After Office Hours

CHAPTER-FOUR

Thursday mornings at Aether Media Group were usually calmer than the rest of the week.

Usually.

By ten in the morning, most of the newsroom had already settled into their routines.

Writers were busy researching stories, editors were reviewing drafts, and the constant hum of typing filled the open space.

But today, something felt different.

Not calmer.

Tense.

Because everyone in the newsroom had noticed something over the past few days.

Every time Nikos Stavros spoke, Andreas Nikolaou somehow appeared nearby.

Not intentionally.

Not obviously.

But enough for people to notice.

And when people noticed things at Aether Media-

They talked.

Near the coffee machine, Maria stood with Sofia and Kostas, whispering like investigators solving a crime.

"I'm telling you," Maria said quietly, "something strange is happening."

Kostas leaned against the counter.

"You say that every day."

"Yes, but today I have evidence."

Sofia raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

Maria pointed dramatically toward the centre of the newsroom.

At desk twenty-three.

Where Nikos sat reviewing notes on his laptop.

"Andreas has checked his desk four times this morning."

Kostas blinked.

"That's normal. He's the editor."

Maria shook her head.

"No, no, no."

She lowered her voice.

"He doesn't check writers that often unless they're either extremely bad... or extremely interesting."

Sofia smirked.

"And which one is Nikos?"

Maria smiled slowly.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out."

At his desk, Nikos stretched his arms slightly and leaned back in his chair.

The newsroom noise barely bothered him anymore.

Four days here and he was already adjusting.

Which was surprising.

He hadn't expected to feel comfortable this quickly.

But then again-

This place was chaotic enough to feel familiar.

Suddenly, a shadow appeared over his desk.

"Mr. Stavros."

Nikos looked up.

Andreas.

Of course.

"Morning," Nikos said casually.

Andreas placed a file on the desk.

"Meeting room. Five minutes."

Nikos glanced at the folder.

"What's this?"

"Your next assignment."

"Already?"

"You finished the last one."

"Fair."

Nikos stood up, grabbing the folder.

Across the room, three pairs of eyes followed them immediately.

Maria whispered loudly.

"Oh my God."

Kostas leaned closer.

"They're going to the meeting room together."

Sofia gasped dramatically.

"Alone?"

Maria nodded slowly.

"This is important."

Kostas frowned.

"You're acting like this is a romantic drama."

Maria pointed at him.

"Don't ruin the moment."

Inside the meeting room, the atmosphere was quieter.

Large windows overlooked the city, and a long table sat in the centre surrounded by sleek chairs.

Andreas placed his tablet on the table and turned toward Nikos.

"This project is different."

Nikos opened the folder.

His eyebrows lifted slightly.

"Investigative work?"

"Yes."

Nikos looked surprised.

"You're giving this to me?"

"You're capable."

That was... unexpectedly direct.

Nikos sat down and flipped through the documents.

"This is a corruption story."

"And a complicated one."

"Why me?"

Andreas didn't answer immediately.

Instead, he leaned against the table and studied him carefully.

"Because you ask questions."

Nikos looked up.

"That's my job."

"Most writers here follow instructions first."

"And I don't."

"No."

A faint pause settled between them.

Then Andreas continued,

"You challenge things."

Nikos shrugged.

"That usually annoys people."

"It does."

"And you're okay with that?"

Andreas crossed his arms.

"For this assignment... yes."

Nikos leaned back slightly.

"So what's the catch?"

"You won't be working alone."

Nikos sighed dramatically.

"There's always a catch."

Andreas continued calmly.

"I'm supervising the investigation."

Nikos blinked.

"...You?"

"Yes."

"So we're working together."

"Yes."

Nikos stared at him for a moment.

Then he laughed softly.

"Oh this is going to be a disaster."

Andreas raised an eyebrow.

"You think so?"

"I argue with you too much."

"You do."

"Exactly."

Andreas sat down across from him.

"That's why this will work."

Nikos frowned slightly.

"That doesn't make sense."

Andreas leaned forward.

"Arguments produce better ideas."

Their eyes met again.

There it was.

That strange tension neither of them had acknowledged yet.

Nikos looked down at the documents again.

"...Fine."

"Good."

"We start today?"

"Yes."

"And how late are we working?"

Andreas didn't hesitate.

"As long as it takes."

Nikos smirked.

"So... late."

"Very."

Back in the newsroom, the gossip committee was losing patience.

Maria tapped her fingers against the desk.

"They've been in there twenty minutes."

Sofia leaned closer to the glass wall.

"I can't hear anything."

Kostas sighed.

"You're both insane."

Suddenly, Matteo appeared beside them with a cup of coffee.

"What are we spying on?"

Maria pointed at the meeting room.

"Andreas and Nikos."

Matteo smiled immediately.

"Oh this sounds interesting."

Across the room, Elias didn't even look up from his laptop.

"Don't encourage them."

Matteo glanced at him.

"Jealous?"

"No."

"Because you're staring at us again."

Elias sighed quietly.

"I work with children."

The meeting room door finally opened.

Nikos walked out first.

Andreas followed.

Instant silence spread across the newsroom.

Everyone pretended to be working.

Very badly.

Nikos walked back to his desk and dropped the folder onto the surface.

Kostas rolled his chair closer immediately.

"So?"

"What?"

"What happened?"

Nikos opened his laptop again.

"New project."

Maria leaned over the desk.

"With Andreas?"

"Yes."

"For how long?"

Nikos shrugged.

"Until it's finished."

Maria's eyes widened dramatically.

"Oh wow."

Sofia looked thrilled.

"Late nights!"

Kostas groaned.

"You people are unbelievable."

Across the room, Matteo leaned toward Elias.

"You heard that?"

"Yes."

"This should be entertaining."

Elias didn't look up.

"It will be chaotic."

Matteo smiled slowly.

"I like chaos."

Elias muttered under his breath,

"I know."

Later that evening, the newsroom slowly began to empty.

One by one, employees packed their bags and shut down their computers.

"Goodnight!" Sofia called.

"Bye!" Kostas replied.

Maria grabbed her purse and walked toward the elevator.

But before leaving, she glanced toward the centre of the room.

Two desks were still occupied.

Nikos.

And Andreas.

Both focused on the investigation documents spread across the table between them.

Maria smiled quietly.

"Oh this is going to be fun."

Then she left.

By eight o'clock, the office was almost completely silent.

The bright newsroom lights reflected softly across the empty desks.

Nikos rubbed his eyes and leaned back in his chair.

"Okay," he said.

"This lead makes no sense."

Andreas looked up from his laptop.

"Explain."

"The numbers don't match the timeline."

Andreas stood and walked closer.

He leaned over the desk beside Nikos, studying the documents.

Their shoulders were suddenly very close.

Too close.

Nikos noticed.

Andreas noticed too.

Neither of them moved.

"You're right," Andreas said quietly.

Nikos glanced sideways.

"You agree?"

"Yes."

"...That's twice this week."

Andreas almost smiled.

Almost.

The moment lingered longer than it should have.

Then Nikos cleared his throat.

"So... we keep digging?"

Andreas straightened slightly.

"Yes."

Outside the office windows, the city lights flickered across the dark sky.

Inside Aether Media, the newsroom was quiet.

Just two people left working late.

Two stubborn personalities forced into the same investigation.

Two men who argued constantly.

And yet somehow-

The tension between them was slowly changing.

Neither of them knew it yet.

But this investigation was about to connect their lives in ways neither of them expected.

And tonight was only the beginning of their long nights together.