After Office Hours

CHAPTER-FIVE

AFTER OFFICE HOURS

------

By nine o'clock that night, Aether Media Group looked completely different from the noisy battlefield it had been during the day.

The newsroom was quiet.

Too quiet.

Most of the lights had been dimmed automatically, leaving only the desk lamps glowing softly across the large open floor.

The television screens on the walls continued running silent news updates, their light flickering across empty desks.

Chairs sat pushed back where employees had rushed out hours earlier.

Coffee cups were abandoned beside keyboards.

Stacks of unfinished drafts waited patiently for tomorrow.

The building itself seemed to be resting.

Except for two people.

At the centre of the newsroom, Nikos Stavros sat hunched over his laptop, scrolling through a long list of financial records.

He rubbed his face slowly.

"Okay," he muttered.

"This still makes no sense."

Across from him, Andreas Nikolaou sat with his sleeves rolled neatly to his elbows, reviewing another set of documents on his tablet.

His posture was as composed as ever.

But the slight crease between his brows suggested even he was frustrated.

"This company received funding three months before the contract was signed," Andreas said calmly.

"That's impossible," Nikos replied.

"Exactly."

Nikos leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling for a moment.

"I thought investigative journalism was supposed to be exciting."

"It is."

"This feels like accounting."

Andreas glanced at him.

"You're the one who wanted challenging work."

Nikos turned his head slightly.

"I didn't expect spreadsheets."

Andreas almost smiled.

But he returned to the documents before Nikos could notice.

For a few minutes, the only sound in the room was the quiet tapping of keyboards.

Then-

Nikos' stomach growled loudly.

The silence made it impossible to ignore.

He froze.

Andreas slowly looked up.

"...Did your stomach just interrupt the investigation?"

Nikos groaned.

"Don't comment on it."

"Have you eaten today?"

"Define eaten."

Andreas sighed quietly.

"That's not an answer."

"I had coffee."

"That's worse."

Nikos shrugged.

"Deadlines."

Andreas stood up.

Nikos frowned.

"Where are you going?"

"Food."

"You're leaving the office?"

"There's a café downstairs."

Nikos blinked.

"You're buying food?"

"You're clearly incapable of working while starving."

"That's rude."

"It's accurate."

Andreas grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair.

"Five minutes."

Then he walked toward the elevator.

Nikos stared after him.

"...Did Andreas Nikolaou just go buy me food?"

The empty newsroom did not answer.

Fifteen minutes later, the elevator doors opened again.

Andreas stepped out holding two small takeout containers and a pair of coffee cups.

Nikos looked up immediately.

"You came back."

Andreas placed the food on the desk.

"You sound surprised."

"I am." He opened the container.

The smell made him immediately sit up straighter.

"Wow."

Andreas returned to his seat.

"Eat."

Nikos grabbed the plastic fork.

"You're not worried about deadlines anymore?"

"We work faster if you stop complaining."

"That's fair."

For the next few minutes, Nikos focused entirely on eating.

Andreas watched him briefly before returning to his tablet.

"You really didn't eat all day?" Andreas asked after a moment.

Nikos shrugged.

"I forgot."

Andreas shook his head slightly.

"That's irresponsible."

"You stayed late too."

"That's different."

"How?"

"I planned for it."

Nikos smirked.

"So you planned to buy me dinner?"

Andreas paused.

"...No."

Nikos chuckled.

"Sure."

A quiet silence returned.

But this one felt different from earlier.

Less tense.

More... comfortable.

Outside the large windows, the city lights shimmered against the dark sky.

Inside the office, the soft glow of desk lamps created a small island of light around their workspace.

Nikos finished eating and pushed the container aside.

"Thanks," he said.

Andreas nodded once.

"You're welcome."

Then Nikos leaned back in his chair and studied him.

"You know something?"

Andreas didn't look up.

"What?"

"You're not as scary as everyone says."

Andreas' stylus stopped moving.

"...Excuse me?"

Nikos grinned.

"The whole office acts like you're some kind of villain."

"And you don't?"

"No."

"Why not?"

Nikos shrugged.

"Villains don't buy people dinner."

Andreas didn't respond.

But for a brief moment, something softened in his expression.

Meanwhile, in another part of the building...

The elevator doors opened again.

Two figures stepped into the quiet hallway.

Matteo stretched dramatically.

"Wow."

Behind him, Elias walked calmly with a folder in his hand.

"You complain a lot for someone who volunteered to work late."

Matteo grinned.

"I didn't volunteer."

"You did."

"I was tricked."

Elias raised an eyebrow.

"You agreed immediately."

"Because you asked."

Elias paused slightly.

Matteo noticed and smirked.

"Oh?"

Elias ignored him and walked toward the newsroom.

But when they entered-

They both stopped.

At the centre of the room, Andreas and Nikos were still working together.

Matteo's eyes sparkled instantly.

"Oh this is interesting."

Elias sighed.

"Don't."

Matteo lowered his voice.

"They're still here together."

"Yes."

"And it's almost ten."

"Yes."

Matteo leaned closer.

"This is how workplace romances start."

Elias turned slowly.

"They are not-"

Matteo grinned.

"You're defensive."

"I'm realistic."

Matteo whispered dramatically,

"You're jealous."

Elias walked past him.

"I'm going to finish my report."

Matteo followed immediately.

"But you noticed them too!"

Back at the desk, Nikos suddenly frowned at his screen.

"Wait."

Andreas looked up.

"What?"

"This number."

He turned the laptop toward him.

"It appears twice."

Andreas leaned closer.

Their shoulders brushed slightly as he studied the screen.

Nikos felt it.

Andreas felt it too.

Neither of them moved.

"That's not possible," Andreas said quietly.

"It is if someone manipulated the records."

Andreas looked at him.

"You're suggesting fraud."

"I'm suggesting someone is hiding something."

Andreas studied the data again.

Then slowly nodded.

"...You might be right."

Nikos smiled slightly.

"That's three times this week."

"What?"

"You agreeing with me."

Andreas sighed quietly.

"Don't get used to it."

Nikos laughed.

And the sound echoed softly across the empty newsroom.

Across the room, Matteo leaned toward Elias again.

"They're laughing."

Elias pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Please stop narrating."

Matteo grinned.

"I'm observing."

"You're spying."

"Same thing."

Back at the desk, Nikos stretched his arms above his head.

"You know something else?"

Andreas looked up.

"You talk a lot."

"Only when I'm comfortable."

Andreas paused slightly.

"...Comfortable?"

"Yeah."

"With me?"

"Apparently."

Andreas leaned back in his chair slowly.

That was unexpected.

Most employees became quieter around him.

More careful.

More nervous.

But Nikos seemed... relaxed.

Like arguing with Andreas didn't intimidate him at all.

It fascinated him.

"You're unusual," Andreas said finally.

Nikos smirked.

"That's a compliment."

"It's an observation."

"Still counts."

Andreas shook his head slightly.

Then he returned to the documents.

But something had changed tonight.

The tension between them was still there.

But now it felt... lighter.

Less hostile.

More curious.

And somewhere deep inside, Andreas realized something uncomfortable.

He didn't dislike working with Nikos.

Not at all.

In fact-

For the first time in a long time-

Work felt interesting again.

Near the elevators, Matteo crossed his arms dramatically.

"I'm calling it."

Elias didn't look up.

"Calling what?"

"Something is happening between those two."

Elias sighed.

"You've known them four days."

"And?"

Matteo smiled.

"I'm very observant."

Elias muttered quietly,

"You're very dramatic."

Matteo leaned closer.

"You'll see."

Across the newsroom, Andreas and Nikos were still working together under the soft desk light.

Arguing.

Laughing.

Sharing quiet moments between discussions.

Neither of them realized it yet.

But the late nights were beginning to blur the line between co-workers and something more complicated.

And if the office gossipers were right-

This was only the beginning of the chaos.