Chapter 14 Chapter 14
Chapter 14
Two weeks go by.
Every morning, Celine followed the same routine — waking up early, dressing neatly, and taking that same scary elevator up to the top floor.
The first few days, her hands used to shake whenever the elevator started moving, but now, she was getting used to it little by little. Still, she never looked down.
Today marked two weeks since she started the job at Castellan Enterprise.
Everything still felt new to her — the smell of coffee that always lingered around the office, the sound of people walking fast in heels, the clicking of keyboards.
But something was different today. Her heart wouldn’t stop beating fast.
The HR, Mrs. Angelina, was going to supervise her today.
Everyone said this was the most important day for new interns — the day they decided who would stay and who would go.
And since she was working in Ethan Castellan’s office, she felt even more pressure.
She looked at her reflection in the mirror before leaving the house.
Her hair looked fine, and she had put on a soft shade of lip gloss. Ariana came out of the kitchen holding a cup of coffee.
“You look nervous,” Ariana said, smiling.
“I am,” Celine sighed. “Today’s the supervision. I don’t know if I’m keeping the job or not.”
“You’ll be fine,” Ariana said, handing her the coffee. “You’ve worked hard, and besides, you’re working in the CEO’s office. That’s already a big deal.”
Celine smiled faintly. “Yeah, let’s just hope he doesn’t fire me before the day ends.”
They both laughed, and after finishing her coffee, she hurried out.
\---
When she reached the company, her stomach twisted a little as she entered the elevator.
She pressed the top floor button, took a deep breath, and whispered, “Don’t look down.”
The elevator doors opened, and she stepped out quickly, just like always.
She straightened her shirt and knocked softly on the glass door before walking into Ethan’s office.
“Good morning, sir,” she said politely, trying to keep her voice steady.
Ethan was already seated behind his desk, typing on his laptop. He didn’t look up.
“Morning,” he replied flatly.
She smiled awkwardly and turned to her small corner table.
Then, when she looked up again, she noticed Mrs. Angelina, the HR manager, already sitting across from Ethan.
Celine’s heartbeat picked up.
“Good morning, ma’am,” she said quickly.
“Morning, dear. You may sit,” Mrs. Angelina replied with a warm tone.
Celine obeyed, sitting carefully and trying not to make any noise.
The silence in the room felt long and serious.
Ethan continued typing, occasionally glancing at the computer screen. He looked focused, as always, never smiling, never showing much emotion.
After some minutes, Mrs. Angelina looked up from her tablet and said,
“Miss Celine,” Ms. Angelina started, turning to her with a gentle expression, “you’ve been here for two weeks now, and I’ve been getting some really good reports about you.
You’re active, always early, and I heard you handle tasks quickly and neatly. That’s satisfying to hear.”
Celine’s heart warmed immediately. “Thank you so much, ma’am. I really appreciate this.”
Ms. Angelina smiled and continued, “You can keep working here, in Mr. Castellan’s office. The management is impressed.”
Celine gasped softly. “Thank you thank you so much!” she said, her face lighting up. “I’m so happy. Thank you for this offer.”
Ms. Angelina chuckled. “No, Celine. Don’t thank me. Thank Mr. Castellan instead.”
Celine turned to look at him. He was still on his laptop, barely reacting, but she could tell he was listening.
She stood up slowly, clutching her hands together. “Thank you so much, sir,” she said, bowing her head slightly.
Ethan only raised his hand in a small gesture — a quiet signal for her to sit. Then he went back to typing.
Celine sat back down, a little awkward but smiling to herself. He didn’t say much, but that small gesture… it felt like enough.
Mrs. Angelina soon gathered her tablet and stood up. “Keep up the good work, Celine,” she said kindly before leaving.
When the door closed, the office fell quiet again.
Celine exhaled deeply, trying to calm down. Her chest felt lighter. After all the fear and tension of the past two weeks, she had finally done it — she was officially part of Castellan Enterprise.
She looked down at her computer screen, trying to focus, but her lips kept forming a small smile she couldn’t control.
\---
That evening, when she got home, Ariana was already at the dining table eating noodles from a glass bowl.
“You’re smiling,” Ariana said, looking up at her. “That means it went well.”
Celine dropped her bag on the couch and sat opposite her. “Guess what?”
“What?”
“I got confirmed! Mrs. Angelina said I can keep working there.”
Ariana screamed excitedly and stood up. “Oh my God, that’s amazing! You did it!”
Celine laughed, covering her face. “I was so nervous this morning. My palms were sweating. But everything went well.”
“Did Ethan say something?” Ariana teased with a grin.
“Nothing much,” Celine said, rolling her eyes. “Just his usual cold attitude. He didn’t even look at me. I don’t think that man knows how to smile.”
Ariana laughed. “You and your boss, I swear. But at least now you can relax. You’ve made it past the testing phase.”
“Yeah,” Celine said softly. “I’m just happy I get to keep the job. It’s not easy, but it’s something.”
They continued talking while eating, joking about how serious rich people acted and how Celine had to be careful not to make any mistakes in the CEO’s office.
Ariana said, “Soon, you’ll be one of those office women who drink coffee every hour and complain about emails.”
Celine laughed so hard she almost spilled her drink.
“Please, I don’t want to become that!”
“You already started,” Ariana teased, pointing at her neatly ironed shirt.
They both burst into laughter again.
When the laughter faded, Celine leaned back and looked at the ceiling.
“I don’t know why, but something about that man…” she began softly. “H
e’s so… distant. It’s like he’s fighting something, but he hides it behind that cold face.”
Ariana shrugged. “Maybe he’s just one of those people who doesn’t like showing emotions. You know how CEOs can be.”
“Yeah,” Celine said with a small smile. “Maybe.”
She didn’t think much about it again.