collaboration between our respective companies with our alma mater's engineering department."

"Each of our high schools had 'Girls Who Code' after-school club programs that we both joined," Chris recalled. "Taylor and I also attended one of the GWC summer immersion programs during our undergrad. We plan on expanding these programs as a way to bridge the gender gap in STEM fields."

"So, what am I doing here again?" Shun asked.

"We want to hear opinions and suggestions from someone who has no idea what we're talking about, so that we can make this project more appealing to future attendees and sponsors."

This is just like Alice asking me to watch her practice presentation and ask her questions so she could gather feedback. "Alright, ask me anything."

After an hour of eating brunch and meaningful discussion, Taylor stood up from her chair. "I'm so glad we made progress today, Chris. Thanks for all your input as well, Shun. I hope everything goes well at Testarossa."

The blonde sent her friend off before returning to the table. "That's it for the meeting. You're free to go home after I drive you—"

"Actually, do you know where I can get water?"

"This place offers free iced water to anyone without purchase."

"Good to know..."

After getting his iced water, Shun's attention was drawn to a familiar redhead sitting at one of the café tables. What's Alice doing here? There's also some blond guy sitting with her. The pair were chatting enthusiastically, with Alice's cheerful expression being the complete opposite of how she presented herself at work. Who is this guy? He doesn't look like anyone from work. The raven-haired receptionist approached the table without further thought. "Alice, what a coincidence. We missed you at work."

"Shun? What are you—"

"So, you're the new receptionist," the blond interrupted while pushing up his ultramarine mask-like sunglasses. "Now I understand why you said he's different from the others, Alice."

"I guess the entire world does know about this cursed receptionist vacancy," Shun replied sarcastically. "Anyway, everything at work is a mess with Hydron—"

"Maskie, is that you?!" Chris suddenly rushed over and hugged the blond male tightly. "I missed you so much! Now both of my cousins can work together to ward off Hydron!"

"Chris Barlow, I haven't seen you in ages..."

"Can someone please explain to me what's going on?" the raven-haired receptionist demanded.

Alice sighed and pointed to the person next to her. "Shun, this is Masquerade. He's my older brother and therefore also Chris's cousin..."

Me: There you have it! Masquerade is the brand new character that you've all been waiting for!

Dan: I completely forgot to tell Shun about Masquerade! Plenty of horror stories to share!

Runo: Come on, Dan. He's not a bad guy and doesn't even work here. Give him a break.

Chris: I can attest that he's one of the nicest people ever! There will be useless meetings and overdue spring cleaning in the next chapter!

Dan: Can we ban Chris from ever doing chapter previews again? I didn't understand a single thing she said.

Me: (If you read Exiled Undercover, then you might think otherwise.) Most of you might not be able to identify the other fanfic, where I got inspiration from to write this Masquerade introduction scene. But if you do, then leave your guess in your review! Happy Mid Autumn Festival to those who celebrate it!