Babies' Secret: My Ex Wants Me Back!
Chapter 54: Newbie boss

Chapter 54: Newbie boss

Chapter 54

It was a quiet evening, the kind where the air was still and it was already time to clock out—but Amelia was nowhere near done with her shift. One of the days she was having an extra shift.

Her luck!

Amelia had just wrapped up an inspection checklist and was heading up to deliver a small package to one of the VIP floors. Her heels clicked lightly against the tiles through the hallway. As she reached the elevator and pressed the elevator button, she glanced down at the package in her hands, double-checking the room number.

She stepped into the elevator, the small delivery package tucked under her arm protectively as she tapped her ID badge distractedly. The doors started to close, then slid open again with a soft ding.

She paused, her fingers twitching against the package when she saw Mathew already inside, his back leaning on the rail and his eyes glued on his phone.

Mathew looked up from his phone briefly, then returned to it. "No slipping today, Ms. OG of OGs," he said without missing a beat, the corners of his lips curled into a faint smirk and his voice laced with amusement.

Amelia blinked, a reluctant, embarrassed smile on her face. "Not again," she rolled her eyes, "and it’s too early for that," she piped, stepping in and taking the opposite corner.

The elevator began its slow ascent. Silence settled between them—not the awkward type, but a familiar and comfortable kind.

Mathew noticed Amelia’s eyes closed, her head bobbing a little as her leg tapped the floor absentmindedly. He raised his brow and took some steps closer to her.

Mathew tilted his head slightly, noticing the small white bud in her ear. He tapped her a little, and her eyes flew open as she removed the earbud.

"You always wear those while working?" he asked, his eyes following her hand’s movements.

"Oh?" she muttered, pushing the strand of hair behind her ear and smiled.

"Only when I’m not dealing with people," she shot back playfully, then rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Music keeps me sane."

Mathew took a step forward, craning his ears at the faint sound from the earbud. "What are you listening to?" he asked.

"Oh, this—" she stretched out her hand, her smile widening. "Abyss from Kaiju No. 8," she responded.

He raised a brow amusedly. "That good, huh?"

"Anime themes are the best."

Mathew let out a short laugh, a sound that was more felt than heard. "True," he hummed in agreement. "But I didn’t expect that, though," he added.

Amelia turned to face him, feigning offense. "What were you expecting? Taylor Swift?"

He chuckled lightly, pocketing his hands. "More like soft R&B. You look like the type."

She narrowed her eyes, laughing. "That sounds like an insult. But no offense taken."

Mathew smiled, his dimple revealing as he leaned against the elevator wall. "Thank you, madame."

While Amelia chuckled at his dramatic antics, "You watch anime, right?"

"Well, I’d rather read the mangas or manhwa than watch the animations, though I’ve watched some."

Amelia wrinkled her nose. "Pssh, manga readers," she laughed. "Mention some you’ve watched."

"The big three," he hummed, "and some recent ones."

Amelia nodded slowly. "Hmm, respectable." She clapped her hands. "What’s your favorite theme?"

He paused, then gave a sheepish shrug. "I liked that one from Attack on Titan—the season 4 theme and ’Rumble’ also," he responded.

Her eyes lit up excitedly as she jumped a little. "You know good things!" Amelia started humming the theme.

"Yeah, this one. I don’t know the name, but the vocals and emotion in it really nailed it."

Amelia grinned widely. "Alright, but I’ll give you some watchlist to pass time."

"Well, I don’t mind."

Another brief pause as the elevator shook a little, then dinged and slowly halted. Amelia stepped toward the door and glanced over her shoulder.

"I’ll send it to you soon. Make sure to watch it."

"Okay, ma’am," Mathew responded dramatically.

She giggled. "Deal," she grinned, and with that, she was gone, heels fading down the hallway.

The elevator doors closed with a soft hiss, and Mathew stood there for a second longer than necessary, phone forgotten in his pocket. And then, a small smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. He hadn’t realized it, but that was the longest he’d smiled at anyone all day.

Mathew blinked, catching himself smiling from his reflection in the elevator mirror, and rubbed his jaw.

Then shook his head, waiting for the elevator to reach his floor.

Back in his office, Mathew pulled out the stack of vendor contracts he was meant to review. The paperwork sat in front of him, untouched for a while. His mind wandered, replaying bits and pieces of the elevator conversation. The way her eyes twinkled as she spoke about anime, her hands waving animatedly to express her thoughts, the little frown on her face, and the glint in her eyes made him smile again—and this time, he caught himself.

Mathew picked his phone and scrolled through Spotify to listen to what she was listening to earlier in the elevator. It sounded cool. Searching the name of the theme, Mathew leaned back in his chair, eyes half-lidded, lips twitching again as he listened to it.

Meanwhile, Amelia was halfway through finishing her sheet and delivering the guest’s package as she hummed a tune under her breath, bouncing from one hallway to another. Being a staff in this hotel wasn’t a bad idea—she got to speak about anime with her boss. She grinned and shuffled through her playlist.

After she was done with her rounds, Amelia pulled out her phone and began making a list for Mathew. Her top anime recommendations. She titled it, "For My Newbie Boss."

Parasyte

Hell’s Paradise

Mo Dao Zu Shi (donghua)

Fullmetal Alchemist...

She finished writing some that she remembered and at the top, she wrote, "You’ll enjoy every bit of it," and underlined it before smiling to herself.

Her boss — Mathew was cool.