“Haa, haaa…”

After the frantic escape, she reached the park entrance again, bent over and panting heavily, before slumping down.

“…Now where do I go?”

How pathetic.

She swallowed the rest of her thoughts and straightened up. She felt so pitiful, not being able to find a place to spend even just one night.

‘I don’t even have a friend I can ask to put me up for the night.’

Giselle gave a bitter smile and ruffled her hair. She had prided herself on living diligently, but why was her life in such disarray?

“If it’s just between home and the office…”Ah!”

As she muttered self-deprecatingly, her eyes suddenly widened. Blinking a few times, her expression brightened.

“Ah, that’s it! I’ll go to the office!”

Why hadn’t she thought of the office sooner?

At this hour, everyone would have gone home, so the office would be empty. She wouldn’t have any problems staying there for the night.

‘I can get a head start on tomorrow’s work.’

Giselle made up some excuses, feeling a bit sheepish, and turned towards the direction of the office.

* * *

“Are you really planning to stay here all night?”

The security guard asked skeptically as he opened the office door for Giselle. She responded with an embarrassed smile and a nod.

“Yes. I have some work to do.”

“Hmm.”

The security guard remained unconvinced despite her answer. His reaction was understandable.

It might be acceptable for her to come in unexpectedly late at night, claiming urgent work. But the fact that she was drenched, without shoes, and in such a disheveled state would raise anyone’s suspicions.

“I’m telling the truth.”

Giselle tried to appear calm and gave the security guard a reassuring smile as he scrutinized her from head to toe.

Perhaps her earnest expression convinced him.

The security guard cleared his throat and nodded.

“That’s impressive. If it were me, I’d wait until morning to come in, no matter how urgent the work is. I guess that’s why you’re working here, even as a woman.”

Giselle gave another awkward smile, then entered the office.

She felt the security guard’s gaze on her back, but she resolutely made her way to her desk.

‘I’m here to work. I have urgent matters to attend to. I’m not here for any other reason.’

Giselle shuffled through the documents on her desk, then looked towards the door.

The security guard, who had been watching her, rubbed his nose awkwardly when their eyes met, then closed the door, wishing her well.

And silence descended.

Now she was alone, in a space where no one could catch her.

“I need to work. Lying is wrong.”

Giselle turned on the lamp on her desk and spread out the documents, acting as if nothing had happened. But soon, the papers started becoming damp.

“Huh, why are there tears…It won’t do.”

Tears fell onto the documents, causing the printed text to bleed.

She tried to wipe the wet areas, but there was no way to undo the ink stains, just like the wounds in her heart.

“Hic, sob…”

Just as she managed to wipe away the tears and tried to compose herself, something caught her eye. There was someone standing right in front of her desk.

“Kyaah!”

She reflexively let out a scream, squeezing her eyes shut and grabbing whatever she could reach on the desk to brandish as a weapon. At the same time, the person in front of the desk reached out and grabbed her wrist.

“A feather pen can certainly be used as a weapon, but you’d have to hold it the other way around.”

“…?”

Giselle cautiously looked at the man who had spoken in a soft voice while gripping her wrist. Familiar navy-blue eyes were visible through the feathers on the pen tip.

“…President? Ah! President, what are you doing here?”

She blinked a few times, then belatedly regained her senses and stood up from her seat.

“I’m sorry, President. I, well, I have some work to do… I couldn’t sleep, so that’s why… Not that I should have come in without permission, but…”

“Anticia.”

At that moment, Lucas interrupted Giselle and called her by name. It was a different form of address than usual.

Instead of politely addressing her as ‘Miss Anticia,’ he called her the way he had when she was his junior in the academy.

Surprised by the change, Giselle looked at him. Lucas met her wide-eyed gaze, then slowly shifted his eyes to her tear-stained cheeks.

“Ah… Something got in my eyes.”

Embarrassed that he had caught her crying, the flustered Giselle tried to explain.

But Lucas just furrowed his brow, remaining silent. His gaze on Giselle grew even colder.

“Well, um…”

“Who hit you?”

Unable to find any more excuses, Giselle simply opened and closed her mouth as Lucas questioned her accusingly.

“Huh? Ah… No one.”

Giselle then realized that her face wasn’t just tear-stained, but also bruised.

Her skin was delicate, so even a light impact would leave a nasty bruise. And her father had struck her cheek rather forcefully.

So she didn’t need a mirror to know how she must look right now.

She firmly bit her lip and kept silent. She didn’t want to appear pitiful, especially in front of this man.

How ridiculous.

She was always aware of him, even though they weren’t particularly close. It had been that way in the past as well.

Even during their days at the academy, when they were studying together, she had needlessly been hyper-aware of him.

「You’re first again, Anticia. Isn’t that amazing?」

It was on the day when the test results were announced. The top 20 scores and rankings were publicly disclosed, and not only her classmates, but also upperclassmen and underclassmen were murmuring.

「Anticia got first place again.」

「She must have cozied up to the professors and played them like a fiddle. Look at this — she even got full marks from that demon of an accounting professor. Does that make any sense?」

「And she still has the audacity to show her face around. Even a pr*stitute would be more ashamed than Anticia.」

It wasn’t the first time she had heard such malicious talk. Since she had topped the entrance exam, she had been constantly subjected to such comments, especially whenever the test results were announced.

That’s why, amid the murmuring, Giselle simply checked her name at the top of the announcement without a care. Just as she was about to head back to the classroom, Lucas, who had been standing right behind her, spoke to her.

He said she was amazing.

It wasn’t a mocking or sarcastic remark. Anyone could tell he had genuinely expressed admiration.

And at the same time, the malicious comments quickly dissipated.

No one dared to insult or mock Giselle, whom Lucas had praised as amazing.

It was the first time Giselle had received such a gesture. Lucas was the only one who had acknowledged her achievements without prejudice.

Perhaps that was why.

Giselle studied even more diligently after that. Before, she had just been studying to receive the scholarship.

Since she had enrolled in the academy against her parents’ wishes, she had to cover all the expenses, including tuition, on her own.

But from that day on, she worked hard, not wanting to disappoint him.

Even though she knew that as a distant senior-junior relationship, Lucas wouldn’t continue to take an interest in her.

As a result, Giselle maintained her position as the top student in her year until graduation. And even after being hired by his company, she continued to do her best.

She didn’t want to reveal her pitiful family situation. In front of him, she just wanted to be seen as intelligent and capable.

…But now she had shown him this unsightly side of herself.

“Anticia.”

Lucas spoke again, as if urging the flustered Giselle, who couldn’t look him straight in the eye.

Giselle meaninglessly followed the text on the documents on the desk, then managed to respond.

“It’s just… I had a bit of a problem.”

“…”

“A family issue, …senior.”

Hesitating, Giselle changed the way she addressed him. Since Lucas had called her the way he used to, she thought she could do the same.

And this conversation had nothing to do with work anyway.

Of course, if he seemed displeased, she would be more than willing to revert to addressing him as ‘President’ again.

“A family issue, huh…”

Fortunately, Lucas didn’t seem to mind the way Giselle had addressed him. His attention was solely focused on the signs of abuse on her cheek.

“You’re trying to sweep a case of assault under the rug? That’ll be difficult, since I witnessed it with my own eyes. Especially since the victim is my employee and junior.”

“Th-that’s!”

Flustered by his words, Giselle opened her mouth. But unable to find the right words, she could only stammer.

“…”

Nevertheless, Lucas did not press Giselle to continue speaking. He calmly waited, watching her with a cool gaze.

Calmed by his composure, Giselle took a deep breath and confessed the truth.

“Actually… my father hit me.”

“…”

“It was the first time he’s ever done that. He’s not usually the type to use violence…”

She trailed off, feeling foolish for making excuses for her father. Silently listening to her story, Lucas then spoke in a soft voice.