The Measure of Worth

Unwanted Attention

As the discussion continued, Calli took notes diligently, eager to learn as much as she could. She admired how efficient and methodical the team was, each person presenting their ideas with confidence and precision.

But then, something unsettling caught her attention.

Across the room, sitting at the far-left edge of the table, was a man she didn’t recognize.

He was young, probably mid-twenties, with black hair in comma haircut, sharp features, and fair skin.His lean yet toned frame was accentuated by the crisp fit of his black longsleeve polo with black necktie. His posture was relaxed, yet there was an air of quiet intensity about him.

And he was looking at her.

Not just once.

Not twice.

Multiple times.

Every time she glanced up from her notes, she caught him stealing glances at her. But as soon as their eyes met, he would quickly avert his gaze, as if caught in the act.

Her stomach tightened.

A strange sense of discomfort settled in her chest.

"Who is he? Why does he keep looking at me?"

She had carefully studied the company’s employees before joining, familiarizing herself with the key figures in Celestique’s marketing department or even the other department. She had seen their names, titles, and even photos during her onboarding process.

But his face was nowhere in the company records.

Who was he?

The meeting eventually ended, with Mr. Sean Lee nodding in approval before leaving the room. The Board of Directors followed, then the marketing team, discussing final adjustments as they exited.

Yet, the man stayed behind.

So did Calli, who was gathering the printed materials used for the presentation.

From where she stood, she could hear a hushed conversation.

Miss Celeste Ong was speaking to him.

“Your father wants you to explore different departments," she said, her voice calm but firm. "He believes that if you attend more meetings, you'll find something that interests you."

So he is the chairman’s son.

Calli continued tidying up the documents, her thoughts racing.

She had no intention of eavesdropping, but her mind kept repeating the words she had just heard.

"The chairman's son…"

"Why was he in a marketing meeting if he isn’t part of the team?"

As she moved toward the exit, she couldn’t help but glance at him one last time.

And in that instant—

Their eyes met.

He didn’t look away this time.

A flicker of curiosity passed through his gaze, as if trying to place her—like she was someone familiar yet unrecognizable.

A moment of stillness hung between them before Calli, startled by the tension, quickly bowed her head out of instinct.

She didn’t know the exact customs in Singapore, but she had seen Koreans and Japanese bow as a sign of respect, so she assumed it was the same here.

Then, without another word, she swiftly turned and left the room.

Her mind was in turmoil as she walked toward the marketing office.

"Why was he looking at me?"

"Or am I just overthinking this?"

She shook her head, as if trying to rid herself of the unnecessary thoughts.

"It doesn’t matter. I’m here for work, not to think about unnecessary things."

And with that, she steeled her resolve, pushed the encounter to the back of her mind, and stepped into the office, determined to focus on her job.

---

The meeting had been going on for about twenty minutes now, and Daiven Lee still had no idea why he was there.

His father hadn’t explained much—only that he should “observe and learn”—a vague instruction that felt more like a command than a suggestion. The meeting was about marketing strategies for Celestique’s upcoming perfume launch, but Daiven wasn’t particularly interested. Numbers, strategies, consumer insights—it all sounded like an overly complicated puzzle that he had no desire to solve.

Leaning back in his chair, he allowed his gaze to drift around the room, taking in the expressions of the people around him. Some looked deeply engaged, others scribbled notes with urgency.

And then, just as his eyes lazily scanned the room, they landed on her.

She sat on the corner on the room observing silently, almost blending into the background. Her black hair was neatly tucked behind her ears, and her posture was straight, attentive. There was nothing particularly striking about her at first glance, but something about her seemed oddly familiar.

Where have I seen her before?

He frowned slightly, trying to recall, but the memory stayed just out of reach.

As he continued watching, she remained focused on the presenter at the front, occasionally jotting something down in her notebook. Unlike many of the employees who looked either bored or deep in thought, she seemed genuinely eager to learn. It intrigued him.

Before he realized it, he had been staring for too long.

She shifted slightly, as if sensing the weight of his gaze. And then—she turned her head.

Their eyes met.

Daiven froze.

For a split second, neither of them moved. Her dark eyes widened slightly, caught off guard, and he immediately looked away, clearing his throat and shifting in his seat.

"What the hell am I doing?"

It wasn’t like him to stare at people, especially a stranger. Yet, something about her made it hard to look away. There was a quiet determination in her expression, a subtle intensity in the way she listened, as if she were absorbing every detail like it truly mattered to her.

It was… different.

He shook his head, refocusing on the meeting.

---

By the time the presentation ended, the board members and marketing leads began packing their things, exchanging quick discussions about the next steps. His father, along with the key executives, was the first to stand up and exit the room.

Daiven usually would have been right behind him.

But this time, he didn’t move.

Instead, he remained in his seat, staring at the polished surface of the table, unsure why he suddenly didn’t want to leave.

Ms. Celeste Ong, his father’s assistant approached him.

“Your father wants you to explore different departments," she said while adjusting the tablet in her hands. "He believes that if you attend more meetings, you'll find something that interests you."

Daiven barely listened. His focus had drifted again.

The girl—the intern—was still in the room.

She was gathering the printed materials from the table, carefully stacking them into a neat pile. It was a simple, mundane action, but his eyes followed her movements. As she reached for the last document, she unintentionally looked up—and caught him staring again.

Her reaction was almost immediate.

She stiffened slightly before quickly lowering her head in what seemed like an awkward bow of respect. And then, without another glance, she hurried out of the room.

Dayn blinked.

"Did she just… bow?"

Singaporeans didn’t typically bow like that. It was more of a Japanese or Korean cultural habit.

For some reason, that small gesture made him smirk slightly.

“You’re not listening, are you?” Celeste sighed, tapping a pen against her tablet.

He turned back to her. “Huh?”

“I was saying—your father wants you to find a department that interests you. So, what do you think?”

He exhaled, running a hand through his hair. He wasn’t really thinking about career paths at the moment. He wasn’t even sure what he wanted to do. But before he could stop himself, the words left his mouth.

“I wanna be part of the marketing team.”

Celeste’s eyes widened, clearly caught off guard. “You… do?”

The assistant felt a sense of relief upon hearing his decision—perhaps because his father constantly pressured her to get him more involved in the business, and she was growing weary of trying to persuade him.

He stood up, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Yeah. Sounds interesting.”

It was a lie. Marketing wasn’t particularly interesting to him. But something else was.

Without waiting for her response, he walked out of the conference room, leaving Celeste standing there, looking half surprised and half relieved.

Maybe this decision would turn out to be a mistake.

Or maybe… it was exactly where he was supposed to be.