Ben didn't want to admit that he was moved by what Ella said, so he decided to make her pay for it in the only way he knew how by making her life at work unbearable.
The next morning, he gave her tasks that were higher, tougher, and far beyond her role. It wasn't about the work, it was about testing her limits. Watching to see if she'd break.
By noon the following day, when the office buzzed with laughter and the smell of food filled the air, Ella's stomach growled softly. It was break hour. She had barely eaten since morning.
Just as she stood to head toward the cafeteria, her phone buzzed.
Ben: "My office. Now."
Her heart sank. She adjusted her blouse, straightened her skirt, and walked toward his door.
When she entered, Ben didn't even look up from his desk. His tone was flat, cold.
" I have lots of documents and emails I need you to handle," he said.
Ella hesitated, clutching her notepad tightly.
"B…but sir, it's break, and I need to get some food," she said quietly, voice almost trembling.
Ben looked up, his gaze sharp as a blade.
" I don't care. Do as I've told you. It's a command, not a request ".
His words sliced straight through her. Ella's jaw clenched, anger and exhaustion fighting to escape, but she swallowed it down. She nodded slowly, turned, and began her work without another word.
Hours passed.
She replied to dozens of his emails, sorted through files stacked taller than her forearm, picked up business calls meant only for the CEO, scheduled investor meetings, and made sure every minor detail of his day ran perfectly.
Every task was intentional as a test, a punishment, a wall Ben built between himself and the strange, quiet woman who had dared to confront him.
But she never broke.
Even when her hands shook from fatigue, she inhaled deeply, steadied herself, and kept going. A faint, practiced smile stayed on her face.
The office began to notice.
Whispers spread like wildfire through the halls.
" Why is the boss suddenly trusting her with everything?"
" He's never let anyone that close "
" Maybe she is doing more than just working."
The jealousy was thick, bitter, and unkind. Some stopped greeting her. Others snickered when she passed. The air around her grew heavy with resentment but Ella stayed focused.
All she wanted was to work, get paid, and build a better life. Even if it meant breaking silently every day.
Ben, on the other hand, was observing.
He'd catch glimpses of her through his glass walls; her tired eyes, the way she pushed stray hair behind her ear, the determined look that refused to bend.
He didn't show it, but it intrigued him. Her composure, her drive, her quiet strength, stirred something deep in him that he didn't want to feel.
That night, the office was silent except for the faint tapping of keys and the hum of the air conditioner. Everyone had gone home except the two of them.
Ben sat at his desk, reviewing contracts, but exhaustion weighed his eyes. Before long, he fell asleep where he sat, the papers still in his hand.
Ella glanced over, hesitated for a moment, then quietly stood. She took off her heavy jacket and gently draped it over him. For a brief moment, she looked at his face so calm in sleep, stripped of its usual coldness.
Then, softly, he murmured her name.
" Ella…."
Her heart stilled.
Ben slowly opened his eyes, blinking at the dim light. His voice came low, almost tender, the hardness gone.
" You are not like the others. I've tested beyond what you can handle, and you've proven yourself with no doubt."
Ella met his gaze steadily.
" Because I'm not like others'" she said softly. " Everyone has their reason for working."
He leaned forward slightly, curiosity flickering in his dark eyes.
" So what's your reason?"
Her voice trembled, but her words were steady.
" I want to get a better life for myself and my parents "
Silence lingered in the air; thick, unspoken, heavy with something neither could name.
For the first time, Ben saw her not as an employee, but as a person, a woman with fire in her spirit and stories written behind her calm eyes.
And for Ella, she saw him just a man, tired, bruised by life, hiding behind his arrogance.
It was the first night the air between them shifted, quietly, permanently.