Page 128 of My Ruthless Neighbor

“Good morning, Archer!” Brielle beams at him.

My movements halt. The cup in my hand is suspended in the air, inches away from my lips when she says his name.

Not one minute ago she was complaining about being tired and look at her now, all chirpy when her boss arrives.

Nina who’s often grumpy, smiles. Chris and Mia are silent, their argument forgotten.

Another live example that he is so revered by his employees.

Giving into the temptation, I turn to face him. As soon as I do, my brows pull together.

Archer marches forward with Hannah and Raleigh trailing behind him.

The trio is awfully quiet. Raleigh’s signature smirk is missing in action. Hannah’s face looks more serious than usual.

Archer’s stance is stiff and his aura is… unwelcoming. Like a dark cloud is looming over him. His face is scarily blank which makes my stomach sink.

I try to catch his eye but he acts like I am invisible.

He barely acknowledges Brielle or any of us as he strides past us in the direction of the meeting room.

Hannah glances at me and offers me a small quick smile before walking away briskly.

Brielle clears her throat. “All right, guys. I need to get back to work.” She tries to shoo us away.

Nina gives her a troubled look but walks back to her cubicle.

Grabbing a chair, I sit down. “What was that, Brielle?”

She ignores my eyes and focuses on her computer. “What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean. What was that?”

She turns her wheeled chair to face mine. “It was really nothing.”

“I don’t think so. Yes, Archer can be rude sometimes, but I have never seen him this cold. It’s like he is here but not really here. Something is very wrong. I can feel it.”

“It slipped my mind. It’s his birthday today.”

“What?”

She bobs her head. “Yeah.”

“But what does that have anything to do with his somber mood?”

“I don’t know much about it. But Raleigh does as he’s worked here longer than any of us. He noticed the pattern.” Brielle watches the direction they disappeared to with sadness.

“Pattern?”

“Every year on this particular day, he shuts down. Becomes colder. Harsher. Unapproachable. Even to his star employees.”

I watch the empty hallway too with a frown. “Why?”

“Beats me.”

I look back at her when she speaks again. “It sucks you know. That man goes all out to celebrate our birthdays, anniversaries, or victory parties. He arranges everything for us but never lets us do the same for him.”

“Did he ever attend those birthday parties?”

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