ONE NOTE, SMILES AND HIDDEN NAME
It was February 19th, the day CB Hotel—one of the most exclusive hotels in New York—set aside to recruit mostly part-time workers.
"I'm number 505," Jane said with a bright smile as she took her seat for the interview.
Picking up her CV, the head interviewer, Mrs. Helen, raised a brow.
"Your hobby is playing the piano. Can you play some musical notes for us?"
Jane blinked. "Yes... but there’s no piano here. How am I supposed to play anything?"
She felt awkward sitting across from the panel of three interviewers. At the center was Mrs. Helen Chris—first child of the Chris family and current president of CB Hotel. The Chris family had two children: Helen and Killian. Since childhood, the siblings had been rivals, and not much had changed.
Killian lived in Paris, where he was the crush of many girls. Rich, cold, and known for never smiling, he carried his family name with pride—and distance.
---
Later that Day – Jane’s POV
At a popular restaurant downtown, Jane sat with her two roommates and best friends—Claira, who worked at CB Airport, and Ella, who worked at CB Store.
"So, when they asked me to play some musical notes," Jane said, shaking her head, "I told them there was no piano in the room."
"No one said anything, so I just went for it," she continued dramatically. "I started miming with my hands and making sounds—
'Ta tan ta taaa... run tan taa taa taa tun...'
Ella burst out laughing.
"Ta ta ta ta ta!" she echoed teasingly.
Claira just shook her head in mock pity for them both.
---
The Next Morning
In their shared apartment, the aftermath of last night’s junk food binge was obvious. Ella lay passed out on the couch, surrounded by empty cans and wrappers. Claira was on a chair, deep asleep, snoring softly.
Downstairs in her pink, slightly messy room, Jane lay under the covers when her phone rang.
"Hello..." she answered groggily.
"Hi, I’m calling from CB Hotel. You passed the interview yesterday. You’re to resume work tomorrow."
Jane shot up. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" she yelled.
"YES! YESSSSS!" she screamed, bolting into the living room and waking her friends.
"What happened?" Ella asked, blinking in confusion.
"I got the job!" Jane beamed.
Her friends jumped up and hugged her in celebration.
"That's amazing, darling!" they cheered.
---
Same Morning – CB Hotel
Inside the department briefing room, a manager addressed newly recruited staff. Among them stood a sharply dressed man in designer clothes—cool, calm, confident.
The manager eyed him with suspicion.
"Your shoes look fake. One of those knock-off OLE editions, right?"
He stepped forward and flipped the man's suit label. His smirk vanished.
The suit, the shoes, even the wristwatch—they were all genuine OLE limited edition.
But the manager wasn’t done.
He handed papers to the stylish man and another worker, Mr. Mike.
"Photocopy these at separate locations."
Mike, a long-time staff member, finished in minutes.
The elegant newcomer, however, struggled. He was tapping on his phone, clearly unfamiliar with the machine. What he didn’t know was—it was broken.
The manager approached, fuming.
"Too slow! Mike, open the ink cartridge and shake it!"
Mike obeyed. But ink exploded everywhere, staining his hands.
The manager smirked, ready to humiliate him—until the stylish recruit spoke up.
"It’s not Mike’s fault. You told him to shake it."
"Shut up. Both of you!" the manager snapped, dialing a number.
Minutes later, the head of department stormed in.
"Who are the rascals causing a scene here?"
"Clean this mess up!" he barked. "And don’t bother coming back tomorrow."
Everyone in the room was silent. But what they didn’t know...
The stylish man was none other than Killian Chris—the chairman's son, undercover as a newly hired worker.
Killian’s voice was calm but firm.
"It’s the manager’s fault."
"What did you say?" the head asked, stunned.
"I said—it’s his fault."
The head pointed angrily.
"Clean it up and get out. You're done here."
But Killian wasn't just another recruit.
This was personal—and he wasn’t going anywhere.
